We hear a lot today about the importance of feeding our dogs a healthy diet. We all want our dogs to be healthy and happy. And there’s lots more information available now about dog foods than there was just a few years ago. However, choosing a good food for your dog can still be a bit overwhelming when you look at the label and try to compare foods. How do you interpret what you read? What does it really mean?
Here’s some information to help you the next time you feel like browsing through pet food labels.
What’s on the label?
Labeling on pet food is covered by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
AAFCO has provided model labeling requirements for pet food which have been followed by the FDA. The FDA requires the following information to appear on a pet food label:
- Proper identification of the product
- Net quantity statement
- Name and place of business of the manufacturer or distributor
- Proper listing of all ingredients in the product in order from most to least, based on weight (before cooking)
While these may seem like very basic requirements, even these statements can be complicated. For instance, there are specific rules regarding the proper idendificatiion of a product. For example, under the “95 percent rule,” a canned food that is mostly meat, poultry, or fish and which is called “Beef for Dogs,” would have to be at least 95 percent beef (minus the water added for processing and the “condiments” – vitamins and minerals added). Including water, the named ingredient would still have to be at least 70 percent of the product.
There are other rules that apply to properly identifying the product. For instance, the 25 percent or “dinner” rule means at least 25 percent (but less than 95 percent) of the product has to be the named ingredients, and the product uses the term “dinner,” “platter,” “entree,” or something similar. You can feed your dog “Lamb dinner for dogs,” for example and only 25 percent of the food has to be lamb. You should be aware that this means that the food could contain some other ingredient in a higher amount that you don’t want to feed your dog. If your dog is allergic to chicken, the food might contain more chicken than lamb and this isn’t indicated in the name of the product. Be sure to read the ingredient list to find out what’s in the food.
Listing ingredients
Foods are required to be listed by weight before cooking. When looking at the list of ingredients it’s particularly important to note the first 5-7 ingredients. They make up most of what’s in the food. Most experts like to see two or three meat proteins in the first five ingredients. It’s best if the first ingredient is a good meat protein.
It’s up to you whether you choose to feed your dog a food with grains or a grain-free dog food. You can find good quality foods with both diets. If you feed your dog a food with grains, low to moderate amounts of carbs are usually considered better.
Contrary to what many people assume, grain-free dog foods still contain carbohydrates. In fact, some grain-free dog foods have a lot of carbs. This is because the more common grains are sometimes replaced with peas, potatoes, sweet potatoes, tapioca, and other less common ingredients. Your dog can end up with a heavy load of carbs even though he is not eating any typical grains. So look at the label to see what’s in your grain-free dog food.
After the meats and grains or grain-substitutes, you will often see “flavors,” botanicals, fruits and vegetables, and other added ingredients. You can check dog food reviews to see how these ingredients are rated. Ingredients to avoid include artificial colors, artificial flavors, and added sweeteners (artificial or otherwise). Artificial preservatives should always be avoided.
Farther down the ingredient list you will see vitamins and minerals, which are typically added to most dog foods. Most foods need to add vitamins and minerals back into the food after cooking because pet food is cooked at high temperatures. This ensures that the food contains the correct nutrition for your dog.
One thing to beware of when reading the label is an industry practice called “splitting.” This occurs when the company includes several different versions of the same ingredient. People used to use the example of corn but today we see it being done with peas – pea fiber, pea protein, peas, pea starch. Since some dogs have problems digesting peas, this can become a serious issue and your dog may not be able to tolerate a food with these ingredients added together.
Guaranteed analysis
The label also provides the guaranteed analysis for the food. The guaranteed analysis lists the minimum percentages of crude protein and crude fat, and the maximum percentages of crude fiber and moisture. “Crude” refers to the method of testing the ingredients and not to the food itself or to the quality of the ingredients. Some companies will provide information for other nutrients but this is not required.
These percentages are given on an “as fed” basis, meaning as the food comes right out of the bag. In order to compare these percentages to those of other foods, you may have to do some converting. Most dry dog food has 10-12 percent moisture content so it’s easy to compare one bag of food with another just by looking at the label. However, if you are comparing canned food, especially canned food with dry food, it’s important to mentally remove the moisture content so you can compare the foods fairly. Dry food is 88-90 percent dry matter while canned food is only about 22-25 percent dry matter. An easy way to compare is by multiplying the figures given for canned food by four so you can compare them to dry food. This isn’t perfect but it’s a quick way to compare if you are in a pet food aisle.
Nutritional adequacy statements
One of the most important things you will find on a pet food label is the statement of nutritional adequacy. The exact wording can vary from company to company but it looks something like this: “(Name of product) is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles.” Or the statement may say that the food has passed AAFCO Feeding Trial Protocol(s). These are non-invasive trials that observe how animals eat and react to a dog food over a 6-month period. They are more expensive tests than nutrient profiles so fewer companies use them.
The statement will also tell you the life stage the food is intended to satisfy, whether that is maintenance, all life stages, or puppy/growth. Snacks, treats, and supplements are not required to have a nutritional adequacy statement.
You should not feed your dog a pet food that does not have an AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement. This is a minimum statement of nutritional adequacy for any pet food.
Feeding directions
The label will also give you feeding directions for your dog. These directions are based on the daily caloric needs of dogs of different sizes. They may not be precisely right for your dog but they are a good starting point. Observe your dog and see if he is gaining or losing weight on the amount you are feeding. You can adjust the amounts accordingly.
Calorie statement
Some dog foods will also include the number of calories per cup in the food, though not all do. This is useful information, especially if you need to switch food. Calories in dog foods can range from about 250 calories per cup to over 500. That’s quite a range! If you switch foods you may think the two foods are similar but your dog will be able to tell that he’s not feeling full if the calories are widely different.
If the calorie statement is not on the label (this is a newer requirement) you can usually visit the manufacturer’s web site to find the information.
You can learn lots from reading pet food labels. They provide the facts about the food we’re feeding our dogs so take a look at your label and see what it tells you.
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Carlotta Cooper is a long-time contributing editor for the weekly dog show magazine Dog News. She’s also the author of The Dog Adoption Bible, the Dog Writers Association of America Adoptashelter.com Award winner for 2013. In addition, she’s written Canine Cuisine: 101 Natural Dog Food & Treat Recipes to Make Your Dog Healthy and Happy, as well as other books about pets and animals. She guest writes numerous articles for web sites and blogs and is a frequent pet food reviewer.