How to Read Dog Food Labels: A Complete Guide
Want to bet you’ll learn something new in this article about how to read dog and cat food labels?
You’ve probably found yourself standing in front of a shelf full of dog or cat food at least once, not knowing which one to choose. Don’t worry—it’s happened to everyone!
To make an informed choice and give your four-legged friend the very best, the labels on product packaging come in handy. They provide a comprehensive overview of the food, helping us determine which option best meets the needs of our dogs and cats.
Why it’s important to understand how to read dog and cat food labels
Before going into detail, it is important to remember that choosing dog food or cat food should never be a matter of chance. Every decision should be based on certain factors, such as:
- size
- age
- physical fitness
- breed-specific needs
- any medical conditions (or predisposition to medical conditions)
Remember:a healthy diet is the foundation of our four-legged friends’ health!
So, how can we tell if we’re feeding our dog or cat the right diet?
Learning to read labels!
Let’s take a look at how.
Dog food labels: Let’s start with the terminology
When choosing food for dogs and cats, the first hurdle is the terminology. That’s why this comprehensive guide begins by addressing this very topic.
Let’s take a look at some of the terms we find on pet food labels:
- Ingredients: lists the ingredients used in the food;
- pet food: refers to all dog and cat food;
- ash: describes the percentage of inorganic substances, i.e., minerals
Another factor to keep in mind is that ingredients are always listed in descending order (by weight, as measured BEFORE processing). This means that the first ingredient listed on the label is also the one present in the largest quantity.
Finally, information regarding the food’s water content can be found under “moisture.” However, for the sake of completeness, it’s important to note that if the food’s moisture content does not exceed 14%, it is not required to list it. That’s why you might sometimes not find it on the nutritional labels of dog or cat food.
The items you can find on all labels
No matter what brand of dog or cat food you choose, you’ll always find these 6 items. Knowing what they are also means being able to compare products, helping you make a more informed (and healthier) choice for your four-legged friends:
- Product composition: all the ingredients that make up the kibble or the food in general;
- Product description: This indicates the animal for which the food is intended and its type (for example, whether it is a diet food, a complementary food, a complete food, or a basic food);
- Metabolizable Energy (ME): the amount of energy available to dogs and cats. If this value is not specified, it can always be calculated from the analytical components;
- Additives: These refer to additional substances, such as amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. These substances are primarily intended to serve nutritional or preservative functions in the kibble;
- Analytical components: these include the percentages of ash, fiber, fat, protein, and moisture (if greater than 14%);
- Feeding instructions: a chart specifying the amount of food to give your dog or cat based on its weight.
How to read nutrition labels? The difference between open-formula and closed-formula labels
When listing ingredients on the label, manufacturers of dog and cat food can use one of two methods: the open-label method or the closed-label method.
Let's take a look at the differences.
- Closed label: the individual ingredients are listed in descending order;
- Open-label: Ingredients are listed by category, as defined by European legislation (e.g., plant by-products, minerals, meat and meat by-products).
Protein in dog food: How to read nutrition labels?
So far, we’ve tried to provide a comprehensive overview of everything you might find on dog and cat food labels.
Now all that’s left is to go into more detail.
To do this, let’s start with protein sources, which should be the top priority in every meal.
In this context, it is important to understand the difference between fresh meat and dehydrated meat.
- Fresh meat: a mixture of fresh meat added to the kibble;
- Dehydrated meat: Through heat and mechanical processes, fat and water are removed from fresh meat to produce a dry, protein-rich mixture.
The main difference is that fresh meat has undergone less processing, making it a particularly fresh, easily digestible, and palatable option for our four-legged friends. However, if not handled properly, fresh meat can cause adverse reactions.
On the other hand, dehydrated meat remains much more stable and is easier to store over time.
In short, it all comes down to the initial quality of the product!
Raw ash: What is it?
Crude ash is what remains after the product is carbonized. The organic substances are burned away, leaving behind mineral salts, which are expressed as a percentage of the total in the analytical components.
Generally, the crude ash content in dry food ranges from 5% to 9%, while in wet food it is 2%.
Warning!
This does not mean that the product contains anything that could harm your dog or cat. There is no such thing as an “optimal” ash content. It is also a mistake to judge a product’s quality based solely on its ash content; you should always evaluate the label as a whole.
Dog kibble: nutritional additives
Additives could be viewed as actual supplements.
Let's take an example.
If your dog needs 1,000 units of vitamin A per day, but the ingredients in the kibble only provide 300 units, then you’ll need to supplement with 700 units.
Essentially, nutritional additives include all substances added to pet food to meet a nutritional requirement. This ensures that the food is complete and, therefore, capable of meeting all the nutritional needs of dogs and cats.
Note:
The use of additives in animal feed is strictly regulated within the EU. Only additives listed in the Register of Feed Additives may be used.
Grains: Are they bad for dogs or cats?
The answer is very simple: it depends.
Of course, quantity and type are always essential factors: the ingredients in a dog’s food must be balanced according to its nutritional needs. It’s easy to see that an older dog, an overweight dog, and a puppy have different needs, so their diets should also be tailored to their individual requirements.
Rice, brown rice, and corn are certainly a source of energy. However, they must be of good quality and consumed in the right amounts.
In this context, it’s also helpful to know what the terms “Grain-Free” and “Low-Grain” mean, as they often appear on the packaging of dog and cat food.
Grain-free dog food contains no grains of any kind. In this case, the starch content comes from alternative plant sources.
On the other hand, Alleva Low Grain kibble contains moderate amounts of low-glycemic-index grains (such as brown rice) which, in addition to their energy-providing properties, are also highly digestible and well-tolerated.
In conclusion
The purpose of this article is to clarify the information on pet food labels. We know that some terms can be difficult to understand.
However, knowing a few details will help you make a more informed choice for the health of your four-legged friends.
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The post "How to Read Dog Food Labels? A Complete Guide " first appeared on Dog and Cat Food | Alleva .
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