How To Read & Interpret the Ingredient List in Your Dog’s Food
Is Your Premium, Holistic, All Natural Dog Food As Good As You Think?
Post By: The Puppy DogMa AKA Midas’s Mom
Here’s what you’ll find in this article:
How to read an ingredient list
How to avoid falling for common tricks manufacturer’s employ such as ingredient splitting and using vague jargon such as “holistic” and “premium”
What to ask pet food manufacturers when trying to determine if a food is right for your pup
Ingredient lists and their order
First, how many of you have heard that the order of ingredients on the label indicates how much of each ingredient is present? This is partially true but with some caveats. All ingredients are listed in order by predominance of weight, however these weights are determined including their inherent water content (often before processing!). So when a pet food brand brags that they list “meat” as their first ingredient it’s important to consider that meat inherently has more water content than something like corn. Thus, although the one brand is implying that their product has a higher animal source protein, if you compared it to another product on a dry matter basis they may have the same amount of animal source protein content, or the other product may have even more overall…see what I mean? In general however it is good to look at the first 10 or so ingredients as these are making up the bulk of your dog’s food.
Another caveat to be aware of is ingredient splitting. This is something companies do to fluff up their ingredient list and make you think your dog is getting more than they really are. For example, Midas’s food included some form of “peas” listed about 20 different ways. It’s not that the food actually had more peas in it, it just makes the consumer feel as though their dog is getting more whole and natural veggies! Further, manufacturers will often include ingredients such as blueberries, raspberries, etc., but notice where they are in the ingredient list. If they are after the vitamins then the amount in the food is essentially non-existent, as vitamins are needed in miniscule measurements. If they are subsequently claiming antioxidant benefits from things such as berries, not only is the amount not enough to be clinically significant, but the antioxidant properties are completely lost during processing! All of this to say when reading ingredient lists it’s not as simple as what’s the first ingredient!
Example of Ingredient Splitting:
One more point here, so many companies use phrases such as natural, holistic, organic, etc., but what do these really mean? Likely not what you think! Foods listed as “premium, super premium, or ultra premium,” or as “gourmet” actually don’t contain any different or higher quality ingredients, nor are they upheld to any particular standards to be able to make these claims. Thus, any company that fulfills the required AAFCO general requirements could technically make these claims with absolutely no substantiation to do so. There are certain claims that the AAFCO has established definitions for and thus to put these on food labels the manufacturer has to fulfill the definition, however these definitions are often not what you think of when you think of the word. For example, the AAFCO defines “natural” as the lack of artificial flavors, colors, or artificial preservatives (FDA, 2020). However, artificial flavors are rarely used in dog foods and dog food, especially dry, has to have some form of preservative to prevent rancidity, however non-artificial ones may not be as effective. Notice that “natural” is not the same as “organic” which refers to the conditions under which plants and animals were raised. In fact there are no official rules governing the labeling of organic pet food currently (FDA, 2020). So, the next time you’re in the dog food aisle and attracted to the bag with all the buzzwords like “natural, organic, holistic…” remember that most of these claims are not regulated by any governing body and are thus essentially useless in determining what’s best for your pet. Make sure to stick with the key points outlined here to stay focused on the crucial information and ignore the extra “fluff” from manufacturer advertisements.
This is a great example of several things I mentioned so far. The word holistic is used multiple times. Further, there a literal wolf on the front, not a dog, a wolf! Wolves and dogs are not the same (see previous post HERE for more on this). They further exploit this by labeling it as primitive natural….I don’t know about you but I have no idea what that means, and likely neither do they!
Look into the manufacturer:
I know this seems excessive, but take it from a first time Puppy DogMa who totally missed this key point. First of all you want to make sure that the manufacturer has at least 1 qualified nutritionist on staff. By qualified I mean either a PhD in animal nutrition or a DVM WITH extra training in nutrition (this means additional years of school and additional letters after the DVM). Think about this, would you want someone with no qualifications determining the nutrition content of your human child’s formula? Probably not.
The manufacturer should at a minimum ensure that the diet meets AAFCO nutrient profiles through analysis of the FINAL product if they do not test their diets with AAFCO feeding trials, which is the preferred method. Notice the word “final '' this is important because oftentimes manufacturers will analyze for nutrition content pre-processing and/or individual ingredients without analyzing the final product. Processing can fundamentally change an ingredients structure and function which can change it’s digestibility and nutrition content, so it is imperative that they analyze the final product.
Does the manufacturer own the plant that the food is made at? This is also important because if they don’t own the plant it could be a plant that also manufactures other things that could easily contaminate the food or make it more likely. Further, the manufacturer would by definition have much less oversight of the process in general which is a safety concern.
Lastly, the manufacturer should be able to provide a complete nutrient analysis for any food or ingredient on an energy basis rather than just on an “as fed” or “dry matter” basis which doesn't account for variation in energy density among foods (again, processing and combining ingredients can change them and how they interact with other ingredients and thus the nutrition content!). In addition, they should be able to provide the number of calories for any food on any requested weight or volume basis (per gram, per cup, etc.).
I hope that all you DogMa’s find this informative and helpful so the next time you’re wandering around the pet food aisles you can be confident in your choices!
Furever yours,
The Puppy DogMa (@Midas_TheMightyDog)
Sources:
AAFCO Methods for Substantiating Nutritional Adequacy of Dog and Cat Foods . The Association of American Feed Control Officials > Home. (2014). Retrieved March 10, 2022, from https://www.aafco.org/Portals/0/SiteContent/Regulatory/Committees/Pet-Food/Reports/Pet_Food_Report_2013_Midyear-Proposed_Revisions_to_AAFCO_Nutrient_Profiles.pdf
Baldwin, K., Bartges, J., Buffington, T., Freeman, L. M., Grabow, M., & Legred, J. (2010). AAHA Nutritional Assessment Guidelines for Dogs and Cats. American College of Veterinary Nutrition. Retrieved March 10, 2022, from http://www.acvn.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/AAHA-Nutritional-Assessment-Guidelines.pdf
Beitz, D., Bauer, J., Behnke, K., Dzanis, D., Fahey, G., Hill, R., Kallfelz, F., Kienzle, E., Morris, J., Rogers, Q., & Feuer, D. (2006). Dog nutrition final fix - national academies press. Retrieved March 10, 2022, from https://www.nap.edu/resource/10668/dog_nutrition_final_fix.pdf
Freeman, L. M., Chandler, M. L., Hamper, B. A., & Weeth, L. P. (2013). Current knowledge about the risks and benefits of raw meat–based diets for dogs and cats. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 243(11), 1549–1558. https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.243.11.1549
Llera, R., & Yuill, C. (n.d.). Nutrition - general feeding guidelines for dogs. VCA Animal Hospitals. Retrieved March 11, 2022, from https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/nutrition-general-feeding-guidelines-for-dogs
McCauley, S. R., Clark, S. D., Quest, B. W., Streeter, R. M., & Oxford, E. M. (2020). Review of canine dilated cardiomyopathy in the wake of diet-associated concerns. Journal of Animal Science, 98(6). https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaa155
Medicine, C. for V. (2020, February 28). Complete and Balanced Pet Food. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved March 10, 2022, from https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/animal-health-literacy/complete-and-balanced-pet-food
Zicker, S. C. (2008). Evaluating pet foods: How confident are you when you recommend a commercial pet food? Topics in Companion Animal Medicine, 23(3), 121–126. https://doi.org/10.1053/j.tcam.2008.04.003
