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There is no one-dog food
that is best for all pets. Aside from questions of taste
and palatability, the nutritional needs of dogs will
vary, depending on age, lifestyle, size and other
factors.
However, regardless of
which product dog owners choose, they all have the same
goal in mind when they walk down the dog food aisle –
they want to feed their pets a wholesome and nutritious
diet that is easily digestible, and offers a good value.
The best way to achieve that is to read pet food labels.
Reading pet food labels
will provide you with one of the most convenient and
reliable means of making an informed buying decision.
Here are the key points you should know that will make
sense of the sometimes-confusing information on dog food
labels.
GENERAL
OVERVIEW
Dog food labels can
sometimes be difficult to read, but all of them must
include certain basic information mandated by the US
Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Many manufacturers
have also adopted labeling standards created by the
Association of American Feed Control Officials (AFFCO).
These manufacturers will typically list the AFFCO
somewhere on their label.
As a result of
regulations, pet food labels must include an “Ingredient
List” and a “Guaranteed Analysis.” Use both of these
features as a first step in evaluating dog food.
INGREDIENT
LIST
Labels must list the
ingredients in a dog food. These ingredients must be
listed in descending order by weight. So if chicken is
listed first on the ingredient list, this means that it
contributed the most by weight to the food. Looking at
the ingredient list is the fastest and surest way to
determine what went in to the food you’re about to feed
your pet. The best foods will be those that list meat
protein sources like beef, chicken or lamb, as their top
ingredients.
You can determine which
preservatives were used in a food by looking at the
ingredient list. You will also be able to detect the
presence of any unwanted by-products or food colorings.
Regulations require that
ingredients be listed by their “common or usual” name.
However, in many cases vitamins and minerals will be
listed by more technical names, such as “alphatocopherol
acetate,” for Vitamin E.
You will be better able
to evaluate the content of a dog food if you familiarize
yourself with the some of the terms used on ingredients
lists. For example, it helps to understand that listing
a meat by-product is not the same as listing a meat
itself. Some of the more common terms found on labels
are as follows:
Chicken, beef, lamb,
turkey or any other commonly known “meat,”
refers to the clean flesh of the animal mentioned. The
body parts included on this list may not sound very
appetizing to us, but they provide a quality source of
protein. Included on the “meat” list are muscle, tongue,
overlying fat, skin, sinew, nerves, blood vessels and
striated skeletal muscles.
Meat By-Products
does not
include flesh, but consists of blood, bone, kidney,
brain, liver, lungs, spleen and emptied stomach and
intestines. It’s important to note that hair, horns,
hooves and teeth do not fall under the Meat By-Products
category.
Poultry By-Products
covers a
similar list of the non-meat parts of chicken, but it
excludes feathers.
Fish
Meal is the
ground tissue of clean whole fish or fish parts.
Soybean Meal
is the
by-product of soy bean oil.
Brewers Rice
refers to
small rice kernel fragments that have been separated
from milled rice kernels.
BHA
is a fat preservative
added by some manufacturers to protect against food
becoming rancid.
Ethoxyquin
is a chemical
preservative.
GUARANTEED
ANALYSIS
All labels must list the
minimum levels of crude protein and fat and the maximum
levels of fiber and water present in the dog food. The
word “crude’ refers to the fact that the minimum and
maximum levels of ingredients were determined by
laboratory testing and not by feeding evaluations
conducted with dogs.
Reading the guaranteed
analysis will give you a clearer picture of the
nutritional content of the food, especially when it is
evaluated in conjunction with the ingredient list. For
example, all protein sources are not equal when it comes
to be broken down into the amino acids that dogs need
for good health. Protein from beef can be more easily
used by a dog than the protein in soybean meal, which in
turn is more readily synthesized than the protein in
bone meal. Look at both the source and percentage of
protein.
FEEDING
INSTRUCTIONS
Dog food labels give
feeding instructions that recommend daily portion sizes.
However these should be viewed only as a starting point
guideline. Different dogs will require different
portions depending on their metabolism and activity
level.
DOG FOOD
NAMES
AFFCO has established
standards that require a specified percentage of a dog
food be made up of a given ingredient if that ingredient
is used in its name. For example, a food that is called
“Chicken” must have a mandated amount of chicken in it.
This guide will provide a quick reference to use when
evaluating different foods.
Meat Name 95% --
When a dog food is called “Chicken For Dogs,” or “Beef
for Dogs,” or any similar name, 95% of it must be made
up of the meat from the animal listed. (This does not
count water used for processing.) If the water is
counted, the meat from the animal must make up 70% of
the food. If more than one product is listed, such as
“Beef and Chicken For Dogs,” then the two together must
make up this percentage of the food’s volume, and the
meat that is used most must be listed first in the name.
“Dinner” Name 25%
-- If a product is called “Turkey Dinner For Dogs” or
“Beef Dinner For Dogs,” then at least 25% of that named
meat (in these cases turkey or beef) must be used in the
product. If more than one meat is listed, then at least
3% of each must be added to the main meat.
“Formula” Name 25%
-- If a product is called “Turkey Formula For Dogs” or
“Beef Formula For Dogs,” then at least 25% of that named
meat (in these cases turkey or beef) must be used in the
product. If more than one meat is listed, then at least
3% of each must be added to the main meat. The same rule
applies to “nuggets,” “platter” and “entrée.”
“With” Name 3% --
At least 3% of a dog food must consist of a specific
meat if the food is described as being “with” that meat.
For example, a company can use the name “Dog Food With
Beef” or “Dog Food With Lamb” as long as at least 3% of
its volume is made up these meats.
“Flavor” Rule --
No minimum percentage of a meat is required for the word
“flavor” to be used in a dog food. The food only has to
have the taste of that meat. The meat itself doesn’t
have to be listed as an ingredient.
PERCENTAGE
OF BEEF REQUIRED WITH DIFFERENT DOG FOOD NAMES
Beef For Dogs
- 95%
Beef and Lamb For
Dogs - 95% of
beef and lamb combined with beef being primary
ingredient.
Beef Dinner For Dogs
- 25%
Beef Formula For Dogs
- 25%
Beef Nuggets For Dogs
- 25%
Beef Platter For Dogs
- 25%
Beef Entree For Dogs
- 25%
Dog Food With Beef
- 3%
Beef
Flavored Dog Food
- 0%
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