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For many dog owners, the primary
source of information on the
nutritional benefits of the food
they serve their pets will come
from the label on package. This
makes it essential that you know
how to read and understand dog
food labels. Being familiar with
the language of dog food labels
will help you provide your pet
with the best food possible for
them. An informed reading of dog
food labels will give you
answers to some important
questions:
Portion Size – Different
foods are made up of different
ingredients and have different
caloric values. As a result, the
recommended portion size may
vary from one variety of food to
another. You should
check the portion recommendation
on the label before feeding
their dogs. Portions listed on the label are
just recommendations intended to
be used as a starting point, since different dogs have
different metabolisms, they will
burn up food at different rates.
You will have to use common
sense to adjust portions up or
down to keep your pets at
the most healthy weight level.
If you feed two different types
of food such as dry and canned,
the portion sizes of each should
be “blended” to make sure your dog
is being offered the proper
amount of food.
Cost and Value – You can calculate the
value of food based three
factors: the price of the food,
the size of the package and the
recommended portion size. Dry
food almost always offers the
best cost value,
but there are other factors that
can influence a decision to feed pets
canned or moist varieties, such
as palatability and moisture
content. Food sold in larger
packages will almost always be
cheaper per portion than
smaller-sized alternatives. Yet
if a package of food is not used
before it goes rancid, it is
better to purchase smaller
quantities.
Freshness – The
expiration date on the food
should always be checked to
determine if the food will
remain fresh before the entire
package is consumed your pet. If you ever see
out-of-date food on the shelf at
a store, inform a
manager.
Ingredients and Nutritional
Benefits – Price is
important, but the most critical
factor in choosing any food is
how well it delivers nutritional
benefits to your dog. Package
labels can help you evaluate the relative
nutritional benefits of
different foods. In order to
take advantage of the help
labels offer, however, you must know how to
read them. How well is each
ingredient listed on the label
actually represented in the
food? What do the different
nutritional values on the label
really mean?
Food Maker
- A dog food label will tell you
if the company whose name is on
the bag or can actually made the
food inside. If the label reads
“manufactured by,” followed by
the name of the company, then
that company actually made the
food that bears its name. On the
other hand, if the wording on
the label is “manufactured for
or “distributed by,” then the
food was made by a third party
for the company. The label
should also state the country in
which the food product was made.
Many labels will also include a
toll-free number that the
customer can call to reach the
dog food company with questions.
Guarantee Analysis - A
critical section of a dog food
label is the guarantee analysis.
This part of the label will
provide you with vital
information on the nutritional
content of the food that your
purchase for your pets. The
guarantee analysis section of
all dog food labels must include
the minimum percentages of crude
protein and crude fat, and the
maximum percentages of crude
fiber and moisture that are
guaranteed to be in the food. In
addition to the required
listings, the analysis may also
include guarantees for other
nutrients such as taurine, as
well as the maximum percentage
of ash in the food. These
guarantees are based on "as fed"
or "as is" percentages. This
means that the percentages are
based on the amounts of the
nutrients present in the product
as it is found in the can or bag
with all of the moisture in the
food present. All dog food
contains some moisture, but the
amount in canned food is much
greater than it is in dry
varieties. So, when the
percentage of a nutrient is
counted on an “as is “basis,
it’s going to be lower in canned
food because of all the moisture
present. (Other than water, few
nutrients are found in the
moisture content.)
Ingredient List -
Dog food labels must list
the ingredients in the food. The
ingredients must be listed in
the order of how well
represented they are in the
food. This representation is
measured in terms of how much
weight each ingredient
contributes to the food. The
ingredient that contributes the
most weight is listed first; the
ingredient with the second
greatest weight contribution is
listed second and so forth. So,
if chicken contributes the
highest percentage of weight to
the food, it is the first
ingredient listed. Ingredient
lists are a convenient and quick
reference tool, but you should
be cautious, because these
guides are not as simple as they
may seem. Some manufacturers
will divide some ingredients
(such as a grain) to make a more
desirable one (meat) appear
further up on the list. For
example, a corn and corn gluten
are both corn products, but by
dividing them into two separate
items, a manufacturer can have
them appear lower on the list,
elevating the relative position
of a more desirable ingredient
like chicken or fish. Another
point you should keep in mind is
that the weight of moisture
content of ingredients is also
considered when determining the
weight they contribute to the
food. Some ingredients, such as
meat, have high moisture
content, but others such as meat
meal have a relatively low
content. This means that meat
will appear higher up on the
ingredient list, even though
much of its weight is
contributed by water.
If you want more information
on pet food labels, visit the
website of the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA), at
www.fda.gov/cvm/petlabel.htm.
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