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How To Read Commercial Dog Food Labels

AAFCO stands for the Association Of American Feed Control Officials. This association is responsible for setting the standards and guidelines for the commercial production of pet foods. AAFCO tests the ingredients used and applies a minimum nutritional value that pet food manufacturers must follow. Having this minimum value however, allows for much interpretations to the standards, making the quality of the food produced less than desirable. The AAFCO stamp of approval on a label of dog food just means that the food meets minimum requirements.

How then are we as consumers going to know what is the best dog food to serve our pets? Dog food labels provide us with much information. Some of it can be misleading. So if we want to feed our dogs with a nutritious meal, it is important for us to gain some knowledge in how to read and interpret what a label is really telling us.

Many of us are loyal to certain brands of dog food mostly because of the many marketing programs we have been subjected to. We think that we are buying a good product. However, many of us don’t know that if a product name has an ingredient in its name (beef chow,) then 95% of that products weight must be of that ingredient, if it is a dry food or 70% if it is a wet food product. If the label mentions the word dinner or formula (chicken dinner,) then 25% of the weight of that product must be of that ingredient.

The ingredients of a particular dog food product are listed by weight in descending order. So if we were to read the ingredients of say a “chicken dinner” product, then by the percentages mentioned above, the chicken is only 1/4 of the product and therefore probably not the main ingredient. The main ingredients are more likely to be corn and bone meal. Both are undesirable as main ingredients and are mostly found in generic or discounted brands.

Many labels don’t mention an ingredient in the product name. Instead the word “flavored” will be used. In this case there is no amount requirement for a percentage of an ingredient in the product. The product, with whatever ingredients are used, is just flavored with the taste of say chicken. “Natural” dog food is another word found on labels. All that this is stating is that no artificial colors or ingredients, and preservatives are being used. “Premium” dog food is worth mentioning because products using this word in their labels follow the AAFCO standards to the fullest and their products provide good nutritional value.

An easy way to determine if the dog food you are buying is of good quality is to find the fat source ingredient on the content list. Look for such ingredients as beef fat or chicken fat. Ingredients listed before this fat source are main ingredients. If there are just a few ingredients listed before the fat source the product is good. The quality of the product diminishes with the addition of more ingredients. The ingredients listed after the fat source are just food enhancers and fillers.

If we are feeding our dogs a commercial dog food brand, then the most important thing that we can do as a dog owner is to learn to read dog food labels. When reading through the list of ingredients if we come across an item that doesn’t sound like something we would like to eat, then we should think twice about feeding it to our dogs. Let us take a little extra time to learn what we are really feeding our dogs.

As dog owners we are in total control when it comes to caring for our dogs. Knowing what the best dog food is, what are the right dog food ingredients and what dog food nutrition they provide can sometimes be confusing. Find out more about commercial and homemade dog food recipes by visiting www.onlinedogfoodrecipes.com.

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