Reading the ingredients on a bag of pet food can be overwhelming. There are so many pet foods on the market. They all make their own claims and offer different features and benefits. It’s helpful to have an understanding of some of the basic information available on a pet food label to help you make the best food choice for your pet.

Guaranteed Analysis

Fat, fiber, and moisture must be guaranteed on each bag. Many pet food manufacturers go above and beyond this minimum to offer a larger list of guaranteed nutrients.

However, looking at the Guaranteed Analysis does not give the full story. It shows the level of protein and fat BUT what is the source of protein and fat?

Use the guaranteed analysis with the ingredient panel together. This will determine what ingredients the protein sources are from. This will tell you the sources of protein and fat. Remember, corn, soy, and wheat are sources of protein and can be listed as such within the Guaranteed Analysis.

Ingredient Panel

Just like in foods for humans, ingredients in the ingredient panel are listed by weight. The heaviest will be listed first followed in descending order by weight. The exception to this is fresh meat. Fresh meat is rich in water and even though it appears at the top of the list it does not make up much of the food.

On average, pet food has approximately 38 ingredients listed within the ingredient panel. The first 5-6 are the most important ingredients because they make up most of the food. The general rule is that the ingredients listed before the first fat are the most significant.

What Should You Look For

• Specific inclusions like “chicken fat” should be sought out and not non-specific ingredients like “animal fat”, or “poultry fat”. These non-specific ingredients can be changed based on price and can be derived from many different animals, this will affect quality and assimilation of nutrients for the pet.
• The first ingredient on the ingredient panel should be a named meat like “chicken”, “chicken meal”, “lamb meal”, “lamb”, etc. as opposed to a non-specific ingredient like “poultry meal”, “animal meal”.
• Often the first ingredient will be fresh meat listed as “chicken”, “lamb”, “salmon”, etc. as opposed to “chicken meal” or other named meat meals. Fresh meat is listed first because by weight it’s 65-70% moisture (water).
• When pet kibble is made, most of the moisture in the ingredients is removed. The fresh meat, which is the first ingredient, would fall down the ingredient panel to 6th or 7th in the panel. This makes the second ingredient the predominant ingredient in the food.
• Meat meals that are concentrated like “chicken”, “salmon”, “lamb”, etc. are often the second ingredient. Concentrated meals provide nutrition comparable to 3 pounds of fresh meat.
• Look for whole grains. Low glycemic index grains like rice and barley are ideal.
• Legumes like peas, lentils, and garbanzo beans are low glycemic and healthy.
• Look for fresh fruits and veggies as natural sources of vitamins and minerals.
• Natural preservatives like mixed tocopherols (Vitamin E) ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) rosemary, sage, or clove.

What to Avoid

• Avoid preservatives linked to cancer like Ethoxyquin, Propylene Glycol, Tertiary Butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA) or Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT).
• Meat by-products like “chicken by-product meal” are found in less expensive grocery and mass foods and are questionable in nutritional value.
• Carbohydrates like corn, soy, and wheat are known allergens and should be avoided
• Artificial Pet Food Dyes like Yellow #5 and #6, Blue #2, and Red #40 are not natural and are common artificial substances known to cause food intolerances and cancer.
• Simple sugars are becoming more common in foods. Sugars are used to enhance palatability and are addictive to pets. This will deter pets from eating healthier foods. Examples of these sugars are molasses, corn syrup, fructose, sucrose, and sugar. They increase calories and encourage obesity and can increase the risk of diabetes.

The Feeding Guide on the Bag

• The feeding guide on the package is very helpful in determining the quality of the food inside the bag. High quality ingredients are more easily digested and absorbed by the body and so you would feed less than food with poorly digested ingredients like meat by-product meals.
• Quality ingredients cost more but choosing food with quality ingredients like those found at Pet Planet means you feed less each day. As a result, the bag of food will last longer. It will also cost you less in the long run and will cost you less to feed them daily.