Whether you feed a homemade diet or a commercial product, your dog’s nutritional needs remain the same: healthy, balanced, and nutritionally complete food in a palatable form. The argument that feeding kibble or manufactured food is a death sentence is extreme and largely unsubstantiated. Many of the manufactured foods that may have been nutritionally inadequate twenty or thirty years ago have improved their formulas to meet industry standards. The ingredients in dog food have also improved over time, and although various allegations still circulate, the truth behind the ingredient label is no longer a mystery.
The Pet Food Institute (PFI) was developed in 1958 out of a need to regulate pet food manufacturers. They established a standard to which all manufacturers must adhere. These standards include:
- Clearly identifying products as dog or cat food
- Selecting a brand name that is not misleading about its content or nutritional properties
- Providing a guaranteed chemical analysis that conforms to the state’s animal feed law
- Listing ingredients in descending order of preponderance. Ingredient names must be widely accepted as standard or common, and no single ingredient can be given undue emphasis (1)
In addition to the standards put forth by PFI, there are regulations monitored by the American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) that state, “A pet food label may not express or imply any claim that a product is complete, perfect, scientific, balanced, etc., unless:
- It is nutritionally adequate for a normal animal in all of its life stages—growth, adult maintenance, and gestation/lactation
- The claim is modified to state that it is complete and balanced for one or more specific life stages
Many dog owners decide what to feed their pets based on the recommendations of pet store employees or other shoppers rather than reading the label and understanding what they are actually feeding their dogs.
The first ingredient on a dog food label is often either ‘ground corn’ or ‘meat and meat by-products’. Ingredients must be listed in “descending order of preponderance,” meaning by descending weight. Pet food manufacturers sometimes use devious tactics to alter this order. For instance, breaking down foods into smaller groups—such as labeling corn as ground corn, corn bran, and corn flour—splits the ingredient into three lighter groups. On the other hand, combining ‘meat and meat by-products’ together increases their overall weight, raising their placement on the ingredient label.
What is Meat Meal?
One term to watch out for is “meat meal.” While it may not sound appealing to the human palate, meat meal is a highly nutritious combination of animal products that would otherwise be discarded. These include brains, lungs, viscera, organs, and connective tissue—all ingredients that offer substantial nutritional value. Meat meal is made by cooking, grinding, and dehydrating meat by-products. Because it is dehydrated, it weighs less and is often found lower on the ingredient list. This can be misleading for new dog food buyers, who may mistakenly assume that foods containing meat meal are of lower quality than those with “meat by-products.” In reality, meat meal has more nutritional value per pound than meat by-products, which are typically 75% water.
Although dogs need carbohydrates for energy, the quality of the grain is crucial. Grains are often broken down into individual parts, causing them to sit lower on the ingredient list. Corn and wheat are the most common grains used, yet both can lead to skin and allergy issues in dogs over time. Brown rice, brewer’s rice, and potatoes are better sources of carbs and are more nutritionally dense than corn or wheat.
Additional fat is often added to dog food, listed plainly as ‘chicken fat’, ‘beef fat’, etc. A general rule is to check where fat appears on the ingredient list. Since fat is heavy due to its water content, foods with ingredients like ‘brown rice, chicken meal, chicken fat’ are likely nutritionally dense with little filler. In contrast, a label that reads ‘lamb, brewer’s rice, brown rice, poultry fat, rice flour, beet pulp, rice bran…’ is misleading. Although meat is typically listed first because it’s 75% water, the inclusion of heavy carbs or fillers before the added fat lowers the food’s overall nutritional value.
Preservatives in Dog Food
Finally, preservatives are an essential concern in dog food ingredients. Without them, animal and vegetable fats would spoil quickly. Today, vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and vitamin E (including seven different tocopherols), along with antioxidants like butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), are the preferred preservatives. The harmful chemicals once used for preservation have largely been phased out. However, ethoxyquin continues to be used in some products, and after 20 years of research, no adverse effects have been found.
When buying dog food, look for labels that claim the product is ‘natural’ or ‘organic’. Read the labels carefully and be mindful of what your pet is eating. Commercial dog foods and ingredients are not the “ogres” they’re often made out to be, as long as you do some research and make an informed decision. As with human food, when it comes to your pet’s health and happiness, spending a little more money to buy a quality product is worth it in the end.
(1) Pet food labeling requirements from the Pet Food Institute
