Understanding Natural Commercial Dog Food Labels

Reading commercial dog food labels is not difficult as long as you are aware of how they are designed. In general, all dog food labels are broken down into two parts. These parts consist of a nutritional analysis that reports the percentage of nutrients and minerals that appear in the food, as well as a list of ingredients.

Although dog food labels will vary in appearance, they will contain a certain minimum of information, including the percentage of the crude protein, crude fat, crude fiber, moisture, calcium, and phosphorus that the food contains. Other items may also appear on the label, such as vitamins A and E, glucosamine, taurine, and various other supplements. Not all of these things are necessary for supporting life, so it is important to take this into account.

The Association Of American Feed Control Officials, Inc. (AAFCO) recommends basic guidelines; however, these are guidelines and not requirements or rules. Not every dog food company conforms to the AAFCO guidelines. Even those that do may show a great deal of variability; therefore, not all foods that conform to the AAFCO guidelines are of the same quality.

The most important items in the nutritional breakdown are listed first on the label. That fact means that the protein content is the most important in the nutritional analysis, followed by the fat content and the fiber content.

Don't be fooled by thinking that more protein and less fat is best for your dog. You should know what your dog is going to do in its life before deciding what levels of protein, fat, and fiber your dog needs to maintain its health. Higher protein foods are suitable for small breed puppies and high-energy working or performance dogs. Other dogs might need higher fat and lower protein. What you feed your dog is determined by his or her age, activity level, and size.

The ingredient list is set up in a fashion similar to that of the nutritional analysis. In this situation, however, the ingredients with the greatest quantity are listed first. The rest follow in descending order. The first two to three ingredients should be the pure meat proteins, not by-products, grains or rice.

Although carbohydrates may appear in the ingredient list, brown rice is preferred over white rice or corn and added sugars should not appear at all. In addition, the nutritional analysis and ingredients on the label should show that the food is free of all kinds of preservatives. Knowing what to look for is only part of the process, however. The informed pet owner should also know why these factors are important.

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