Deciphering the exact composition of our dog’s balanced diet is a real headache. The ingredient list not only informs about its nutritional composition, but also helps to evaluate the quality of the product. After all, what’s the best dog food?
In this Animal Expert article, we will explain in detail what the order of ingredients is and what is the specific position in the list, the most common expressions for different types of preparation or to identify poor quality foods.
- Discover the composition of dog food and stop being guided by different advertisements! In this way.
- You will learn how to identify and differentiate good dog food from poor quality.
- Choosing the best dog food:.
The ingredients of dog food are usually shown from highest to lowest, depending on their weight, however, it is according to the weight before being processed. This can have a significant impact on the total weight of certain ingredients in the final product.
With regard to dog food (and other dry foods), we find that ingredients that have a high water content in their natural state (such as meat) lose a lot of weight during treatment because they lose a lot of water. On the other hand, ingredients with less natural water (such as rice) lose less weight in the final product.
Therefore, for dry foods, an ingredient listed first may be present at a lower percentage if it is in its most aqueous natural state compared to those that follow it.
For example, compare the following two partial ingredient lists
At first glance they look the same, but the difference is that the first list starts with the ingredient “dehydrated bird meat”, that is to say that in this list, meat is undoubtedly the most important ingredient, suffered dehydration, because it was heavy before being treated with the other ingredients.
On the other hand, the second list may have poultry meat as the main ingredient or not, as it has lost weight by removing water during processing. Unfortunately, in this case, it is impossible to know precisely whether poultry rank first in the dry weight of the product or whether they are in fact classified into rice.
On the other hand, a fairly common practice is the separation of ingredients. Some manufacturers separate a food into two or more of its components to appear more frequently. For example, if a dog food contains many corn and maize derivatives, the manufacturer can list them separately. In this way, each ingredient is indicated as minor, even when the corn content is very high.
For example, consider the following two lists
The first list contains three ingredients containing corn that appear after the bird: corn, corn gluten, and corn fiber. The total corn content is probably higher than that of meat, however, as the ingredients are separated, this gives the impression that meat is the main ingredient.
In some cases, this is a deceptive marketing strategy that meets the established parameters. However, this is not always the case. In some cases, the ingredients of “high quality foods” are simply mentioned separately, as this is how they enter food processing.
In any case, keep in mind that dog food does not have to be mainly meat (in fact, pure meat diets are harmful). The fact that rice, or another ingredient, appears first or is in different states is not necessarily bad. The important thing is the quality of the food you buy from your dog.
Since the weights of each ingredient are generally not listed, it remains to be seen when a list of ingredients is misleading and when it is honest. Unfortunately, it is not possible to know for sure only the information about the container, but the first source of fat gives you an idea of what the main ingredients are.
The first source of fat is usually the last of the important ingredients listed. Therefore, this indicates that the above are the heaviest, while the latter appear in small amounts, either to give flavor, color or micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, etc.).
For example, consider the following two lists
The only difference between the two lists is the relative position of bovine fat, which is the first source of fat found (and the only one in the example). The first list contains four main ingredients, from poultry to meat fat, and the other ingredients are found in smaller amounts. The second list includes six main ingredients, ranging from meat to fat.
Obviously, the first list has a higher meat content than other products, as corn gluten and corn fiber are only included in small amounts (they go after fat).
The second list, on the other hand, contains a large amount of corn (such as pure corn, gluten and fiber) compared to meat, as all of these ingredients appear before fat.
The dog food on the first list is likely to be more balanced than the second list, even when the ingredients are the same. To do this, you must also consider the warranty review information.
As a rule, all ingredients are indicated by their usual name. However, common names are sometimes used to mask the poor quality of certain ingredients. Other times, they are not as common as “zeolite” or “chondroin sulfate”.
Also, choose dog food that clearly indicates the species used by their main ingredients. For example, “chicken meat” indicates the species, while “chicken meat” does not.
Meatmeal is a bit misleading, because you can’t know its quality just from the label information. There is good quality meat meal and poor quality meat meal. If your dog’s food doesn’t contain meat and only includes meat meal, it’s worth looking for the brand you’re buying (which can be very good, but it’s worth a look!).
For example, a label that says rice, meat by-product flour, corn gluten, animal fats, etc., raises some questions about product quality. The main animal ingredients of this food are meat by-products and animal fats. With these indications, you cannot know which animal species they include or which parts of the animals. These types of labels can describe low-quality foods.
Some additives should also be avoided as they are harmful to health. They are prohibited even in processed foods intended for humans, however, strangely they are allowed in dog food. In another article, you will find a list of additives, which are found in dog food, which is worth avoiding.
To ensure that your dog’s food does not contain harmful additives, you can look for organic dog food (with or without meat), thus ensuring a natural food source.
Finally, keep in mind that more ingredients don’t mean better quality food. Food doesn’t need to have many things to meet the nutritional needs of the dog. A food can be complete and healthy with few ingredients.
Sometimes the ingredients are added in small amounts to give different flavors or colors. In other cases, ingredients are included in small amounts as part of a marketing strategy, as many people think these foods are more nutritious because they contain apples, carrots, tea extracts, grapes and who knows what else.
A meal with several sources of meat (e.g. chicken, veal, lamb, fish) is no better than a single source of meat. What matters in this case is the quality of the meat and not the amount of animals it contains.
The presence of many ingredients is not considered bad as long as the food meets the nutritional needs of your dog. However, if you find some of the ingredients for dyes, preservatives or additives that may be harmful, it is best to avoid this food and look for another one that is suitable for your pet.
Don’t forget to find out what the ideal amount of dog food is, making sure it correctly meets your nutritional needs. In addition, our article on how to choose my dog’s food can help in this mission.
If you would like to read articles similar to, we recommend that you visit our Balanced Diets section.