The Dog Food Comparison Blog

When it comes to making a thorough dog food comparison, to choose the best value and nutrition for your dog, you may find the process a bit confusing and in some cases even overwhelming. Commercial dog food labels provide a large amount of information, but it is usually difficult to understand and sometimes down-right misleading, which makes a comparison of different dog foods difficult at best.

Here is a brief summary of the items you will normally find mentioned on commercial dog food labels and some guidelines to help make comparing different dog foods less difficult whether they be regular dog food, organic dog food, hypoallergenic dog food or diabetic dog food.

The Product Name - Manufacturers want you to buy their product so they are very adept at using names that conjure up certain images or assumptions on the part of the consumer. The name may not even describe the actual main ingredients of the product. For example, in the United States a product named “Product X With Real Chicken and Rice” could contain as little as 3% Chicken and Rice, and a product name that includes the word ‘flavored’ or ‘flavor’ will likely have only minute traces of the ingredient according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center For Veterinary Medicine. Frankly, it doesn’t matter what the name of the product is, all that matters is what is inside the package.

The Net Quantity Statement - When comparing the price of different dog food containers it is important to know the actual quantity contained. The packages may be vastly different sizes, or they may look the same size but actually contain differing amounts. A more concentrated food may also require less food per meal to satisfy your dog’s needs, so you must make a more thorough analysis of the ingredients (which we will discuss later). To compare products with different moisture content you need to convert percentages for both products at equal moisture content. A food that has higher moisture content means you are paying for more water and less actual food.

The “Manufactured by” Statement - This statement identifies the party responsible for the quality and safety of the product and their location. If the label says “manufactured for…” or “distributed by…,” the dog food was actually manufactured by an outside manufacturer, however the name on the label still designates the party that is responsible.

The Ingredient List - The ingredients of any dog food sold in the U.S. are “Listed in order of predominance by weight” before processing. Meaning that an ingredient (such as meat) that is high in water content when added to the mixture, but constitutes a small amount of the actual finished product after the water is removed during processing could still show up as the main ingredient. It also means that a manufacturer could slip in poor quality ingredients in dehydrated form and better quality ingredients that are fully hydrated to make the ingredient list look better than it really is when it is compared to other dog foods.  Typically, if you will look for the first listed fat source, anything listed before and including it will be the main ingredients and anything listed after will make up a much smaller part of the overall product.

A manufacturer can also make a list of ingredients look better than it is by using ingredient names that are approved by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), but are uncommon to the average consumer. For example, “meat” is defined by the AAFCO as the “clean flesh of slaughtered mammals and is limited to…the striate muscle…with or without the accompanying and overlying fat and the portions of the skin, sinew, nerve and blood vessels which normally accompany the flesh.” On the other hand, “meat meal” is “the rendered product from mammal tissues, exclusive of any added blood, hair, horn, hide trimmings, manure, stomach and rumen contents.” Thus, in addition to the processing, it could also contain parts of animals one would not think of as “meat.” Meat meal may not be very pleasing to think about eating yourself, even though it’s probably more nutritious.

The word “byproducts” is often used in conjunction with an ingredient source such as “chicken byproducts” or some variation of the name. This is usually a much less desirable source of nutrition, as you may imagine.

The Guaranteed Analysis - A pet food label must state the minimum amounts as a percentage of crude protein and crude fat, and the maximum percentages of crude fiber and moisture. The term “crude” has reference to the specific method of testing, and does not refer to the quality or digestibility of the nutrient itself. Unfortunately, this makes it difficult to determine the true quality and nutritional value based on this information. Some producers also state guarantees for other nutrients such as minimum percentages of calcium, phosphorus, sodium, and linoleic acid are found on some dog food products.

The Nutritional Adequacy Statement - All a manufacturer has to do to claim that a dog food is a “complete and balanced” pet food is contain ingredients formulated to provide levels of nutrients that meet a profile established by the AAFCO or alternatively have the product tested following the AAFCO Feeding Trial Protocols. This means that the product itself, or “lead” member of a “family” of products, has been fed to dogs under specific guidelines and found to provide proper nutrition. It does not guarantee the quality of the food, but simply means that it has the minimum nutrition to keep a dog alive and that the dog can survive while eating the food.

Feeding Directions - Directions for the quantity to feed should only be used as a general guideline. You must take into account whether your dog is active or inactive, needs to gain or lose weight, age, breed, metabolism, environment, etc.

The Calorie Statement - Manufacturers may provide a calorie statement on a voluntary basis. If a calorie statement is made, it must be expressed on a “kilocalories per kilogram” basis. Kilocalories are the same as the “Calories” most consumers are familiar with on food labels. A “kilogram” is a unit of metric weight measurement equal to 2.2 pounds.

Calorie statements can be shown using three different values, namely: Gross Energy, Digestible Energy and Metabolizable Energy. To make sure you are using an “apples to apples” comparison you will want to use the same value for each food (preferably the Metabolizable Energy value). Make sure to make this comparison based on weight and not volume, since some foods may be puffed up with air, while others are denser.

Other Label Claims - Products labeled as premium, super premium, gourmet, etc. are not required to contain any different or higher quality ingredients, nor are they held up to any higher standard of nutrition than any other “complete and balanced” dog food products. The term “natural” does not have an official definition either. For the most part, “natural” can be construed as equivalent to a lack of artificial flavors, artificial colors, or artificial preservatives in the product. In other words, when doing a dog food comparison, don’t be taken in by the use of such claims without fully analyzing the ingredients.

The challenge of making a dog food comparison varies depending on the source. Making a comparison of different ingredients when making your own homemade dog food is a relatively simple task, on the other hand, drawing comparisons between different commercially prepared dog foods can be challenging at best. Our goal is to make that rating job easier and help you compare foods and create a healthy diet for your canine companion.

The generally accepted source for setting the standards when making comparisons and recommendations is the Association Of American Feed Control Officials, Inc. official definitions of food ingredients.

Food formulations for dogs with special needs such as dogs with diabetes or allergies to dog food ingredients such as wheat, corn, beef, or brewer’s yeast must be investigated separately since hypoallergenic dog foods and foods for pets that are diabetic are formulated under a different set of circumstances.

When making a commercial dog food comparison it is important to weigh the pros and cons between using dry dog food (kibble) and canned dog food or a combination of the two.

One then needs to determine the ingredients in each food, evaluate the quantity and quality of each food ingredient and find out any other relevant product information to choose acceptable alternatives.

Major Ingredients to be compared include:

Protein - The most important component of a dog’s diet, should be provided in the form of quality meat ingredients

Fats and Oils – Dogs need these for skin and coat health, as well as for proper brain development and other critical processes.

Carbohydrates – If generated from properly cooked ingredients carbohydrates provide a valuable source of energy.

Fiber – According to Sabine Contreras, Canine Care & Nutrition Consultant, most commercial dog foods are 40-50%.fiber. Some levels of dietary fiber are required to make a highly processed food source like commercial kibble “work”, since a dog’s digestive tract is not designed to process a diet with such high levels of carbohydrates.

Fruits & Vegetables – Are not necessary and typically are included in insignificant amounts.

Flavorings - High quality foods don’t need flavorings.

Preservatives - Unfortunately there is almost always a chance of food products containing hidden preservatives and additives, because manufacturers are only required to declare ingredients that they have added themselves. If suppliers have already added preservatives to the ingredients they do not have to be listed.

Dyes & Sweeteners – Dye and sweeteners have no place in dog food products.

Supplements - Dog foods are required to meet certain nutritional standards, so manufacturers must add certain minimum amounts of vitamins and minerals. Like all other ingredients, these vary in quality and in how well the body can absorb them.

Once a full dog food comparison has been made of the various foods available to you and a conclusion has been reached as to the acceptable choices, your dog will have the final say. You will need to test the foods to make sure that your dog will eat them without having any adverse reactions.