How to read a dog food label

A dog food bag has a lot of words on it. Some are rules. Some are just ads. This guide shows you which parts to read.

What are the parts of a dog food label?

A dog food label has a few parts that must be there by law. There is the name, the kind of pet, and how much food is in the bag. There is a box of numbers, an ingredient list, a line on who the food is for, how much to feed, and who made it.

These rules come from AAFCO, a group of US feed officials who write model rules for pet food. Most states use a version of them. AAFCO lists 8 parts that must be on the label:

• the name of the food
• the kind of pet it is for (a picture of a dog is not enough)
• how much is in the bag
• the guaranteed analysis, a small box of numbers
• the ingredient list
• the line that says who the food is for
• how much to feed
• the name and address of the company

Which line on the label matters most?

The most useful line is small and on the back. It says whether the food is complete and balanced, and for which stage of life. AAFCO calls it “perhaps the most important part” of the label. It tells you if the food can be your dog’s whole meal, or just a snack on the side.

“Complete” means the food has all the nutrients a dog needs. “Balanced” means they are in the right mix. AAFCO lists these life stages: growth, adult upkeep, moms who are pregnant or nursing, and all life stages.

Some foods are made to meet set nutrient levels. Others pass feeding tests with real dogs. Both count.

Some foods say “for intermittent or supplemental feeding only.” That means the food is not a full diet. WSAVA, a world group of pet vets, says foods like this should be 10% or less of the diet, unless it is a special vet diet fed with a vet’s help. Treats do not need this line at all if the front of the bag says “treat” or “snack.”

To learn more, read the full guide to what complete and balanced means.

What does the name on the front tell you?

The name on the front follows set rules. The small words in it tell you how much of the named meat is inside. “Beef dog food” means mostly beef. “Beef dinner” means less. “With beef” means only a little. “Beef flavor” means there only has to be enough to taste.

Here are the rules:

• Just the name, like “chicken dog food”: chicken must be at least 95% of the food, not counting water added to cook it (AAFCO). Counting that water, it must still be at least 70%.
• Dinner, entree, platter and so on: the named meat must be at least 25% without the added water, and 10% with it (AAFCO).
• “With”: each named food must be at least 3% of the whole (AAFCO).
• Flavor: no set amount. Something on the ingredient list just has to give that taste, such as chicken fat for “chicken flavor.”

So “dog food with chicken” and “chicken dog food” are not close at all. More on flavor is in natural flavor in dog food.

How do you read the ingredient list?

The ingredient list goes from most to least by weight. The first few are the main foods, like meat, grains or peas. The rest are small add-ins, such as vitamins, minerals and things that keep the food fresh. The list does not tell you how much of each one is in the bag.

The US rule that lists go by weight is set by the FDA. Each name must match a set meaning. A company cannot make up its own name for a food. It also cannot add words like “prime” or “top grade” to the list.

A few words are worth knowing:

• Chicken or beef is the raw meat, with its water still in.
• Chicken meal or meat meal has been cooked down, and most of the water and fat are gone (AAFCO). Read more in is chicken meal bad for dogs?
• By-products, the parts other than muscle, include liver, kidney and bone. Read more in by-products in dog food.
• “Meat” on its own can only come from cows, pigs, sheep or goats. Any other animal must be named.

Since raw meat still holds its water, it weighs a lot when it goes in. That can move it up the list. So the first spot tells you less than it seems.

The small add-ins can have long names. Some keep food fresh. These are called preservatives, which stop the fat from going stale. The AAFCO page names BHA (one such preservative) and BHT (another). You can read about them in BHA and BHT in dog food. You may also see menadione, a lab-made form of vitamin K. It has its own page: what is menadione in dog food? Wet food may list carrageenan, a thickener made from red seaweed. See carrageenan in dog food. Some foods keep fat fresh with mixed tocopherols, which are forms of vitamin E. See mixed tocopherols in dog food.

If you want to know about grain-free food and dog hearts, see is grain-free dog food bad for dogs’ hearts?

What is in the guaranteed analysis?

The guaranteed analysis is a short box of numbers. It gives four basic facts. It shows the least protein and the least fat the food has. It also shows the most fiber and the most water. It does not list every nutrient, and the numbers are limits, not exact amounts.

AAFCO lists the four:

• crude protein, at least this much
• crude fat, at least this much
• crude fiber, no more than this
• water, no more than this

“Crude” does not mean bad. It just names the lab test used to find the amount.

Wet and dry foods hold very different amounts of water, so their numbers are hard to compare. See wet vs dry dog food.

In the US, the label must also show calories. Look for a heading called “Calorie Content.” It gives calories per kilogram and per cup or can (AAFCO). WSAVA notes that only the US makes this a must.

What words on the bag can you skip?

Some words on the front of a bag have no rules behind them. WSAVA says words like “holistic” or “premium” are of little use when you judge a food. Pictures must not mislead, but they are still ads. The back of the bag is where the facts are.

WSAVA also says to check who makes the food. “Made by” means the company makes it. “Made for” or “distributed by” means another company makes it.

If you are weighing kinds of food, see fresh dog food vs kibble.

If you have a health worry about your dog, talk to your vet. They can help you read a label with your own dog in mind.

Next time you pick up a bag, you can scan the label with Altie to see each ingredient in plain words.