What Makes a Dog Food “Good”?
Most people feed their dogs dry kibble or canned wet food. These processed foods might not be appealing to us, but they contain all of the nutrients dogs need to stay healthy. Quality commercial dog foods are highly regulated and have undergone rigorous testing by veterinary specialists. So what exactly is in these dog foods?
Dogs, unlike cats, are not strict carnivores. While meat makes up the majority of their diet, domestic dogs can also derive nutrients from grains, fruits, and vegetables. These non-meat foods are not simply fillers, but can be a valuable source of essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber. A good dog food will contain meat, vegetables, grains, and fruits. The best dog foods contain high-quality versions of these ingredients that are appropriate for your dog’s digestive system.
The best dog food for your canine companion should meet his nutritional needs. While most commercial dog food brands are specially formulated with at least the minimum nutritional requirements for dogs, it is important to remember that not every dog has exactly the same nutritional needs.
Dogs require a wide range of nutrients in different quantities over the course of their lives. The nutritional needs of a puppy are different from an adult dog, which is why it is a good idea to feed a puppy formula or an “all life stages” food to your young dog. If you are unsure about the differences in nutritional requirements between puppies and adults, the Merck Veterinary Manual lists the recommended nutrients for dogs, along with the recommended amount by weight and age. Large breed dogs and puppies have different nutritional requirements than small breed dogs and puppies.
There are plenty of dog food myths and misinformation about dog nutrition on the Internet. You can sort through it by following one simple rule: check your sources. Many well-meaning individuals make claims about dog nutrition without backing them up with scientific evidence. As you do research, always check to see if the information is supported by a credible source, like a veterinarian, canine nutritionist, or scientific study. It never hurts to be skeptical, either. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Many people have questions about grain-inclusive or grain-free dog food, pea-free dog food, or dog foods containing animal byproducts. If your dog has been diagnosed with a food allergy caused by grains, you may choose a grain-free diet under the guidance of your veterinarian. For most dogs, grains are actually a source of wholesome nutrients. Quality animal byproducts are also nutritious. These include organ meats and entrails, which often contain more nutrients than the muscle meat consumed by humans. Regulated byproducts do not include hooves, hair, floor sweepings, intestinal contents, or manure. As with any pet-related inquiry, feel free to discuss your concerns about your dog’s food with your veterinarian.
How to Read a Dog Food Label
One way to decipher a good dog food from a bad dog food is to read the label. This is easier said than done, as labels can be hard to read, both due to the small print and just plain awkwardness of handling big bags of dog food in the store! But labels can also be misleading, as the Merck Veterinary Manual explains. Dog food labels are required by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to tell you eight key pieces of information, and individual states may also have their own labeling requirements:
The product name alone tells you a lot about what’s inside the can or bag. The term “beef” means that beef must make up at least 70 percent of the entire product. The terms “beef dinner,” “beef entrée,” or “beef platter,” on the other hand, only require that beef makes up at least 10 percent of the entire product. “With beef” only requires that 3 percent of the total product be beef, and “beef flavor” simply implies that there is enough beef in the product to flavor it (less than 3 percent). The same holds true for other named ingredients like “chicken.”
The ingredient list on a dog food label will not tell you the quality of the ingredients or where they came from, and some manufacturers split up the ingredients to make the distribution more equal. For instance, different types of corn, such as flaked corn, ground corn, or kibbled corn, can be listed separately. This bumps corn down on the list of ingredients, even though the actual content of corn in the food is high. Meat is another tricky ingredient. Whole meats contain a large percentage of water weight, which means that the overall percentage of meat after processing is lower than it appears. Meat meal, on the other hand, sounds less appealing to people, but actually contains more meat than “whole meats,” as there is no water weight to throw off the calculation.
While the ingredient list might not tell you the quality of the ingredients, it does tell you what is in the food. This is especially important for dogs with special dietary needs or allergies and is also useful for owners who wish to feed their dogs specific sources of fiber, protein, and carbohydrates.
One of the first things you should look for on a dog food label is the statement “(Name of product) is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles.” This isn’t just an advertising slogan. The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) has strict requirements to make sure that a product is in fact complete and balanced for dogs (or cats). Complete and balanced diets must contain the minimum amount of all of the nutrients necessary for dogs, which is also indicated in the “guaranteed analysis.” This analysis gives the minimum amount of crude protein and fat, along with the maximum amounts of water and crude fiber. The analysis does not, however, give the exact amount of these components, which means there is room for considerable variation. The manufacturer’s average nutrient profile is often a better tool for evaluating a product.
You can always contact the dog food company directly to get more information about its product. A reputable company that has your dog’s interests at heart should be happy to answer your questions and in many cases will give you more information than what is available on the website or product label. The World Small Animal Veterinary Association has a helpful sheet with questions you can ask a company representative.
#3 Does the brand avoid questionable and unnecessary ingredients?
The vast majority of ingredients used in modern dog foods are likely safe for dogs. In fact, most are categorized as GRAS (generally recognized as safe) ingredients.
However, there are a handful of ingredients that may not be safe over the long term.
This does not imply that these ingredients are known to be harmful – were that the case, they’d already be prohibited.
Instead, this is a list of ingredients for which more long-term research is required. Accordingly, many pet owners feel better selecting a food that is made without the following ingredients:
Pet Nutritionist Ranks Dog Foods | Tier List
Just standing in the dog food aisle is enough to baffle any pet owner—with the dizzying number of choices, it can be difficult to make heads or tails of what to feed a dog. Should you go the tried-and-true route with a kibble from a big-box brand? Or should you experiment with the trendy raw food advertised in your Instagram feed?
My dog may happily devour the contents of a takeout container dropped on the street, but I know that won’t provide proper nutrition. Dogs need more than 30 nutrients to thrive, and the nutrition of commercially prepared dog food is established by the AAFCO. Don’t buy dog food unless you see the AAFCO’s nutritional adequacy statement attesting that the food is nutritionally sound. Though the AAFCO isn’t a regulatory body, many states have adopted its standards, which are set with feed regulators, agriculture departments, and the FDA. The FDA regulates ingredients and how pet food labels should appear.
The AAFCO divides pet food by species, life stage, and type of food. It’s important to feed your dog the right food for their species and life stage to provide them with the proper nutritional requirements. For example, feeding senior dogs a calorie-rich dog food designed for active puppies may cause them to gain weight. And you shouldn’t feed cats dog food—they require different nutrients.
Finding the right food for your dog is about more than just nutrition; we want our dogs to enjoy meal times! As long as their food is nutritionally adequate, feel free to cater to their preferences. Observe your dog at meal times: “Are they engaged? Are they happy?” asked Danielle Bernal, a veterinarian with 17 years of experience who works with Wellness Pet Company. “When you think about what you’re going to feed them it needs to factor in their total well-being.”
Dry food or kibble is the most popular form of dog food—it’s easy to find, it can be stored at room temperature, it’s cheap, and it’s often sold in large quantities.
Canned or wet food is sold in single cans or pouches, or by the case, and it’s typically more expensive than kibble. It has about 70% to 78% moisture, which may help keep pets hydrated for longer.
Semi-moist food typically comes in ready-to-serve pouches and is usually more expensive than kibble. It often contains more artificial colors, sodium, and sugar, too. The texture is often crumbly or like craft dough, and it has a shorter shelf life and can dry out quickly.
Some pet owners may consider raw food because they think of it as less processed than other forms of dog food. It’s sold fresh, freeze-dried, or dehydrated.
Vegan and vegetarian prepared foods are specialized diets that are often popular among pet owners who are vegan themselves. Always consult a board-certified veterinary nutritionist or veterinarian with an understanding of nutritional health to see if your dog is a good candidate for a vegan or vegetarian diet.
Trendy, grain-free prepared foods contain potatoes or legume flour (beans, lentils, or peas) as a carbohydrate source, rather than the corn, oats, rice or wheat found in most pet food. Pet owners might opt for these because they’ve heard dogs can’t process complex carbohydrates like grains or starchy vegetables. But dogs can digest them just fine, thanks to enzymes they produce that break them down, and cooked complex carbs like grains are also easier to digest than raw carbs, according to Dr. Ryan Llera and Dr. Cheryl Yuill of VCA Animal Hospitals. Pet owners might also want to put their dogs on grain-free diets if they suspect a food allergy. But only 0.2% of dogs and 0.1% of cats have food allergies, noted a 2018 report from Banfield Pet Hospital, and dogs tend to be allergic to specific ingredients, like chicken. Grains aren’t common allergens for pets.
A pet owner may also buy treats, supplements, toppers, and mix-ins to supplement their dog’s food. Although these extras may have some nutritional information on the label or come in a traditional pet food can, they’re not intended to be a pup’s main food source. Our experts said a dog’s main source of food should make up 90% of their diet, and treats can account for the rest.