Dog Food Labels – Do We Really Know What We Are Feeding Our Dogs?

AAFCO stands for the Association Of American Feed Control Officials. This association is responsible for setting the standards and guidelines for the commercial production of pet foods. AAFCO tests the ingredients used and applies a minimum nutritional value that pet food manufacturers must follow. Having this minimum value however, allows for much interpretations to the standards, making the quality of the food produced less than desirable. The AAFCO stamp of approval on a label of dog food just means that the food meets minimum requirements.

One can quite easily get misinformed when reading a dog food label. Much of the information provided can be vague or misleading. In order for us to know what exactly it is that we are feeding our dogs, we must learn how to read what is on the label correctly. By doing so we can give our animals a more nutritious variety of foods.

Because of the constant exposure to the marketing tactics of pet food manufacturers, many of us have are loyal to a certain dog food brand or product name. We have been led to believe that this brand has high quality food products. The first rule to remember when reading a label is that if the product label mentions an ingredient such as “beef chow” for example, then that product must contain 95% of that ingredient by weight if the product is a dry product and 70% if it is a wet or canned product. If the label includes words such as “dinner” or “formula” then only 25% of that ingredient is required.

The ingredients of a particular dog food product are listed by weight in descending order. So if we were to read the ingredients of say a “chicken dinner” product, then by the percentages mentioned above, the chicken is only 1/4 of the product and therefore probably not the main ingredient. The main ingredients are more likely to be corn and bone meal. Both are undesirable as main ingredients and are mostly found in generic or discounted brands.

Many labels don’t mention an ingredient in the product name. Instead the word “flavored” will be used. In this case there is no amount requirement for a percentage of an ingredient in the product. The product, with whatever ingredients are used, is just flavored with the taste of say chicken. “Natural” dog food is another word found on labels. All that this is stating is that no artificial colors or ingredients, and preservatives are being used. “Premium” dog food is worth mentioning because products using this word in their labels follow the AAFCO standards to the fullest and their products provide good nutritional value.

An easy way to determine if the dog food you are buying is of good quality is to find the fat source ingredient on the content list. Look for such ingredients as beef fat or chicken fat. Ingredients listed before this fat source are main ingredients. If there are just a few ingredients listed before the fat source the product is good. The quality of the product diminishes with the addition of more ingredients. The ingredients listed after the fat source are just food enhancers and fillers.

Because of busy schedules many of us have to feed our dogs commercial brands. By just taking a little extra time we can prevent exposing our animals to poor quality foods. If we read an ingredient that we are unfamiliar with or that we would not eat ourselves, then why would we think of feeding it to our dogs. Lets be more careful when reading those dog food labels.

As dog owners we are totally in control when it comes to feeding our dogs. Knowing what the best dog food is, what are the right dog food ingredients and what dog food nutrition they provide can sometimes be overwhelming. Find out more about commercial and homemade dog food recipes by visiting www.onlinedogfoodrecipes.com.