Anlysing Dog Food Ingredients

[petmad]

i'm sure this has probably been discussed before but i couldn't find it. if it was a link wold be great if not tell me all u know.

i'm trying to analyse the ingredients list between brands to work out the quality

i know they list the ingredient by weight- so what ever is listed first occurs most in the food.

also dehydrated meat is even better than meat as it excludes the water that would occur in the meat prior to processing.

they also have a guarenteed analysis which list % protein and %fat % moisture etc, what do the diffent % in different food mean. and what % do u look for in each.

and also what else can we find out from the list of ingredient please?

thanks

Edited September 13, 2009 by petmad

[Nutrience Australia]

i'm sure this has probably been discussed before but i couldn't find it. if it was a link wold be great if not tell me all u know.

i'm trying to analyse the ingredients list between brands to work out the quality

i know they list the ingredient by weight- so what ever is listed first occurs most in the food.

also dehydrated meat is even better than meat as it excludes the water that would occur in the meat prior to processing.

they also have a guarenteed analysis which list % protein and %fat % moisture etc, what do the diffent % in different food mean. and what % do u look for in each.

and also what else can we find out from the list of ingredient please?

thanks

Hi petmad,

Here's my suggestion for reading the ingredients panel on pet food. Hope it helps!

Understanding Pet Food Ingredient Labels

Legally, the first ingredient on any food packet must be the main ingredient or the heaviest (such as Cornflakes might have Corn as the biggest ingredient and then Wheat as the next then Sugar etc...).

Some companies weigh the first ingredient when it ‘s un-cooked as the product is wet or damp and weighs more hence; can be put as the first ingredient. This is represented on premium pet food packaging by the word Chicken (wet meat) or Chicken Meat (wet meat).

When cooked like premium dry food is, the first wet ingredient such as Chicken or Chicken Meat may then become the second or third heaviest, as all the moisture comes out. This is a technique that many food companies (pet food and human food) use.

Chicken/Lamb/Duck Meal is meat that’s been dried and ground and will contain enough bone to get optimal calcium and phosphorous levels naturally. Because it’s dried when the ingredients are weighed in, you will be buying weight for weight meat not a percentage of water like that in fresh/wet meat.

Splitting ingredients makes an ingredient, like wheat for example, look smaller than a meat ingredient. A brand may really have more wheat than chicken in their product. To make chicken look like the largest ingredient, they split the wheat into two separate names such as wheat and wheat meal. This means they can list them as second and third highest with Chicken appearing first when in fact there is more total wheat product than meat. The same applies to other grains like corn or rice – they can be split too.

Fillers are usually referred to as gluten or gluten meals from plants such as wheat and corn. They appear on labels as Corn Gluten Meal, Wheat Gluten and Wheat Gluten Meal. They contain low amounts of protein compared to meat and hence have a lower biological value and are less digestible compared to meat. They can be used to boost a foods protein level without using expensive meat so technically a food should cost less if they use gluten or gluten meals as they’ll contain less meat. Some foods may even have 2 different forms of gluten/gluten meal so that meat looks like the highest ingredient.

Meat By-products include off-cuts like heads, necks, feet and entrails. By-products are a lower quality protein source and lower amino acid profile which equals a lower biological value than meat or meat meal. It’s also a lot cheaper for manufacturers to buy. So when you’re paying top dollar for a premium food, expect top dollar ingredients.

Premium pet foods should conform to standard ingredient definitions as regulated by the American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). This means when you see Chicken By-product on a pet food label for example, it conforms to a standardised definition as set by AAFCO. Some companies like to say their By-product is better but it still matches that ingredient description set by AAFCO otherwise it would be something else all together.

Look for low allergen formulas. Wheat, dairy or beef can cause allergies and show up as dry, itchy, red skin and a dull coat.

Hydrolysed Chicken is liquefied fresh chicken. This gives fresh chicken benefits which includes increased palatability and makes the protein more easily digestible.

Ground Corn and Brewers Rice are quality, low allergy carbohydrates. Corn and rice once cooked are highly digestible. Wheat and Sorghum are cheaper carbohydrates that have less digestible energy and are higher allergens. You shouldn’t see more than 2 grain ingredients in a food as more than that means the total amount of grain may be higher than the meat component.

Chicken Fat - is the highest quality fat and is absorbed the most easily. It also provides 20 -30% of essential fatty acids for healthy skin and coat. Beef Tallow has only 3 - 5% of essential fatty acids and is less digestible. Animal Fat on a label means the manufacturers can change it from Pork, to Chicken to Beef whenever they like.

Dried Beet Pulp is used as a major source of fibre, which helps digestion and elimination. Lower quality, higher allergy fibre sources are Wheat Shorts and Wheat Bran.

Also look for added Nutraceuticals:

Herbs: add health value to help with your pet’s life stages.

Vitamins and Minerals (Vit A, D3, and E): for a perfectly balanced diet.

Antioxidants such as Lutein

Probiotics and Prebiotics for digestive health.

Chelated Minerals for easier absorption

A good super premium food won’t change the ingredients because the price of one ingredient went up. This is called a Fixed Formula.

Super Premium foods also offer a 100% money back satisfaction guarantee. If a pet doesn't like the food, return the unused portion for money back!

Pets need to be fed super premium foods for at least 2 - 3 months to see fabulous results!

[oakway]

i'm sure this has probably been discussed before but i couldn't find it. if it was a link wold be great if not tell me all u know.

i'm trying to analyse the ingredients list between brands to work out the quality

Thank you for your reply.

I think a lot of people may benefit from it.

Not every one knows how to read the label.

[Got Spots]

This is the best website, doesn't have all the brands that are available in Aus but explains their reasoning well

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/

Also found this looked interested - had a quick skim

http://www.doberdogs.com/foodcht1.html

[Nutrience Australia]

This is the best website, doesn't have all the brands that are available in Aus but explains their reasoning well

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/

Also found this looked interested - had a quick skim

http://www.doberdogs.com/foodcht1.html

Hi there,

Thought I should mention that Nutrience isn't sold in the USA so is not listed on USA sites as a reviewed product. If you understand the labels though you can see where it fits in.

Another good information source is The Whole Dog Journal. They don't take advertising in their magazine so aren't bias toward any brand. You do have to subscribe to it though, to see all their articles in full.

Regards,

NA