Deciphering the exact composition of our dog's feed or balanced food is a real puzzle. The list of ingredients not only tells you about their composition, but also helps you assess the quality of the product.
In this article on our site we will explain in detail what the order of the ingredients is and why the exact position in the list is due, the most common expressions for the different types of preparation or to identify the poor quality food.
Discover now the composition of dog food and stop guiding you through the different commercials. In this way you will learn by yourself to identify and differentiate a good feed from a poor quality:
The order of the ingredients
Dog food ingredients are usually listed from highest to lowest by weight, but it is by weight before being processed. This can have a significant impact on the final weight of certain ingredients in the final product.
When it comes to dog food (and other dry foods) ingredients that are high in water content in their natural state (such as meat) lose a lot of weight during processing, aslose a lot of water In contrast, ingredients with lower water content in their natural state (such as rice) lose less weight in the final product.
Consequently, when it comes to a dry food, an ingredient that is listed first may actually be present in a lower percentage if in its natural state it is more watery than those that follow it in the list. ready.
For example, compare the following two partial ingredient lists:
- Dehydrated poultry, rice, corn, beef fat, corn gluten, beet pulp…
- Poultry, rice, corn, beef fat, corn gluten, beet pulp…
At first glance they seem the same, but the difference is that the first indicates "dehydrated poultry" as the first ingredient. In other words, meat is undoubtedly the most important ingredient on this list, since it was dehydrated when weighed before being processed with the other ingredients.
Instead, the second list may or may not have poultry as the most important ingredient, since the meat lost some weight by losing water during processing. Unfortunately, in this case it is impossible to know with certainty if poultry ranks first in dry weight of the product or if it is actually below rice.
On the other hand, a somewhat common practice is separation of ingredients Some manufacturers separate a food into two or more of its components to appear further back in the list. Thus, if a dog food contains a lot of corn and corn derivatives, the manufacturer can list them separately. In this way, each ingredient is indicated as being of minor importance, even when the corn content is very high.
For example, consider the following two lists:
- Dehydrated poultry, corn, corn gluten, corn fiber, beef fat, beet pulp…
- Dehydrated poultry, corn, beef fat, beet pulp…
The first has three corn-containing ingredients listed after poultry: corn, corn gluten, and corn fiber. The total corn content is likely higher than the meat content, but since the ingredients are separated, it gives the impression that meat is the main ingredient.
In some cases this is a deceptive marketing strategy that meets the established parameters. However, this is not always the case and in some cases the ingredients are simply listed separately because that is how they enter the food processing.
However, keep in mind that dog food doesn't need to be mostly meat (in fact, all-meat diets are harmful). The fact that rice or some other ingredient appears first or appears in different states is not necessarily a bad thing. The important thing is the quality of the food you buy for your dog.
Since the weights of each ingredient in the list are not usually indicated, it remains for you to find out when it is a misleading list and when an honest list of ingredients. Unfortunately, it is not possible to know for sure just from the information on the packaging, but the first source of fat gives you an idea of what the main ingredients are.
The first fat source is usually the last of the important ingredients to be listed. Therefore, it tells you that those that come before are the heaviest, while those that come after appear in small quantities, either to give flavor, color or because they are micronutrients (vitamins, mineral s alts, etc.).
For example, consider the following two lists:
- Dehydrated poultry, rice, corn, beef fat, corn gluten, corn fiber, beet pulp…
- Dehydrated poultry, rice, corn, corn gluten, corn fiber, beef fat, beet pulp…
The only difference between the two lists is the relative position of fat beef, which is the first source of fat found (and the only one in the example). The first list has four main ingredients, from poultry to beef fat, with the other ingredients coming in smaller quantities. The second list has six main ingredients, from meat to fat.
Obviously, the first list has a higher meat content relative to the other items, since corn gluten and corn fiber are only included in small amounts (they come after fat).
The second list, on the other hand, has a large amount of corn (such as pure corn, gluten and fiber) in relation to the meat, since all these ingredients appear before the fat.
It is very likely that the dog food on the first list is better balanced than the one on the second list, even if the ingredients are the same. For this you also have to consider the information of the guaranteed analysis.
Name of ingredients
As a rule, all ingredients are listed by their common name However, common names sometimes serve to hide poor quality of some ingredients. And on other occasions they are not so common, such as "zeolite" or "chondroitin sulfate".
When you read the ingredients, you prefer foods that indicate specific ingredients, such as "dehydrated chicken" over those that indicate generic ingredients, such as "beef".
He also prefers dog foods that clearly list the species used for their main ingredients. For example " chicken meat " indicates the species, while " poultry meat " no.
Meat flours are somewhat misleading, since you can't tell their quality just from the information on the label. There are good quality meat meals and there are poor quality meat meals. If your dog's food is meatless and only includes meat meal, it's worth doing a little research on the brand you buy (which can be very good, but it's worth checking out).
What you do have to avoid as far as possible are by-products, both in meat ingredients and in those of the kingdom vegetable. The by-products are usually of low quality (nervous tissue, blood, hooves, horns, guts, feathers, etc.), low in nutrition and low in digestibility. Therefore, they can provide the required levels of nutrients to the food, but since they are not very nutritious or easily digestible, the dog needs to eat much more.
For example, a label stating: Rice, meat by-product meal, corn gluten, animal fats, etc., raises certain doubts about the quality of the product. The main animal ingredients in this meal are meat by-products and animal fats. With these indications you cannot know which animal species they include or which parts of the animals. These types of labels can describe low-level foods.
There are also some additives that you should avoidbecause they are harmful to your he alth. They're even banned from processed human foods, but strangely enough, they're allowed in dog food. In another article you have a list of additives in dog food that are worth avoiding.
To ensure that your dog's food does not contain additives that are harmful to its he alth, you can research organic food for dogs (with or without meat), ensuring that it comes from a natural source.
Number of ingredients
Finally, keep in mind that a higher number of ingredients does not mean a better quality meal. Pet food doesn't need to have a ton of stuff to meet a dog's nutritional requirements. A food with few ingredients can be complete and he althy.
Sometimes ingredients are added in small amounts to give different flavors or colors. In other cases, ingredients are included in small quantities as a marketing strategy, since many people think that these foods are more nutritious because they contain apple, carrot, tea extracts, grapes and who knows what else.
Nor is a meal with multiple sources of meat (eg chicken, beef, lamb, fish) better than a single source of meat. What matters in this case is the quality of the meat, not how many animals it comes from.
The presence of many ingredients is not bad in itself as long as the food meets the nutritional needs of your dog. However, if you find some dyes, preservatives or additives among the ingredients that may be harmful, it is better to avoid that food and look for another one for your pet.
Don't forget to ask about the amount of daily food for your dog, making sure you adequately meet his nutritional needs
