Understanding
Dog Food Labels

Table of Contents

The Basics
Ingredients
Nutrition
The Fine Print
Sources

The Basics
Ingredients
Nutrition
The Fine Print
Sources

The Basics

Dog food labels can feel pretty confusing when you first look at them. That’s why we’ve created this fact-based guide to help you skip the marketing hype and find out what’s really in your dog’s food. Let’s jump right in!

Breed and Age

First things first, check the dog food to make sure it’s formulated for your dog’s breed size and age. Puppy food contains different nutrients than food made for all life stages. The same goes for dog food for small or giant breeds vs. food designed for all breed sizes. Keep an eye on what the package says to feed right.

Product Name

Take a close look at the dog food’s name because it will tell you how much of the advertised ingredient is actually in the food. There are three options for brands to name their food:
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If the packaging uses the word “food” the product is required to contain at least 95% of that ingredient. So Tiny Pup Chicken Dog Food would need to contain at least 95% chicken. This is not very common, because it wouldn’t provide enough other nutrients like carbs.
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If the packaging uses synonyms for the word “food” like formula, dinner, recipe or entrée, it means at least 25% of the food has to be based on that ingredients. So Tiny Pup Chicken Dinner would need to have at least a quarter of chicken in it. This is what you want to look for because 25% is the minimum a food should have.
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If the packaging uses the word “with” in the product name, watch out. Those products only need to contain 3% of the advertised ingredient. So Tiny Pup With Chicken only has a measly 3% minimum for chicken.

Ingredients

Top 5 Ingredients

Ingredients are listed in descending order of weight. So when looking at dry dog food, take a close look at the first 5 ingredients. They make up about 80% of the total ingredients, so it’s super important to make sure they’re high quality.
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We recommend looking for whole meats (like chicken or salmon) and meat meals (like chicken meal or salmon meal) because both provide excellent protein and nutrition. Whole meats contain more water before being processed (which cooks off) and meals are already cooked to remove their water, so a mix of both on the ingredient label is a great thing.

Meats, Meals and By-Products

Here’s the deal: Avoid foods that use unnamed meats sources (like poultry, ocean fish, meat, or animal liver) - you always want to know what’s in the food and what you’re paying for. If a manufacturer doesn’t identify the species they are using in the food it doesn’t inspire trust.
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Skip foods that include by-product meals (especially unnamed ones like animal by-product meal). Those by-product meals are often lower quality than meat meals. So as a rule of thumb, pick foods with named meats, named meat meals, and named by-products that are not meals.

Label Tricks

Some manufacturers split up ingredients on the food label to make it look like there’s less of it in the food. Here’s an example: If you see a bunch of different varieties of corn as an ingredient, label splitting is the likely culprit.

We’ve seen foods that use corn, corn meal, ground corn - all on the same ingredient list. That’s a lot of “hidden” corn in the food, which you might not want.

Nutrition

Nutritional Statement

All dog food sold in the United States has to include what’s called a “Nutritional Adequacy Statement.” Here is what to look for:
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The product is formulated to meet the nutrient levels established by AAFCO for a particular life stage or for all life stages.‍
This means that the food is “complete and balanced” - meaning that you can feed only this food and your dog will get all the required nutrients.
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Animal feeding trials using AAFCO procedures show that the product provides complete and balanced nutrition for all life stages or a particular stage.‍
This also means that the food is complete and balanced, but it further shows that the manufacturer did a “feeding trial” in which the digestibility of the food was measured. Through feeding trials, pet food brands ensure that dogs of different ages (puppies, pregnant, nursing, and adults) obtain the right nutrition from a food.
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Both the first and the second statement show the food will be good for daily feeding, but the second statement shows that the company put in extra effort to make sure the food is nutritious.
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The product is intended for intermittent or supplemental use only.‍
If you see this statement it means the food is not complete and balanced. This product is likely just a treat or a special prescription product. Don’t feed it to a normal dog without your vet’s approval.

Guaranteed Analysis

You will notice a section on the package that’s called the “Guaranteed Analysis.” This is designed to show you the minimum amounts of protein and fat and the maximum amounts of water and fiber the food is supposed to have. Generally, these numbers are accurate, though some foods can fall short. See our dog food reviews where we lab test dog food to confirm the nutrition stats shown in Guaranteed Analysis.
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If you buy dog food in the United States it will have enough protein and fat for the typical dog’s needs. That’s because the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) creates guidelines for how much protein and carbs should be in commercial dog food. Adult dog food needs to have at least 18% protein and 5% fat and puppy food has a minimum of 22% protein and 8% fat.  
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But here’s the deal: If your dog is very active or has special dietary needs, those minimums may not be enough. Your dog may need food with more protein and fat, known as a performance food. Performance food has about 28-32% protein and 18-22% fat.

Calories

A dog’s calorie needs vary by size, age and activity level. Generally speaking, adult dogs need about 25 to 30 calories per pound per day to maintain their weight. So a dog that weighs 30 pounds needs about 750 to 900 calories per day.
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Puppies and very active dogs will need more. Keep in minds that treats have calories too and that they all add up quickly. Ask your vet and then check the packaging to make sure you feed right for your dog’s breed, age and lifestyle.

Feeding Directions

Pet foods include information on how much you should feed. They are a good general guideline but cannot account for your dogs personal needs. It’s a good idea to ask your vet about how much to feed if your dog is a puppy or senior, is pregnant, or very active - it may need a lot more food than a regular adult dog. You can find more tips on how much to feed in our dog food FAQ.

The Fine Print

Country of Origin

The dog food label will show where the food is made. We recommend buying dog food that’s made in the United States or countries/regions with similar regulations like Canada, Europe, New Zealand or Australia. “Made in the USA” for example is a regulated term that means that “all or virtually” all of the parts come from the U.S. and processing is done here, too.

Organic vs. Natural

Generally speaking, “organic” dog food means that the plant ingredients were grown without pesticides, GMOs, and artificial fertilizers. Plus, animal ingredients must have been fed organic feed and not have been treated with hormones and antibiotics. Keep in mind, though, that organic dog food is still less regulated than human organic food.
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If you see the USDA Organic seal it means this dog food follows the highest organic standards. After that comes the word “Organic” on the packaging (without the seal), which means at least 95% of the ingredients must be organic.
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Lastly, if you see “made with organic ingredients” it means only 70% of ingredients need to be organic. Watch out for tricky wording like “made in a USDA-inspected facility” - this does not mean the food itself is organic.
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Food labeled as “natural” should contain fewer synthetic ingredients but is a less regulated term than organic.

Health Claims

Be skeptical of health claims on the food label. This includes claims that the food creates a shiny coat, healthy joints, dental health or is vet recommended. Many dog food companies try to push the limit of what’s legally allowed to be claimed but many of these statements do not need to be proven to be included on food labels.
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An example is to change “prevents skin problems” (a prohibited medical claim) to “supports healthy skin” (an allowed general claim). They both sound very similar, don’t they? However, the second phrase is allowed without the need to substantiate any of the claim. So watch out and if your dog has medical issues - ask your vet.

Premium & Holistic

Here’s the deal: It’s a good idea to question dog food claims. Here are a few examples that show you why. There are a whole number of unregulated terms you can find on dog food. This includes “holistic,” “gourmet” and “premium” which all mean very little because they not regulated. Dog foods can use all those terms on the label but are not required to contain any different or higher quality ingredients.

Other Claims

Besides health claims, there are a bunch of great-sounding marketing terms you will often find on dog food. In short, they don’t mean a lot so go ahead and ignore them.
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Examples include superfood, real meat, healthy vegetables, farm-raised, natural and butcher-quality. While they all sound pretty amazing, these terms are not regulated and therefore prove nothing about the actual quality of the food.

Manufacturer’s Contact Info

Dog food needs to include the company’s address and phone number. It’s a smart idea to give them a call and ask critical questions about their food and manufacturing practices. Ask where they make their food, who formulates it, where the ingredients come from and how you can find out more about their quality standards.