Pet food packaging is designed for the person buying it, not the animal eating it. Most of the words on the front are legally meaningless. Most of the information that matters is on the back, in small type.
The front of the bag
Claims that carry no regulated meaning
- “Premium”, “holistic”, “natural”
- “Human grade”
- “Grain free” — not a health benefit for most dogs, and linked to heart disease in some
The ingredient list
Ingredients are listed by weight before cooking, which means fresh meat, mostly water, floats to the top even when the food is mostly grain. Look for a named animal protein in the first few ingredients and be sceptical of splitting: “pea protein, pea fibre, pea flour” listed separately so no single one has to appear first.
The best food is the one your animal does well on, at a healthy weight, that you can afford to keep buying.
The guaranteed analysis
Protein, fat, fibre and moisture, as minimums and maximums. Useful for comparing two dry foods to each other; nearly useless for comparing a dry food to a wet one without adjusting for moisture. Ask us and we will do the maths.
What we actually recommend
A complete and balanced food from a manufacturer that employs veterinary nutritionists and does feeding trials, fed in the right amount for a healthy body condition. That is nearly the whole of it. Life stage matters, some medical conditions need specific diets, and we will say so if yours does. Bring the bag to the wellness clinic and we will go through it with you.
