All dog food labels must contain five pieces of information: the guaranteed analysis, which tells you the minimum and maximum levels of protein and fat the food contains; the nutritional adequacy statement; the ingredients; the feeding guidelines; and the manufacturer's name and address.

Somewhere on the label there should also be a statement of which life stage the product is made for: growth/lactation (puppies or pregnant/lactating females), maintenance (adults), or all life stages (any dog). The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) recognizes only two life-stage profiles, growth/lactation and maintenance. Therefore, a food labeled “seniors” or “large breeds” simply meets the AAFCO requirements for adult dogs.

Dog Food Ingredients

An ingredient list is useful for telling you what's in a food, but it can't tell you the quality of the ingredients. However, there are some tricks to reading a label that will help you be a more informed dog food shopper.

First, ingredients are listed by weight, in descending order. While some dog foods may list meat as the first ingredient, if you look farther down the label you may notice that it also lists a particular grain in several different forms, such as wheat flour, flakes, middlings, or bran.

Individually, each form of wheat might make up only a small part of the food, but together they may outweigh the meat it contains. Look for a food that contains a balance of meat and grain proteins.

Secondly, dietary protein contains 10 essential amino acids that dogs cannot make on their own. The best dog foods have meat protein as the first ingredient. Protein from meat is higher in quality than protein from grains. Forms of meat protein include meat by-products and meat meals, which is meat that's been heat-processed to remove fat and water.

Take a few notes on the dog food you're currently feeding to your dog:

• Essential ingredients that are lacking

• Mysterious ingredients to learn about

Different Type of Food

Dogs are individuals, and different dogs do better on different types of foods. Whether you choose a canned, dry, or other type of dog food depends not only on your dog's needs, but also on your budget, what's most convenient for you, and how you feel about certain types of ingredients. Consider all these factors when you're choosing a food. Each type has advantages and disadvantages.

Food Type	Pros	Cons
Canned	Long shelf life until opened. Dogs enjoy the taste.	Can be expensive. Must be refrigerated after opening.
Dry kibble	Easy to scoop, measure, and serve. Inexpensive	Many dongs find canned food tastier than dry.
Frozen	Flash freezing requires no artificial preservatives.	Must be thawed before serving.
Dehydrated	Prepared at a temperature low enough to preserve the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients yet high enough to kill any bacteria. Just mix with warm water and serve.	Leftover rehydrated food must be refrigerated
Homemade	Can be tailored to your dog's specific dietary needs and tastes.	Time intensive. Difficult to prepare a nutritionally complete meal at home.

In addition to the different conditions of food, there are also other types to consider. For instance, dog food is often categorized as popular, premium (which may include organic), or generic. One of the main differences between these three types is digestibility, which is the proportion of nutrients in a food available for the body to absorb and use. Digestibility is determined over a period of days by measuring the amount of food a dog takes in and the amount of fecal matter he produces, which is then analyzed in a laboratory to see how much is nutrient waste and how much is normal metabolic waste.

• POPULAR FOODS: These are the national or regional brands that you find in grocery stores. One disadvantage of these foods is that their formulas can vary from batch to batch, depending on the cost and availability of ingredients, which can cause stomach upset in some dogs. Popular foods aren't as digestible as premium foods, but they're of better quality than generic foods.

• PREMIUM FOODS: Found primarily in pet supply stores, these contain high-quality ingredients that provide good to excellent digestibility and are prepared according to fixed formulas. some premium foods may contain organic or human-grade ingredients. Premium foods are expensive, but because of their higher digestibility you can feed less of a premium food, which brings down the cost per serving.

• ORGANIC FOODS: Premium foods are often labeled as organic, which refers to the way plants were grown or animals were raised (usually without the use of pesticides or fertilizers of only certain types of pesticides or fertilizers). Currently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) does not have any rules governing the labeling of organic foods for people or pets, although this will probably change in the future.

• GENERIC FOODS: These foods are attractively priced, but that's because they use poor-quality ingredients to keep costs down. Ingredients can vary from batch to batch depending on price and availability. The nutritional quality of generic foods is rarely confirmed through AAFCO feeding tests, and some may not even carry a nutritional adequacy statement. In fact, because of the low level of digestibility, it's necessary to feed a lot more of a generic food, so the savings are illusory.

Make sure you take notes on your dog's reactions to different types of foods. Just be sure that you don't switch foods too quickly. This could wreak havoc on your pup's digestive system, creating a seemingly negative reaction to the food.

Treats and Snacks

It's pretty safe to say that dogs love treats. And what a dog considers a treat can range from pieces of his regular kibble to commercial treats to bits of hot dog, cheese, fruits, or vegetables. Dogs are pretty much happy with anything you give them to eat, but not all treats are created equal.

Here are some tips on treating your dog healthily:

• KEEP TREATS SPECIAL. Offer them only as a reward; don't just hand them out indiscriminately.

• LIMIT TREATS. They should make up no more than 10 percent of your dog's daily food intake.

• READ TREAT LABELS. Avoid those that are high in sugar and fat, or give them only in small amounts.

• VARY TREATS. Dogs like crunchy things, sweet things, and savory things. Offer bits of chopped apple, banana, or carrots, fresh or frozen berries, cubes of cheese or hot dogs, baked liver bits, and biscuits.

• TAILOR THE TREAT TO THE OCCASION. Use tiny bite-size treats for training, larger biscuits or long-lasting chews for going into the crate or doing something else that doesn't require instant follow-up.

• KNOW WHAT'S NOT A TREAT. Chocolate, grapes, alcohol, and onions are all toxic to dogs.

Dog treats are held to the same FDA and state labeling requirements as dog foods, but they're not required to be nutritionally complete. Biscuits are the exception to this rule, unless they're specifically labeled as a “snack” or “treat.”

Rawhide chews, pig ears, and similar items made from animal materials or parts are considered food by the FDA, but unless they claim some nutritional value, such as “high protein,” their manufacturers aren't required to follow AAFCO pet food regulations. A treat product is required to list the manufacturer's address and to have an ingredient list if it contains more than one ingredient.

As you try out different types and brands of treats, keep track of your dog's reaction — both physically and in terms of enjoyment. Does digestion go smoothly or does she get an upset stomach? Does she slide the treat around with her nose for ten minutes before eating it, or does she scarf it right up?