Commercial Foods
Today there's more choice than ever in packaged dog foods, with some foods certified organic, others flash-frozen, and every shape, size, and color of pieces. Canned foods seem to target toy dogs specifically, with their small serving size.
You can learn a lot about a dog food if you understand the information provided on the label. The main display panel, ingredients list, guaranteed analysis, and method used to substantiate the life stage statement all provide facts about the food. Further information can be obtained from manufacturers' literature, Web sites, and phone calls to manufacturers' toll-free numbers.
Ingredients Panel
Every package of dog food includes an ingredients list. Just like people foods, ingredients are listed by weight, with the component weighing the most listed first. Of course, you have to consider that an ingredient such as chicken includes a lot of water weight, whereas chicken meal is a dry ingredient.
Ingredients may be listed more than once in various forms, such as ground yellow corn, cornmeal, and corn syrup. While all these forms of corn may be listed individually below the main meat ingredient, if you added them together, corn might move up to second, or even first on this list.
The quality of an ingredient may not be apparent simply from its name. An ingredient list cannot distinguish highly nutritious poultry by-product meal from nearly indigestible, nutritionally useless poultry by-product meal. The name does not tell you which is which, and no reference to the quality of ingredients is permitted on packaging. Because ingredients listings, such as “by-products,” offer no easy way to discern quality, some dog owners avoid foods that contain them at all, opting instead for whole ingredients such as turkey or cottage cheese.
The AAFCO is the Association of American Feed Control Officials. They are an advisory body whose main focus is feed animals such as cattle and hogs. But they also write the definitions for dog food ingredients, as well as the guidelines for conducting feeding trials of those foods.
Guaranteed Analysis
This small box looks very reassuring and scientific with its list of nutrients and percentages or quantities of each included in the food. However, this information can be confusing. When you are comparing different foods, it's important to notice the moisture content in each. A food with 23 percent protein and 10 percent moisture has the same amount of protein per serving as a food with 23 percent protein and only 7 percent moisture. This distinction means that with the former food, you are buying water instead of food. The AAFCO guidelines for nutrients are given on a dry-matter basis, so foods can be compared on an equal plane. A dry-matter analysis can usually be found in the manufacturer's literature, which pet-supply stores sometimes stock near the foods. You may also find the food's digestibility in the literature (it should be at least 75 percent).
Main Display Panel
The front of the bag, box, or can is the main display panel. Here you'll find the net weight of the package ingredients, the flavor of the food, and a nutrition statement regarding what life stage the food is meant to satisfy. The latter designation could be for growth (puppies), maintenance (adults), reproduction (pregnant or nursing females), senior, or possibly performance. Another designation is “meets or exceeds the nutritional requirements for all life stages of your dog.” This means the food is calorie-dense enough for puppies and may contribute to obesity in adults.
Promotional statements may appear in banners or balloons, saying such things as “100% nutritionally complete” or “Reduces tartar.” These claims are pretty reliable. General claims must be verifiable, and the Food and Drug Administration must review health claims.
Other Information
Somewhere on the packaging you will find the method used to substantiate the life-stage statement. Look for the statement “Animal feeding tests using AAFCO procedures substantiate that [product name] provides complete and balanced nutrition for [life stage].” This is preferable to a statement that the product was “formulated” or “calculated.”
Feeding guidelines will be included on the label. These are exactly as their name states — guidelines. Individual dogs vary depending on age, size, activity level, environment, and their own metabolism, so these specifications should only be used as a starting point.
Obesity is a very serious problem for pet dogs. The most severe consequence of obesity is a shortened lifespan — and you want to have as much time as possible together, don't you? Always consider how much you are feeding your dog in order to preserve his health and extend his life as long as possible.
Calorie content of the food is generally included as well. It's stated as “Metabolizable energy: kilocalories per kilogram (kcal/ kg),” or may also be given as kilocalories per cup. You can compare calorie counts across different foods to find differences.
The manufacturer's or distributor's name and address must also be on the label. Look for the notation “Manufactured by.” This means the named company makes its own food and is responsible for quality control. Any questions or problems with the food can be directed to this company using the toll-free number usually given on the packaging.
Product Freshness Dating
Four methods are generally used to date packages. The international date code consists of two numbers for the day of the month, two numbers for the month, and two numbers for the year. So, 270605 means the twenty-seventh day of the sixth month in 2005, or June 27, 2005. Julian calendar dating counts the days of the year from start to finish — 1 to 365 or 366 — and the last one or two numbers of the year. So the code 0485 or 04805 means the forty-eighth day of the year 2005, or February 17, 2005.
“Best before” uses the month/day/year format to indicate the date by which the product should be eaten. So, 08/2%5 means you should use up this food by mid-August 2005. The manufacturer calculates the shelf life, including a margin of safety. The food may have been manufactured anywhere from a month to a year prior to that date.
