What’s really in my pet’s food?
Pet food labels can be misleading. The levels of nutrients that pets need are measured as “dry matter”; however, on pet food labels the guaranteed analysis is on an “as fed” basis. What does this mean? Since pet foods have different moisture levels, the standards are based on the “dry matter” percentages. To compare the percents listed on your pet’s food label to suggested maximum/minimum levels, you must convert the “as fed” values on the label to “dry matter”. This is done by a simple conversion.
Let’s look at a sample pet food label. Let’s say the pet food lists 20% moisture – that means it’s 80% dry matter (100%-20%=80%). Let’s say that protein is listed as 20% as fed. Divide 20/80 and you get .25, which is 25% dry matter. Now you can compare this value to the suggested AAFCO dry matter values. It’s especially important to do this conversion with canned food, or any food with a high moisture content. The percentages will be significantly different.
Why is this important?
As you can see from the example above, a pet food that lists “20% protein” on the label actually contains 25% protein. Dogs and cats need certain levels of nutrients in specific amounts, and having too much or too little of a nutrient can lead to malnutrition and a wide variety of health problems such as obesity, kidney failure, and heart disease.
Which pet food is really “cheaper”?
Just because a pet food has a lower price tag doesn’t necessarily mean it’s cheaper – you must consider the cost per feeding. Some “cheaper” pet foods have a lower calorie count per cup, and therefore require you to feed more per feeding to get the same amount of calories. It may seem cheaper, but you’re feeding more – and it can actually end up being more expensive than a higher quality pet food that has a higher calorie count which therefore requires you to feed much less.
What about ingredients?
It’s true that pet food ingredients on the label are listed in order of weight. The first few ingredients make up the majority of the pet food; however, manufacturers manipulate the label by breaking an ingredient down into components and then listing them individually so that you don't notice certain ingredients too near the top of the list.
For more information about ingredients, see:
http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/ResourcesforYou/ucm047113.htm
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