March 28, 2023, 3:08 pm | Read time: 6 minutes
For many owners, finding good and high-quality dog food for their four-legged friends is challenging. We naturally want only the best for our pets, but often lack the time and inclination to cook for the dog or delve into the topic of BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food). PETBOOK sheds light on the food jungle and explains the fine print!
The pet food industry is booming and offers an immensely large selection of ready-made food. But who really knows what to look for and how to determine if the can or bag truly contains good dog food? What does a dog actually need to be well-balanced and healthy?
Dogs are predators and specialized omnivores with a focus on meat. Even the ancestor of our domestic dog, the wolf, hunts animals in the wild and consumes its prey almost entirely. The meat provides proteins and fats, while the organs and blood contain particularly high levels of vitamins, minerals, and trace elements. Bones and cartilage supply calcium and phosphorus. The intestinal contents of the prey or the excrement of herbivores provide pre-digestible plant components and bacterial strains. Therefore, a species-appropriate diet for a dog consists of 60% animal content (muscle meat, organs, cartilage, bones, blood) and 40% plant content (vegetables, fruits, berries, grasses, herbs).
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What makes a high-quality pet food and what should it contain?
Many dog owners have numerous questions when buying food: What information should be declared on good dog food? There are mandatory details required by European feed law. The legally required information mainly includes the type of feed and the animal species it is intended for. Dog food is generally categorized into complete feed (wet or dry food), supplementary feed (snacks, treats), or single feed (BARF components).
Complete feed refers to what provides all essential nutrients and sufficient energy in a daily ration. The composition, all analytical ingredients, and additional additives must be listed. A feeding recommendation, minimum shelf life, weight, and manufacturer information are mandatory.
How do I read the composition?
As with all food products, the ingredient list starts with the most abundant components and ends with the least. Unfortunately, this does not automatically indicate the value. A percentage indication of the respective shares is voluntary. Only when specifying the exact type of food, such as beef, must it be stated how much beef is actually contained.
In general, good, ready-made dog food has an animal content of 60–70 percent (consisting of meat, fish, and organs) and a plant content of 30–40 percent (vegetables, fruits, herbs, oils). The more precisely a manufacturer declares the ingredients of its food, the better. Based on value, the ingredient declarations of high-quality food should be listed in the following order and designation (here using beef as an example): Beef and beef meal should be listed first. This refers to pure, high-quality muscle meat.
Even the designation beef and beef meal refers to high-quality ingredients. These include parts and slaughter by-products of the cow, such as blood, cartilage, tripe, throat, etc., which are unsuitable for human consumption but still good for a dog. Vegetables and fruits should be labeled with their exact names. Potatoes or beets are pure, natural ingredients, not to be confused with potato starch or undefined plant by-products. Berries, herbs, and oils are essential in a balanced and high-quality diet but can also be added according to need and taste. Analytical ingredients on food are labeled and listed as crude protein, crude fat, crude ash, and crude fiber. These are more important and insightful than their names suggest.
What is behind the terms crude protein and crude fat?
The term crude protein refers to all proteins contained, whether of animal or plant origin. Dry food should contain about 18–25 percent, and wet food should have a share between 8 and 12 percent crude protein. Crude fat is the share of contained animal and plant fats. Dry food should have a fat content of 8–13 percent, wet food between 4 and 6 percent. As with humans, there should be no general oversupply of protein and fat in the diet. This can lead to obesity, diarrhea, allergies, skin and coat problems, and ultimately organ strain with consequential damage in dogs.
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What is crude ash and crude fiber?
The term crude ash confuses many dog owners at first glance. What does ash have to do with food? It is not a waste product but a combustion residue that summarizes all nutrients and components remaining after heating. This results in the sum of mineral and trace element compounds in the food.
For dry food, the recommended percentage of crude ash is 4–7 percent, and for wet food between 1 and 3 percent. If the values are below this, adequate mineral supply is not guaranteed. Higher shares lead to oversupply.
Crude fiber is the umbrella term for the share of plant-based, indigestible food components. These should not be neglected as they are part of the dietary fiber and stimulate bowel activity. Dry food should have 2–5 percent crude fiber, wet food 0.5–1 percent. These are guidelines that can vary. You don’t have to weigh every detail, but it’s important and sensible to understand these ingredient declarations to comprehend why they should be present in good food in sufficient quantities.
The declarations mentioned here refer to general complete feed for healthy animals. Special diet feed is subject to its own guidelines and should always be recommended and selected by a veterinarian or nutritionist. An important general note on feeding: Dry and wet food should not be mixed, as both types are digested differently by dogs.
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What should not or only be present in small amounts in good dog food?
Take note! If you find these ingredients on the packaging of a food, they are low-quality waste products from the food industry: meat meal (slaughter by-products from various animals), animal by-products (hooves, hides, fur, feathers, glandular tissue, etc.). This can also include expired meat or meat from stressed animals.
Plant by-products or oats, barley, corn, or beet pulp should also be avoided, as should gluten-containing grains, as they are difficult to digest and can harm intestinal health. All chemical additives, flavor enhancers, and sweeteners (sucrose, dextrose, caramel, sugar) have no place in dog food.
It goes without saying that such low-quality raw materials and artificial additives do not allow for a healthy diet.
And preservatives can be easily avoided if a shorter shelf life is not an issue when purchasing food. So take a close look at the can or bag of your dog’s favorite food. You’ll be surprised how easy it is now to read and understand the ingredients and composition. We wish you success in choosing healthy food!