Philosophies differ on what the best canine diet is. Some will say raw is best, others will say grain-free kibble is the way to go, and still other’s say whatever is cheapest is good enough for them. I choose to feed my dogs a high-quality kibble, free of junk and fillers. The price is surprisingly reasonable, it costs about a dollar a day for each of my 35 lb dogs. $30 a month to keep each of my dogs healthy and happy is well worth the money. Plus, they love the *food and are excited for it each and every time they are fed.
*Disclosure: This blog post contains referral links which may reward me with a commission in the event of a sale, at no extra cost to you. I use these funds to feed my dogs. Thanks for the dog food!
When I was a kid, dog food was, well… dog food. That’s it. I had no idea there was anything better than whatever was on sale at the grocery store. When we ran out, Mom would pick up the least expensive brand and the dogs would eat it. Easy-peasy, right?
It wasn’t until I had a dog of my own that I began to wonder if one type of food was better than another. I started asking people, “What do you feed?” I got all kinds of answers, but mostly when pressed further, they couldn’t tell me why they fed what they did. The next step in my journey to find a “good” food took me to the local feed store where I asked, “What food do you recommend?” Again, depending on who I talked to, the answer varied from the cheapest to the most expensive foods they carried. I can remember standing in the dog food area of the store, reading ingredients on bag after bag, having no idea what was good and what wasn’t for my dog’s health. Ultimately, I started buying a mid-range food, I figured it was at least better than the cheap store brands that had previously been fed to the household pets. I won’t even tell you how many years, I fed that mid-range brand to my dogs, it was longer than I should have. I am a firm believer of when you know better, you do better. So, as I learned more about dog nutrition and the foods available, I knew I had to find a better food for my pups.
As part of my journey to a *better food, I started reading and learning all about dog nutrition. While I am not an expert, I have learned a lot over the years. I don’t have a degree in animal nutrition, but for that matter neither do most vets, or the Dog Food Advisor for that matter. He’s a dentist for humans, so he obviously picked up his dog nutrition knowledge elsewhere like many of us. I do, however, rely on the Association of American Feed Control Officials’ recommendations. AAFCO developed feed standards and works to ensure laws, regulations and enforcement are uniform. The AAFCO’s recommendations are a great place to start when you are looking for a food for your pets.
How to Read a Dog Food Label
You would think that reading a dog food label would be straight forward and easy. Unfortunately, it isn’t quite so simple. Here are some tips to help you understand the different components of the label.
Ingredients: The highest percentage ingredient by weight will be listed first, followed in descending order of weight all other ingredients used to produce the food. In Part 2 and 3 of this series, I will tell you what ingredients I suggest avoiding and what ingredients I want to see in dog food. Check back for those updates soon!
Guaranteed Analysis: This section of the label will list what is actually in the dog food after it is cooked, packaged and ready for your dog to eat. The Guaranteed Analysis is required to list the minimum percent of crude protein and crude fat, plus the maximum crude fiber and moisture content. Beyond that, it is up to the manufacturer to list what they guarantee is in the food. The more things listed in the GA, the better the food generally is. The cooking process of many brands destroys delicate ingredients like some vitamins and especially probiotics. It is shocking when you compare the long list of ingredients on many dog foods to their Guaranteed Analysis. Often after processing, they don’t guarantee the same long list to be available for your dog to utilize in their diet.
Calorie Content: The Metabolizable Energy (ME), or in other words, how much energy the food provides your dog. On most brands you will find it listed as both kcal/kg and kcal/cup. For example, the food I feed is 3706 kcal per kg (2.2 lbs) but kcals per cup is 458. My pups each eat about 1-3/4 cups of food each day, so they are getting approximately 802 calories each day from dog food. To figure your dog’s daily calorie consumption, simply multiply the kcals per cup listed on your food by how many cups they eat.
The calorie content is going to vary from brand to brand and even by varieties within a single brand. When I see the question, “How much do you all feed your dogs?” in a forum or Facebook group, I just shake my head. That’s like asking someone how many cups of food they ate that day, but not asking what kind of foods they had. 3 cups of cake are going to look a lot different nutritionally and calorically than 3 cups of lettuce.
Here is an example of the serving sizes of several different brands for the same size dog.
You can see these brands vary quite a bit due to the kcal differences per cup in each brand. For reference, the top middle canister contains the food I feed and the suggested serving size for a 50 lb dog is 2-1/4 cups per day. Brands with lower kcals require larger serving sizes, but all the excess filler, usually in the form of corn will end up on your lawn in larger poo piles since dogs do not digest those ingredients well. Smaller poos in the yard is a nice side effect of feeding foods made without fillers.
Feeding Chart: A “suggested daily amount” to feed your dog, based on their weight and the kcals of the food. A lower quality food with low kcals is going to require more cups of food to meet caloric needs than a higher kcal food. Your dog’s activity level will determine how much they really need of any food. A puppy or highly active dog is going to need much more than a couch potato dog of the same weight. Pregnant or nursing mothers will also require much more food than normal. I always suggest starting with the amount recommended on the bag, then adjusting the amount up or down based on your dog’s energy expenditure. Just remember the suggested daily amounts are based on a standard measuring cup. If you are using a large 2 cup scoop instead of a measuring cup and counting 1 scoop as a cup, you are going to have a walking sausage instead of a trim, healthy dog very quickly. 
In Part 2 of this series, I cover what to avoid when it comes to your dog’s food. Please check back soon as it will be posted shortly to help you find the *best food for your pets.
