Food is love, especially if you have a labrador retriever! Good nutrition helps our pets live longer, healthier lives, and I want to make sure that my dogs have a long, happy life with me. That means regular vet visits, exercise, and good nutrition.
If you go to your neighborhood big box pet store, you are met with aisles upon aisles of choices, with pictures of wolves, smiling dogs, rustic nature, and healthy, raw ingredients. Do you get the one that has a picture of your dog or a breed-specific formula, or do you opt for the one that looks like it uses all natural ingredients, or that claims to appeal to your dog’s primal instincts? Do you grab cans instead of kibble, or how about the refrigerated or frozen food? Is that better? It’s enough to make you run in and go for the nearest random bag of something that you recognize and hope that there’s no poopsplosions.
But then you go online, and in one nutrition group, they say that raw, home-cooked, or fresh food is best and if you feed kibble or canned, you’re giving your pet cancer. Then another says that grains are poison and you need to feed them a high protein diet, even if the only cardio they get is the happy dance when you get home. On another corner of the internet, they won’t allow discussion of anything unless it passes WSAVA muster.
Going to your vet to ask about nutrition only leads to more questions. They recommend only a few brands, and most people on the internet disagree with their opinions.
It’s enough to make your head spin, and it’s a question I get asked a lot as a dog trainer. My short answer is to feed whatever your dog thrives on that’s within your budget, and this is how I break it down to find what’s right for me and my dogs.
How much effort do I want to put into feeding my dogs?
Some people show love through food, and for those who love the idea of cooking for their dog, it’s a healthy, viable option. I personally don’t recommend raw diets, but for those who decide to go down that route, bacterial contamination is a serious risk and you need to take steps to protect your dog and other household members from food-borne illnesses.
Most pet owners prefer to feed some sort of pre-packaged food. Kibble is king here, and it’s easy to see why. It’s everywhere from dollar stores to boutiques, it’s shelf stable, easy to transport, cost effective, and easy to feed. It’s a fantastic option for those who don’t want to dive deep into canine nutrition, and is my go-to choice for my dogs.
AAFCO and WSAVA: What are they, and how can they help me find quality pre-made food?
Pet food in the US must meet the Association of American Feed Control Officials, or AAFCO standards. This guideline gives a general target for the minimum and maximum percentage of nutrients in a food that is marketed as “complete and balanced” to ensure that what you’re feeding fits within the safe limits for your pup.
If you check your bag of dog food, you will find the AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement somewhere on the bag, either near the ingredients or the feeding guidelines. It will say either “<dog food> has been formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient profiles for <life stage> of dogs.” or “Animal feeding tests substantiate that <dog food> provides complete and balanced nutrition for <life stage>” Those life stages are growth, gestation/lactation, adult maintenance, or all life stages. Puppy food is usually broken down into food for dogs who will be under 75 lbs as an adult and those over, because the nutritional needs for large and giant breeds are slightly different from smaller dogs.
Food that is not appropriate for daily feeding will say “for intermittent or supplemental feeding only,” which means it can lead to nutritional deficiencies and related illnesses if fed daily for years.
AAFCO guidelines answer the question, what are the minimum levels of protein, fats, and the proper vitamins and minerals that a pet or farm animal needs to survive? They do not test, approve, or certify pet food, but the standards are used here in the US to ensure that pet food meets an animal’s minimum nutritional requirements.
The World Small Animal Veterinary Association, or WSAVA, is a community of vets worldwide with the mission to advance the health and welfare of pets. This expert community set up its own guidelines for pet nutrition, and has a wealth of information on how to read pet food labels and their guide for finding quality dog food and a set of questions to answer in order to find which companies are using science instead of human food trends in their formulas. Like AAFCO, they do not approve, test, or certify any brands.
These questions are
- Do they employ a nutritionist with PhD in Animal nutrition, or one with ACVN, or ECVCN certifications who helps to formulate the food?
- What’s their quality control, and how much of the manufacturing process do they oversee?
- Do they do research into nutrition, and if they do, do they publish anything in peer-reviewed journals?
You can usually find this information on the pet food manufacturer’s website or by emailing them. Companies that follow these guidelines are more likely to have high quality formulas for pets than those that do not meet those standards.
Most pet food brands do not meet WSAVA guidelines. Iams, Eukanuba, Hills Science Diet, Purina, and Royal Canin do. We’re starting to see more companies, like The Farmer’s Dog, are employing qualified nutritionists after the FDA began studying the link between Boutique, Exotic protein, and Grain-free (BEG) diets and Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM).
If your favorite brand does not meet WSAVA guidelines, does that mean it’s bad? Not necessarily. While I personally won’t choose a food that isn’t formulated with experts, not all companies have the resources to do research or testing on formulas and instead rely on testing done by other companies. These foods are usually fine and won’t make your vet’s eye twitch when you mention them.
Kibble or canned?
I use canned food as a topper for my kibble once a day because I love to see Kyleth’s little happy tap when she sees the can, but some dogs prefer a canned or moist diet, or must be on a canned diet for health reasons. Canned diets follow the same laws as kibble, so many of these rules still apply, although percentages of moisture, meat, carbohydrate content, and fat are different from the same brand’s kibble. If you like the idea of feeding something that looks and smells more like meaty deliciousness, or if your dog refuses to touch kibble but goes to town on a can of food, there’s nothing wrong with an exclusively canned diet.
Canned food makes an excellent topper for dry food, which is an easy way to spice up your dog’s bowl without monkeying around with the nutrient balance.
What’s in an ingredient list?
“Read the ingredient list” is common advice when it comes to finding good dog food. It’s sound advice, but it’s important to look at other information on the bag as well, such as the calories, fat content, and feeding guidelines. I use the ingredient list to see if the food sets off any of my red flags.
- Red flag 1: “Fairy Dust”
Ingredients are listed by weight, from most to least. There’s no indication as to how much of each ingredient is in the food, so it will give you a general idea of what’s in the food, but not the proportion of each ingredient or the total weight of them. The first five ingredients make up the bulk of the food, and anything listed after the vitamins and preservatives are in such small quantities that they provide no meaningful benefit to your dog. They’re fairy dust that makes the food look more enticing to those who read the ingredient list.
- Red flag 2: Ingredient splitting
Some companies employ a little trick called ingredient splitting to make an ingredient list look better to consumers. They may want to avoid the word “byproduct” and will list heart, lungs, and liver separately to avoid the term and move grains further down the ingredient list. Others will split up grains, peas, or other legumes so that they fall farther down the list, making the food appear meatier or more enticing to consumers. I won’t buy food that splits ingredients, because it’s a deceptive practice and can make a lower-quality food look better than it actually is. If I see a meat, meat meal, and then organs of an animal listed, or if I see multiple instances of peas or the same carbohydrate, I move on to something else.
AAFCO has a nice breakdown of what certain terms on your food bag mean and is a very valuable resource for understanding what’s in your dog’s food. Terms like “byproduct” and “meal” aren’t warning signs that it’s a low quality food and oftentimes make up the bulk of the meat content in your pet’s food and are packed with necessary vitamins and minerals.
- Red Flag 3: Grain Free
Although we think of our dogs as carnivores, they are actually omnivores and have evolved to tolerate grains and use them as a viable source of energy. In fact, grain allergies are relatively rare. Since my dogs don’t have any sort of allergy or intolerance to grains, I keep them on a tested grain-inclusive diet. When I see a bag that lists peas, pea protein, along with other legumes and ancient grains, I put it down. There’s a higher chance of DCM with this food, and there are better, often cheaper, options available.
All that being said, if your dog does have a grain allergy or intolerance and a grain free formula is the only one that they can eat without leaving skid marks on the carpet and vomit in their bed, then by all means, feed what works for your dog. Dogs with food intolerances have a hard time finding a food that agrees with them, so when you find that unicorn, it’s worth every penny. At the end of the day, fed is best.
Nutritional analysis and calories
The Guaranteed Analysis panel on your pet’s food gives you an idea of its protein, fat, fiber, and a few minerals. They don’t list exact amounts, instead they will list either the minimum or maximum levels for a particular macro- or micronutrient. Since my dogs aren’t athletes, I opt for a mid-range protein content, around 20%. My beagle mix gains weight easily, so I don’t go for foods that have over 10% fat. High fat percentages can also lead to gastrointestinal upset or pancreatitis, so if your dog is prone to these or if your vet recommends a lower fat food, check for this panel to see if the food is something worth considering.
Keep in mind that if the bag says that it has 10% minimum fat, it may have more than that, just no less than 10%. This is why my next stop is the calorie content. You’ll usually find this near the recommended feeding amounts or guaranteed analysis. This gives me an idea on how much I can feed my dogs to keep them in an ideal body condition, which is easier said than done with my beagle mix, Izzy, who lives to eat. People with dogs that don’t keep on weight easily or who participate in dog sports may want to opt for a higher calorie food in order to keep their dogs from being underweight. Average dog food tends to fall somewhere between 350-400 calories per 8 oz cup, so I look for something around that amount. High protein food tends to be fattier, and more calorie dense.
What about raw?
While some swear by the health benefits of feeding a dog a raw diet, vets don’t recommend them due to the risk of salmonella and listeria disease. Additionally, most of the diets are meat heavy, which is pretty unbalanced. This gives your dog a higher risk of developing preventable diseases due to malnutrition. For those who want a whole food approach to their dog’s nutrition, cooked diets are safer for everyone, especially if you have children, are immunocompromised, or live with someone who is.
If I am supposed to eat whole foods, why am I feeding my dog a highly processed diet?
If you love to cook and the idea of making your dog’s food makes you happy, cooking for them is a viable option, although there are some things to consider.
Dog nutrition is different from human nutrition. Approaching your dog’s diet in a similar manner to your own can lead to disastrous results, and it’s best to consult with a veterinary nutritionist to help you create recipes that are safe and nutritious. If you don’t have access to a nutritionist in your area, or you’re impatient, balance.it is my favorite resource for healthy recipes for home cooking. They’re vet recommended and use a veterinary nutritionist to formulate their recipes.
Cooking for your dog and sourcing the right ingredients can be time consuming and expensive. While the end result is worth it, it’s not always feasible in this day and age. Fortunately, there are several companies that will send you prepared meals, and you can pick up fresh dog food at specialty pet stores as well as many neighborhood grocery stores. Make sure to read the feeding guidelines for fresh food, since it’s less calorie dense than kibble and you will need to feed more to meet their energy needs. Just make sure that whoever is formulating the food is a qualified nutritionist, regardless of whether or not you find them online or in store.
The good news is that we have many different ways to feed your dog a healthy, nutritious diet for a lifetime of wet noses and wigglebutts. The bad news is that we have many different ways to feed our dogs and it can be overwhelming. If you live in a multi-dog household, you may need different brands or formulas for each dog.
There is no shame in feeding your dog the cheap stuff if that’s what you can afford
There is no shame in spoiling your dog with high quality, expensive food if that’s what you like.
There is no shame in cooking for your dog if that’s your love language.
So long as you are mindful about what and how you feed your dog, you are doing enough.
What’s your favorite way to feed your dog? Leave your food suggestions below!
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