The Modern Bark | Dog Training Tips

Comparing dog food ingredients, once you look at the paragraph on the side of the bag, may seem like it requires a PHD to decipher.  Protein meals, by-products and tocopherols abound.  Many authorities on dog food and nutrition recommend that buyers avoid any dog food containing by-products while others eschew grain based products.  Understanding dog food ingredients and their legal definitions as well as the guaranteed analysis will help you to better compare dog foods and find the best value and nutritious diet for your four legged companion. Dog Food Ingredients Comparison 101: The ingredients are listed on the food packaging by their weight, in descending order.  Ingredients are listed on an “as fed basis,” which can make interpretation of ingredient lists difficult, as key ingredients are regularly added with differing moisture contents. Meats contain more moisture which results in greater weight per volume, and therefore they may be listed first on the ingredient list.

According to the American Pet Products Association, Americans spent an estimated $52 billion dollars on their pets in 2012, with an estimated $19 billion of that being spent of pet food.  Clearly Americans love their pets, and as pet food recalls have heightened pet owners’ concerns about pet food safety and nutrition, many “Premium” foods have entered the market, competing for those dollars.  With the typical pet super market containing 6-8 aisles of dog food and 4-5 aisles of cat food, how is the health conscious pet owner to decipher the labels and choose the best food for their pet with a reasonable price tag? The Cover Story: Food, Recipes and Flavors – What’s in The Bag? The FDA and the American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) have regulated guidelines for how pet foods products may be labeled and marketed.  Many so called premium dog foods have found creative marketing tactics for dodging these regulations while luring consumers with promises of holistic