Dog Food Blog

Dog food manufacturers have to play by the rules when they advertise their products. And they do! Proper dog food labeling is regulated by the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM). In addition, some states adopt the model pet food regulations established by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) whose regulations are more specific.

However you may not know the ins and outs of these rules. And then it is just so easy to be misguided when you walk into the store to go and buy the best dog food for your tail-wagger. With only a little bit more knowledge you can make a better decision when buying dog food.

So continue reading and let’s shine some light on dog food labels.

The 95% rule

Usually these are canned products consisting primarily of meat, poultry or fish. At least 95% of what’s inside must be the named ingredient. Example names are: ‘Beef for Dogs’ or ‘Lamb Dog Food’.

The 25% rule also known as the ‘dinner’ rule

In this case at least 25% of the contents (and less than 95%) consist of the named ingredient. For example ‘Lamb Dinner for Dogs’ really does contains lamb, but the product may contain more chicken than lamb. So when, for example, your pooch has a dog food induced allergy to chicken you need to check the complete ingredient list to not be fooled.

The 3% rule perhaps is the most tricky one

In order to legally print ‘with beef’ on the dog food package, the manufacturer needs to put only as little as 3% beef into the product. So there is a big difference between ‘Lamb Dog Food’ and ‘Dog Food with Lamb’ (95% versus 3% lamb). In theory, dog food containing 4% beef, 4% chicken and 4% lamb could be advertized using three different names ‘ladida dog food with beef’, ‘ladida dog food with chicken’ and ‘ladida dog food with lamb’.

The ‘flavor’ rule

This is not an actual rule as there are no set percentages to comply to. The only requirement is that the product contains a detectable amount of the named compound. An example name is ‘Chicken Flavor Dog Food’ which doesn’t have to contain any chicken meat at all. It can be chicken meal or chicken by-products which give the characterizing flavour.

And this is just one of many easily misinterpreted claims. Don’t be fooled and get yourself informed. Take control and learn how to read the other statements on dog food labels.