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Understanding Nutrition Labels on Pet Food

August 25, 2017 by Janice

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

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If you stand in the pet food aisle, staring at the different marketing messages and wondering what really IS the best pet food for your pet (and your budget), we are here with some help from Petcurean to decode pet food nutrition labels and decide what you want to feed your beloved pet. Thanks to Petcurean for sponsoring this post.

Petcurean Nutrition Label

 

I know I am not the only pet owner who has had a hard time trying to decide what food to buy for my dog.

Have you ever asked yourself: Is there really a difference between economy and premium brands? What’s the deal with serving sizes? And what does it mean to be MSC certified?

Petcurean Nutrition Label

Nutrition labels and the different marketing messages on pet food packaging can be confusing.

But since we all adore our pets and want the best for them, we want to read and understand what we are choosing to feed them. So, the experts at Petcurean are sharing with us a quick and easy breakdown of the five main components of a nutrition label and what it means for you and your pet.

Ingredients Panel:

The ingredients list is probably the most recognizable portion of the nutrition panel. What some pet owners may not know however is that the ingredients are listed in descending order by weight, which means the first ingredient is the largest quantity and the last ingredient is the smallest.

Petcurean Nutrition Label

Tip: Buying economy brands of pet food is not always a money saver. Some economy brands use inexpensive ingredients that aren’t highly digestible. This means you must feed your dog more portions of the food just to ensure they’re meeting their nutritional requirements. In the long run, the cost per serving for a lower quality food is much higher than that of a premium food where your pet can get all of their nutrients from one serving.

Guaranteed Analysis:

This section provides information about the nutrient content of the food. It should include the minimums for Crude protein and Crude fat, as well as the maximum Crude Fiber and Moisture. Additionally, any nutrients highlighted on the packaging must be included in the guaranteed analysis.

Petcurean Nutrition Label

Tip: You can find the guaranteed analysis of a pet food product on a company’s website or by contacting the company. Here’s an example for Petcurean’s GO! Sensitivity + Shine LID Venison Recipe For Dogs.

Feeding Guidelines:

The feeding guidelines should only serve as a starting point for deciding how much to feed your pet, as it heavily depends on your pet’s size, age, and activity level.

Petcurean Nutrition Label

Tip: The best way to assess proper feeding is by calculating your pet’s body condition score. You can find that out here.

Body Score Chart for Dogs

Nutritional Adequacy Statement:

This statement tells you if the food is complete and balanced, meaning it meets all of your pet’s nutritional requirements. It will also tell you if the product should be used only for intermittent feeding or as a treat.

Tip: Pay attention to what stage of life this section recommends for feeding. It should be labeled for all life stages or for one stage in particular.

Certifications:

Gather Petcurean Pet Food

Organic: An organic certification means that the production methods comply with organic farming standards. The primary goal of organic production is to use farming practices that are sustainable and harmonious with the environment.

MSC: The Marine Stewardship Council is an independent international non-profit certification organization that promotes sustainable fishing practices. An MSC certification is based upon three principles: sustainable fish stocks, minimizing environmental impacts, and effective management.

Vegan: The primary criteria for a product to receive the Certified Vegan logo is that the producer must prove that no ingredients were sourced from animals, no animal testing was permitted, adequate segregation of vegan and non-vegan ingredients was ensured and adequate clean out procedures were followed in facilities that produce vegan and non-vegan products.

GATHERâ„¢ dog and cat recipes have received three different food certifications, Vegan, MSC certified, and Organic, to provide transparency about the ingredients that have been carefully selected for these diets.

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Understanding Nutrition Labels on Pet Food #Pets #Dogs

 


Disclosure: This post is sponsored, so extra thanks for reading and sharing.
Written by Janice Croze, co-founder of 5 Minutes for Mom
Talk with me: @5minutesformom and Facebook.com/5minutesformom
Pin with me at pinterest.com/5minutesformom

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About Janice

Janice is co-founder of 5 Minutes For Mom. She's been working online since 2003 and is thankful her days are full of social media, writing and photography.

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19 Comments

  1. Sharon Garrett says

    September 2, 2017 at 2:01 pm

    This was a great review, letting the consumer know the nutrition and ingredients contained in the pet food.

    Reply
  2. Stacie says

    August 29, 2017 at 10:05 am

    I have always looked at the ingredient list and the feeding guidelines but not the rest. I will have to look at that the next time I buy my pets’ food.

    Reply
  3. Toni | Boulder Locavore says

    August 29, 2017 at 1:51 am

    This is so helpful!! I hope more pet owners could read this and be informed.

    Reply
  4. krystal says

    August 28, 2017 at 10:41 pm

    This is hard for me to admit but I have never checked my dog’s labels! I will have to from now on.

    Reply
  5. Sinisa says

    August 28, 2017 at 10:30 pm

    Pet foods have definitely gotten better. It’s awesome labels are better too.

    Reply
  6. Gingermommy says

    August 28, 2017 at 10:16 pm

    I just started looking at label s on my dog food

    Reply
  7. Kristin says

    August 28, 2017 at 10:00 pm

    This is really great information. You really do need to understand food labels.

    Reply
  8. Claudia Krusch says

    August 28, 2017 at 9:09 pm

    It is so important to look at the nutrition labels for your pets food. I always want to feed my fur babies the best quality I can find.

    Reply
  9. Kathy says

    August 28, 2017 at 9:03 pm

    I think this is very important. It’s nice to look at labels on all kinds of foods. Very good to know what they all mean too.

    Reply
  10. Kelly Hutchinson says

    August 28, 2017 at 8:49 pm

    I have to admit, until recently, I never considered looking at the labels on my pet’s food. Now it is something I want to do to make sure they are getting the best food.

    Reply
  11. Amy Desrosiers says

    August 28, 2017 at 8:30 pm

    I have been really paying attention to my dog’s food labels too. I use to buy whatever was on sale, but now I am cautious to read all labels.

    Reply
  12. Liz Mays says

    August 28, 2017 at 4:31 pm

    This is a really good breakdown! I should definitely be scrutinizing the ingredients list on every bag of pet food I buy!

    Reply
  13. Dawn Lopez says

    August 28, 2017 at 3:57 pm

    Well that cleared up a lot of confusion for me when it comes to looking at pet food labels. It’s so important to know what is in the food so we can make the best choices for our pets.

    Reply
  14. Vera Sweeney says

    August 28, 2017 at 11:56 am

    I will definitely read the labels on dog food from now on. I want to make sure my dog has the best food possible!

    Reply
  15. Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle says

    August 28, 2017 at 11:47 am

    I love this so much! It’s so important to check your pet food labels just like you’d check your own.

    Reply
  16. Jeanette says

    August 28, 2017 at 11:37 am

    I NEED to read this in major detail! I want to make sure what I am feeding my dog is good for her. This is a great explanation!

    Reply
  17. Jen Temcio says

    August 28, 2017 at 10:46 am

    This is an important article for me because my dog is 12 now and we want him to be healthy and live long. Nutrition is the big component to his health and life quality. thank you for explaining the labels so I can make the best decision about his food.

    Reply

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