The label : What does it mean?

The ingredients appearing on labels are listed in descending weight order and not according to their nutritional values.

Thus, an ingredient that contains a lot of water will be at the top of the list. It's the case, amongst others, with meat such as chicken, beef and lamb, which are composed of more than 50% of water.

Pet food manufacturers must write on their products' packaging the minimum protein and fat content and the maximum fiber and humidity content of the foods they produce. This is what is called the garanteed analysis.

However, a food indicating a maximum garanteed analysis of fibers of 5% means that it contains at most 5% of fibers, but it could also contain as low as 1%. On the other hand, if a food's minimum garanteed analysis in proteins is 15%, this signifies that the food contains at least 15% of proteins, but it could also contain 38% of proteins for example.

For cats, a very high level of proteins in the food is not a problem because the natural diet of these strict carnivores is made mostly of proteins. If there are too many proteins in their food, they will not have difficulty metabolizing them.

For dogs however, too many proteins in the food is deleterious to them. This is particularly true for their kidneys which become overloaded with work in order to eliminate the excess waste products produced by the protein metabolism.

Recommandations as to the principal nutrients' levels present in foods have been established for dogs and cats according to their life stage (growth vs adult animals vs senior animals), their activity level (inactive/predisposed to obesity) and their weight (normal or insufficent).

To adequately fulfill pets' nutritive needs, it is important that the nutrients' levels contained in a food follow these recommandations because too high or too low nutrient levels can be prejudicial to them.

Since the exact quantity of nutrients present in a food does not figure in the garanteed analysis, consumers must communicate directly with the manufacturer to learn what they are.

It is difficult to judge the quality of food simply by reading the label on the packaging.

Indeed, the garanteed analysis of two brands of food might be identical and give the impression that the two foods are equivalent in terms of their nutritional value. The reality is that the exact content of the different nutrients present in each food might be considerably different.

Here is an example, extreme of course, to illustrate the fact that the garanteed analysis does not garantee the quality of the food. Though it is true that the garanteed analysis of old shoes made of leather, oil, crushed coal and water (crude protein: min. 6.0%, crude fat: min 4.0%, crude fiber: max. 6.3%, moisture: max. 78.0%, ashes: max. 2.7%) is about the same as the typical garanteed analysis of pet foods, it goes without saying that the real nutrient levels contained in each and, consequently, their nutritional quality differ enormously.

Digestibility is another factor that determines the quality of a food. Digestibility represents the proportion of food that is digested and absorbed by the intestines. An animal will profit more from a food that is highly digestible compared with one that is less digestible. Also, with a less digestible food, more stools will be produced.

Consequently, two brands of food can have the exact same content but not be equally digestible. The digestibility of food is usually not featured on the labels and for many brands of food, this information is not even known by the manufacturer. Thus, it is another factor that makes it hard to judge the quality of the food simply by reading the label.

The AAFCO (Association of Americain feed Control Officials) is a voluntary membership of local, state and federal agencies that are mandated by law to regulate the sale and the distribution of animal feeds and medications. A canadian representative is also part of this association.

Even though the association has no regulatory authority, it provides a forum for its members and industry representatives to achieve three main goals, that is to protect human and animal health, to ensure consumer protection and to provide a level playing field of orderly commerce for the animal feed industry.

It is by developing and implementing uniform and equitable laws, regulations, standards, definitions and enforcement policies for regulating the manufacture, labeling, distribution and sale of animal feeds, thus resulting in safe, effective and useful feeds, that the objectives afore mentioned are attained.

After having produced a new food, pet food manufacturers can choose to either put it through feeding assays, using AAFCO's procedures, to be absolutely certain that it provides a complete and balanced nutrition to the animal species, according to its stage of life and health status, to whom it is destined for.

As an example, before being able to confirm that a food created for the maintenance of adults is complete and balanced, it has to be tested according to these strict procedures:

1- A minimum of 30 dogs must be fed this food.

2- A minimum of 8 dogs at least one year of age must be used for each trial.

3- The same formulation must be utilized throughout the testing period.

4- The test must be conducted over a period of at least 26 weeks (6 months).

5- The food that is being tested must be the sole source of nutrients, with the exception of water.

6- Daily food consumption must be measured.

7- The animals must be weighed and their weights must be recorded once a week.

8- Blood tests must be done to check the hemoglobine levels, the packed cell volume (fraction of red blood cells in the blood) and other biochemical values.

9- A complete physical exam must be done by a veterinarian twice during the testing period.

If the food passes the test, then the AAFCO will stamp its approval on the packaging to confim it. The statement will read like this for a brand X adult dog food for example : « Animal feeding tests using AAFCO procedures substantiate that brand X adult dog food provides complete and balanced nutrition for maintenance of adult dogs ».

By « formulating » a pet food, manufacturers make sure that its ingredients meet the levels required, either by having followed an already existing recipe or by having the finished product analyzed.

The advantages related to this method is that it is fast and cheap. However, since these foods don't have to be tested by feeding trials, it is impossible to know if the ingredients used are bioavailable or digestible, thus profitable or not, to the animal.

In the case of a formulated adult maintenance dog food for example, the AAFCO statement on the packaging will read as follows : « The Y brand dog food is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for maintenance of adult dogs ».

The WSAVA (World Small Animal Veterinary Association) Global Nutrition Committee recommends to people to communicate with the manufacturer of the food that they choose to give to their pet in order to get specific information.

Here are 8 questions to ask:

1- Do you employ a full time qualified veterinary nutritionist? If so, what is his or her name and what are his or her qualifications?

A duly qualified nutritionist normaly owns a PhD in animal nutrition or is board-certified by the American College of Veterinary Nutrition (ACVN) or by the European College of Veterinary Comparative Nutrition (ECVCN).

2- Who formulates your foods and what are their credentials?

3- Do you test your foods using the AAFCO feeding trial procedures or do you formulate them to meet the nutrient profiles of the AAFCO?

If the latter, do they meet AAFCO nutrient profiles by formulation or by analysis of the finished product?

4- Where are your foods produced and manufactured?

5- What measures of quality control do you use to ensure the quality of the ingredients and of the finished product?

6- Can you provide a complete nutritional analysis of the food in question?

The manufacturer should be able to provide an exact number (average/typical analysis) for any ingredient/nutrient contained in the food. This is different than the garanteed analysis that is only the minimum and maximum levels of the ingredients/nutrients.

7- What is the caloric value of your foods per gram, can or cup?

8- What kind of product research has been conducted?

Have the results been published in peer-reviewed journals?

If the manufacturer can not or will not answer any of these questions then the WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee warns people to be cautious about feeding that brand to their pets.

Another recommandation formulated by the Commitee to owners who want to feed their animals with a certain kind of food is to look for the AAFCO statement on the packaging.

Indeed, this statement provides three very important informations:

1- That the food is complete and balanced.

All over-the-counter foods have to be complete and balanced. If a statement on the packaging reads « for intermittent or supplemental use only » than that means that this food is not complete nor balanced for long term maintenance.

However, this food might still be adequate for a particular animal as long as it's been recommended by a veterinarian in order to fulfill a precise need in the short to medium term.

2- That the food is adequate for the life stage of animals that is indicated on the packaging.

The AAFCO provides nutrient profiles and feeding trial requirements for growth, reproduction and adult maintenance, but not for senior/geriatric pets.

Furthermore, if a food claims to be formulated to meet the AAFCO profiles for every stage of life then it absolutely has to provide the minimum required levels of nutrients for the maintenance of growing animals, because it is the life stage that is most demanding nutritionally speaking, in addition to those of adults. Consequently, this food would be too rich for adult or senior animals.

3- The way that the manufacturer determined that the food is complete and balanced is indicated on the packaging.

Labels may include one of two statements regarding nutritional adequacy. By stating that the food is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the nutrient profiles of the AAFCO or by stating that feeding trials using AAFCO procedures prove that the food provides a complete and balanced nutrition for the stage of life in question.