A Guide to Dog Food Ingredients and Reading Dog Food Labels

Dog food ingredients supply the nutrients dogs need for energy, growth, and normal body function. 

Your veterinarian can help you choose a diet that fits your dog’s age, health, and lifestyle. It also helps to know what common ingredients do and which parts of the label are the most important for you to understand.

Understanding Dog Food Ingredients

Dog food is made from ingredients that supply nutrients. The finished diet is more important than whether one ingredient sounds appealing on the label. 

Dogs need protein, fat, water, vitamins, and minerals in their diet. Carbohydrates are an important source of energy and can provide other nutritional benefits, but they are not considered an essential dietary nutrient for healthy adult dogs. 

Ingredients are listed by weight, not by nutrient type. A food may contain animal and plant proteins, starches, fibers, fats, vitamins, minerals, and other ingredients used for nutrition, texture, flavor, or preservation. 

Proteins 

Protein supplies essential amino acids dogs need to build and renew muscle and other body tissues. 

Common protein ingredients include: 

• Meat, such as beef and lamb 
• Poultry, such as chicken and turkey 
• Fish, such as salmon and whitefish 
• Plant-based sources, such as soy 

These protein sources may appear as meat, poultry, fish, rendered meals, plant proteins, or animal by-products. The form alone does not tell you the overall quality of the diet. 

Carbohydrates 

Carbohydrates can supply glucose for energy. Dietary carbohydrates are not essential for healthy adult dogs because dogs can make glucose from other nutrients, but carbohydrates can still be useful in a balanced diet. 

Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that resists digestion in the small intestine. Some fibers are fermented by gut bacteria, while others add bulk to stool. 

Common carbohydrate sources include: 

• Rice 

• Corn 

• Barley 

• Wheat 

• Peas 

• Potatoes 

Common fiber sources include: 

• Wheat bran 

• Inulin 

• Powdered cellulose 

• Beet pulp 

• Rice bran 

• Dried chicory root 

• Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) 

Fats 

Dietary fat is a concentrated source of energy. It also helps dogs absorb vitamins A, D, E, and K and provides essential fatty acids. Fish oils can provide the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA. 

Common fat and oil ingredients include: 

• Fish oil 
• Beef or chicken fat 
• Corn, soybean, or canola oil 

Water 

Water is an essential nutrient. Wet foods contain much more water than dry foods, but dogs should have fresh, clean drinking water available at all times. 

Vitamins and Minerals 

Dogs need vitamins and minerals in specific amounts and ratios. Complete and balanced foods are formulated to supply required nutrients for the life stage listed on the label, such as: 

• Vitamin A 
• Vitamin D 
• Vitamin E 
• Vitamin K 
• B vitamin complex 
• Calcium 
• Phosphorus 
• Magnesium 
• Potassium 
• Sodium and chloride (salt) 
• Iron 
• Copper 
• Zinc 
• Manganese 
• Selenium 
• Iodine 

These nutrients support normal functions throughout the body, including the bones, muscles, nerves, immune system, blood, and metabolism. 

Sodium and chloride are electrolytes that help maintain normal fluid and pH balance in the body. 

Preservatives, Probiotics, and More 

Dog foods may also contain ingredients that help with shelf life, texture, or other functions: 

• Probiotics: Some foods include live microorganisms such as Lactobacillus acidophilus and Enterococcus lactis. 
• Preservatives: Approved preservatives can help protect food quality by slowing spoilage or oxidation during storage. 
• Other ingredients: Thickeners and stabilizers can help create a consistent texture, especially in wet foods. 

Ingredients To Avoid in Dog Food

There is no universal list of “bad” dog food ingredients. What matters is whether an ingredient is safe at the amount used and whether the finished food is complete and balanced for your dog. 

• Known toxic substances: Dog foods and treats should not contain unsafe amounts of ingredients known to be toxic to dogs, such as xylitol, grapes or raisins, chocolate, garlic and onions or other Allium plants.  
• Raw animal ingredients: Raw pet foods are more likely than heat-processed foods to carry harmful bacteria, such as Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes. These bacteria can make pets or people sick. If you feed a raw product, follow safe handling instructions carefully and take extra care if anyone in the household has a higher risk of foodborne illness. 
• Ingredients your dog cannot tolerate: If your veterinarian has diagnosed a food allergy or another adverse food reaction, avoid the identified trigger. Your veterinarian can help choose an appropriate diet if a reaction to food is suspected. 

Animal By-Products and Ingredients Sometimes Called Fillers 

Animal by-products and ingredients sometimes called “fillers” are often criticized, but those labels do not tell you whether a food is nutritious. 

AAFCO defines meat by-products as clean, non-rendered parts other than meat. They can include organs, blood, bone, and emptied stomachs or intestines. The definition excludes hair, horns, teeth, and hooves. 

“Filler” is not a formal nutrition term. Ingredients sometimes given this label, including grains or fiber sources, may provide energy, fiber, vitamins, minerals, or useful functions in the food. 

The nutrient balance of the finished food matters more than whether a single ingredient sounds appealing. 

Fresh Dog Food vs. Traditional Dog Food

Fresh and traditional dog foods can both provide complete and balanced nutrition. The main practical differences are usually processing, moisture, storage, and serving format. 

Traditional foods include dry kibble and canned or pouched foods. Fresh foods are often cooked and sold refrigerated or frozen, although products and processing methods vary by brand. 

JustFoodForDogs is one brand that offers fresh, gently cooked dog food. 

Fresh food is not automatically more nutritious than kibble or canned food. Check the nutritional adequacy statement on the specific product to make sure it is complete and balanced for your dog’s life stage. 

How To Read a Dog Food Label

A dog food label contains a lot of information, but a few sections are especially useful when you compare foods. 

Start with the nutritional adequacy statement, then look at the guaranteed analysis, calorie content, feeding directions, and ingredient list. 

Here is what each part tells you: 

Guaranteed Analysis 

The guaranteed analysis gives minimum or maximum amounts of certain nutrients in the food. 

For most dog foods, it must include minimum crude protein and crude fat, plus maximum crude fiber and moisture. Other nutrient guarantees may be listed when required by a claim or added voluntarily. 

Ingredients List 

Ingredients are listed from greatest to least by weight as they are added to the formula. 

The first ingredient is simply the ingredient that weighs the most. It does not have to be a protein source, and ingredients are not grouped by protein, carbohydrate, fat, or vitamin type. Ingredients that contain a large amount of water are heavier. 

Calorie Content 

The calorie statement is listed as kilocalories per kilogram and per familiar unit, such as a cup, can, or biscuit. 

Calorie information helps you compare foods and estimate how much to feed, but your dog’s actual needs can differ from the label estimate. 

Feeding Guidelines 

Feeding directions are a starting point. Age, activity level, body condition, neuter status, health, and weight goals can change how much food a dog needs. 

Nutritional Adequacy Statement 

The nutritional adequacy statement tells you whether the food is complete and balanced for a recognized life stage. AAFCO recognizes gestation/lactation, growth, maintenance, and all life stages as foods that be fed as the sole source of nutrition. Other products instead state that they are intended for intermittent or supplemental feeding only. You can find the nutritional adequacy statement on the packaging, usually on the back near the ingredients. 

Best-By or Expiration Date 

A best-by date marks the period when the manufacturer expects the product to retain its intended quality if it is stored properly. It is not a guarantee that damaged, contaminated, or poorly stored food is safe to use. 

How To Choose the Right Dog Food

Start with a food that is complete and balanced for your dog’s life stage. Then consider calorie needs, food format, body condition, health, and any recommendations from your veterinarian. 

When comparing brands, such as JustFoodForDogs, Purina, Hill’s, IAMS, Royal Canin, and Eukanuba, read the label on each product rather than judging the brand name alone. 

Once you have confirmed that a food is complete and balanced for the right life stage, compare calorie density, serving format, size-specific options, and any medical needs your veterinarian has identified. 

Some brands sell puppy, adult, senior, small-breed, and large-breed formulas. “Senior” is a marketing category, not a separate AAFCO nutrient profile, so nutrient levels can vary among senior foods. 

Your veterinarian can help you decide when to move from puppy food to adult food and whether a senior formula or veterinary diet makes sense later in life.