How to Read and Understand the Label on Wellness Pet Food
By Gerri Stone

The recent pet food recall has caused many pet lovers to start examining the labels on pet food more closely. For years, many people assumed that the food they were giving their pets was formulated by veterinarians, contained high quality ingredients, and had all the nutrition necessary for health and longevity. All we needed to add was the love, and some daily exercise. Now, we know better.

Now that we are reading the labels, it is important to know what the various terms really mean. You might think you are buying top quality wellness pet food, only to discover that there are unidentified meat by products, or chemical preservatives that are unsafe and unhealthy for your dog or cat.

To clear up some of the common misunderstandings, and to help keep your pets healthy, here is an explanation of some of the common terms used on pet food labels.

If a food is called Beef Dog Food, 95% of the product must be beef. If a food is called Beef Dinner, then only 25% of the product must be beef. This also applies to the terms formula, nuggets, entrée and platter. Therefore, if you are feeding your dog Lamb and Rice formula, the amount of lamb and rice must add up to 25% of the ingredients. Another interesting labeling method is to state Dog Food with Chicken. If your pet food is labeled this way, only 3% of the ingredients are probably from chicken. Although it sounds like word play, you could be feeding your pets minimal protein and maximum fillers is you give them food with chicken rather than chicken pet food.

When by-products are listed on the label, it is important to look for the origin of the by-product, such as beef by products, or chicken by products. This will ensure that all the by products come from a cow or a chicken. If it states meat by products, then you have unidentified meat in the food, which is not a good thing if you are concerned about pet wellness.

Reading the labels on pet food can seem overwhelming at first. It can feel like a foreign language. However, once you know what terms to avoid, and what ingredients you are looking for, it becomes much easier. There are still a few good pet foods on the shelf. Once you've done the research, you can be confident that you are feeding your pet the best ingredients for health and wellness. You pet deserves to be one of the lucky ones that stays healthy and lives as long as possible.

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