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Choosing
a Premium Pet Food
One
of the important things to review when choosing a Premium Pet Food is the Guaranteed Analysis on the
back
of the bag. It is a chart that lists the percentages of
various
ingredients contained in that food. However, the
numbers
given in the Guaranteed Analysis do not take into
account
the amount of moisture in that food.
All
pet foods
have
different levels of moisture; canned foods can have up to
80%,
and dry foods can have as little as 6%. To determine the
actual
amount of an ingredient in a food, or to compare
between
brands or between wet and dry foods, the numbers need
to
be converted to what is called Dry Matter (DM) basis.
If
a dry dog food has 10% moisture we know that it has 90% dry
matter. So we look at the label and check the protein level
that reads 20%. Next, we divide the 20 percent protein by
the 90% dry matter and we get 22%, which is the amount of
protein on a dry matter basis. Does this make sense so far?
Good. Now let us compare this to canned food that has 80%
moisture. We know that with 80% moisture we have 20% dry
matter. The label shows 5% protein. So we take the 5% and
divide it by 20% and we get 25% protein on a dry matter
basis. So the canned food may have more protein per pound on
a dry matter basis after all the water is taken out. We can
do the same for fat, fiber, etc.
To
evaluate a Premium Pet Food, compare the DM ingredient
amounts
to a nutrition chart such as the Association of
American
Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) Dog Food Nutrient
Profiles.
Dog foods labeled as 'complete and balanced' must
meet
standards established by AAFCO, either by meeting a
nutrient
profile or by passing a feeding trial.
For
complete Petcurean information, call us toll free
1-866-864-6112
Or
email us at info@naturalpetfood.ca |
