Dog Food Analysis:
What's It Really Worth?

Every bag of dog food has one...a dog food analysis. The law requires it. The analysis is designed to help the consumer (you and me) judge the pet food they're buying. It shows the percentages of protein, fat, and fiber.

But is that the whole story?

Let's say that you're looking for a dog food that contains at least 26% protein. Perhaps you read somewhere that that was a good number for the particular breed of dog you own. Or, maybe that's what your vet recommended. In any case, that's what you're looking for.

So you head to your local grocery store or pet supply store, and what do you find? About 100 different brands that have 26% protein (no, I haven't actually counted them...but there are plenty). Now what do you do?

Dog Food Analysis Ignores Quality

Unfortunately, the dog food analysis on the bag doesn't take you very far. For instance, what are the ingredients that make up the 26% protein in each of the bags?

Is it "human quality" chicken breasts? More than likely it includes one or more of the following low quality sources of protein:

• Wheat, corn or soy

• Meat and bone meal (sounds good but can include things like chicken heads, beaks, bills, feet, hooves, etc.)

• Chicken carcasses (what's left after most of the meat has been removed).

• Road kill (yes, you read that correctly).

• Euthanized animals (i.e., pets) purchased from veterinarian clinics and shelters.

• "The 4 D's" - Dead, Dying, Diseased, and Decaying (meat deemed unfit for human consumption).

Yuck! You've Got To Be Kidding

Why would pet food makers include such ingredients in the food meant for our companion animals? I think  there are 2 key reasons:

First, because they can...

First, because they can. The average consumer has no idea what goes into the pet food they buy. The pet food analysis doesn't tell them what ingredients are included.

And, the regulations governing the pet food industry have been written in such a way that these companies can easily hide behind names that sound healthy. For instance, "meat and bone meal" doesn't sound bad.

Second, these ingredients are all relatively cheap...

Second, these ingredients are all relatively cheap. The big pet food makers are geared toward making profits first and foremost. They don't exist because they care about the health of our pets.

They exist to make money. The less they have to pay for ingredients, the more their profits go up.

So, What's The Consumer To Do?

If you can't rely on the dog food analysis to tell you whether a particular pet food is good, what can you do? You naturally want to provide your pets with the best nutrition available.

After all, you don't want them eating garbage. And the thought that your dog could be eating the remains of other people's pets is probably disgusting to you (it sure is to me).

Your best bet for avoiding poor quality ingredients is to get to know the company that makes the food. What is their philosophy? Are they focused on profits first? Or, do they truly care about providing our pets with the superior nutrition that will help to keep them healthy and strong?

After the pet food recalls of 2007, I went on a hunt to find such a company. I was never again going to trust the big pet food companies. It was their lust for profits that resulted in hundreds of pets dying from tainted food.

Their use of contaminated wheat gluten (an ingredient that should never appear in a dog food anyway) from China poisoned many dogs and cats, and caused untold heartache for their loving parents.

After a lot of research, I found a company that I could trust and I never looked back. Check out this video about the company that I found. I think you'll see why I love this company.

Is This The Only Company That Cares?

I'm sure there are other good pet food companies out there (at least I hope there are). To be honest, I stopped my search when I found Life's Abundance.

I couldn't imagine that I would find a better company. I've been using all their products (food, treats, supplements, etc.) since 2007 and my dogs have done amazingly.

And best of all...I have no fear about the next major pet food recall! You can read more about these product on my Premium Dog Food page and you check out these products at the Life's Abundance website.

The Bottom Line...

Don't worry so much about the dog food analysis on the bag. Find a good pet food company that you can trust to do right by your pets and you can sleep well at night.

You'll know that you're doing the very best you can for your beloved pets.

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