How to Choose Food

Puppies are not just small dogs. Just like babies require different nutrition than adults, puppies have a unique set of nutritional requirements. Poor nutrition now can lead to numerous problems later in life. In addition, small and medium breed dogs have a different set of nutritional requirements than large and giant breeds. Unfortunately, not all dog foods are the same, and understanding the nutritional statements can be difficult. Choosing the right food for your puppy can lead to a longer, healthier life for your adult dog.

Puppies are in a rapid growth cycle with the important development of bone and joints happening in the first year or two of life. There is a direct link between improper nutrition and developmental skeletal deformities. Many of these can result in chronic pain or expensive surgical correction. Large breed puppies are especially prone to these problems, including hip dysplasia and osteochondrosis dissecans (or OCD). Regulating calcium, phosphorus and energy intake can greatly reduce the risk of these diseases.

The most important step in evaluating a food is choosing a food that is specifically formulated for puppies or growth stages. Look for the AAFCO statement on the bag, below the Guaranteed Analysis. If your dog is a large breed dog, be certain to choose a food labeled for large breed growth (look for that information on the front of the bag). Next, look at the Metabolizable Energy (ME). For large breed growth, this should be less than 3,800 Kcal/Kg. For regular puppy food, it may be slightly higher. The calcium and phosphorus ratio is also very important. This should be roughly 1:1 but no higher than 1.5:1. However, even if the ratio is acceptable, high overall calcium levels can be detrimental to healthy bone and joint development. Experts agree that the total calcium level should be between 0.7 and 1.2% for large and giant breed puppies. Higher levels have a strong link to developmental abnormalities. Even if you choose a high quality food, please remember that feeding too much is still harmful. Free choice feeding can lead to obesity and skeletal disease. Please talk to one of our team members about the best method for feeding your puppy.

AAFCO stands for the Association of American Feed Control Officials. The AAFCO statement gives you information on how the food was formulated. The best pet foods state that they have been tested using “animal feeding trials.” This indicates that the food was fed to dogs prior to being marketed and has been proven to be safe and healthy for the indicated life stage. If it was “formulated to meet standards” for a life stage, it was either never tested, or failed testing. The accepted life stages for dogs are growth and adult (maintenance),[S3] . Look for a food that specifies the life stage that fits your dog. If a food is for “all life stages” this means it is, in actuality, formulated to meet standards for puppies. [S4] For adult dogs, we recommend that you choose a food that is labeled for adult dogs in the AAFCO statement. Puppy foods will have higher calorie and calcium levels than necessary for adult dogs and therefore are not typically recommended for adult and senior pets.

This gives you the guaranteed analysis of what the food contains. However, it has some limitations. The first is that it only provides minimums and maximums. For example, if the minimum protein is 32%, it could contain significantly more. Excess protein can be harmful to the kidneys. Ideal protein should be between 22 and 32[S5] % for growing puppies. Also, the guaranteed analysis does not give you any information about protein DIGESTIBILITY or QUALITY.

Ingredients are listed by weight – the heavier the ingredient, the higher on the list it will be. However, this can be deceiving. Meats are often listed as either the meat itself, or a by-product or meal (i.e. chicken vs. chicken by-product). By-products are clean, non-rendered parts such as liver. They have been processed, cooked, and the water removed prior to weighing. You are getting the true weight of the meat. If listed as the meat only (i.e. chicken), the meat was weighed prior to cooking and still contains all the heavy water. Once cooked, you may have significantly less of the product in the food. If weighed after cooking, it may be listed further down on the ingredient list. As most consumers look only at the first ingredient, the use of certain whole meat ingredients can be a marketing ploy used by the company to make their food look more attractive.

Corn is actually a very good source of essential fatty acids, beta-carotene, vitamin E, and lutein (natural anti-oxidants). It is also a highly digestible protein. Corn is also rarely a cause of dietary allergies. For more information, follow the link to the Hill’s Pet Nutrition website.

In nature, dogs are actually omnivores. This means that they will eat a variety of food sources, including meat and plant material. True carnivores (like cats) eat a meat only diet. Feeding dogs a high protein diet of meat can actually be harmful to them. For more information, follow the link to the Hill’s Pet Nutrition website.

The term “organic” has a legal definition, established by the USDA for human foods. Pet food companies must follow the rules that apply to human foods. If foods are 100% organic, they will carry the USDA Organic Seal on the package. If this seal is missing, they are not true organic foods, but may contain some organic ingredients.

The terms “natural” and “organic” are not interchangeable. The term “natural” requires the pet food to consist of only natural ingredients without chemical alteration (except for added vitamins and minerals).

The term “holistic” has no legal definition and means nothing when placed on a bag of food.

[S1]Or, more specifically, between 3,200 and 3,800.

[S2]Sm An Clin Nutrition text recommends no higher than 1.5:1

[S3]While Hill’s believes senior pets have different requirements and there are nutritional difference between senior foods and regular adult foods, AAFCO does not have a separate life stage category for “senior.” A senior pet food will state that it is “for maintenance” in the AAFCO statement.

[S4]This might be confusing to the reader.

[S5]These numbers are on a dry matter basis, while the numbers listed in the Guaranteed Analysis are on an as fed basis.


~How to Choose the Right Food for Your Pet~
Why is it important to choose the right food for my puppy or adult dog? Puppies are not just small dogs. Just like babies require different nutrition than adults, puppies have a unique set of nutritional requirements. Poor nutrition now can lead to numerous problems later in life. In addition, small and medium breed dogs have a different set of nutritional requirements than large and giant breeds. Unfortunately, not all dog foods are the same, and understanding the nutritional statements can be difficult. Choosing the right food for your puppy can lead to a longer, healthier life for your adult dog. Puppies are in a rapid growth cycle with the important development of bone and joints happening in the first year or two of life. There is a direct link between improper nutrition and developmental skeletal deformities. Many of these can result in chronic pain or expensive surgical correction. Large breed puppies are especially prone to these problems, including hip dysplasia and osteochondrosis dissecans (or OCD). Regulating calcium, phosphorus and energy intake can greatly reduce the risk of these diseases. The most important step in evaluating a food is choosing a food that is specifically formulated for puppies or growth stages. Look for the AAFCO statement on the bag, below the Guaranteed Analysis. If your dog is a large breed dog, be certain to choose a food labeled for large breed growth (look for that information on the front of the bag). Next, look at the Metabolizable Energy (ME). For large breed growth, this should be less than 3,800 Kcal/Kg. For regular puppy food, it may be slightly higher. The calcium and phosphorus ratio is also very important. This should be roughly 1:1 but no higher than 1.5:1. However, even if the ratio is acceptable, high overall calcium levels can be detrimental to healthy bone and joint development. Experts agree that the total calcium level should be between 0.7 and 1.2% for large and giant breed puppies. Higher levels have a strong link to developmental abnormalities. Even if you choose a high quality food, please remember that feeding too much is still harmful. Free choice feeding can lead to obesity and skeletal disease. Please talk to one of our team members about the best method for feeding your puppy. What is the AAFCO statement? AAFCO stands for the Association of American Feed Control Officials. The AAFCO statement gives you information on how the food was formulated. The best pet foods state that they have been tested using “animal feeding trials.” This indicates that the food was fed to dogs prior to being marketed and has been proven to be safe and healthy for the indicated life stage. If it was “formulated to meet standards” for a life stage, it was either never tested, or failed testing. The accepted life stages for dogs are growth and adult (maintenance),[S3] . Look for a food that specifies the life stage that fits your dog. If a food is for “all life stages” this means it is, in actuality, formulated to meet standards for puppies. [S4] For adult dogs, we recommend that you choose a food that is labeled for adult dogs in the AAFCO statement. Puppy foods will have higher calorie and calcium levels than necessary for adult dogs and therefore are not typically recommended for adult and senior pets. What does the nutritional analysis tell me? This gives you the guaranteed analysis of what the food contains. However, it has some limitations. The first is that it only provides minimums and maximums. For example, if the minimum protein is 32%, it could contain significantly more. Excess protein can be harmful to the kidneys. Ideal protein should be between 22 and 32[S5] % for growing puppies. Also, the guaranteed analysis does not give you any information about protein DIGESTIBILITY or QUALITY. What does the ingredients list tell me? Ingredients are listed by weight – the heavier the ingredient, the higher on the list it will be. However, this can be deceiving. Meats are often listed as either the meat itself, or a by-product or meal (i.e. chicken vs. chicken by-product). By-products are clean, non-rendered parts such as liver. They have been processed, cooked, and the water removed prior to weighing. You are getting the true weight of the meat. If listed as the meat only (i.e. chicken), the meat was weighed prior to cooking and still contains all the heavy water. Once cooked, you may have significantly less of the product in the food. If weighed after cooking, it may be listed further down on the ingredient list. As most consumers look only at the first ingredient, the use of certain whole meat ingredients can be a marketing ploy used by the company to make their food look more attractive. Myth: Corn is just a filler and has no nutritional value. Corn is actually a very good source of essential fatty acids, beta-carotene, vitamin E, and lutein (natural anti-oxidants). It is also a highly digestible protein. Corn is also rarely a cause of dietary allergies. For more information, follow the link to the Hill’s Pet Nutrition website. Myth: Dogs are obligate carnivores. In nature, dogs are actually omnivores. This means that they will eat a variety of food sources, including meat and plant material. True carnivores (like cats) eat a meat only diet. Feeding dogs a high protein diet of meat can actually be harmful to them. For more information, follow the link to the Hill’s Pet Nutrition website. The “Organic” confusion. The term “organic” has a legal definition, established by the USDA for human foods. Pet food companies must follow the rules that apply to human foods. If foods are 100% organic, they will carry the USDA Organic Seal on the package. If this seal is missing, they are not true organic foods, but may contain some organic ingredients. The terms “natural” and “organic” are not interchangeable. The term “natural” requires the pet food to consist of only natural ingredients without chemical alteration (except for added vitamins and minerals). The term “holistic” has no legal definition and means nothing when placed on a bag of food. [S1]Or, more specifically, between 3,200 and 3,800. [S2]Sm An Clin Nutrition text recommends no higher than 1.5:1 [S3]While Hill’s believes senior pets have different requirements and there are nutritional difference between senior foods and regular adult foods, AAFCO does not have a separate life stage category for “senior.” A senior pet food will state that it is “for maintenance” in the AAFCO statement. [S4]This might be confusing to the reader. [S5]These numbers are on a dry matter basis, while the numbers listed in the Guaranteed Analysis are on an as fed basis.



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