Instructions
Read the purpose statement. The label on every food is required to prominently displayed this statement, which informs the pet owner whether the food is meant for feeding dogs, cats, or other species. It may also indicate that the food is formulated for a specific life stage for that species. Choose a food that is appropriate for the species of animal and specific life stage of your pet.
Read the quantity statement. This defines how much of the food is contained in the can by weight. For smaller pets, cans containing smaller amounts of food may be more convenient with less waste. For multipet households or for large pets, cans with larger quantities may be more economical.
Check the product claims. The food label may make claims about the product only if the claims are substantiated, truthful, and not misleading.
A claim that the food is natural indicates that the food must contain ingredients that are derived from plant or animal sources which have not been adulterated by heat, rendering, hydrolysis, purification, enzymolysis, or fermentation. If the food contains other ingredients that are not natural, this must be stated on the label as a disclaimer. In this case, the label might read, "All natural with added vitamins and minerals."
Other claims on a pet food label may relate to improving dental health or to improving joint function. Consider any claims made in relation to your pet's needs.
Look at the guaranteed analysis. This provides a breakdown by percentage of the individual nutrients contained in the food. It typically includes crude protein, crude fat, crude fiber, and moisture. Other items such as vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids may also be listed. Remember that canned foods will, by nature, have a much higher moisture content than dry foods.
The guaranteed analysis may become important if the pet requires specialized feeding due to illness or physical condition. These pets may have specific protein, fiber, or fat requirements.
Read the ingredients statement. This statement shows the individual ingredients in the food listed in descending predominance by weight. Therefore, the ingredients at the start of the list will be those found in the highest quantity in the food. If you prefer to feed a diet which is meat- and poultry-based, choose a diet which lists meat and poultry as the first two ingredients. Likewise, if you wish to avoid grains as a source of protein, avoid foods with rice, wheat, or corn as top listed ingredients.
Look for an AAFCO statement. The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) nutritional adequacy statement indicates, when present, that the manufacturer has spent time and money to ensure that the food is well-balanced and will be able to supply proper nutritional support for the pet. This statement will say that the food is "formulated to meet the nutritional levels" of a specific species or life stage within a species by meeting certain requirements.
Ideally, choose a food whose nutritional claims have been substantiated through "feeding trials." Feeding trials provide evidence that the food is able to provide adequate nutritional support through evaluatiing animals that have been consuming the diet, and this will be clearly indicated within the AAFCO nutritional adequacy feeding statement.
Alternatively, the nutritional adequacy statement may state that the food has been substantiated by being "formulated to meet nutritional levels established by nutrient profiles created by the AAFCO" for a specific species. These foods have been tested in theory but have not been tested by actually feeding it to the species in question.
Another option in substantiating the nutritional adequacy claim is by comparing the food with a similar food product. Again, the food has not been tested by feeding it to individual animals.
Look at the feeding directions. They should be clearly visible on the label if the food is labeled as complete and balanced, and should provide detailed directions regarding how much food should be fed on a daily basis. Use the feeding directions to calculate how many cans will be needed to feed your pet per day, and use this value to compare the daily cost of feeding your pet with other diets.
Foods formulated as treats are not required to contain feeding directions. However, very few canned treats are available.
Check for the the name and address of the manufacturer or distributor, which should be supplied on the label. This information may become important if the pet owner has questions about the food or for reporting purposes if the pet experiences an unusual or abnormal response to the food.
How to Read Canned Food Labels
Choosing the best canned pet food requires careful examination of the label. The label is required to contain specific information, and knowing how to read the food label gives a pet owner the ability to compare the quality and value of different foods. Canned pet foods are most easily compared to other canned pet foods. The comparison between canned foods, dry foods, and raw diets is more difficult because the differing moisture contents of these foods must be taken into account.