One of the most common questions I’m asked by clients is, “What’s the best food to feed my dog or cat?” That always makes me smile, because that’s like walking into Safeway and asking which aisle has the best food? The answer depends on many factors. Do you prefer organic? Meat-based? Whole grains? Does your dog or cat have skin issues, allergies or a sensitive stomach? No one food or brand is the “best” for any dog or cat. Or for us either, for that matter.

There are literally thousands of pet foods out there. From mainstream commercial, to organic, to grain-free or raw, and even prescription diets. So, which is the best?  From my perspective, the only real issues are trust and quality. You have to feed a brand you trust, and use an appropriate diet for your pet’s age and breed. This is what really matters, assuming of course, that you’re using a food approved by the American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) which develops the AAFCO standards, very basic nutrition guidelines for pet food.

While the standards don’t ensure that the food is necessarily the best quality, having the AAFCO statement on a food label demonstrates that there has been some attempt to develop a good food. For quality, I always recommend premium or pet store foods, because the ingredients are usually higher quality and more consistent. While lower quality foods may be cheaper, you have to feed more to reach the same nutrient levels which defeats the purpose altogether.

Trust and quality are the most important issues in choosing a food. The recent melamine poisoning of pet food illustrated how important it is to use a brand you trust, but that didn’t even guarantee safe food in 2007.

Assuming you’re feeding a food from a trusted brand name, how do you read those complicated labels? These are about the most difficult nutrition facts you’ll ever see. So hard are they to interpret that many of us just skip this step entirely. Or read it wrong. Or get misinformation about the food even from the pet store itself.

And then there’s the price. Dry food is less expensive, but most dogs and a few cats prefer canned, which many people think has more calories and more fat. This is just not true. Canned foods simply contain more water. Not more fat. It’s all on the label, if you know how to read it.

So let’s take a look at the label. There are three parts: the guaranteed analysis, the ingredient list and feeding instructions. The guaranteed analysis is in that box at the top of the label and mainly lists the minimum levels of protein, fat, fiber, moisture and fatty acids. Dry food levels are higher (often twice as high), but remember, that is simply because of the water in the canned food. But canned is equally, if not more, nutritious than dry food per weight.

Guaranteed analysis (canned/dry, percentages):
Protein (min) 8/20 - Moisture (max) 78/10
Fat (min) 5.5/8 - Omega-6 (min) 1/2.3
Fiber (min) 1.5/4 - Omega-3 (min) .38/.87

These percentages are just examples of a high quality dog food. All foods will vary, however, and cats have even higher protein and fat requirements. Any of us trying to get our dog’s nose out of the cat food know there is more fat in Tiger’s bowl.

For me, the real story is in the ingredient list. We all have our favorites: some like organics, or certain meats, or more vegetables. Some hate grains, especially corn. When did corn become the arch villain of pet food? There’s nothing wrong with grains, including corn. In the right proportions, a balanced mix of meat, grain and vegetables is what we’re striving for. But, no matter what you feed, the protein should be at the top of the ingredient list.

Now, let’s break these ingredients down: meat, meat byproducts, fish and soy meal, corn gluten meal, brown and brewer’s rice. These are all what they sound like. But don’t run screaming from the meat byproducts – they’re not as scary as they sound and are usually perfectly acceptable, clean animal products.

Now the “additives”: BHA is just a fat preservative, and believe me, you need it in those dry food bags, or you’ll have a rancid mess in just a few weeks. Ethoxyquin is used to prevent spoilage, and tocopherols are just vitamin E, a natural preservative.

Finally, feeding instructions on the label can be very confusing. I think of these as “suggestions” because animals will pretty much tell us how much food they need. Alright, not Labradors, so take a look at the label, but pay attention to how much your pet eats when you put the food down. And look at your pet while you’re at it. If he or she looks more like the 40-pound bag of food than the dog you used to know, you’re feeding too much.

I’m always shocked at the feeding instructions because the label recommends much more food than I’d ever even dream of feeding. That’s because these amounts are based on an average animal of that weight or age, to achieve AAFCO nutrient levels. In reality, every animal has different needs based on her own metabolism, activity level, age and breed, and we certainly see examples of all of these at Lincoln Park or at the cemetery. And environment makes a difference too. All of us who marvel at how much our dogs eat when the weather turns cold know this for a fact.

Finally, we all get tired of the same food day in and day out. Our pets do, too. So add some variety while you’re at it. But if you do change the diet, try to stick with the same brand, and do it gradually until you’re sure it won’t cause stomach problems.

That’s the skinny on pet food: trust the manufacturer, and look for high-quality foods. And if you have questions, ask your vet. Just don’t ask us which foods are the “best.” We’ll just smile.