Understanding dog food labels can help consumers make smarter choices. The following are some of the ingredients contained in the average food. Note that ingredients will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer and even among different foods in one brand.
Beet pulp: The byproduct of the extraction of raw sugar from commercially grown sugar beets. It is used as a highly digestible insoluble fiber source.
Biotin: Also known as vitamin H, biotin is a water soluble B-complex vitamin that plays a role in the metabolism of fats, proteins and glucose.
Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT): Used as a food preservative.
Cassia gum: Used as a thickener in pet foods, cassia gum is made from the seed of a sicklepod legume.
Chelated minerals: Minerals attached to an amino acid or protein to assist with absorption.
Chicken: The clean combination of flesh and skin with or without accompanying bone, derived from the parts or whole carcass of a chicken. Typically exclusive of feathers, heads, feet and entrails.
Chicken byproduct: Animal parts not used for human consumption, including blood, tissue and entrails.
Chicken fat: Obtained from chicken tissues during the process of rendering or extracting.
Chicken meal, beef meal, etc: Highly concentrated, reduced moisture version of the meat source.
Egg product: Whole eggs without the shell that are offered in a dehydrated form. They are USDA-inspected but this does not necessarily mean the eggs are human grade.
Ethoxyquin: Quinoline-based antioxidant used as a food preservative and also a pesticide.
Fish meal: Ground tissue of fish that may not include the entire fish.
Glucosamine hydrochloride: A natural aid for joint support.
Lecithin: A phospholipid commonly used to make fats blend more easily. Lecithin can benefit an animal's skin and coat.
Millet: A gluten-free grain harvested from certain seed grasses.
Mixed tocopherols: Sources of vitamin E that serve as a natural preservative in food.
Oat groats: Cleaned oats with the hulls removed.
Potassium chloride: Food mineral that is needed for functions of the body, including beating of the heart.
Powdered cellulose: Purified, mechanically disintegrated pulp from fibrous plant material.
Propylene glycol: A synthetic compound that is used to maintain texture and moisture
in foods, propylene glycol is added to some chewy foods to keep them moist.
Xanthan gum: A natural carbohydrate used as a thickener in pet food.
