Choosing the Right Pet Food: What to Look For on the Label

Pet food packaging is designed to catch your eye, not necessarily to inform you — which makes the ingredient list and guaranteed analysis the two sections actually worth reading closely.

Reading the Ingredient List

Ingredients are listed by weight, so the first few tell you the most. Look for a named protein source (like “chicken” rather than vague “meat by-products”) near the top, and be cautious of labels padded heavily with fillers or artificial preservatives.

Understanding Guaranteed Analysis

This section lists minimum protein and fat percentages and maximum fiber and moisture — useful for comparing products, but it does not tell you about ingredient quality on its own. Pairing it with a look at the ingredient list gives a much fuller picture.