Whether you’ve just adopted a new furry friend or are watching your puppy grow into an adult right in front of your eyes, making sure your dog is getting proper nutrition is a must. . However, finding the correct food can be difficult! There are so many brands, flavors, specialties, and recommendations that it can be overwhelming. For our food we can check nutrition labels but those labels may look like in another language.
So what should pet parents do?! Well, with just a little reading and the easy-to-read infographic below, you’ll be a nutrition label decoder in no time! Let’s take a look at the infographic first – save it to your phone or bookmark this as it’s the easiest way to quickly figure out the stacking of an ingredient label.
Want to dig deeper? Let’s take a closer look at each element:
- Protein – While reading the ingredient label, you should make sure that the meat is the first ingredient. That’s because the label is actually written according to the ingredient count – so you want to make sure your dog is getting the real stuff first and skip the filler. Of the 20 amino acids that make up protein, more than half are essential, meaning they cannot be produced by the dog’s body, so they must come from their diet. This ensures that your dog can build healthy organs, muscles and tissues as well as make antibodies to fight disease.
- Fat Fat is one of the most important parts of a dog’s food. They provide twice the energy of protein and carbs and make meals more delicious! Having the right amount of fats in your dog’s diet helps them regulate their body temperature, control inflammation, and ensure their blood can clot properly.
- Carbs – Surprise! Dogs don’t actually need carbs because they can synthesize blood glucose from amino acids, but they still keep their systems healthy. They can provide benefits by providing an available source of energy, keeping blood sugar levels steady, and balancing gut health.
- Vitamins & Minerals – There are many different vitamins and minerals in your dog’s food! So they should take up the most space in the ingredient list, but they should all come last because they’re so small in number! Trust us, there are too many ways to list here but you can check it out This complete guide If you are interested in the importance of Vitamins A, D, K, B, etc.
Want more information? Want to know what ingredients to skip? Wondering what’s most popular types of protein is? You may come Puppo’s Complete Ingredients Guide to dig deeper. On the other hand, if this overwhelms you – don’t worry! You can always get Puppo’s quiz to get a personalized nutrition plan for your dog. From personalized monthly foods to expert guides and subscriptions, they make parenting easy!
Information about the Authors: This section was written by member of Puppo’s nutrition team, Lynn Trapp. She is a Veterinary Technician with 20 years of experience in general, specialty and emergency hospitals. Needless to say, she was disappointed when it came doggie meal time.
