When buying food for your dog or cat, you are presented with a lot of information. Premium, natural, high meat content, grain-free... Almost every pack contains something designed to make the food sound appealing.

But what does that really tell you about its quality?

To assess a food properly, it is better to look beyond the front of the packaging. The ingredients, the way they are described, the complete composition and the transparency of the manufacturer can tell you much more.

And just as importantly: a high-quality food is not automatically the right food for every pet.

The front of the packaging is primarily designed to make a product attractive and easy to recognise. Claims such as premium, super premium, holistic or natural may sound appealing, but on their own they tell you very little about the quality of the complete recipe.

The same applies to images of fresh ingredients or a prominent meat or fish percentage.

That does not mean this information is worthless. It simply means that it should always be considered alongside the rest of the information on the pack.

Want to know what you are actually feeding your dog or cat? Turn the pack around.

The ingredient list is an important source of information.

Ingredients are generally listed in descending order by weight. In other words, the ingredient used in the largest quantity when the food was prepared appears first. But looking only at the first ingredient is not enough.

If fresh chicken is listed first, for example, remember that fresh meat contains a lot of moisture. A significant amount of this moisture can be lost during processing. Its position on the ingredient list therefore does not automatically tell you how much of that animal ingredient remains in the finished kibble.

Use the ingredient list as a whole rather than treating it as a ranking where only number one matters.

In addition to the order, transparency is particularly useful.

Compare, for example: meat and animal derivatives with: fresh chicken, dried turkey, salmon

The second description gives you a much clearer idea of which animal sources have been used.

The same applies to other ingredients. Salmon oil, for example, tells you more about the source than the more general term fish oil.

A specific description does not automatically mean that an ingredient is of higher quality. It does, however, provide greater transparency: you have a clearer understanding of what the food contains, can compare products more easily and can take into account which ingredients your dog or cat tolerates well.

The more clearly ingredients are described, the easier it is to assess what is actually going into your pet’s bowl.

A high meat percentage stands out and can provide useful information. But it is not a quality label in itself.

Ask yourself:

•  Which animal ingredients are included?
•  Are they clearly identified?
•  Are they fresh, dried or a combination of both?
•  How is the rest of the recipe formulated?
•  Does the complete food suit the needs of the animal?

Judging a food solely by which one has the highest meat percentage would therefore be too simplistic.

The complete recipe matters.

A good pet food is not made up of just one ingredient.

Fats, carbohydrate sources, fibre, vitamins and minerals are all part of the recipe and each serves a purpose.

That is why “the more meat, the better” is not a useful general rule. What matters more is that the different ingredients work together to create a complete and balanced food that suits the animal it is intended for.

So don’t just look at what is printed prominently on the front. Look at how the complete recipe is put together.

It is not only what a manufacturer tells you that matters, but also how much information they provide.

Can you easily find out which ingredients are used? Are the animal sources clearly identified? Is the composition easy to understand? Does the brand explain its recipes and production methods?

A manufacturer that communicates openly about these things makes it much easier for you to make an informed comparison.

The more relevant information that is available, the less you have to rely solely on the marketing claims on the packaging.

Grain-free.
Made with fresh chicken.
High meat content.
Natural.
For a healthy coat.

These are all characteristics or claims that can tell you something about a food. But none of them provides enough information on its own to assess the overall quality.

Grain-free, for example, is not automatically better for every dog or cat. And the presence of fresh meat does not automatically mean that the complete recipe is better than a food that also contains dried animal ingredients.

Never use a single characteristic as a quality stamp.

You can compare two high-quality foods and still conclude that one is a better fit for your own pet than the other.

A puppy or kitten has different needs from an adult animal. An active dog has different energy requirements from a less active senior. Weight, size, eating habits and individual sensitivities can also play a role.

So don’t just ask yourself: Is this a high-quality food?

Also ask: Does this food suit my dog or cat?

Want to compare two foods at home or in store? Don’t just look at the front of the packaging. Take both packs and ask yourself these questions:

1. Which ingredients are used?

2. How clearly are those ingredients described?

3. Which animal protein sources are included?

4. How is the complete recipe formulated?

5. What information does the manufacturer provide beyond the marketing claims?

6. Does the food suit my pet’s life stage and individual needs?

You may find that two products that look very similar from the front are actually quite different when you turn the packs around.

We use the same principles when selecting products for our own range.

Among other things, we look at the quality and transparency of the ingredients, the complete formulation of the recipe and the manufacturer behind the food.

That is why you will not automatically find every well-known pet food brand at Cats & Dogs. A familiar name alone is not enough for us to select a food. But a lesser-known brand does not automatically earn a place in our range either.

The food itself has to convince us.

Then comes the next question: which food within that range is the right fit for your pet?

Because quality is the starting point. Your pet’s individual needs also help determine which choice is ultimately the most suitable.

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