What Is Dog Food Made Of and Where Does It Come From?

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The pet food industry grows by the millions every year as people continue to treat their pets less like household companions and more like family. You love your dog and want to feed them well. But an ever-increasing array of options makes it difficult to identify a quality dog food product.

Learning the basics about your dog’s nutritional needs is a great place to start. Once you know what a nutritionally balanced canine diet looks like, you can start shopping. Unfortunately, even a product formulated with all the right nutrients can still be made with low-quality ingredients.

In this guide, we’ll discuss common dog food ingredients and where they come from. We’ll also cover popular marketing terms used on pet food labels to help you ensure that only the best of the best makes it into your dog’s bowl.

What Are the Best Dog Food Ingredients?

From kibble to canned food and freeze-dried to frozen, there are many different types of dog food on the market. Though the variety is endless, most dog food products are generally made from the same kinds of ingredients. These are the most common—and how they’re sourced.

Proteins should be the first ingredient

Proteins provide the essential amino acids your dog needs to build and maintain healthy muscles, organs, and skin. The most common protein sources in dog food are animal-based—meat, poultry, fish, and eggs. Certain plant foods like whole grains, legumes, and beans can provide significant amounts of protein as well.

Animal proteins in dog food are generally whole or dried. Whole proteins like chicken or fish contain a lot of water and may make up a smaller percentage of the food’s total composition after cooking. Protein meals are dried and ground before inclusion.

Both whole proteins and protein meals offer powerful nutrition. In fact, because dog food ingredients are listed in descending order by weight before cooking, a product that lists chicken meal as the first ingredient would likely contain more protein from chicken than one that only includes fresh chicken.

Inexpensive dog food products tend to utilize “animal by-products” more than whole proteins and protein meals. Though the term “by-product” may sound unappetizing, it simply refers to organ meats and entrails—which can be a good source of protein for dogs.

What high-quality dog foods have in common, however, is that a protein should be the first ingredient.

Carbohydrates—prioritize whole grains

Plant foods are rich in carbohydrates, which offer a useful source of energy for dogs. Though carbohydrates are not considered essential in a canine diet, dogs have adapted to digesting them efficiently. In addition to energy, carbohydrate-rich foods often provide dietary fiber as well as amino acids and protein.

The most common sources of carbohydrates in dog food include:

• Grains
• Legumes
• Beans
• Vegetables
• Fruits

Pet parents should prioritize nutrient-rich carbohydrate sources over highly processed ingredients. Whole grains like brown rice or whole-grain oats, for example, are more nutritious for dogs than refined grains like wheat and corn.

Grain-free dog foods typically replace grains with legumes, pulses, and potatoes. Though energy-dense, these ingredients are generally less nutritious than grains. They may, however, be a suitable alternative for dogs with allergies or at the recommendation of a veterinarian.

Fats like omega-3s and omega-6s are good

Fats are the most concentrated source of energy available to your dog. They also play a role in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins and promote skin and coat health.

In dog food, fat sources can be either animal- or plant-based. Animal-sourced fats include things like chicken fat, beef tallow, and fish oils. Some proteins may also contain significant amounts of fat—like coldwater fish such as salmon or mackerel—which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids.

Plant-sourced fats in dog food generally include plant oils, nuts, and seeds. Plant oils like flaxseed oil and canola oil tend to be rich in the omega-6 fatty acids linoleic acid (LA) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA).

Supplements—aim for chelated minerals

Most commercial dog foods contain synthetic supplements to meet AAFCO minimums for essential vitamins and minerals. Many of the nutrients dogs need, however, can be derived from natural ingredients. Animal products, for example, tend to be rich in iron, calcium, phosphorus, and B vitamins. Organ meats are particularly high in key vitamins and minerals.

Generally speaking, animal-sourced nutrients are more biologically valuable for dogs than plant-sourced nutrients. Because they are omnivores, however, dogs can absorb vitamins and minerals from plant sources like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.

When synthetic mineral supplements are necessary, minerals bound to organic molecules (like proteins) may have a higher rate of absorption. These are called chelated minerals. They may appear on a pet food label as something like zinc proteinate or zinc amino acid chelate.

Enhancements aren’t always bad—but they’re worth watching

The proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and supplements in dog food make up the product’s nutrient composition. Many manufacturers, however, add enhancements to improve the food’s flavor, aroma, or appearance. This is particularly true for inexpensive dog food products.

Common dog food enhancements include colorants and flavoring agents. Though they don’t add to the food’s nutritional value, natural forms of these additives may not be harmful. Certain synthetic forms, however, have been linked to negative health effects in dogs.

How Are Dog Food Ingredients Regulated?

When you grab an item off a grocery store shelf, you can be reasonably sure of its safety. After all, the manufacture and marketing of products for human consumption are strictly regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). But what about dog food?

The FDA has the authority to ensure pet food products are produced under sanitary conditions, made from safe ingredients, and labeled truthfully. However, pet food products don’t require premarket FDA approval—which is why people sometimes characterize the industry as “unregulated.”

That’s not strictly true, since if a product is discovered to be unsafe or not properly labeled—generally through facility inspections or consumer complaints—the FDA has the authority to remove it from the market. This is called a product recall.

And though pet foods don’t have to pass FDA approval before going to market, they do need to follow certain rules when it comes to labeling, or they’ll land in serious trouble.

Dog Food Marketing Terms To Be Wary Of

Pet food manufacturers are required to list important product information on the label—such as nutrient composition and ingredients—and are prohibited from including unsubstantiated health claims. For example, terms like “human-grade” and “organic” can only be used if specific conditions apply.

Here are some common terms used on pet food labels and what they mean. Note that if the definition isn’t “regulated,” that means manufacturers may be able to use it relatively freely—and their definition might be a lot looser than yours.

Term	Regulated Definition	Definition
Free-Range	No	Loosely refers to animals raised with access to the outdoors. USDA free-range regulations currently only apply to poultry.
Fresh-Caught	No	Loosely refers to fish that have been caught in their natural habitats rather than farmed.
Holistic	No	Loosely refers to products or ingredients that support whole-body health.
Human-Grade	Yes	All ingredients have been manufactured, packed, and held in accordance with federal regulations for human food.
Humanely Raised	Yes	Applies to ingredients sourced from operations that meet precise, objective standards for farm animal treatment determined by Certified Humane, a third-party certification group.
Made in the USA	Yes	A product is considered “all or virtually all” made in the USA when the final assembly or processing of the product takes place in the United States.
Natural	No	Nothing artificial or synthetic (including all color additives) has been included in, or added to, a food that it wouldn’t normally be expected in.
Non-GMO	Yes	Refers to ingredients that have not been genetically modified but may not mean the product is entirely GMO-free due to the potential for cross-contamination.
Organic	Yes	Applies to ingredients or entire products that meet USDA organic certification standards.
Small Batch	No	Loosely implies that a product is not mass-produced. Small-batch products are also frequently described as “gently” or “lightly” cooked.
Sustainable	No	Refers to integrated systems of plant and animal production that balance economic, social, and environmental dimensions.

How to assess marketing claims objectively

As you’re shopping for pet food, turn a critical eye to the information printed on the label. Vague terms like “holistic” and “small-batch” may make a product more appealing to certain audiences. Without a standardized definition, however, they mean very little.

When it comes to evaluating the quality of a pet food product, claims printed on the label only provide one piece of the puzzle. It’s important to take marketing claims with a grain of salt and verify them against the product’s nutritional makeup and list of ingredients.

For example, some dog food manufacturers include the term “high-protein” on their products to suggest higher quality. But increased protein content only benefits your dog if it’s in an easily digestible, biologically valuable form. Products should contain over 30 percent protein measured as dry matter to be considered high-protein.

Dog food labels shouldn’t be misleading, and quality pet food companies will back up the label with additional information. Even the information on the label only gets you so far, however, if you don’t know how the food was made or where the ingredients came from.

The Bottom Line: Prioritize Transparency When Shopping for Dog Food

Trustworthy pet food manufacturers offer their customers transparency through every stage of the process, from the sourcing of ingredients to the manufacture, storage, and distribution of the final product.

Increasingly, brands like Open Farm are going so far as to offer the exact sourcing details for every ingredient they use. You may even be able to scan a QR code on the label to find sourcing information for the ingredients in the specific bag you’ve purchased

Even if the brand doesn’t provide specifics, you might find a statement on the product label—something like “Made in the USA with locally and globally sourced ingredients.”

To a certain extent, you’ll still have to take pet food companies at their word that the information on the bag is accurate. That’s why transparency is so important: it’s much easier to trust a pet food manufacturer if they’re completely open about their process. A high-quality dog food company will tell you exactly what you’re feeding your dog.

It may take some effort to identify a quality product, but dog food doesn’t have to be a mystery. With a little research, you can find a top-notch dog food that nourishes your pup with ethically-sourced, safely-made ingredients.

Further Reading

• What Should I Feed My Dog? Dog Nutritional Needs Explained
• Puppy Feeding Guide: An Explainer on Feeding Young Pups
• Is Grain-Free Dog Food Really Good for Dogs?