The Well Dog Place

Dr. Ken Tudor Holistic Veterinarian

Dog food bowl, understanding dog food labels

Dog Nutrition 02 | Food Ingredient List - The First Ingredient Rule Myth

Did you know the first ingredient listed on a dog food label is not the main protein ingredient? This first “Ingredient Rule” is a total myth. The system of listing dog food ingredients is purposefully misleading. Here is an example of an ingredient list from a very popular, expensive dog food:

Bison, lamb meal, sweet potatoes, peas, chickpeas, canola oil, sun-cured alfalfa, natural flavor, minerals….

Ingredients are listed in order by weight, so if bison is first it is the primary ingredient by weight, right?

AAFCO, the organization that oversees dog food, allows the ingredients to include their water weight. Well, meat is more than 80% water which has no nutritional value.

Lamb meal is a dry powder with no water weight. This is a lamb meal dog food with more pea and chickpea protein in it than bison. We have no idea how much bison protein is really in this dog food.

Here is the ingredient list from the most popular, expensive dog food brand:

Deboned duck, chicken meal, menhaden fish meal, tapioca, starch, dried tomato pomace, chicken fat

What is the main protein source? You guessed it-Chicken and Fish. This is a food advertised as duck formula yet the major sources of protein are chicken meal and fish meal. We have no idea how much duck is in this dog food.

Do you still believe “The First Ingredient Myth’?

Author

Ken Tudor DVM

Dr. Ken Tudor, Holistic Veterinarian

Dr. Ken Tudor is a recognized expert and leader in the field of pet nutrition and fitness. He has developed a pet weight management program and served on the American Animal Hospital Association task force to develop their Weight Management Guidelines for Dogs and Cats. He is also a frequent guest on the Pet World Insider radio show and a popular guest on the televised Pet Ex Talks-Pet Experts Empowering Pet Parents show.

Dog Nutrition 02 | Food Ingredient List - The First Ingredient Rule Myth

Dog Nutrition

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NEW - If you don't live close enough to visit our office...

If you are too far away to see Dr. Tudor in person, but still wish to make your own balanced dog food at home using Dr. Tudor's exclusive nutrient powder, omega 3 oil and recipes, we now offer two options for you:

Healthier Homemade for Dogs

When you need or want custom recipes that are personalized for your fur family, our sister site Healthier Homemade can help you out. Because this service is remote, we are unable to give medical advice or diagnosis, so we work with your veterinarian to make sure your fur family is well cared for.

At Healthier Homemade, we offer Medical Recipe Programs for 14 different conditions. See them in detail here.

There are an assortment of recipe formulations for dogs with diagnosed Food Allergies. They include, High Protein, Instant, and Economy options.

If you have all Normal Adult Dogs in your fur family and wish to have more control over the formulations of your recipes, we offer Economy, Instant, High Protein, and Ultra-High Protein (including a few all meat options).

With all of our custom recipes you may include up to 4 dogs (with the same health profile) and you may choose cooking frequency from every day to once a week. We do all the math, we even calculate serving size for each dog! We also have detailed tutorials for each step of cooking, mixing, and storing.

Hearthstone Homemade for Dogs

If you are an experienced cook, like flexibility, have a normal adult dog, and just need general guidelines, Hearthstone may be right for you. Before purchasing a Starter Kit, you can see a complete list of ingredient options that can be used.

Our EZ Meal Planner gives you a great starting point. You still get to pick out wholesome ingredients at the grocery store and you still get "The Well Dog Nutrient Powder" to make sure your dogs' meals are balanced.

The Getting Started page gives you a great road map for what you need to equip your kitchen, preparation, transitioning to a new food, and more.