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any users of dog food only read a small portion
of the packaging. To make sure that you are feed-
ing your dogs the most suitable product for their
workload and stage of life it is important that several panels
of information displayed on the packaging are read and un-
derstood.Firstly don’t allow the name on the front of the packaging de-
termine your purchase. he heading Working Dog may inlu-
ence your decision, but is it the right product for your dogs? Is
there a better product that should be considered that does not
have Working Dog as it’s heading?Secondly, don’t just buy on price. If price is a concern do a
quick calculation, grams fed per dog/ price to feed each dog,
you may ind that purchasing a slightly more expensive prod-
uct may in fact be cheaper to use because the dog doesn’t re-
quire as much by weight to maintain himself and perform
satisfactorily.hirdly, don’t be swayed in your purchase by fancy packaging
and sharp language. Some of the poorest quality products of
any type may be sold in smart packaging with bright colours,
snappy photos and script that is designed to attract the target
customer. Packaging is a science in it’s self and there are many
companies that specialise in packaging and design. Studies
have been done on things like colour, script, pictures on pack-
aging and lustre of the bag to determine which has the greatest
efect on a potential customer and attracts them to that product.
his is all designed to inluence the purchasers decision.Fourth, when reading the information on the packaging look
at the information that is there to give you the most accurate
information to allow you to make an informed decision.Remember you are feeding an athlete, human or canine diet
is an important part of performance. Energy is the key, look
for a disclosed ENERGY LEVEL. Energy in dog food is calcu-lated and shown in kcal per kilogram or kcal per 100 grams.
Aim for a number close to or above 4000 kcal/ kilogram or
400kcal/100 grams. Energy is mainly derived from fats, oils
and some proteins. his can have an efect on how much food
is fed to a dog particularly adult dogs. Pups and growing juve-
niles have a greater need for energy and protein so should be
fed an appropriate quality food.Next consider the PROTEIN and FAT levels. hese two meas-
urements are normally shown in conjunction on the packag-
ing and are expressed as percentages. Remember that both
these measurements have an efect on Energy. It’s important
to know that when dog food diets are formulated they are nor-
mally calculated on a 1 tonne batch and ingredients are on a
by weight inclusion.Some ingredients may contain high levels of moisture, par-
ticularly protein meals like meat meal, chicken meal, lamb
meal, ish meal and to a lesser extent grains. Moisture is re-
moved during manufacture by cooking which afect the vol-
ume of these ingredients in the end product.Lets look at ingredients, these are the things when mixed ac-
cording to the formulation should result in a balanced diet.
Remember that it is a requirement by law for ingredients to be
listed from most to least (by weight of inclusion) on the pack-
aging. Again this refers back to the volume included on the for-
mulation and may vary aer manufacture due to moisture re-
moval. Any product that names a protein from an animal source
as the irst inclusion should always be considered before one
that lists grain as it’s irst ingredient, you are feeding a canine.Animal protein is normally derived from animal meals such
as beef, chicken, lamb, ish or kangaroo. But the use of digests
(soup like product) such as chicken will have an efect on pro-
tein levels. If on the front of the packaging there is a picture
of chicken legs, lamb chops or steak, it is highly unlikely that
someone would be dicing up any of these proteins for inclu-WITH PETER BROWN
READING A DOG FOOD BAG
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