Choosing kibble for your dog can quickly become complicated. Between claims like “rich in meat,” “premium,” “natural,” “grain-free,” or even “fresh meat,” packaging knows exactly how to catch the eye.
But what we are truly interested in is generally found on the back of the bag: the list of ingredients and the analytical constituents.
Learning to read them allows you to compare two foods based on concrete elements rather than their packaging.
🐕 Start with the ingredient list
As with our own food, ingredients are listed in descending order of weight at the time they are added to the recipe.
The first ingredient is therefore the one present in the greatest quantity before manufacturing.
But be careful: this is not enough to determine the quality of a kibble.
Example
A recipe might start like this:
Fresh chicken 30%, rice 20%, dehydrated poultry protein 15%...
At first glance, chicken is clearly the majority ingredient.
But fresh meat naturally contains a lot of water. During the kibble manufacturing process, a large part of this water disappears.
The 30% of fresh chicken added therefore does not correspond to 30% meat in the finished kibble.
Conversely, meat or animal protein that is already dehydrated contains much less water before it is added.
👉 This is why you should not simply compare the percentages of “fresh meat” and “dehydrated meat.”
🥩 Fresh meat, dehydrated meat, animal protein: what are the differences?
These terms do not mean exactly the same thing.
Fresh meat
It is added along with its natural water content.
It can perfectly well be part of a good recipe, but the percentage displayed can give a misleading impression of how much is actually present after cooking.
“40% fresh meat” therefore does not necessarily mean that the finished kibble contains 40% meat.
Dehydrated meat
A large part of the water has already been removed before addition.
For an equal weight during manufacturing, it therefore provides more dry matter than fresh meat.
Dehydrated animal proteins
These constitute a concentrated source of animal protein.
The important thing then is to look at the precision of their origin.
For example:
“dehydrated chicken protein”
is much more informative than:
“dehydrated animal protein”.
The more precise the list is about the species and raw materials used, the more you really know what your dog is eating.
🔎 Beware of ingredient splitting
Here is a particularly interesting little subtlety.
Imagine:
Chicken 25%
Rice 15%
Corn 14%
Corn protein 8%
Chicken does indeed appear in the first position.
But corn is present in two different forms.
If we consider corn and corn protein together, their place in the formula becomes much more important than a simple reading of the list suggests.
Same thing with:
- peas;
- pea protein;
- pea starch;
- pea fiber.
This is not automatically bad.
👉 But it is an excellent reason to read the entire composition and not just the first ingredient.
🌾 And what about grains?
The presence of grains is not enough to classify a kibble as good or bad.
Rice, corn, wheat, oats, or other grains can, in particular, provide starch, which is necessary for the structure of an extruded kibble.
A “grain-free” recipe generally uses other sources of starch, such as:
- potato;
- sweet potato;
- peas;
- lentils;
- tapioca.
Grain-free therefore does not mean carbohydrate-free.
This is an essential point when comparing foods.
🧮 Can you know the amount of carbohydrates?
It is rarely indicated directly on the packaging.
However, you can obtain an estimate using the analytical constituents.
The formula commonly used is:
100 − protein − fat − fiber − ash − moisture
Let’s take:
- protein: 30%
- fat: 16%
- fiber: 3%
- ash: 8%
- moisture: 9%
Calculation:
100 − (30 + 16 + 3 + 8 + 9) = 34%
We get approximately 34% Nitrogen-Free Extract (NFE), an estimate of the fraction consisting mainly of digestible carbohydrates.
⚠️ This is not a direct laboratory measurement of carbohydrates.
And above all, a single figure does not allow you to determine if a kibble is good or bad.
We will, in fact, devote an entire article to carbohydrates and their calculation.
📊 Analytical constituents: what are they for?
Below the composition, a second part generally appears:
Crude protein
It indicates the total amount of protein measured in the food.
But it does not, by itself, say:
- where these proteins come from;
- what their digestibility is;
- what proportion comes from animal or vegetable ingredients.
This is why you must always compare this figure with the list of ingredients.
Crude fat
Lipids provide energy and contribute, among other things, to the supply of essential fatty acids.
Their amount must be interpreted according to the dog: age, activity, body condition, specific needs...
Crude fiber
They contribute in particular to digestive function.
Here again, more is not necessarily better: their value depends on their nature and the overall formulation.
Crude ash
This is a term that sometimes scares people.
No, the manufacturer does not put chimney ashes in the kibble. 😅
“Crude ash” corresponds to the mineral residue obtained during the analysis of the food.
They therefore represent, in particular, the various minerals present.
The figure is worth looking at, but it does not, on its own, allow you to judge the quality of a kibble.
🥩 Lots of protein = necessarily good kibble?
No.
A kibble showing 35% protein is not automatically superior to another containing 28%.
Why?
Because the protein level does not provide sufficient information about their origin and nutritional quality.
For a dog, we will seek to understand, in particular:
- what the sources of protein are;
- if the animal species are clearly identified;
- what role plant-based, protein-rich ingredients play;
- if the food is adapted to their needs.
The dog is capable of using different nutrients and digesting correctly prepared starch. Even so, the quality and balance of protein sources remain important elements to examine.
🏷️ Beware of pretty claims on the front of the pack
Expressions like:
Premium
Natural
Ancestral recipe
Rich in meat
Inspired by nature
can be seductive.
But they never replace the composition.
Same thing for a magnificent photo of a chicken fillet or salmon: turn the package over.
That is where the analysis really begins.
🐾 Good kibble is above all kibble adapted to the dog
There is no perfect composition that suits all dogs.
A very active young dog, a neutered and sedentary dog, a senior, or a dog with specific nutritional needs do not necessarily require the same food.
And the best composition on paper is useless if the dog:
- digests it poorly;
- refuses to eat it;
- gains or loses too much weight;
- has persistently abnormal stools;
- does not receive a ration adapted to their energy needs.
The composition is therefore a selection tool, not the only criterion.
🐺 The Sköll & Hati eye
When you pick up a bag of kibble, start with these 6 questions:
1. What are the primary raw materials?
Do not stop at the first ingredient.
2. Are the animal sources clearly identified?
“Chicken,” “salmon,” “beef” provide more information than extremely generic terms.
3. Are the ingredients split?
Check if the same raw material appears in several forms.
4. What are the sources of starch?
Grains or not, they practically always exist in an extruded kibble.
5. What do the analytical constituents say?
Protein, fat, fiber, ash, and moisture when indicated.
6. Is this diet really suitable for MY dog?
Because, ultimately, they have the final say. 🐶
To remember
Do not look for the magic ingredient or the perfect percentage.
A good analysis consists of cross-referencing:
the list of ingredients + the analytical constituents + the dog’s needs + their actual response to the food.
This is much more reliable than a slogan printed in large letters on the front of the pack.