If a food is named specifically, e.g. "Beef Dog Food", the named ingredient must not be less than 95% of the total weight if the water required for processing is excluded. (This description is used almost exclusively for canned foods.)

If a food name includes the word "dinner" (or similar ones like "formula", "nuggets" etc.), e.g. such as in "Lamb Formula", the named ingredient must not be less than 25% of the total weight.

If the name of a food includes the phrase "with [ingredient]" (e.g. "with beef"), the named ingredient must not be less than 3% of the total weight.

If a name only includes the word "flavor" or "flavored", no specific percentage is required at all, but a product must contain an amount sufficient to be able to be detected.

Since the named ingredients are only required to make up 1/4 of the total product, they may not even be descriptive of the main ingredients! The manufacturer is not technically lying about what is used, but if you don't look closely, you may not be getting what you intended to buy.

Ingredient list example where "Lamb and Rice Formula" is correct but misleading:Ground yellow corn, meat and bone meal, lamb, brewers rice...Example of truthful use:Lamb, ground rice, barley flour, fish meal...

The net quantity statement tells you how much product is in the container.

A cost-per-ounce or per-pound comparison between products is always prudent.

If a particular brand is sold in bags of different sizes, the smaller the size, the higher the price per pound.

Example: Brand X comes in bags of 5, 10, 20 and 40 pounds.A 5 lb bag costs $8, the price per pound is $1.60A 10 lb bag costs $13, the price per pound is $1.30A 20 lb bag costs $21, the price per pound is $1.05A 40 lb bag costs $32, the price per pound is $0.80

As you see, you are paying twice the amount per pound when you buy the smallest bag. If you are concerned about freshness and still want to save money, consider buying a vacuum food sealer to split the content of one large bag into several smaller ones. There is no need to refrigerate or freeze vacuum packed dog food, just store it in a dark, cool and dry place.

The "manufactured by..." statement identifies the party responsible for the quality and safety of the product and its location.

All ingredients are required to be listed in order of predominance by weight.

The weights of ingredients are determined as they are added in the formulation, including their inherent water content. [...]

Ingredients must be listed by their "common or usual" name.

A good rule of thumb to distinguish the major components of a food is to look for the first named source of fat in the ingredient list. Anything listed before that, and including it, make up the main portion of the food, other items are present in much smaller amounts to add flavor, function as preservatives or because of their dietary benefits (e.g. probiotics, vitamins and minerals).

Examples:Food A has the following ingredient list (first source of fat marked green):Ground yellow corn, meat meal, chicken fat, ground wheat, chicken byproduct meal, dried beet pulp, flaxseed, salt, vitamins, minerals...Food B has the following ingredient list (first source of fat marked green):Turkey, chicken, chicken meal, ground barley, ground brown rice, potatoes, ground white rice, chicken fat, herring, apples, carrots, cottage cheese, sunflower oil, alfalfa sprouts, egg, garlic, probiotics, vitamins, minerals...

Chicken by-product meal: consists of the ground, rendered, clean parts of the carcass of slaughtered chicken, such as necks, feet, undeveloped eggs and intestines.

Chicken meal: chicken which has been ground or otherwise reduced to particle size

Fish meal: the clean, dried, ground tissue of un-decomposed whole fish or fish cuttings

Lamb bone meal: dried and ground product sterilized by cooking un-decomposed bones with steam under pressure.

Lamb meal: the rendered product from lamb tissues, exclusive of blood, hair, hoof, horn, hide trimmings, manure, stomach and rumen contents

Meat and bone meal: the rendered product from mammal tissues, including bone, exclusive of blood, hair, hoof, horn, hide trimmings, manure, stomach and rumen contents.

Meat by-products: the non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals. It includes, but is not limited to: lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, livers, blood, bone…does NOT include hair, horns, teeth and hooves.

95%: must be at least 95% of named ingredient

25% or “dinner”: named ingredients must be at least 25% of product

3% or “with”: must be at least 3% of named ingredient under “with”

“Stew” “in Sauce” “in Gravy”: can have up to 87.5% moisture in food (canned food). Without these words, the maximum is 78%

“Complete” or “Balanced” or “100%”: Statement must be proven by following established guidelines confirming that food truly contains levels needed for a healthy animal.

“Premium,” “Super Premium,” “Ultra Premium,” or “Gourmet”: NOT required to have any different or higher quality ingredients and NOT held to any higher standards.

“Natural” or “Organic”:There is no official definition for organic pet food. “Natural” means only that the product contains no synthetic ingredients

It depends on your pet and your preferences.

Dry dog food costs less per serving than semi-moist or canned foods and its nutrients are more concentrated, meaning you’ll need to feed less.

On average, the moisture content of dog foods is 6% to 10% for dry, 15% to 30% for semi-moist, and 75% for canned.

Canned food might be better for dogs with urinary tract problems because of its higher moisture content. Canned foods also allow feeding a greater volume of food for the same amount of calories, which may help if your dog is overweight.

Dry foods are designed to help clean the teeth during chewing and keep them strong, but dogs with severe dental problems may do better on a moist  food.

Semi-Moist: Commercial dog foods shaped like pork chops, burgers, or other meaty foods are called semi-moist foods. These kinds of foods are the least nutritional of all dog foods and contain many artificial flavors and colorings. They can be given to your dog as an occasional treat, but they should not be considered a diet in themselves, as they do not provide the nutrition that your pup requires.