Dry food guaranteed values question.

Hopefully this is a quick question. Ive been doing alot of looking into food for my pets, im already in the process of switching my dogs food and may be switching my cats dry food.

As far as protein and fat precentage, what value should i be looking for.

Also i believe im suppose to be staying away from plant based protein and plants in general except for sweet potatoes, correct?

Thanks.

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There is no exact figure to look for.  And yes, animal protein is best, although some people who feed a "limited" diet have to feed some  pea protein, just because that is the option available to them. 

Maybe this article will help you:  http://www.thecatsite.com/a/choosing-the-right-dry-cat-food

In order to properly compare foods, you need to use the guaranteed analysis (GA) values to compute the percentages of protein, fat, and carbs on a dry matter basis (DMB).  This is necessary since the moisture content of different foods is not consistent.

Ideally, the DMB values should be protein greater than 45%, fat between 25% and 35%, and carbs less than 10%.  This is just a guideline, however, and it is up to each pet parent to select the best food possible given individual cats' needs and, of course, budget.

This page might be helpful in understanding commercial food labels: http://fnae.org/food.html

Thanks guys, i just ran into this, what about fiber? Thanks

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Alexp08 said:

Thanks guys, i just ran into this, what about fiber? Thanks

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Click to expand...

"The intestinal tract in strict carnivores is much shorter than in other animals. And unlike dogs, cats eat the intestinal tract of their prey last, or not at all, thus avoiding the plant fiber of the intestinal contents. These facts have led scientists and veterinarians to assume that cats need little fiber in their diet."

(http://www.petmd.com/blogs/thedailyvet/ktudor/2012/june/do_cats_need_fiber_in_their_diet-25083)

I would just focus on the protein, fat, and carbohydrate percentages on a dry matter basis (DMB).  Remember, you can't directly compare the guaranteed analysis (GA) numbers printed on the label of different foods.