How to Choose Quality Dog & Cat Food

Choosing food for our dogs and cats can be a source of stress for some pet parents. With such a variety of options on the market today, it might seem easiest to just go with whatever your childhood pet ate, grab whatever strikes your eye at the grocery store or simply stay loyal to whatever your current pet has been eating for years now. According to one study, 95 percent of pet parents believe diet and nutrition is essential to their pet’s overall health and wellness (a good thing, since this is true!), yet more than half (56 percent) say finding healthy products for their pet is confusing, with another 47 percent reporting that finding healthy products for their pet is difficult.

When it comes to our pets’ food, there may be a better, healthier option out there—and these options are often available at reasonable price points. Knowing what to look for and how to compare can help you find a quality food that won’t break your budget.

Switching your pet's food for the first time? Petco can help you find the right formula to slowly introduce to your dog or cat's routine.

What to consider when purchasing dog or cat food

There are a number of different things to consider when shopping for food for your dog, cat, or small pet. Some of the important ones include:

1. The complete nutritional makeup

A nutritious pet food is considered “complete” when it includes all of the necessary elements to keep our pets healthy, including essential vitamins, minerals, fats (and fatty acids), proteins (including amino acids), and a good combination of functioning fibers to help support metabolism and overall health. The complete nutritional makeup for dogs and cats differs. Keep in mind that dogs need 40 essential and nonessential nutrients in a complete diet. Cats, on the other hand, require 42. It’s important to note the differences between these types of nutrients when finding a complete meal for your pet.

• Essential nutrients: Essential nutrients are those that are required by an animal that either the animal cannot produce at all or only in small amounts. For optimal health, these essential nutrients must be part of your pet’s meal.
• Nonessential nutrients: Still vital to your pet’s overall health, nonessential nutrients don’t necessarily need to be included in large amounts in food because a healthy pet can produce them on their own. Vitamin C is an example.

2. A balanced nutritional makeup

A nutritious pet food is one that is balanced in a way that assures certain nutrients don’t interfere with the absorption of other nutrients and that adequate quantities of each are provided. “The main priority when choosing food is finding one that maintains a balanced diet for your pet,” says Vetco Total Care regional medical director Dr. Shelly Ferris. A few things to consider when it comes to a balanced nutritional makeup include:

• Macronutrients: These are the nutrients that your pet needs in their diet in large amounts. Macronutrients that should be included for optimal pet health include proteins (which provide energy and amino acids, including 10 that dogs cannot produce on their own and 11 that cats cannot produce on their own), fats, carbohydrates and water.
• Micronutrients: These are the nutrients that your pet needs only in small quantities within their diet. Important micronutrients include vitamins and minerals that help support physiological functions.

The combination of both micronutrients and macronutrients is what makes a well-rounded, balanced diet.

3. Ingredients

Avoid Artificial Ingredients

The clearest guidance here is straightforward: look for pet foods that skip artificial flavors, artificial colors and artificial preservatives. In fact, 59 percent of veterinarians surveyed in 2018 agreed that pet parents should actively seek out foods free of these additives.

When it comes to preservatives specifically, natural options are a better choice than synthetic ones. Natural preservatives — including vitamin C, vitamin E and oils of rosemary, clove or other spices — are preferable alternatives to synthetic chemical preservatives such as BHA, BHT and ethoxyquin, which are commonly added to dog foods. https://sites.tufts.edu/petfoodology/

A quick reference for what to look for and what to avoid:

If you have questions about a specific ingredient in your pet's food, your veterinarian is the best resource for guidance tailored to your pet's individual health history.

Nutritional Adequacy Statements

Once you've checked the ingredient list, flip the bag over and look for a nutritional adequacy statement — one of the most reliable signals of a quality pet food.

The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) establishes the nutritional standards that reputable pet food manufacturers follow. An AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement on the label tells you that the food was formulated to meet the specific nutritional needs of a dog or cat at a defined life stage — such as growth (puppy or kitten), adult maintenance or all life stages. https://www.aafco.org/consumers/understanding-pet-food/

Look for language like:

• "Complete and balanced for all life stages" — meets AAFCO nutrient profiles for growth and maintenance
• "Complete and balanced for adult maintenance" — formulated for healthy adult pets
• "For supplemental or intermittent feeding only" — this food is not nutritionally complete on its own; it should not be a primary diet

If a bag carries no AAFCO statement at all, that's a meaningful red flag worth discussing with your veterinarian before feeding it regularly. https://www.aafco.org/consumers/understanding-pet-food/

The Right Formula for Your Pet's Life Stage and Needs

Nutritional needs don't stay the same across a pet's lifetime — and the food you choose should reflect where your pet is right now.

Key life and health changes that may call for a formula switch include:

• Life stage transitions — moving from puppy or kitten food to an adult formula, or from adult to a senior diet
• Activity level changes — a highly active dog has different caloric and protein needs than a less active one https://www.merckvetmanual.com/management-and-nutrition/nutrition-small-animals/nutritional-requirements-of-small-animals
• Breed-specific considerations — some breeds have documented predispositions to certain health concerns that nutrition can help support
• Specific health concerns — conditions such as weight management, joint health or digestive sensitivities may benefit from targeted formulas, always in consultation with your veterinarian

The WSAVA Global Nutrition Guidelines recommend that pet parents reassess their pet's diet at every routine veterinary visit — not just when a problem arises. https://wsava.org/global-guidelines/global-nutrition-guidelines/ Think of it as a regular check-in, the same way you'd revisit any other part of your pet's wellness routine.

Explore dog food options and cat food options at Petco to find formulas matched to your pet's life stage and needs — and don't hesitate to ask your veterinarian which nutritional profile makes the most sense for your individual pet.

The form your pet's food takes will also effect the nutritional content of their meal. Take the following forms of dog food, for example:

• Dry dog food: Comes in a variety of formulas, including grain-free, life stage, raw, weight management, breed-specific and more to meet your pet's specific needs. It is also easier to store, leaving less chance for a mess, and can be left out for hours with little risk of spoiling.
• Wet dog food: Wet foods contain higher levels of moisture because of the nature of its processing, making it a great choice for pups who need more hydration in their diets. Wet dog food is available in a large variety of flavors to satisfy the pickiest eaters.
• Raw dog food: Cooked at lower temperatures and quickly cooled to retain natural vitamins and nutrients. They contain high percentages of fresh meat, poultry or fish as well as vitamin-rich fruits and vegetables. Frozen or ready to serve, these healthy dog foods have fewer preservatives and must be kept frozen or refrigerated for freshness prior to serving to your pet.
• Dehydrated dog food: This food is heat-processed to remove 98% of the moisture for preservation. Dehydrated raw kibble is available as meals and treats and can be added as a topper to other food for variety.
• Freeze-dried raw dog food: Makes a raw food diet more approachable and available to pets since it does not need the refrigeration of a fully raw diet. Freeze-dried raw foods are processed through rapid freezing to remove 98% of the moisture for preservation and can be served as a full meal or meal topper.

6. Price: How to Compare Pet Food Costs the Right Way

Budgets are real, and finding a nutritious food your pet loves at a price that works for your household is a completely reasonable goal. The challenge is that sticker price alone doesn't tell the whole story — different brands pack different amounts of calories into every cup or pound, so a bag that costs more upfront can sometimes last significantly longer and actually cost less per day.

Here's how to cut through the confusion and make a true apples-to-apples comparison.

Why You Can't Just Compare Package Prices

Two bags of dog food sitting side by side on the shelf may look similar in price, but the one with higher caloric density may feed your dog for twice as many days. Factors that make direct price comparison tricky include:

• Caloric density varies by brand and formula — a denser kibble packs more calories per cup or per pound.
• Kibble size affects volume — smaller-breed kibble fits more tightly in a cup, leaving less air space between pieces, so a cup of small-breed kibble may contain more calories than a cup of large-breed kibble from the same brand.
• Wet food vs. dry food can't be compared by weight — wet food contains significantly more moisture, so it weighs more per serving. A pound of wet food delivers far fewer calories than a pound of dry kibble. https://sites.tufts.edu/petfoodology/
• Feeding amounts differ across formulas — a food your pet needs to eat more of per day will run out faster, regardless of bag size.

Bottom line: Always compare cost per day fed, not cost per bag or can.

Step 1 — Know Your Pet's Daily Caloric Need

Every calculation starts here. Your pet's daily calorie requirement depends on his age, weight, activity level and whether he needs to gain, lose or maintain weight. https://www.merckvetmanual.com/management-and-nutrition/nutrition-small-animals/nutritional-requirements-of-small-animals

• Start with the feeding guidelines printed on the package — these give you a reasonable ballpark range.
• Get more precise by asking your veterinarian for your pet's specific daily caloric target, or use a wholesome weight calculator as a starting point.
• For this example, we'll use a dog who needs 800 kcals per day.

Step 2 — Find the Caloric Content on the Label

By law, every pet food label must disclose caloric content. Look for two numbers on the bag, can or pouch: https://www.aafco.org/consumers/understanding-pet-food/

Both numbers appear on every compliant pet food package. If you can't find them, contact the manufacturer directly.

Step 3 — Calculate Cost Per Day (Two Methods)

Use whichever method matches the information you have on hand.

Method A: How Many Days Will a Bag Last?

This works well for comparing dry kibble to dry kibble. It is not reliable for comparing dry food to wet or fresh food, because the extra moisture in wet and fresh food adds weight without adding proportional calories.

Formula:

Kcals per lb × total pounds in bag ÷ your pet's daily kcal need = days the bag will last

Example — Brand No. 1, lamb formula, 24-lb bag:

Run the same math on Brand No. 2, then compare the daily cost figures — not the bag prices.

Method B: How Many Cups Per Day?

This approach uses the kcals per cup figure and is useful when you want to visualize portion sizes or compare feeding volumes.

Formula:

Your pet's daily kcal need ÷ kcals per cup = cups to feed per day

Example — same 24-lb lamb formula at 345 kcals per cup:

Once you know cups per day, you can estimate how quickly a bag will be used up and divide the bag price by the number of days to get your daily cost — just as in Method A.

Wet Food vs. Dry Food: A Special Note on Price Comparison

Comparing wet cat food or dog food to dry food by weight or volume will give you a misleading number every time. Because wet food is largely water, a can or pouch weighs far more per calorie delivered than an equivalent amount of dry kibble. https://sites.tufts.edu/petfoodology/ To compare them fairly:

1. Find the kcals per can/pouch on the wet food label.
2. Calculate how many cans or pouches your pet needs per day to meet his caloric need.
3. Multiply by the per-unit price to get a daily wet food cost.
4. Run the same daily cost calculation for the dry food option.
5. Compare the two daily figures side by side.

Quick-Reference: Cost Comparison Cheat Sheet

When to Loop In Your Veterinarian

Price math gets you to a fair comparison, but your veterinarian is your best resource for determining the right daily caloric target for your individual pet — especially if he is managing his weight, recovering from illness or has any specific nutritional needs. Always confirm your pet's caloric goals with your vet before making a significant food change.

When you're ready to find a nutritious food that fits your budget, browse Petco's full selection of dog and cat foods online or visit your neighborhood store — where knowledgeable Petco associates can help you work through the numbers together.

Dog & Cat Food Types at a Glance

Use this comparison to quickly weigh your options. Every pet is different, so talk with your veterinarian before making a significant diet change.

How to read the label across all types: Regardless of format, look for an AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement confirming the food is "complete and balanced" for your pet's specific life stage. That statement is your clearest signal that the formula meets established nutrient profiles for dogs or cats. https://www.aafco.org/consumers/understanding-pet-food/

Frequently Asked Questions

What does "complete and balanced" actually mean on a pet food label? It means the food meets the nutrient profiles established by AAFCO (the Association of American Feed Control Officials) for a specific life stage — such as growth, adult maintenance or all life stages. A food labeled "complete and balanced" should supply every essential nutrient your dog or cat needs without requiring supplementation. https://www.aafco.org/consumers/understanding-pet-food/

How many essential nutrients do dogs and cats need? Dogs require 40 essential and nonessential nutrients in a complete diet; cats require 42. Cats are obligate carnivores and have unique requirements — such as taurine and arachidonic acid — that dogs can synthesize on their own. Always choose a formula species-appropriate for your pet. https://www.merckvetmanual.com/management-and-nutrition/nutrition-small-animals/nutritional-requirements-of-small-animals

Are natural preservatives always better than synthetic ones? Naturally derived preservatives — such as vitamin C (ascorbic acid), vitamin E (mixed tocopherols) and rosemary oil — are widely preferred by veterinary nutritionists over synthetic options like BHA, BHT and ethoxyquin. That said, "all-natural" on a label is a marketing term, not a regulated safety standard. Read the full ingredient list and consult your veterinarian if you have concerns. https://sites.tufts.edu/petfoodology/

Is raw food safe for my dog or cat? Raw diets can carry bacteria such as Salmonella and Listeria, which pose risks to pets and the people handling their food. The FDA recommends careful hygiene practices if you choose to feed raw, and advises extra caution in households with young children, elderly individuals or immunocompromised people. Always discuss raw feeding with your veterinarian before starting. https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/animal-foods-feeds/pet-food

How do I compare the true cost of wet food versus dry food? Because wet food is 70–80% moisture, you're partly paying for water weight. To compare fairly, calculate the cost per 100 calories rather than cost per ounce or per bag. Factor in your pet's daily caloric needs (your veterinarian can help establish this), then divide the package price by the total calories it provides. This gives you a consistent, apples-to-apples number across all food types. https://petnutritionalliance.org/

Should I choose a food based on my pet's life stage? Yes. Nutritional requirements shift meaningfully from puppyhood or kittenhood through adulthood and into the senior years. A puppy or kitten food provides higher levels of protein, fat and certain minerals to support rapid growth, while a senior formula may be adjusted for lower calorie density or added joint-supporting nutrients. Look for an AAFCO statement that matches your pet's current life stage, and check in with your veterinarian whenever a major life change occurs. https://www.aafco.org/consumers/understanding-pet-food/ https://www.merckvetmanual.com/management-and-nutrition/nutrition-small-animals/nutritional-requirements-of-small-animals

This article was created with assistance from AI tools and reviewed for accuracy by Petco's content team.