In this episode of Tuesday Talks with Ruby Reese, Killian is joined in the studio by Chris O'Keeffe, dog nutritionist and co-founder of dognutrition.ie, for a practical guide to decoding dog food labels.

Chris explains why the front of a packet is largely marketing, and why the ingredients list on the back is where the real information lies. He walks through how ingredients are ordered by weight in their pre-dried state - and why this can be misleading - before breaking down the difference between terms like chicken, poultry and meat derivatives, and what ingredient splitting really means.

The conversation also covers regulated terms such as organic, complete, complementary and life stage claims, contrasted with unregulated buzzwords like natural, holistic, premium and grain free. Chris shares the red flags he looks out for as a nutritionist, the most common mistakes dog owners make when reading labels, and what he would like to see changed in pet food regulation.

An essential listen for anyone who wants to make more confident choices at the pet food aisle.

Want to learn more? Use the discount code Podcast30 to save 30 on our canine nutrition course at ruby-reese.ie.

Websites & Social Media

Ruby Reese
Website: ruby-reese.ie
Instagram: @rubyreeseofficial

dognutrition.ie
Website: dognutrition.ie
Instagram: @dognutrition.ie

Please Note: In the interest of keeping episodes conversational and entertaining we will make broad generalisations that may not reflect you, your situation or your pet. If you have any concerns please consult a certified professional who will assess your individual needs.

Chapter List

00:16 Introduction and episode overview

01:26 Welcome to Chris O'Keeffe, dog nutritionist and co-founder of dognutrition.ie

01:40 Why the front of the packet is just marketing

03:03 The ingredients list - the most important part of any label

03:37 How ingredients are ordered by weight

04:16 How ingredients lists can be misleading

05:39 The mixing bowl stage and water weight explained

07:16 Why fresh and natural do not always mean what we think

07:50 The case for dry matter labelling

09:56 When percentages have to be declared

10:24 Dog nutrition course mention and discount code

11:37 Chicken, poultry and meat derivatives - what is the difference?

13:20 Vague ingredient terms and food intolerances

14:15 Does a longer or shorter ingredients list mean better quality?

15:44 Ingredient splitting explained

17:32 FEDIAF, AAFCO and what certifications actually mean

18:38 Complete and balanced - what it really means

20:28 Complete versus complementary for raw feeders

21:13 Regulated versus unregulated buzzwords

23:57 Grain free - what it does and does not tell you

25:40 Fillers, byproducts and other unregulated terms

28:16 The biggest label reading mistakes dog owners make

29:44 Red flags to look out for on pet food packaging

32:21 What Chris would change about pet food labelling

33:07 Closing thoughts