What's really in dog food

Complete and balanced means a dog food is made to be your dog's only food. Who sets the rules, how a food earns the words, and what life stage means.

A plain guide to a dog food label: the name on the front, the ingredient list, the numbers box and the one line that matters most.

BHA and BHT keep the fat in dog food from going stale. Here is what the FDA, the US cancer report and EU rules say about them, in plain words.

By-products in dog food are the animal parts people don't often eat, like liver and kidney. Here is what the rules and research say about them.

Carrageenan thickens wet dog food and turns gravy into jelly. Here is what EU and US food safety experts say about it, and how it differs from poligeenan.

Chicken meal is chicken with the water and most of the fat cooked out. Here is what the rules say it is, and what one study found.

The FDA looked at grain-free dog food and a heart disease called DCM. Here is what it found, what studies say, and what is still not known.

Mixed tocopherols are forms of vitamin E that keep the fat in dog food fresh. Here is what they are, what the rules say, and if they count as vitamin E.

Natural flavor in dog food is a taste boost made from real plant or animal sources. Here is what the label rules say it can be, and what it does not tell you.

Menadione is a lab-made form of vitamin K in some dog foods. Here is why it is there, what the rules say, and whether the EU really banned it.

What studies found when dogs ate fresh food vs kibble: less poop, easier to digest. Who paid for the studies, and why both can be complete and balanced.

Wet and dry dog food can both be complete and balanced. Here is how they differ, and how to compare their labels fairly.