How to Read Dog Treat Labels (And What to Avoid)

Ever flipped over a bag of dog treats and felt completely lost? You're not imagining it. Pet food labels are deliberately confusing — and the worst offenders rely on that confusion to sell you products you'd never buy if you understood what was inside.

Red flags to watch for

"Meat and animal derivatives"

This is the biggest offender. It means the manufacturer can use any part of any animal — beaks, feet, intestines, feathers — and change the recipe batch to batch depending on what's cheapest. If they can't tell you exactly what's in it, that's a problem.

"Cereals"

Listed as a protein source, but it's actually a cheap filler. Wheat, corn, and rice bulk up the product at a fraction of the cost of real meat. Dogs don't need cereal in their diet.

Added sugars and glycerine

Sugar makes treats taste better (to dogs and humans). Glycerine keeps them soft and chewy. Neither has any nutritional benefit for your dog — they're there to make a cheap product more palatable.

Artificial colours

Your dog doesn't care what colour a treat is. Artificial colours are there to make the product look appealing to you, the buyer. Some have been linked to hyperactivity and allergic reactions.

Long ingredient lists

As a general rule: the longer the ingredient list, the worse the product. The best treats have one ingredient. Maybe two. If you need a chemistry degree to understand the label, put it back.

What a good label looks like

Here's what to look for:

• Named protein source: "Chicken breast" not "poultry derivatives"
• Short ingredient list: Ideally one ingredient
• No added sugars, salt, or glycerine
• No artificial colours or preservatives
• Clear country of origin

Every Woofy treat has exactly one ingredient — clearly stated on the front of the packet. Chicken is chicken. Beef is beef. You read the label in one second because there's nothing to hide.

See how Woofy compares →