Stella & ChewysStella’s Solutions Healthy Heart Support - Cage-Free Chicken Freeze Dried Raw Meal Topper for Dogs - / Cage-Free Chicken

The most common protein in pet food, and for dogs one of the most common food allergens, with beef and dairy. If chicken is what your pet reacts to, it hides everywhere: chicken fat, chicken broth, chicken meal, natural flavor. On a label, chicken listed first is weighed with its water still in, so a food leading with fresh chicken often has less chicken protein than one leading with chicken meal. Neither is better; they are different measures.

The liver of the chicken, used both as a nutrient-dense ingredient and as a flavor. It is rich in vitamin A, iron, copper and B vitamins and most pets find it very palatable, which is why it turns up in treats and as a coating on kibble. Because it is chicken, it counts as chicken for a pet with a chicken allergy, even when it appears far down the list.

Heart muscle from the chicken, a lean organ meat rich in taurine, iron and B vitamins. Raw and fresh-food makers use it as a natural source of the taurine cats require. It adds protein without much fat and appears mostly in fresh, frozen and freeze-dried foods. For an allergic pet it is still chicken.

Oil pressed from salmon, added for the omega-3 fats EPA and DHA that support skin, coat and joints. It does the same job as generic fish oil but names its source, which helps if your pet reacts to other fish. Like all fish oils it spoils easily and needs a preservative, usually mixed tocopherols. The levels used in food are a modest supplement, well below a therapeutic dose.

A leafy green added in small amounts for vitamins, minerals and color. Spinach is high in oxalate, which binds calcium and in large quantities is a concern for pets prone to calcium oxalate bladder stones. The amounts in a complete food are tiny, often a fraction of a percent, so for most pets it is a token vegetable with no nutritional or safety weight.

Broccoli florets or stems, dried and added in small amounts for fiber, vitamins and antioxidants. It is safe for dogs and cats at food levels. Very large quantities contain compounds that can irritate the gut, which matters for a dog raiding the vegetable drawer. A fraction of a percent in kibble is nowhere near that, and it does not change the food's nutrition in any measurable way.

A vegetable that contributes a little fiber and beta-carotene and a lot of label appeal. In dry food it is usually present in small amounts well down the list. It is not an allergen of concern and not a meaningful protein or calorie source. Fine to see; not a reason to choose one food over another.

A small fruit added mostly for its association with urinary health. Cranberry compounds can make it harder for some bacteria to cling to the bladder wall in laboratory studies, but there is no good evidence that the amount in a pet food prevents or treats urinary infections. At label levels, a small amount well down the list, treat it as a minor fruit that adds a little fiber and antioxidants.

A fruit added in small amounts for antioxidants and a bit of fiber. Blueberries are safe for dogs and cats, and the pigments that color them are the same ones linked to antioxidant activity in people. In a complete food they appear well down the list in small amounts, so they are a modest extra and should not decide which bag you buy.