Fussie CatChicken with Vegetables Purée

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 familiar white potato, used as a carbohydrate source in many grain-free foods. Potato starch binds kibble; potato protein is a concentrated plant protein that lifts the protein figure on the bag. Cooked potato is safe and well digested. Grain-free foods built on potatoes and legumes were part of the FDA's 2018 to 2022 look at diet-associated heart disease in dogs, which did not establish a cause; the agency has not asked for any to be withdrawn.

A staple of grain-free recipes, supplying starch, fiber and plant protein. Peas were common in the diets examined in a federal investigation into heart disease in dogs; the investigation did not establish a cause and no ingredient was banned. Pea protein high on a list can inflate the protein number with a plant source. Pea allergy is rare. Not a problem, but worth noticing when it appears in several forms in one recipe.

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 plant oil added as a source of linoleic acid, the omega-6 fat dogs and cats need for skin and coat. It is cheap, stable and well tolerated. Sunflower oil contains no omega-3, so a food that uses it as the main fat will usually add fish oil or flaxseed for balance. The high-oleic variety is lower in linoleic acid and used mainly for shelf stability.