How to read a pet supplement label

Short answer: Check five things on any pet supplement label — are the actives listed with milligram amounts, is the serving size defined, are mineral amounts stated as elemental, are there proprietary blends, and are the actives guaranteed at manufacture or at the end of shelf life. A brand that answers all five without you having to email them is rare in this category.

Most pet supplement labels are designed to be reassuring rather than informative. Once you know what to look for, the gap between the two becomes obvious.

1. Are the amounts published, or just the ingredient names?

The most common pattern in this category is a long ingredient list with no amounts attached. A label might name ten actives — collagen, biotin, zinc, hyaluronic acid, probiotics, and so on — without publishing the milligram figure for any of them.

This is legal. It is also uninformative. An ingredient present at 1 mg and an ingredient present at 500 mg both appear the same way on that kind of label.

If a brand publishes amounts, that tells you something. If it doesn't, that tells you something too.

2. Are actives given as percentages instead of milligrams?

Some labels express actives as percentages in the guaranteed analysis rather than as milligrams per serving. Both are permitted. Percentages are harder to compare.

To convert, you need the serving weight. A guaranteed analysis showing "EPA min 2.15%" on a 7 g serving works out to about 150 mg. Most people won't do that arithmetic in a shop aisle, which is rather the point.

Omega figures have a second trap of their own, covered in why EPA and DHA matter more than total omega-3.

3. What does "proprietary blend" actually mean?

It means you aren't being told. When several ingredients are grouped under a single blend name with one combined weight, the individual amounts are hidden. The blend might be 95% of the cheapest ingredient and a trace of the expensive one you're actually buying it for.

There is one legitimate reason for a proprietary blend: protecting a genuinely novel formulation. There is one much more common reason.

4. Is the figure per chew or per serving?

A label showing "500 mg per chew" and a label showing "500 mg per serving" look similar and can mean very different things, because the serving might be one chew or three.

Serving size also varies by dog weight in most products. A figure that applies to a 70 lb dog doesn't apply to a 15 lb one. Always find the serving definition before comparing numbers.

5. Is the mineral amount elemental, or the weight of the compound?

This one is subtle and catches almost everybody.

Minerals are supplied as compounds. Zinc glycinate, for example, is roughly 20% elemental zinc by weight. So 25 mg of zinc glycinate provides about 5 mg of actual zinc.

A label that says "Zinc 25 mg" without specifying which figure it means is ambiguous — and the difference is fivefold. Good labels state the elemental amount, and often both. We go through the mineral forms in detail in chelated vs non-chelated minerals.

6. Is the guaranteed analysis legally binding?

In the United States, yes — the guaranteed analysis is not marketing copy. State feed control officials can and do test products against it. A minimum guarantee means the product should contain at least that much.

Worth knowing: most guarantees are set at the point of manufacture, not at the end of shelf life. Some actives degrade over 24 months. A figure guaranteed at the end of shelf life is a stronger commitment than one guaranteed on the day it was made.

7. What is worth noticing in the inactive ingredients?

The inactive list is where the texture, flavour and preservative system live. Things worth noticing:

  • Preservatives — mixed tocopherols and rosemary extract are natural antioxidants. BHA, BHT and ethoxyquin are synthetic alternatives.
  • Sweeteners — molasses, honey and cane syrup appear in a surprising number of soft chews.
  • Flavour versus protein source — a chicken-flavoured chew can still contain fish gelatin or fish oil. The two are separate things.

The short version

Five questions will tell you most of what you need to know about a pet supplement label:

  1. Are the amounts published, in mg?
  2. Is the serving size clearly defined?
  3. Are mineral amounts stated as elemental?
  4. Are there proprietary blends?
  5. Are the actives guaranteed at manufacture or at end of shelf life?

A brand that answers all five without you having to email them is a brand that has decided transparency is worth the trouble.

You can check ours against the same five: the actives, their amounts and the serving definition are all published on the Skin + Coat Soft Chews page.

Further reading

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Consult your veterinarian before starting any supplement.

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