Quick answer: The percentages printed on a dog food pack are as-fed numbers — they include water, so a dry food and a wet food can never be compared directly. Convert everything to a dry matter basis first: nutrient % ÷ (100 − moisture %) × 100. To estimate carbohydrates, use the difference method: carbs % = 100 − (crude protein + crude fat + crude fibre + moisture + ash). And for portions, the number that matters most is kcal ME/kg, not grams.
Everything else on this page is the practical detail behind those three lines.
What "guaranteed analysis" actually tells you
Almost every bag or can of dog food carries a block of numbers known as the guaranteed analysis. It is a manufacturer's commitment: a minimum for protein, fat and energy, a maximum for fibre, moisture and ash. It is not a laboratory report of the exact batch in front of you, and it is not designed for comparing one product with another.
| Label item | How it is stated | What to watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Crude protein | Minimum % | "Minimum" means at least this much; actual is usually higher |
| Crude fat | Minimum % | Drives calorie density; varies widely between formulas in the same range |
| Crude fibre | Maximum % | Above roughly 10% starts to dilute digestible energy |
| Moisture | Maximum % | Dry food 6–10%, semi-moist 15–30%, canned food around 75% |
| Ash | Maximum % | Total mineral content, not dirt or filler |
| Energy | kcal ME/kg | The single most useful number for working out portions |
Two practical consequences follow from this table. First, because protein and fat are stated as minimums, comparing two products on their printed protein figure is conservative — the real values are likely a little higher. Second, moisture is a maximum, so the actual water content may be lower than printed, which shifts every dry matter calculation you make.
Typical ranges for common formats give you a sanity check when you start crunching numbers:
| Format | Moisture | Crude protein | Crude fat | Carbohydrate (as-fed) | Energy (kcal/kg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry kibble | 6–10% | 16–30% | 7–20% | 41–70% | 2,800–4,050 |
| Semi-moist | 15–30% | 17–20% | 7–10% | 40–60% | 2,550–2,880 |
| Canned | about 75% | 7–13% | 5–8% | 4–13% | 875–1,250 |
Read the canned row carefully. A 10% protein canned food looks far weaker than a 26% protein kibble — yet on a dry matter basis the can is around 40% protein and the kibble around 29%. Same label, opposite conclusion. This is exactly why the next section exists.
Dry matter basis: the 1-2-3 conversion
Dry matter (DM) removes water from the equation so that two foods in completely different formats can be placed on the same scale.
Step 1 — find the dry matter percentage. DM% = 100 − moisture%. A kibble at 10% moisture is 90% dry matter. A can at 75% moisture is only 25% dry matter.
Step 2 — convert any single nutrient. Dry matter nutrient % = printed nutrient % ÷ DM% × 100. For a canned food showing 10% protein with 75% moisture: 10 ÷ 25 × 100 = 40% protein on a dry matter basis.
Step 3 — only then compare. Convert both products to the same basis — dry matter is the usual choice — before you decide which one is richer. Never place a kibble's 26% next to a can's 10% and draw a conclusion; that comparison measures water, not nutrition.
A useful shortcut: if you are comparing two wet foods, or two dry foods, their moisture contents are close enough that as-fed figures give you a rough ranking. The conversion becomes essential the moment you cross formats — kibble versus can, kibble versus raw or frozen, or a topper mixed into a main meal.
Carbohydrate by difference: the formula that works
Labels rarely state carbohydrate directly, so you calculate it. The difference method subtracts everything you know from 100:
Carbohydrate % = 100 − (crude protein + crude fat + crude fibre + moisture + ash)
Worked example: a food listing 26% protein, 14% fat, 4% fibre, 10% moisture and 6% ash gives 100 − (26 + 14 + 4 + 10 + 6) = 40% carbohydrate, as-fed.
The result includes fibre plus the nitrogen-free extract fraction, so it is an approximation rather than a laboratory sugar-and-starch figure. For ranking one bag against another, that approximation is more than good enough — provided both are calculated the same way.
Two rules keep your numbers honest:
- Do not skip ash. If the pack omits ash, you cannot complete the formula accurately; contact the manufacturer rather than guessing.
- Stay on one basis. A carbohydrate figure calculated as-fed is not comparable with a dry matter figure. Convert first, subtract second.
Once you have the number, use it as a filter rather than a verdict. Formulas with starch-based carbohydrate below about 20% are a reasonable target for a healthy adult dog, with lower figures (15%, then 10%) being tighter still. A veterinary prescription diet for a pregnant bitch or a medical condition may deliberately sit outside these ranges — follow your vet, not a chart.
Energy density decides the portion, not the gram
This is the part most owners get wrong. The same dog needs the same number of calories regardless of which food you buy, but the weight of food that delivers those calories changes dramatically.
Consider a 10 kg dog. On a food at 2,800 kcal/kg it needs roughly 221 g a day; on a food at 4,050 kcal/kg it needs about 153 g. Same dog, same energy, 68 g difference. Swap foods and keep the old gram measure and you have silently changed the calorie intake.
Work out daily energy needs with the standard formulas:
- Resting energy requirement (RER) = 70 × body weight in kg ^ 0.75
- Maintenance energy requirement (MER) = RER × an activity factor
- Typical activity factors: neutered adult dog 1.6, intact adult 1.8, active or working dog 2.0, weight loss 0.8 (only under veterinary supervision)
Worked example: a neutered 10 kg dog has RER = 70 × 10^0.75 ≈ 393 kcal; at a factor of 1.6 the MER is about 629 kcal per day. Divide by the food's energy density in kcal/g (kcal/kg ÷ 1,000) and you have the daily gram amount.
Three follow-on points:
- Recalculate every time you change formula. Different flavours in the same range often carry different kcal/kg figures, especially high-protein or low-fat lines.
- Wet food is roughly one-third the energy density of kibble, so a dog will eat a much larger weight of it. A big bowl of wet food is not automatically a big calorie load.
- Weight loss diets work by lowering energy density, not simply by telling you to scoop less of the same food.
If a pack prints energy in kJ instead of kcal, divide by 4.184 to get kcal, so the figure can be compared with anything else you are reading.
Ingredient lists, completeness claims and marketing language
The ingredient list is ordered by weight as fed, which is why fresh meat — heavy with water — tends to appear first even when the finished food is not especially protein-rich. Treat position as a clue about what is present, not a measure of what contributes most nutrition. Read it alongside the guaranteed analysis and the energy density.
Completeness statements matter more than any ingredient adjective:
| Label wording | What it means | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Meets a full life stage nutritional standard | Nutritionally complete and balanced | Suitable as the sole diet long term |
| Meets an adult maintenance standard | Complete, but only for that life stage | Growing puppies and seniors need the matching formula |
| Complementary food / treat / topper | Not complete | Keep to about 10% of daily calories or less |
| "Added kelp and omega-3 for a healthier pet" | Vague claim, no dose | Treat as marketing until a completeness statement appears |
| Ingredient list only, no standard stated | Unverified | Ask the manufacturer before making it the main meal |
Vague claims deserve particular suspicion. Phrases like "naturally balanced" or "supports immunity" without a stated dose or a recognised completeness statement tell you nothing about whether the food can be fed as the only diet. Likewise, rotating between several brands is genuinely useful for dietary variety — but only if each recipe you rotate to is itself complete. Rotation does not turn an incomplete recipe into a complete one.
Label jargon is worth decoding too:
| Term | Actual meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Natural | No artificial additives claimed | Does not mean nutritionally complete |
| Grain-free | No cereal ingredients | Not automatically low carbohydrate; often legume- or tuber-based |
| Human-grade | A quality claim | No enforceable legal definition attached |
| By-product | Non-muscle parts such as organs | Nutritionally usable; judge the whole formula |
| Complete and all life stages | Meets minimum standards for every stage | Portions still vary with weight and age |
| Limited ingredient | Single protein or single carbohydrate source | Handy for elimination trials |
Worked comparison: one dry formula against one wet formula
Suppose two products show the following:
| Item | Formula A (dry) | Formula B (canned) |
|---|---|---|
| Moisture | 10% | 78% |
| Crude protein (min) | 26% | 9% |
| Crude fat (min) | 14% | 5% |
| Energy | 3,600 kcal/kg | 1,050 kcal/kg |
Dry matter conversion: Formula A is 90% DM, so protein = 26 ÷ 90 × 100 = 28.9%. Formula B is 22% DM, so protein = 9 ÷ 22 × 100 = 40.9%. On the raw label, A looks far richer; converted, B is the higher-protein food.
Portion comparison: For a dog needing about 630 kcal a day, Formula A requires roughly 175 g, while Formula B requires roughly 600 g. The canned food's large serving size reflects its water content, not a hidden calorie surplus.
Carbohydrate check: For Formula A, with 4% fibre and 6% ash printed, carbs = 100 − (26 + 14 + 4 + 10 + 6) = 40% as-fed, comfortably inside the typical 41–70% dry kibble range once you allow for rounding. If your own calculation lands far outside the typical range for the format, you have probably missed an item or used the wrong moisture figure.
Two everyday Malaysian situations
A Kuala Lumpur apartment with one medium dog. You buy a large bag because the price per kilo is better, and the food lasts several weeks. This is exactly where kcal/kg earns its keep: work out the daily gram amount once, mark a fill line on your storage container or weigh a scoop once to calibrate it, and you will not drift into overfeeding as the bag empties. It also means checking the pack's energy figure every time you switch to a new bag — the number is printed for a reason, and assuming two bags of the same product match is how portions quietly creep up.
Penang during the rainy season. Humidity is the enemy of an open kibble bag. Moisture is capped on the label, but after opening the food absorbs water from the air, which changes texture, palatability and, over time, spoilage risk. Keep the food in an airtight container with the original label details intact, buy a size your dog finishes within a sensible window, and discard food that smells musty or has become soft and clumped. The moisture percentage you converted with at purchase will not stay accurate forever.
Common mistakes to avoid
| Mistake | Why it fails | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Comparing dry and wet percentages directly | Water content differs enormously | Convert to dry matter first |
| Judging by protein alone | High protein can come with high fat and high calories | Read kcal ME/kg as well |
| Trusting ingredient order | Fresh meat is heavy with water | Pair the list with guaranteed analysis |
| Assuming grain-free means low carbohydrate | Legumes and tubers replace cereals | Calculate carbs by difference |
| Seeing "natural" and relaxing | No completeness implied | Look for the life stage statement |
| Reusing the old gram amount after a switch | Energy density changed | Recalculate from the new kcal/kg |
Quick label checklist
- Is kcal ME/kg printed? If not, ask the manufacturer before buying.
- Is there a completeness statement for your dog's life stage? Without one, treat the food as a complement or topper.
- What is the moisture figure? It sets your conversion basis.
- Are all five guaranteed analysis items present — protein, fat, fibre, moisture, ash? You need every one for the carbohydrate calculation.
- What is the first ingredient? Useful context, never a standalone verdict.
- What does the energy density work out to in kcal per gram? That is your portion divisor.
When to see a vet
Label literacy helps you choose and portion food well, but it does not replace a professional opinion. See your vet if your dog is gaining or losing weight unexpectedly on a measured diet, if you are switching to a medical or prescription formula, if your dog has a diagnosed condition affecting diet (kidney, pancreatitis, diabetes, food allergies), or if you are planning a homemade or raw diet as the sole food. Pregnant and lactating bitches, rapidly growing puppies, and seniors with changing appetites also warrant individualised calculations rather than a generic activity factor. If a food's label gives you no energy figure at all and the manufacturer cannot supply one, ask your vet before committing to it as a staple.
This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for veterinary diagnosis or treatment. Nutritional needs and any diet adjustment for illness should be discussed with your veterinarian.
Related reading
- Pet Nutrition Guide Malaysia: Protein, Phosphorus, Calories & Prescription Diets Explained
- Pet Nutrition Hub Malaysia: Protein, Phosphorus, Calories, Weight & Prescription Diets
- How to Judge Pet Food Brands in Malaysia: A Repeatable Review Framework
- Cat & Dog Fruits and Vegetables: Part 2 Safety Guide for Malaysia
- Cat and Dog Fruit & Vegetable Feeding Safety in Malaysia: Portions, Poisoning Risks and Storage (Part 2)
- Cat & Dog Fruits and Vegetables Safety Part 5: Banana, Mango, Jasmine and Sweet-Smell Warning Signs in Malaysia
- Fruits and Vegetables for Cats and Dogs: What Is Safe, What Is Not (Malaysia, Part 5)
- Cat Vitamin B12 Supplement Forms in Malaysia: 6 Dosage Forms and How to Choose
- Human Food and Pets in Malaysia: What's Safe, What's Toxic, and What to Do After Ingestion
- Pet Food Storage in Malaysia: Keep Dry Food, Cans and Fresh Meals Safe in Humid Weather
- Fruit and Vegetable Safety for Malaysian Cats and Dogs: What to Feed, What to Avoid