How to read the ingredient list on a pet supplement

Reading time 5 min · Level 2: How to judge a supplement

The short answer: Turn the jar around and look for five things: (1) what type of feed it is, (2) that every ingredient is listed by its real name, (3) that there is an amount behind the ingredients the product boasts about, (4) who the manufacturer is and where, and (5) a batch number and best-before date. If any of these is missing you do not have enough to judge the product, no matter how good the front looks.

1. What type of product is it?

Everything given to dogs and cats as a supplement counts legally as feed, and is classed as complementary feed¹. It should say so on the packaging, the EU feed regulation requires the type of feed to be stated². If it says "complementary feed" the product is registered in that system, with the safety and labelling requirements that follow. If it says nothing, or something else entirely, that is a warning flag.

2. Are the ingredients listed by their real names?

The ingredients must be listed in descending order by weight, the largest first². That means you can read the list as a story: what comes first is what the product mostly consists of.

For pet food the manufacturer may replace specific names with category names, for example "vegetable by-products" or "herbs"². That is legal, but it tells you nothing. A manufacturer who writes "turmeric (Curcuma longa)" instead of "herbs" has chosen to tell you more than the law requires. That choice is information in itself.

3. Is there an amount behind what the product boasts about?

This is the most important point, and the one that separates the products.

The EU rules say that if an ingredient is highlighted on the packaging, in words, pictures or graphics, both the name and the proportion must be stated². So if the front says "with ashwagandha" you should be able to find how much ashwagandha there actually is. If you cannot find it, ask the manufacturer. If you get no answer, you have your answer.

Also be alert to "blends". A line reading "herbal blend 500 mg (ginger, chamomile, fennel)" tells you the total weight but not how much of each herb. It could be 480 mg of ginger and 10 mg of each of the others. The manufacturer knows, but has chosen not to tell.

The serious answer to that problem is to write out every ingredient with its own amount per tablet or per dose. It takes more space on the label and makes the product easier to compare with competitors. That is also exactly why so few do it.

4. Who made it, and where?

The packaging must state the name and address of whoever is responsible for the labelling, and if the manufacturer is someone else the manufacturer must be stated too². Many products marketed as Swedish are made elsewhere. That is not a problem in itself, good factories exist in many countries, but it must be possible to see.

Look for certifications such as GMP (good manufacturing practice), HACCP and ISO. They do not guarantee that the product works, but they say that the factory operates under documented control and can be audited. A manufacturer who does not want to state where the product is made usually has a reason.

5. Batch number and date

A batch number must be present². It allows a specific production run to be traced, and recalled if something has gone wrong. A best-before date must also be present. If they are missing the product is not correctly labelled, full stop.

Two things the label may not say

A feed may not claim to prevent, treat or cure disease³. So when a package promises to "cure" or "treat" it is either a medicine (then there must be an authorisation) or a feed that breaks the rules. What is allowed are statements about supporting or contributing to normal functions, and all claims must be substantiable if the authority asks^3,4.

That may sound dull. But it is an advantage for you: a manufacturer who sticks to "supports normal digestion" instead of "stops diarrhoea" does not have lower ambitions, it simply follows the rules. Whoever promises more does so despite the rules, not thanks to them.

The checklist, in short

• Does it say "complementary feed"?
• Does every ingredient have a real name?
• Is there an amount per dose behind what is highlighted?
• Do you know who made it, and where?
• Are there a batch number and a date?
• Does the label promise to cure something? Then something is wrong.

If the product passes all six you can start to consider whether it suits your pet. If it does not, the rest does not matter.

That was the short answer. If you have a question about your own pet, email us. We reply within 24 hours.

Herbiovet products are complementary feed for pets. They are not medicines and do not replace veterinary care.