Hur du väljer rätt torrfoder för din hund

Standing in front of a shelf of dog food, or scrolling through an online range, the options can feel overwhelming. Every bag makes claims. Most of them are technically true but practically meaningless. This guide is about what to actually look for when you're choosing a dry food for your dog, based on what the ingredient list tells you rather than what the packaging says.

Vad ska stå först i innehållsförteckningen? ¶

Ingredients on pet food are listed in descending order by weight before processing. The first ingredient is the one present in the largest quantity. For a dry dog food, you want to see a named animal protein first: chicken, salmon, lamb, beef. 'Meat and animal derivatives' is a legal catch-all that can mean almost anything and tells you nothing about quality or consistency between batches.

Grain-free doesn't automatically mean better. For most dogs, whole grains like rice and oats are perfectly digestible and provide useful fibre. The grain-free option makes sense if your dog has a confirmed sensitivity to wheat or corn, not as a general upgrade.

Hur mycket protein behöver en vuxen hund? ¶

Adult dogs need a minimum of around 18% crude protein in their diet, but most quality dry foods sit between 25% and 32%. Working dogs, very active breeds, and dogs recovering from illness may benefit from the higher end of that range. Older dogs often do better with moderate protein levels and added joint support ingredients like glucosamine.

The protein percentage on the label is given on an 'as fed' basis for wet food and on a dry matter basis for dry food. When comparing a wet food to a dry food, you need to account for the moisture difference. A wet food showing 8% protein is not directly comparable to a dry food showing 28%.

Vad betyder 'komplett foder' på förpackningen? ¶

In Sweden, as across the EU, a pet food labelled 'komplett foder' (complete food) must meet the nutritional standards set by FEDIAF, the European pet food industry federation. This means the food is formulated to be the sole source of nutrition for the animal. A food labelled 'kompletteringsfoder' (complementary food) is not balanced on its own and should be fed alongside a complete food.

If you're feeding a complete dry food as your dog's main diet, you don't need to add supplements unless your vet has identified a specific deficiency. Adding extra calcium, for example, can cause problems in growing dogs.

If you're unsure which food in our range suits your dog's specific situation, write to us at hej@husdjurskompaniet-14260.com. We're happy to look at the details with you.