You're probably like me, and millions of other pet owners. You read the labels, compare ingredients, and try to make the most informed choice possible. You want the absolute best nutrition for your four-legged family member possible...But what if the label isn’t telling you everything?

If you have ever flipped over a bag of pet food and scanned the guaranteed analysis, you might’ve noticed something strange…

Protein? Listed.
Fat? Listed.
Fiber? Listed.
Moisture? Listed.

But carbohydrates? Nowhere to be found...

Why Carbohydrates Aren’t Listed

Unlike protein and fat, carbohydrates aren't required to be disclosed on pet food labels under guidelines set by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO)... We'll touch on that point another time 

Strange...Why?

Because carbs are not considered an “essential nutrient” for dogs or cats, as put forward by AAFCO. That doesn’t mean they aren’t used in pet food—it just means manufacturers aren’t obligated to report them. Companies advertise "grain-free" that consumers have started to equate with carb-free but that is far from the truth. Instead of using wheat, corn, or rice they switch to ingredients like sweet potatoes, peas and lentils. These ingredients are still high in carbohydrates despite a fancy marketing concept, which begs the obvious question; Why are they so prevalent in our pet's food?

Carbohydrates are used incredibly often as:

  • A cost-effective calorie source
  • A binding agent (especially in kibble)
  • A way to improve shelf stability

  Let's talk science for a second....Carbohydrates can act as an abundant energy source for our pets. With the help of digestive enzymes, carbohydrate is broken down into glucose and used as energy, instead of obtaining that energy from protein and fat. Feeding a high carb diet (cough* kibble) becomes a problem because our dogs only can only store so much glycogen (glucose) in their muscles and liver before turning the excess glucose into stored fat. We don't want fat dogs! 

They play a major role in many of our pet foods, yet are esentially hiding right under our noses.

So How Do You Find the Carbs? - Welcome the NFE Method

Even though carbs aren’t listed directly, you can calculate them using a method called Nitrogen-Free Extract (NFE). NFE gives you an estimate of the carbohydrate content in your pets food by subtracting everything else from 100%.

Here’s the formula:

NFE (CARB %) = 100 - (Protein + Fat + Fiber + Moisture + Ash) 

*Ash is not usually listed on ingredient labels, but you can use 2% as a baseline in raw food diets, and 6% for freeze-dried diets. Dry kibble usually ranges from 5-8% while wet/canned sits closer to 2-3%. These are not exact numbers but gives us a decent estimation point

 

You walk in to your nearest pet shop, grab the brightly colored bag with huge cuts of fresh meat and vegetables plastering the front while big words are toting "whole cuts of meat"! Although it looks good, you flip the bag over and glance over the guaranteed analysis. Let's say your label shows

  • Protein: 25%
  • Fat: 15%
  • Fiber: 5%
  • Moisture: 10%
  • Ash: 8% (Not usually listed on labels; assume ~6–8% for kibble)

Now let's plug and play using NFE:

 NFE (Carbs %) = 100 – (25 + 15 + 5 + 10 + 8)

Carbs = 37%

Using NFE, we've now estimated that the expensive, brightly colored bag with huge pictures of fresh meat is actually over a third carbohydrates—even though it’s never stated on the label!

No, carbohydrates aren’t inherently “bad,” but excessive carbs—especially from low-quality sources—can impact weight, energy levels, and overall health. 

 

Pet food labels don’t tell us the full story—but with a little extra knowledge, you can uncover what’s really inside your pets bowl. By using the NFE Method, you can:

  • Compare your pet's foods more accurately and stop paying for cheap fillers
  • Spot hidden carb-heavy foods, depsite fancy marketing claims
  • Make more calculated, informed decisions for your pet’s health that will pay off ten-fold

And once you start calculating carbs, you’ll never look at a guaranteed analysis the same way again.

 

Ryder D'Amato

Ryder@marlinsrawsuperfood.com