How to read a dog supplement label (UK feed labelling explained)

Why a supplement label looks like a feed label

Pet food labelling falls under the legislation for animal feed — it doesn’t have its own set of rules and it doesn’t follow the rules for human food, which is why some of the terms are more familiar to farmers than to pet owners. UK Pet Food, the industry body, explains that the law requires a label to carry key information including a list of ingredients (headed “composition”), additives, a nutrition analysis (headed “analytical constituents”) and feeding guidelines.^[8]

The main law is Regulation (EC) No 767/2009 on the placing on the market and use of feed. EU law retained when the UK left the EU became “assimilated law” in Great Britain on 1 January 2024, and the current text is published on legislation.gov.uk. Here is what each part of the label means.^[3],[6]

Complementary feed vs complete feed

Every feed label must state the type of feed — “feed material”, “complete feed” or “complementary feed”. The regulation defines a complete feed as compound feed which, by its composition, is sufficient for a daily ration. A complementary feed has a high content of certain substances but is sufficient for a daily ration only if used in combination with other feed.^[3],[1]

In practice, a complementary feed is an addition to your dog’s diet, not a replacement for it. UK Pet Food gives mixer biscuits and treats as everyday examples. A tablet supplement such as DIGEST+ is complementary: your dog still needs a complete food that meets all their nutritional needs.^[1],[8]

What the law requires on the label

Article 15 of the regulation lists particulars every feed must carry, and Article 17 adds more for compound feeds such as supplements. Between them:^[3],[4]

Composition vs additives

These two lists cause the most confusion. Composition lists the feed materials — the ingredients the product is made from — in descending order by weight, and may give percentages. If a feed material is emphasised on the label in words, pictures or graphics, its name and percentage by weight must be given. For pets, ingredients may be declared by category (for example “oils and fats”) rather than individually.^[4],[6]

Additives are listed separately, under the heading “additives”. For pet feed, certain additives must be listed with their specific names and/or identification numbers, added amount and functional group — including everything in the zootechnical category, which covers additives such as micro-organisms. Some functional groups, such as preservatives, antioxidants, colourants and flavouring compounds, need only the group name. Other additives may be listed voluntarily.^[5]

On a supplement label, the additives list often includes technological additives, which help make and hold the tablet together, and sensory additives such as flavourings. UK Pet Food notes that additives must go through safety and efficacy assessment before they can be used.^[8]

Analytical constituents

This is the nutrition analysis. For complementary feeds for dogs, the regulation lists four constituents: crude protein, crude fibres, crude fat and crude ash.^[5]

On a supplement, these percentages describe the tablet itself. A tablet is a tiny part of your dog’s daily intake, so its analytical constituents tell you what it is made of rather than how it changes the balance of your dog’s diet.

Feeding instructions

Compound feeds must give instructions for proper use, indicating the purpose for which the feed is intended. On a supplement this is usually a feeding guide by body weight. UK Pet Food points out that feeding guidelines are for the average animal, so keep an eye on your dog’s weight and body condition, and speak to your vet if you’re unsure.^[4],[8]

Best before and batch number

Most feeds carry “best before” followed by a date indicating a month; highly perishable feeds use “use before” with a specific day. The batch or lot number identifies the production run, which is what a manufacturer needs if you ever have a question about a particular pack — keep it until the product is finished.^[4],[3]

Claims: what a feed label can and can’t say

Feed labels may draw attention to the presence or absence of a substance, a nutritional characteristic or a specific function, provided the claim is objective, verifiable and understandable, and the business can provide scientific substantiation on request. Claims about optimising nutrition and supporting or protecting physiological conditions are permitted. What a feed label must not do is claim that the feed will deal with a disease.^[2]

Government guidance on pet food makes the same point: additional information on a label must be objective, quantifiable and provable, and should not mislead purchasers or make claims of the kind reserved for medicines.^[6]

The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) polices the other side of the line. Its guidance says a product may become a medicine “by presentation” if it is presented as having a beneficial effect on an animal’s health problems, and “by function” if it contains a substance the VMD recognises as having an effect against disease. Products that are not authorised veterinary medicines may only be presented for maintaining health in healthy animals — and the word “support” follows the same rules as “maintain”.^[7]

Reading the DIGEST+ label, line by line

Each bottle holds 120 chicken-flavour tablets. To turn the feeding guide into a number for your dog, use the dose calculator, or see the full DIGEST+ label on the product page. The best-before date and batch number are on the pack.

A 60-second label check

For more on the live bacteria and fibres you’ll see listed, read probiotics vs prebiotics and what CFU means.