Analytical Constituents Decoded
Every dog treat label in the UK carries a small panel of percentages, usually under the heading Analytical Constituents or sometimes Typical Analysis.[1][2]
It lists things like crude protein, crude fat, crude fibre, crude ash, and moisture.[1][2]
If you have ever looked at that panel and wondered what it means - you are not alone. The wording is odd, the word crude sounds unhelpful, and crude ash sounds like someone has shaken out the remnants of a firepit into the bag.
This page explains what those numbers measure, what they can help you judge, and where they stop being useful.
Why the wording sounds so strange
Dog treats and dog food fall under animal feed law, not human food law. That is why the terminology sounds more laboratory than kitchen cupboard.[1][2]
The word crude refers to the type of lab test used. It does not mean the ingredient is rough, poor quality, or low grade.[2][3]
Crude ash does not mean ash has been added to the food. It is the mineral residue left after a sample is burned during testing. In plain English, it reflects the mineral content naturally present in the ingredients.[2][3]
Those two points are worth clearing up early, because they confuse a lot of people.
What each number measures
| Term | What it tells you | What it does not tell you |
|---|---|---|
| Crude protein | Rough total protein level | Protein quality, digestibility, or amino acid balance |
| Crude fat | Rough fat level | Whether that fat is especially useful or suitable for your dog |
| Crude fibre | Rough fibre level | Total dietary fibre in full |
| Crude ash | Mineral content | Whether ash has been added, or whether the product is automatically poor quality |
| Moisture | Water content | Nothing about quality on its own, but it changes how all the other numbers should be read |
Crude protein
This gives a rough estimate of total protein content.[2][3]
It is useful, but it does not tell the whole story.
It does not tell you where that protein came from, how digestible it is, or whether it contains a strong balance of essential amino acids.[3][4]
Crude fat
This gives you a reasonable idea of how fatty the product is.[2][3]
That can be useful, especially if you are trying to compare treats within the same category or looking for a lower-fat option under veterinary guidance.
But again, it does not tell you the whole story.
Crude fibre
This is a rough fibre figure, not the full fibre story. It is useful as a guide, but it does not capture all the fibre in the treat.[3]
Crude ash
This is actually the mineral content left after testing - which is not exactly obvious if you are just trying to work out what is in the treat.[2][3]
It is not an added ingredient. It is not the manufacturer tipping ash into the mix. It is simply what remains after the organic material is burned away in testing.[2][3]
Moisture
This is the water content.[1][2]
It matters more than most people realise, because it changes how every other number on the panel should be interpreted.
What these numbers can tell you
Used sensibly, the panel can tell you a few useful things about what is in the treat.
1. A rough sense of what is in the treat
You can get a broad sense of whether a treat is:
- higher in protein
- higher in fat
- lower or higher in moisture
- likely to be more concentrated or less concentrated
2. Whether something looks unusual
Very high fat can flag a more calorie-dense product.
Very low protein in something marketed as very meaty may prompt a closer look at the ingredients list.
3. A rough estimate of carbohydrate content
Carbohydrates do not usually appear as a separate figure on UK pet treat labels.[1][2]
A rough estimate can be made by subtraction:
100 - protein - fat - fibre - ash - moisture = estimated carbohydrate fraction
That is not perfect, but it can help reveal products that are heavier on starch than the front of the pack suggests.
4. More context when paired with the ingredients list
This is where the panel becomes most useful.
If a product shows ordinary-looking numbers but the ingredients list says things like meat and animal derivatives or vague cereal terms, you still do not have much clarity.
See What Are Derivatives in Dog Treats?
If a product gives you named ingredients, clear percentages, and the analysis panel, you have a much better chance of understanding what you are buying.
See Category Labels vs Named Ingredients
What these numbers cannot tell you
This part matters more than what the numbers say.
They cannot tell you ingredient quality
Two products can show very similar numbers while using very different ingredients.[3][4]
The panel measures broad nutrient quantities. It does not tell you whether the ingredients are clearly named, good quality, or hidden behind vague wording.[3][4]
They cannot tell you digestibility
A higher crude protein number does not automatically mean the protein is more usable.[3][4]
That is one of the biggest mistakes people make when reading these labels.
They cannot tell you amino acid quality
Protein quantity and protein quality are not the same thing.[3][4]
A label can show a solid crude protein figure while telling you very little about whether the amino acid profile is especially good.
That matters because dogs need the right balance of amino acids for protein to be properly useful to the body.[4]
They cannot tell you how well the product was put together
The panel does not tell you how the treat was made, how much processing may have changed it, or whether the ingredients make sense together.
That matters because two treats can look similar on the label but still be very different in overall quality.
They cannot tell you everything you need to know
This is the big one.
Analytical constituents are useful, but they are only one part of the label.
They measure quantity, not quality.[3]
The moisture trap: why raw percentages can mislead
This is the single most useful thing to understand.
Analytical constituents are declared on an as-fed basis, which means the water is still included in the numbers.[1][2][3]
That makes direct comparison tricky.
A dry treat and a moist treat cannot be compared fairly on raw percentages alone, because water changes the whole picture.[3]
Example
A very dry air-dried treat may show a protein level of 76.8%.
A much wetter treat may show 20% protein.
At first glance, the dry one looks massively higher.
But if the wetter product contains much more water, the actual protein concentration of the food material may be far closer than it looks.
So the rule is simple:
Do not compare raw analytical percentages across products with very different moisture levels.
Compare within similar product types where possible.
Treats are not complete foods
Dog treats are usually complementary feed, not complete food.[1][2]
That matters.
It means there is no single ideal protein, fat, fibre, or ash number that applies to all treats.
A baked biscuit, an air-dried meat nibble, a chew, and a semi-moist training treat will all look different on the panel. That is normal.
The useful question is not:
"Which number is best?"
It is:
"Am I comparing like with like, and does this fit what I want from this type of treat?"
If you also want to keep treats in proportion overall, see Treat Calories and the 10% Rule.
How the numbers can vary across different treat types
Here are a few examples from Bounce & Bella products. The point is not to claim that one set of numbers is automatically better than another.
The point is to show how much the figures can change depending on the type of treat.
| Product | Type | Protein | Fat | Fibre | Ash | Moisture |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poultry Training Treats | Baked, multi-ingredient | 20% | 18% | 2% | 7% | - |
| Pure Chicken Nibbles | Air-dried, single ingredient | 70.9% | 3.3% | - | 2.2% | 14.7% |
| Venison Nibbles | Air-dried, single ingredient | 76.8% | 9.4% | - | 5.1% | 4.2% |
| Fish Training Treats | Baked | 25.5% | 15.5% | - | 10% | - |
| Natural Beef Chews | Air-dried, single ingredient | 52.9% | 15.4% | - | 6.4% | 19% |
A few things stand out:
- Air-dried single-ingredient treats often show much higher protein percentages because there is very little water left.
- Fish-based treats can naturally show higher ash because fish ingredients often carry more mineral content.
- Different moisture levels make direct comparison misleading unless you compare carefully.
That is why the numbers should never be read in isolation.
Numbers plus ingredients: the combination that matters
A neat-looking analysis panel can sit next to a vague ingredients list. That can be a trap.
The analysis panel tells you the broad nutrient picture.
The composition tells you where it came from.
You need both.
A product that shows full analytical data alongside clearly named ingredients and meaningful percentages gives you far more to work with than one hidden behind vague category labels such as animal derivatives.[2][3]
That is also why this page sits alongside Hidden Nasties in Dog Treats and Category Labels vs Named Ingredients. The label only starts making sense when you read the parts together.
The short version
Analytical constituents are useful but limited.
They tell you roughly how much protein, fat, fibre, mineral content, and moisture a treat contains.[1][2][3]
They do not tell you:
- ingredient quality
- digestibility
- amino acid balance
- how the treat was made or how much processing may have changed it
- whether the treat is automatically good or bad
Read them alongside the ingredients list, not instead of it.
Compare products within the same type where possible.
Be careful with moisture, because it can make raw percentages look wildly different.
And do not assume that higher or lower numbers are automatically better. Context matters.
If your dog has specific dietary needs, that is a conversation to have with your vet, not something the label panel can settle on its own.
Related reading
- Hidden Nasties in Dog Treats
- Category Labels vs Named Ingredients
- What Are Derivatives in Dog Treats?
- Treat Calories and the 10% Rule
- Low-Fat Dog Treats
References
- Regulation (EC) No 767/2009. On the placing on the market and use of feed. Includes pet food labelling requirements and analytical constituent declarations.
- FEDIAF. Code of Good Labelling Practice for Pet Food. Explains labelling terminology including crude protein, crude oils and fats, crude fibre, crude ash, moisture, and alternative wording.
- UK Pet Food. Understanding Pet Food Labels Factsheet. Explains analytical constituents and how to read pet food label information.
- MSD Veterinary Manual. Nutritional Requirements of Small Animals. Covers protein, amino acids, and nutrient needs in dogs and cats.
- Commission Regulation (EC) No 152/2009. Laying down the methods of sampling and analysis for the official control of feed. Provides official analytical methods for feed testing.
- Bounce & Bella. Poultry Training Treats. Product page with composition and analytical constituents.
- Bounce & Bella. Pure Chicken Nibbles. Product page with composition and analytical constituents.
- Bounce & Bella. Pure Venison Nibbles. Product page with composition and analytical constituents.
- Bounce & Bella. Fish Training Treats. Product page with composition and analytical constituents.
- Bounce & Bella. Natural Beef Chews. Product page with composition and analytical constituents.