What is actually in dog food
Plain explanations of the things you find on a label, from the obvious ones to the ones that sound like chemistry. No opinions about whether an ingredient is good or bad, just what it is and what it does in the bag.
Watercress
A peppery leafy green of the brassica family.
Well Water
Water drawn from a well.
Wheat
The grain of the wheat plant, one of the most widely grown cereals.
Wheat Flour
Flour milled from wheat, generally with the bran and germ removed.
Wheat Germ
The germ of the wheat kernel, the part that would grow into a new plant.
Wheat Germ Meal
Wheat germ pressed and ground into a meal.
Wheat Gluten
The protein fraction separated from wheat after the starch is washed away.
Wheat Gluten Meal
A meal made from the protein fraction of wheat.
Wheat Middlings
The bran, germ and fine particles left after wheat is milled into flour.
Whey
The liquid fraction left after milk is curdled to make cheese.
White Fish
The flesh of any of several lean white ocean fish, used fresh.
White Fish Meal
Whitefish that has been cooked, dried and ground into a concentrated meal with most of the water removed.
White Rice
Rice milled to remove the hull, bran and germ, leaving the starchy endosperm.
Whitefish
The flesh of any of several lean white ocean fish, used fresh.
Whitefish Meal
Whitefish that has been cooked, dried and ground into a concentrated meal with most of the water removed.
Whole Arctic Char
Whole Arctic char, used entire rather than as fillet alone.
Whole Atlantic Herring
Whole Atlantic herring, used entire rather than as fillet alone.
Whole Atlantic Mackerel
Whole Atlantic mackerel, used entire rather than as fillet alone.
Whole Barley
Barley with the hull removed but the bran and germ intact.
Whole Blue Catfish
Whole blue catfish, used entire rather than as fillet.
Whole Brown Rice
Brown rice kept as a whole grain, with the bran and germ intact.
Whole Carrots
The root of the carrot plant, used fresh, cooked or dried.
Whole Catfish
Whole catfish, used entire rather than as fillet alone.
Whole Chicken Thighs
Whole chicken thighs, a darker and fattier cut than breast.
Whole Chickpeas
The seed of the chickpea plant, also sold as the garbanzo bean.
Whole Clove Garlic
Whole unbroken cloves of garlic.
Whole Cracked Pearled Barley
Cracked pearled barley kept whole rather than further milled.
Whole Cracked Pearled Buffalo
A label combining cracked pearled grain with buffalo, most likely a data entry error on a compound ingredient.
Whole Dressed Chicken
A whole chicken with feathers, head and entrails removed.
Whole Dried Egg
Whole eggs with the moisture removed, leaving a concentrated dry egg ingredient.
Whole Egg Powder
Whole egg dried and milled to a powder.
Whole Egg Product
Egg content processed into a stable dry or liquid ingredient, minus the shell.
Whole Eggs
Whole hen eggs, used fresh or as a processed egg ingredient.
Whole Grain Barley
Barley with the bran and germ still on the grain rather than polished away.
Whole Grain Brown Rice
Brown rice kept whole, with the bran and germ intact rather than milled away as they are in…
Whole Grain Corn
Corn kernels ground with the bran, germ and endosperm still intact, rather than the degermed endosperm used in…