The Sniff Test: How to test your dog’s treats (and food) to see if they’re telling the truth.
Multiple studies over the past decade suggest more than half of dog foods/treats may not be truthfully labeled.
Which begs the question: as a dog parent, how are you supposed to know which ones are telling the truth and which ones are doggone liars?
The unfortunate answer is, when you can’t trust labels, the only way to know for sure is through DNA testing.
If you’re so inclined, this guide is going to teach you how to do just that.
But first, a few important caveats:
- This article is for information purposes only.
- Testing can be expensive and the process of getting your food/treats tested can be a bit cumbersome. Expect to spend $150-200 or more per sample.
- Calling out liar-liar-pants-on-fire dog food companies publicly has the potential to get you in a bit of legal hot water, so consider consulting with an attorney before naming names.
- This responsibility should really fall on regulators and manufacturers, not dog parents. Churro has written an open letter to the FDA asking them to start public, randomized ingredient testing for all dog treats and dog foods. Hopefully they do.
- This process worked for our needs, it may or may not work for yours. Feel free to ask your lab questions, educate yourself, and adapt as you see fit.
Okay, let’s get to it!
STEP 1: FIND A LAB
You need to start by finding a lab that can do the type of testing you need.
For our purposes, the type of testing we’re interested in is called “Meat Speciation Testing” (also known as Meat ID or animal species screen). This test will use PCR DNA testing to screen for different meat species in a particular sample – which can then be compared against what’s listed on the label.
(*It should be noted this particular test will not tell you about all the non-meat ingredients in your sample, nor will it tell you about meats you don’t test for. Breaking down ALL ingredients in a sample, as we learned, is very difficult and costs could run into the thousands or tens of thousands instead of hundreds of dollars. If you wanted to do this you would be looking for “deformulation,” or “whole genome sequencing”).
RECOMMENDED LAB:
We used IEH Laboratories and Consulting Group for our own research. We arrived at this decision after comparing several labs, due to their certifications, relatively affordable cost per sample, and professional responsiveness.
If you would like to connect with them, you can reach out to:
Sergio Sanchez, Ph.D.
Sr. Vice President Analytical Services
ss@iehinc.com
We are not affiliated with IEH and receive no referral compensation from them, this is just a recommendation based on our experience. You can use whichever lab you choose.
ALTERNATIVE LABS:
We also spoke with and considered several alternative laboratories that we did not end up using, but may work for your needs:
UCDavis’s Meat ID test – *note: this option does not detect chicken, and you’ll need to contact them to see if they will accept your type of sample.
Midwest Labs – offers meat species testing, but charges per meat species you’d like to test for vs per sample. This may be more cost effective depending on number of samples you’re testing.
Intertek – offers meat species testing out of their New Orleans office
Eurofins – this lab offers deformulation / reverse engineering
You are also welcome to find your own lab ask them if they offer meat speciation testing.
COST TO EXPECT: In our experience, the more affordably priced labs run approximately $150-200 per sample to test for 3-7 meat species, the more costly options can run up to $852 per sample.
STEP 2: PREPARE YOUR SAMPLE FOR SHIPMENT
*This process reflects instructions for IEH Labs as of the time we submitted samples for testing. Reach out to your lab to confirm these instructions before sending*
1. Prepare at least 3.5oz/100g of your treats or food. Unopened, sealed in the manufacturer’s packaging is best to prevent any potential contamination.
2. Take photos of the front, back, and bottom of the bag. Make sure to capture the ingredients listed, manufacturer, UPC code, expiration date, and the lot number (often found on the bottom). You’ll need these later. Also, save your receipt listing the date + place of purchase.
3. Fill out the Sample Submission Form using Adobe Acrobat.
4. In the “Analyses Requested” field, type: “Animal Species Screen by PCR/DNA”
5. In the Customer Special Instruction box, type: Animal Species Screen: bovine (beef), porcine (pig), chicken, turkey, goat, horse, and lamb
6. Make sure to fill out the email address you’d like your results sent to in the upper right.
7. Print the form, sign it, and ship to the lab address listed. If your samples require refrigeration, pack in an appropriate container; if not, a standard UPS or USPS shipping box should be fine.
STEP 3: GET YOUR RESULTS & COMPARE WITH WHAT’S ON THE LABEL
Expect a turnaround time between 2-7 days. You will receive a PDF with results that look like this:
Once you have your results, look back at your photo of the label and compare the meat ingredients listed to the meat that was found in the DNA test.
Here’s an example of a not-so-truthfully-labeled dog treat by one of the largest pet brands in the U.S.
As you can see, the label says it contains no chicken, but it actually does. Which is a problem if your dog is allergic to chicken, or if you just prefer not being lied to.
WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I FIND EVIDENCE OF MISLABELING?
>> You can submit a complaint to the FDA here.
>> You can tell us about it privately by emailing info@treatdogsright.com.