Dog Food Dry Matter Calculator
A dog food's Guaranteed Analysis is listed “as fed,” so a kibble looks higher in protein than a canned food mostly because it has less water. Enter the percentages off the bag to convert them to a dry-matter basis — and add a second food to compare two fairly.
Your food — from the Guaranteed Analysis
Your food — dry matter 22%
| Nutrient | As-fed % | Dry-matter % |
|---|---|---|
| Crude protein | 10% | 45.5% |
| Crude fat | 6% | 27.3% |
| Crude fiber | 1% | 4.5% |
Conversion: dry-matter % = as-fed % ÷ (100 − moisture %) × 100.
Why convert to a dry-matter basis?
On the label, the guaranteed analysis lists the minimum percentages of crude protein and crude fat and the maximum percentages of water and crude fiber on an as-fed basis. Because foods differ in water content, comparisons across different food types should be made on a dry-matter (or caloric) basis. The conversion is the FDA's: divide each nutrient's as-fed percentage by the food's dry-matter percentage (100 minus moisture) and multiply by 100.
Common questions
- How do I convert guaranteed analysis to a dry matter basis?
- Subtract the moisture % from 100 to get the food's dry-matter %, then divide each nutrient's as-fed % by that and multiply by 100. Example: a canned food with 10% protein and 78% moisture is 10 ÷ 22 × 100 = about 45% protein on a dry-matter basis. The calculator above does it for you.
- Why can't I compare wet and dry dog food by their labels?
- The Guaranteed Analysis is listed on an as-fed basis, so a kibble (about 10% moisture) shows much higher percentages than a canned food (about 78% moisture) largely because it has less water. Converting both to a dry-matter basis removes the water and lets you compare them fairly.
- Is the guaranteed analysis as fed or dry matter?
- As fed — moisture included. The label lists minimum crude protein and fat and maximum moisture and fiber on an as-fed basis, so you have to convert to a dry-matter basis to compare foods with different moisture contents.
- How do I calculate fat on a dry matter basis?
- The same way as protein: divide the as-fed fat % by the food's dry-matter % (100 minus moisture) and multiply by 100. The calculator converts protein, fat, and fiber at the same time.
- Does a higher dry-matter protein number mean a better food?
- Not by itself. Converting to a dry-matter basis makes the comparison fair, but the percentage alone doesn't tell you about protein quality or digestibility. See our crude protein guide for what the number does and doesn't tell you.