animal fat
"Animal fat" names no animal — rendered fat of unknowable, changeable origin. How Bowlmark scores unnamed sources.
Also appears on labels as: animal fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols) · animal fat (preserved with bha and citric acid) · animal fats
What it is
Animal fat is rendered fat from unspecified animals. "Animal" is the broadest word a label can use: the species mix can change from batch to batch, and the label will read the same either way.
Why it's in pet food
It is the cheapest fat a formulator can buy, and fat must be in the recipe — energy, palatability, and essential fatty acids all ride on it. The function is legitimate; the anonymity is the problem the label reader inherits.
How Bowlmark scores it
Scores are deterministic math over the printed label — the rules below apply to every product identically, and nothing estimates or fills in a blank.
"Animal fat" is an unnamed animal source: a single 20-point deduction on the ingredient-quality pillar, one deduction for the class no matter how many unnamed terms the label carries. Chicken fat — the named equivalent — takes no deduction at all; the engine prices the opacity, not the fat.
Common questions
Answers come from this entry and the scoring rules above — reviewed before publish, like everything else on this page. For anything about your own pet, your vet knows best.
What is animal fat in dog food?
Rendered fat from unspecified animals. "Animal" is the broadest word a label can use: the species mix can change from batch to batch, and the label will read the same either way. It is the cheapest fat a formulator can buy.
Is animal fat bad in pet food?
Fat itself must be in the recipe — energy, palatability, and essential fatty acids all ride on it. The function is legitimate; the anonymity is the problem the label reader inherits, and the anonymity is what Bowlmark scores.
How does Bowlmark score animal fat vs chicken fat?
"Animal fat" is an unnamed animal source: a single 20-point deduction on the ingredient-quality pillar, one deduction for the class no matter how many unnamed terms the label carries. Chicken fat — the named equivalent — takes no deduction at all; the engine prices the opacity, not the fat.
Foods that list animal fat
Ranked by score where scores exist. Placement here is never sold.
- Old Quarry Hearty Beef Flavor Dinner59
- Old Quarry Complete Adult Crunchy Bites58
- Pedigree Small Dog Adult Dry Food, Grilled Steak and Vegetable58
- Pedigree With TENDER BITES™ for Small Dogs Complete Nutrition Adult Dry Dog Food Chicken & Steak Flavor55
- Kibbles 'n Bits Original Savory Beef & Chicken Flavors54
- Pedigree Large Breed Dry Dog Food, Roasted Chicken, Rice and Vegetable51
- Mousetail Morsels Ocean Whitefish Crunchers49
- Pantry Pals Mixed Grill Dinner35
Compare foods that list animal fat
Same species, same form, both scored — closest scores first, so the comparison is a real one.
- Kibbles 'n Bits Original Savory Beef & Chicken Flavors vs Pedigree With TENDER BITES™ for Small Dogs Complete Nutrition Adult Dry Dog Food Chicken & Steak Flavor
- Kibbles 'n Bits Original Savory Beef & Chicken Flavors vs Pedigree Large Breed Dry Dog Food, Roasted Chicken, Rice and Vegetable
- Pedigree Small Dog Adult Dry Food, Grilled Steak and Vegetable vs Pedigree With TENDER BITES™ for Small Dogs Complete Nutrition Adult Dry Dog Food Chicken & Steak Flavor
- Kibbles 'n Bits Original Savory Beef & Chicken Flavors vs Pedigree Small Dog Adult Dry Food, Grilled Steak and Vegetable
Sources
Related ingredients
Further reading
Cite this page
Bowlmark. "Animal fat in pet food — what it is and how it scores." https://www.bowlmark.com/ingredient/animal-fat
- Engine
- Methodology engine v1.1.0 · config 13c99e2f
- Verified
- Last verified August 21, 2026
No stored score to stamp yet — the engine and config above are the ones a scan runs today.