What Does a Pet Food Digestibility Percentage Actually Measure?
PARTNER Editorial TeamA digestibility percentage is incomplete unless you know what was measured and how. Protein digestibility, fat digestibility and dry-matter digestibility are different results. A finding for one tested recipe in healthy adult dogs is not automatically a result for every freeze-dried food, or for cats.
Before treating a percentage as a reason to buy, ask for the exact nutrient, recipe, test population and method. “Highly digestible” should lead to a study question, not an assumption that every part of a meal is absorbed equally.
Start with the name of the measurement
One common research measure is apparent total-tract digestibility. In simplified terms, it relates intake of a nutrient to the amount recovered in feces over a defined collection period. “Apparent” is part of the scientific description, not a promise that the number measures every step of absorption or use inside the body.
For a purely hypothetical illustration, if measured intake of a nutrient were 100 units and 20 units were recovered in feces, that simple difference would be 80%. These are invented teaching numbers, not test results for a PARTNER food. Real studies require controlled collection and analytical methods; looking at stool size at home cannot reproduce them.
An actual paper shows why details matter
Algya and colleagues’ 2018 study evaluated specific commercial diets in eight adult dogs. It included an adaptation period and measured multiple nutrient outcomes rather than assigning one universal percentage to all food formats.
The study did not test PARTNER recipes. Its value here is showing the kind of information to look for: identified diets, animals, methods and separately reported outcomes. A different brand cannot borrow a number simply because one processing description sounds similar.
On a small screen, swipe the table to see all columns.
| Claim detail | What to request |
|---|---|
| Percentage | Digestibility of which nutrient or component? |
| Recipe | Exact finished food and version tested |
| Animals | Species, age, health status and sample size |
| Method | Study design, adaptation, collection and analysis |
| Relevance | Whether the result supports the specific advertised benefit |
Do not turn a study endpoint into a different promise
A digestibility result does not by itself establish nutritional adequacy, allergy prevention, dental benefit or a longer life. Those are different questions requiring appropriate evidence. A tolerated meal also does not prove that an individual pet’s recurring digestive signs need no investigation.
Our AAFCO evidence guide addresses nutritional adequacy statements. The 8:1:1 label explainer addresses ingredient proportions. Neither substitutes for a recipe-specific digestibility study.
When comparing PARTNER’s raw cat foods and other options, ask for the evidence needed for your actual decision. We do not assign a digestibility percentage to our recipes here without a relevant report. A clear unanswered question is more useful than a confident number borrowed from another food.
Published by PARTNER Editorial Team for general education. Your veterinary team can advise on your pet’s individual health and feeding needs.