Pet Food Protein Dry Matter Calculator

Purrs McBarkin' Pet Nutrition Tool

Pet Food Protein Dry Matter Calculator

Convert the crude protein listed on a pet food label to a dry matter basis using the crude protein and moisture values from the Guaranteed Analysis.

What does dry matter mean?

Pet food contains water. Dry matter is what remains after that moisture is mathematically removed. Looking at nutrients on a dry matter basis shows how much protein is present in the non-water portion of the food.

Why use this calculator?

Foods with different moisture levels can look very different on the label. Canned food, for example, often appears lower in protein because much of its weight is water. Dry matter conversion creates a more useful comparison between dry, canned, fresh, and raw foods.

Example: A food with 26% crude protein and 10% moisture contains approximately 28.9% protein on a dry matter basis.

Enter the minimum crude protein percentage from the Guaranteed Analysis.

Enter the maximum moisture percentage from the Guaranteed Analysis.

How the calculation works

Formula used

Crude protein ÷ (100 − moisture) × 100

First, the moisture percentage is subtracted from 100 to find the food's dry matter. The listed protein is then divided by that dry matter amount and multiplied by 100.

Important: This calculator provides an estimate based on the minimum crude protein and maximum moisture values printed in the Guaranteed Analysis. It does not measure protein quality, digestibility, amino acid balance, calorie content, or whether a food is appropriate for an individual pet.
© 2026 Purrs McBarkin'. All rights reserved.
Scroll to Top