Why do some pet foods call themselves “premium”? And why do they cost more than the brands you can buy in the supermarket?

Generally, the old adage ‘you get what you pay for’ applies to pet foods as well.

One of the main differences with premium pet foods is their higher digestibility. For instance, a premium pet food might have an 80% digestibility as opposed to say, 40% for a cheaper ‘supermarket’ brand.
This means that for every 100gm of premium food fed and eaten, 80gm is digested and only 20gm ends up as poop. The same amount of the cheaper brand would end up with only 40gm digested and 60gm of poop.
If you do your maths, you can see that you would have to feed twice as much of the cheaper food to keep up, and would then end up with 6 times as much poop in the process (a significant fact for mowers of lawns and owners of kitty litter boxes!) In fact it is quite possible you will actually spend more per serve with the ‘cheaper’ brand.
The digestibility is affected by the type of protein, meat and ingredients in the food. Cheaper foods tend to have cheaper cuts of meat and more grains acting as fillers.

Better nutrition & consistency in diet

Premium food also have more constant levels of protein and vitamins, and also tend to state and guarantee what their protein content is derived from. If they state chicken, for example, that is what your pet gets. This is essential when you know your pet my react to certain proteins. Many cheaper brands will only claim ‘animal proteins or by-products’, so it's a gamble as to what you may get from one can to the next.
Your pet will usually prefer the taste of the better quality meat products in the premium foods. And the higher quality and level of vitamins and minerals will usually leave them with a noticeably glossier coat and higher energy levels. Most premium foods will provide a money back guarantee. If your pet doesn’t like the taste, you can return your bag for a full refund.

Another advantage is that while cheaper foods tend to be 'one size fits all'; premium foods are carefully formulated for the type of animal. There are premium foods especially formulated for your pet's age (e.g young, adult or senior); their size (e.g small dog versus large dog); their weight (e.g calorie-controlled diets); and even your specific breed of dog (such Eukanuba's breed range).
 

Combining wet & dry foods

While premium dry foods provide your pet's complete dietary needs, some people choose to supplement the dry diet with some wet foods. The main reason is to provide variety in their diet, by offering different tastes and textures. However, it's important to remember that not all wet foods are created equal. A supermarket can or pouch may not be the best "treat" in terms of your pet's diet. For best nutrition, it's recommended that you choose premium food in both wet and dry.

So to sum up, premium pet foods mean: better quality products, usually less cost per feed than the lower quality brands, less poop and gas, and healthier happier pets.

Changing your pet's diet

Once you make the decision to switch to premium foods, it's best to introduce it slowly. It takes a pet a few weeks to adapt their digestive system to a change in their diet - even if it's a change for the better. For this reason, don’t make any sudden changes to your pet’s diet. Use the ¼ at a time principle. Start with ¼ new ¾ old for a few days, then ½ and ½, then ¾ new ¼ old and after 1-2 weeks you can make a complete change. This tends to avoid stomach upsets.