Akela 80:20 Fish (20% VAT) review

An Excellent band finish sets this food a clear step above the typical adult dry recipe, which settles in our Good band. Transparency is its standout pillar at Outstanding, with nutritional balance and value both reading Excellent and protein and processing Good behind them.

Ingredients, as declared: Freshly Prepared Trout (18%), Freshly Prepared Salmon (17%), Freshly Prepared White Fish (11%), Dehydrated Herring (11%), Sweet Potato (9%), Dehydrated Salmon (7%), Dehydrated White Fish (6%), Salmon Oil (5%), Tapioca (4%), Freshly Prepared Tuna (4%), Chickpeas (1%), Pea Fibre (1%), Lentils (1%), Salmon Stock (1%), Alfalfa/Lucerne (1%), Brewer's Yeast, Vitamins, Minerals, Prebiotic FOS (480 mg/kg), Apple, Organic Peas, Organic Spinach, Organic Pumpkin, Organic Carrot, Camomile, Marigold Petals, Burdock Root, Aniseed & Fenugreek, Peppermint, Seaweed, Cranberry, Dandelion, Pear, Blueberry, Fennel, Joint Support [Glucosamine (180 mg/kg), MSM (180 mg/kg), Chondroitin Sulphate (125 mg/kg)]. Nutritional Additive: Vitamins: Vitamin A (retinyl acetate) 14,400 IU, Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) 2,165 IU, Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol acetate) 95 mg; Trace Elements: Ferrous Sulphate Monohydrate 160 mg, Zinc Sulphate Monohydrate 133.5 mg, Manganous Sulphate Monohydrate 105 mg, Cupric Sulphate Pentahydrate 58 mg, Calcium Iodate Anhydrous 1.58 mg, Sodium Selenite 0.64 mg; Technological Additives: Enterococcus faecium crenelle 68 (SF68; NCIMB 10415) 7,692,307,692 CFU as an aid in the establishment, maintenance and restoration of balanced gut flora in dogs

Fresh trout at 18%, salmon at 17%, white fish at 11% and tuna at 4% give the label its headline, but fresh fish is mostly water, and the oven takes that back. The dehydrated herring at 11%, salmon at 7% and white fish at 6% are what anchor the finished food. The sums come out well: protein converts to 41.3% of dry matter, with carbohydrate estimated at 23.0% where the adult dry norm is 46.2%.

Sweet potato at 9% and tapioca at 4% carry the binding, with chickpeas, lentils and pea fibre at token levels behind them. Tapioca brings starch and little else, but at this inclusion it is doing structural work rather than padding the recipe.

Salmon oil is in at 5%, plenty of marine omega 3 in the form dogs use most readily. In a food that is already all fish, it needs no caveat.

The gut gets deliberate attention: prebiotic FOS at a declared 480 mg/kg, plus a named live gut-flora strain added at a stated count. That pairing is more often seen in foods with digestive claims on the front of the bag.

The joint trio is printed in full: glucosamine and MSM at 180 mg/kg each with chondroitin sulphate at 125 mg/kg. The long botanical tail from apple to fennel sits at trace level as seasoning.

£4.33 a kilo when we checked, sold in 1.2kg, 8kg and 10kg bags.

Feeding a 15kg adult dog in moderate condition takes around 237 grams a day, which works out near £1.03, using the standard maintenance estimate of 110 × bodyweight^0.75, about 840 kcal at that weight.