Alpha Spirit Soft Food Complete: Poultry review

Both varieties sit in our Excellent band and finish level with each other, so let your dog's protein preference decide between them rather than the score. Under the headline, transparency reads Outstanding on both, protein and processing Good and value Excellent, while nutritional balance is Outstanding on the Wild Fish and Excellent on the Poultry. The strength holds right across the board, with no single suit carrying the rest.

Ingredients, as declared: 30% fresh chicken meat, 25% fresh turkey meat, 20% fresh duck meat, 10% fresh whole fish (arsenal (Sardinella aurita), mackerel (Scomber scombrus), horse mackerel (Trachurus spp.), sardine (Sardina pilchardus)), 9% hydrolysed starch, 1.5% vegetable glycerine (USP), 1% eggs, 1% Beta Vulgaris pulp, 1% brewer's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), 0.25% carrot, 0.25% apple, 0.25% chicory, 0.25% cumin (Cuminum cyminum), 0.25% rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), 0.25% turmeric (Curcuma longa)

Semi-moist changes what a fresh-meat headline means. A kibble bakes most of the water out of its fresh entries. This food keeps 25% moisture in the finished product, so the 85% animal content on these labels survives the process far more literally. The analysis agrees: protein converts to 38.0% of dry matter on the Poultry and 38.7% on the Wild Fish, with the estimated carbohydrate down at 31.3% and 30.0% respectively.

The binding is 9% hydrolysed starch, a starch broken down for easier digestion that also holds a soft food together, and no cereal is named on either label. The starch's own plant source goes unnamed too, the one gap in an otherwise well-itemised list. Vegetable glycerine at 1.5% is the humectant, the ingredient that keeps a semi-moist food soft in the bag, and it is declared here at pharmaceutical grade.

Whole fish is what the label says, with all four species printed: sardinella, mackerel, horse mackerel and sardine. Bone and organ come along with the fillet, and a good share of a fish's minerals sit in those parts. Despite the name, horse mackerel is a fish and nothing to do with horses.

Eggs, beet pulp and brewer's yeast make small working contributions further down each list, and the tail is a pinch of fruit and herb at fractions of a percent, there for seasoning rather than substance.

The additives panel earns a look of its own. Taurine is dosed at 2680 mg. It supports the heart and turns up more often in cat food, a welcome sight in a meat-led recipe. Glucosamine follows at 3930 mg for joints, and iron at 62 mg, each printed as a figure.

Three birds share the bowl here: chicken at 30%, turkey at 25% and duck at 20%, with 10% whole fish behind them. The mix makes it the natural all-rounder of the pair, while the Wild Fish is the better pick for a dog that needs its meat kept to one type.

£7.28 a kilo on both varieties, sold in 1.5kg, 3kg and 9kg bags.

As a guide, a 15kg adult dog in moderate condition gets through roughly 256 to 258 grams a day depending on variety. That is based on about 840 kcal a day, from the standard maintenance estimate of 110 × bodyweight^0.75. That works out at between £1.86 and £1.88 a day.