Alpha Spirit The Only One Complete Puppy Food review

This puppy food takes a place in our Outstanding band, a step above the Excellent band where the middle of the puppy cold-pressed field gathers. Two things earn it that position. The first is the named fresh animal at the top of the list; the second is a carbohydrate estimate of 32.2% of dry matter where 41.4% is typical for a pressed puppy food.

Ingredients, as declared: Partially hydrolyzed fresh meat and fish (35% fresh turkey meat, 20% fresh whole fish (alacha (Sardinella aurita), mackerel (Scomber scombrus), horse mackerel (Trachurus spp.), Sardine (Sardina pilchardus)), 15% fresh pork, 10% meat fresh duck, 5% fresh chicken liver, 4.5% hydrolyzed starch, 1.8% eggs, 1.8% Beta Vulgaris pulp, 1.5% brewer's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), 1.5% sweet potato, 1.5% carrot, 1.5% apple, 0.25% cumin (Cuminum cyminum), 0.25% thyme (Thymus vulgaris), 0.25% turmeric (Curcuma longa)

The hydrolysis is the story here. The meat and fish block is described as partially hydrolysed, meaning the proteins have already been broken into smaller pieces. That is a technique usually reserved for sensitivity diets and rarely seen on a general puppy food. For a pup whose digestion is still finding its feet, it is a genuinely thoughtful piece of design.

Turkey at 35% is a lean, mild and highly digestible meat, a sensible lead for a young dog, and pork at 15% brings a meat many puppies will never have met. Chicken liver at 5% is the nutrient store of the label, dense in vitamin A, B vitamins, copper and iron. Organ meat named on a bagged puppy food is unusual.

The 20% whole fish takes in sardinella, mackerel, horse mackerel and sardine. With no added oil printed anywhere, it is the fish that supplies the omega fats a growing pup uses for brain and coat. Eggs at 1.8% add readily digested protein and beet pulp at 1.8% keeps the gut moving steadily.

The plant side is small and specific: sweet potato, carrot and apple at 1.5% each, with beet pulp above them and cumin, thyme and turmeric at 0.25% as the tail. Starch, at 4.5%, is the only real carbohydrate ingredient, and no crop is named for it.

Calcium lands at 1.55% of dry matter, which is the figure that matters most on a puppy label, because a large breed pup grows best when calcium is kept moderate rather than piled on. Iron at 70 mg, glucosamine at 4400 mg and taurine at 3000 mg are the only declared additives, with no fuller vitamin and mineral panel printed alongside.

£6.29 a kilo, sold in 3kg and 12kg bags.

On an energy based estimate, a 10kg puppy between four and twelve months old eats around 193 to 236 grams a day, and a 20kg pup at the same age about 325 to 397 grams.