Barking Heads

Barking Heads Big Foot Dry Food: Golden Years Chicken review

Name: Barking Heads Big Foot Dry Food: Golden Years Chicken
Brand: Barking Heads

63.7/100Good

DryAdultSenior

Flavour

The brand's 50% chicken kibble, reworked for big frames. The joint pair is dosed in print, and taurine and L-carnitine are added with a large dog's heart and metabolism in mind. A standard recipe covers working adults and Golden Years the later chapters.

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Our view

Likely to suit

Large-breed adults: kibble, feeding guide and doses are built around heavier frames
Owners who want joint support in print
Chicken-loving dogs. Half of each recipe is chicken, itemised
Ageing giants, as Golden Years trims the fat and keeps the joint pair

Worth watching

Salmon oil in both, if fish is on your dog's banned list
Half of everything is chicken, the one meat a poultry-sensitive dog cannot work around

Written by our editorial team. Independent guidance, not veterinary advice.

How this scores

How we score

63.7/100Good

Protein and processingGood

Nutritional balanceAverage

TransparencyOutstanding

ValueGood

The details

Dog fit

Listed for large breeds, adult on the standard recipe and adult to senior on Golden Years. The standard guide starts at 335 grams a day at 25kg, so check your dog's weight against it.

Food type

Dry

Life stage

Adult, Senior

Breed size

Large

Main protein

Chicken

The score, in context

Golden Years Chicken 63.7
Barking Heads Big Foot Dry Food 61.1

All two Good. Typical dry food: Good.

Full disclosure does the lifting for both, and your dog's age is what decides between them.

What's in it

Chicken: freshly prepared, dried, gravy50% (23%, 23%, 4%)More dried chicken, so protein lands slightly higher.
Rice26%
Barley, potatoSpread the grain base wider.
Peas, oats8%, 6%
Lucerne, minerals
Salmon oil1%
Yeast products, chicory root extract1000mg/kg each
Seaweed, dried carrot, mixed herbs, beta glucans
Glucosamine, chondroitin sulphate500mg/kg, 150mg/kgThe joint pair stays in place.

Taurine at 1000mg and L-carnitine at 50mg, vitamins A, D3 and E, and zinc in two forms including a glycine chelate.

Named ingredients

Chicken 50% (23% Freshly Prepared Free Run Chicken, 23% Dried Chicken, 4% Chicken Gravy), Rice (26%), Barley, Potato, Peas (8%), Oats (6%), Lucerne, Minerals, Salmon Oil (1%), Yeast Products (1000mg/kg), Chicory Root Extract (FOS 1000mg/kg), Seaweed, Glucosamine (500mg/kg), Dried Carrot (500mg/kg), Mixed Herbs (Peppermint, Rosemary, Oregano & Thyme 500mg/kg), Beta Glucans (300mg/kg), Chondroitin Sulphate (150mg/kg).

Against the range

Fat: 11%; 14% on the standard recipe.
Protein, dry matter: 27.2%; 26.1% on the standard recipe.
Grains: Rice, barley, oats, potato; Rice and oats on the standard recipe.

Adult and senior are both on the label, so an older dog does not need a change of shelf.

Both recipes are 50% chicken with the split printed, rice at 26% leading the grains, salmon oil at 1% and the same prebiotic pair of yeast products and chicory root extract. Glucosamine at 500mg/kg and chondroitin sulphate at 150mg/kg are dosed in both, with taurine and L-carnitine on the additive panel.

What varies is the chicken split, the fat and the grain spread: Golden Years adds barley and potato and drops fat to 11%.

Nutritional analysis

Declared analysis

Energy

357 kcal/100g

Protein

25%

Fat

11%

Fibre

3.5%

Ash

Dry weight

Protein

27.2%

Fat

12%

Fibre

3.8%

Ash

7.6%

Carbs

49.4%

As-fed composition

Estimated breakdown of the finished product by ingredient category, from the declared ingredient list and ingoing weights. These are estimates, not measurements.

Meat

46%

Added water

Carbs

46.5%

Veg

0.5%

Oils

Other

1.9%

Pricing & size