Barking Heads Little Paws Dry Food: Fuss Pot Duck review

All three members of this range come out in our Good band, level with the typical adult dry food. They finish near enough together that the sensible way to choose is by life stage and protein history rather than by score.

Ingredients, as declared: 50% Duck (27% Freshly Prepared Free Run Duck, 19% Dried Duck, 2% Duck Fat, 2% Duck Gravy) Sweet Potato (24%), Peas (12%), Potato, Lucerne, Linseed, Minerals, Yeast Products (1000mg/kg), Chicory Root Extract (FOS 1000mg/kg), Seaweed, Dried Carrot (500mg/kg), Mixed Herbs (Peppermint, Rosemary, Oregano & Thyme 500mg/kg), Beta Glucans.

Each recipe leads with 50% of its named animal and prints the split behind the headline. The chicken varieties pair freshly prepared meat with dried chicken in different balances, and the duck runs 27% fresh against 19% dried. In every case the dried share is what carries protein through the oven intact. Protein converts to 27.3% of dry matter on Bowl Lickin' Chicken and 27.2% on the other two, strong figures for a small breed food.

The starch changes with the recipe. Bowl Lickin' Chicken rests on 26% rice with oats and 10% peas. Golden Years uses rice at the same level, with barley, potato, peas and oats in support. Fuss Pot Duck swaps the lot for 24% sweet potato, 12% peas and potato, and that is what makes it the grain free member.

The supporting cast is classic Barking Heads. Yeast products give prebiotic support at 1000mg/kg, chicory root extract matches them, and then come seaweed, dried carrot at 500mg/kg and a 500mg/kg blend of mixed herbs. The Golden Years variety goes further for its older audience, adding glucosamine at 500mg/kg, chondroitin sulphate at 150mg/kg, taurine at 1000mg and L-Carnitine at 50mg.

Salmon oil at 1% supplies the omegas in both chicken recipes, so neither is free of fish. The duck leans on linseed instead and lists no fish at all. Duck at 50% is the sole animal ingredient on its list. That makes it the natural pick when you need the ingredient list kept to a single species.

The one to reach for when chicken has worn out its welcome: 50% duck on a sweet potato base, no grain and no fish anywhere on the label. It is also the richest recipe of the three at 19% fat and 388 kcal per 100g, so portion with a light hand for less active dogs.

The chicken varieties are £6.67 a kilo in 1.5kg and 6kg bags, while the duck is £9.74 a kilo in a 1.5kg bag.

For a 15kg adult dog in moderate condition, an estimate of about 840 kcal a day (110 × bodyweight^0.75, the standard maintenance estimate) gives 225 grams on Bowl Lickin' Chicken. Fuss Pot Duck comes to 216 grams and Golden Years to 235. That works out at £1.50, £2.11 and £1.57 a day. A genuine Little Paws dog will weigh far less than that, so the small breed tables on the bag are the better everyday reference.