Belcando

Belcando Puppy Grain-Free review

Name: Belcando Puppy Grain-Free
Brand: Belcando

55.3/100Good

DryPuppy

A rich, cereal-free growth kibble, with fat at 19.0% and carbohydrate held to 35.0% of dry matter. Calcium is declared at 1.39% of dry matter. It sits in our Good band, level with the typical growth kibble, because the bird is never named and part of the protein is plant and gelatin.

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Our view

Likely to suit

Busy, fast-growing pups, with energy at an estimated 375 kcal per 100g
Grain-free households
Less starch than a typical growth kibble
Big pups, with calcium printed and inside the growth range
Pups who like a marine note: sea fish meal at 5% and krill at 2.5%

Worth watching

Poultry never named to a bird, so check with the maker for a species-specific diet
Fish throughout, as sea fish meal, krill and salmon oil
A rich recipe, so a steadier pup needs portions weighed

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

How this scores

How we score

55.3/100Good

Protein and processingAverage

Nutritional balanceGood

TransparencyExcellent

ValueGood

The details

Dog fit

Listed for puppies of every size, with calcium in range for large breeds too. Recheck the bag's chart each time the scales move on.

Food type

Dry

Life stage

Puppy

Breed size

Toy, Small, Medium, Large, Giant

Main protein

Poultry

The score, in context

Belcando Puppy Grain-Free 55.3

All one Good. Typical dry food: Good.

A strong analysis for a growth food, held level with the typical one by unnamed poultry and by plant and gelatin protein inside the headline figure.

What's in it

Fresh poultry meat40%Shrinks considerably in cooking. The bird is never named, and may change between batches.
Low-ash poultry protein, dried16%Reaches the kibble almost as printed.
Amaranth14%A seed, bringing more than starch.
Potato starch, pea flourPea flour adds plant protein a pup uses less well than meat.
Sea fish meal5%A meaningful inclusion.
Poultry fat
Ground zooplankton (krill), hydrolysed gelatin, dried baker's yeast2.5% eachGelatin is animal protein of limited value, counted in the 29.5%.
Dried egg, carob bean gum, beet pulp, dicalcium phosphate
Salmon oil, hydrolysed poultry liver, chia seeds
Sodium chloride, potassium chloride

Taurine at 500 mg per kilo and iron at 200 mg stand out on a fully printed panel.

Part of the 29.5% protein comes from pea flour and gelatin, so it is less meat-derived than the first two lines suggest.

Named ingredients

Fresh poultry meat (40%); Low-ash poultry protein, dried (16%); Amaranth (14%); Potato starch; Pea flour; Sea fish meal (5%); Poultry fat; Ground zooplankton (Krill, 2.5%); Hydrolyzed gelatin (2.5%); Dried baker's yeast (2.5%); Dried egg; Dried carob bean gum; De-sugared dried beet pulp; Dicalcium phosphate; Salmon oil; Hydrolyzed poultry liver; Chia seeds; Sodium chloride; Potassium chloride

Against the range

Fresh poultry meat and dried poultry protein lead a cereal-free list, with amaranth, potato starch and pea flour doing the binding. Fish comes in three forms, and calcium is declared inside the growth range.

Nutritional analysis

Declared analysis

Energy

375 kcal/100g

Estimated using Modified Atwater factors*

Protein

29.5%

Fat

19%

Fibre

2.5%

Ash

7.5%

Moisture

10%

Dry weight

Protein

32.8%

Fat

21.1%

Fibre

2.8%

Ash

8.3%

Carbs

35%

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

71.4%

Oils

28.6%

Pricing & size