Calibra Expert Nutrition Energy review

It takes our Excellent band, clear of the Good band where the typical adult dry food finishes. The scoring rewards what the label does well: half the recipe declared as chicken protein, carbohydrate converting to an estimated 30.7% of dry matter against a typical 46.2%, and a supplement panel dosed in print. Judged as what it is, fuel for a dog in work, this is a well built example.

Ingredients, as declared: chicken protein (50 %), rice (16 %), poultry fat (14 %, preserved with tocopherols), brewer´s rice (6 %), hydrolysed poultry protein (5 %), yeasts, hydrolysed chicken liver (2 %), salmon oil (2 %), apple pulp dried (1 %), fulvic acid (0.2 %), prebiotics (mannan-oligosaccharides 120 mg/kg, β-glucans 100 mg/kg, fructo-oligosaccharides 70 mg/kg), glucosamine (260 mg/kg), dried rosemary & thyme (200 mg/kg), chondroitine sulphate (160 mg/kg), Mojave yucca (80 mg/kg), Lactobacillus acidophilus HA - 122 inactivated (15 × 109 cells/kg).

Chicken protein at 50% is the headline and an honest one, with hydrolysed poultry protein at 5% and hydrolysed chicken liver at 2% in support. Poultry fat at 14% is the energy engine and the label's one vague entry, since any bird qualifies as poultry.

Rice at 16% and brewer's rice at 6% are held deliberately low for a kibble. Most of the energy here comes from fat and protein rather than starch, the right shape for sustained effort.

Protein converts to 35.2% of dry matter and fat to 24.2%, with crude fibre at a low 2%. The 420 kcal density means each meal is compact, so a dog with a big requirement can meet it without an unmanageable volume of food.

The range's functional package rides along. Prebiotic mannan-oligosaccharides come at 120 mg/kg, beta-glucans at 100 mg/kg and fructo-oligosaccharides at 70 mg/kg, with an inactivated Lactobacillus culture beside them. Glucosamine at 260 mg/kg and chondroitin sulphate at 160 mg/kg cover joints under load, and Mojave yucca comes in at 80 mg/kg. Salmon oil at 2% covers the marine omega 3s.

Vitamins and organic trace minerals are itemised and dosed, including L-carnitine at 200 mg to support fat metabolism, an apt touch in a recipe where fat is the main fuel.

£4.89 a kilo, in 2kg and 12kg bags.

On the standard maintenance estimate of about 840 kcal a day (110 × bodyweight^0.75), a 15kg adult dog in moderate condition needs only around 200 grams, roughly £0.98 a day. A dog genuinely in work will need a fair bit more than maintenance, so feed to the workload and the waistline.