Calibra

Calibra Life Fresh Beef Junior Large review

Name: Calibra Life Fresh Beef Junior Large
Brand: Calibra

69.5/100Good

DryPuppy

A growth kibble written for big dogs, and it gets the line that matters most right: calcium from named egg shells, landing at 1.21% of dry matter, where a large-breed skeleton wants it. Beef goes in twice, as a concentrate and fresh. Rice carries a fair share of starch behind it.

View on Amazon

Affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate, Off the Leash earns from qualifying purchases.

Our view

Likely to suit

Large-breed puppies, the one size this recipe was written for
Owners who check the calcium line first: egg shells named as the source, 1.21% of dry matter
Heavy-framed pups, with glucosamine at 310 mg/kg and chondroitin sulphate at 210 mg/kg printed
Anyone who likes a label itemised to the end, from salmon oil at 2% down to Mojave yucca at 80 mg/kg
A young gut that needs a hand. MOS, FOS and an inactivated Lactobacillus helveticus culture are all listed

Worth watching

Rice at 25%, so nowhere near a grain-free plan
Fish and egg in a beef bag, from salmon oil and egg shells, which matters on a strict exclusion diet
Carbohydrate at an estimated 44.9% of dry matter against 39.0% for the typical puppy kibble

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

How this scores

How we score

69.5/100Good

Protein and processingGood

Nutritional balanceGood

TransparencyOutstanding

ValueGood

The details

Dog fit

Listed for large-breed puppies only. Start from the bag's growth chart and adjust by how your pup looks and moves.

Food type

Dry

Life stage

Puppy

Breed size

Large

Main protein

Beef

The score, in context

Calibra Life Fresh Beef Junior Large 69.5

All one Good. Typical dry food: Good.

Several things done competently and nothing done brilliantly, with the starch share the one line holding it back.

What's in it

Beef protein27%Concentrated and water-free, so it puts more into the kibble than its share suggests.
Fresh beef26%Weighed with its water still in.
Rice25%Digestible for a young dog, and the source of most of the starch.
Beef fat9%Same animal as the meat, preserved with tocopherols.
Dried apple pulp7%Soft, fermentable fibre.
Hydrolysed yeasts, salmon oil2% eachSalmon oil for marine omega 3, and fish in a beef bag.
Egg shells1%The named calcium source. The most important line here for a big puppy.
Pea flour, algae oil, dried blackcurrant0.3%, 0.2%Algae oil is a second route to the long-chain omega 3s.
Glucosamine, chondroitin sulphate310 mg/kg, 210 mg/kgMeasured out, where many labels only name them.
MOS, rosemary, thyme, yucca, FOS, inactivated Lactobacillus helveticus120 mg/kg down to 70 mg/kg

A fully dosed vitamin panel and trace minerals largely in organic forms, zinc at 90 mg and iron at 75 mg per kilo among them, the forms that tend to be better absorbed.

Calcium declared and in range at 1.21% of dry matter, sourced from egg shells.

Named ingredients

Beef protein (27 %), fresh beef (26 %), rice (25 %), beef fat (preserved with tocopherols, 9 %), dried apple pulp (7 %), hydrolysed yeasts (2 %), salmon oil (2 %), egg shells (a source of calcium, 1 %), pea flour, algae oil (0.3 %, Schizochytrium limacinum) dried blackcurrant (0.2 %), glucosamine (310 mg/kg), chondroitine sulphate (210 mg/kg), mannan-oligosaccharides (120 mg/kg), dried rosemary (100 mg/kg), dried thyme (100 mg/kg), Mojave yucca (80 mg/kg), fructo-oligosaccharides (70 mg/kg), inactivated bacteria and parts thereof (Lactobacillus helveticus HA - 122, 15 x 109 cells/kg).

Against the range

One growth kibble for large breeds, with beef in two forms ahead of rice and beef fat. Protein converts to 30.8% of dry matter and fat to 15.4%, and carbohydrate is estimated at 44.9%. Calcium comes from named egg shells and lands at 1.21% of dry matter. Energy is printed at 380 kcal per 100g.

Nutritional analysis

Declared analysis

Energy

380 kcal/100g

Protein

28%

Fat

14%

Fibre

2.5%

Ash

5.6%

Moisture

Dry weight

Protein

30.8%

Fat

15.4%

Fibre

2.7%

Ash

6.2%

Carbs

44.9%

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

56.6%

Carbs

27.3%

Veg

Oils

Other

4.1%

Pricing & size

Price per kilo: £4.99 (RRP)
Pack: 100g, 2.5kg, 12kg, 20 kg (sold under the trade name "Calibra Dog Breeder Junior Large Fresh Beef 20kg" - https://calibrastore.co.uk/products/calibra-dog-breeder-junior-large-fresh-beef-20kg)
A 15kg dog eats (our estimate): 195 to 240 g a day, 220 in the middle
Cost per day, 15kg dog: £1.10

A big dog's first year keeps changing the portion, so the bag's growth chart sets the starting point.

Middle of the market for a dry food, and fair value for what is in it.

Ingredients and nutrition are taken from manufacturer data. Retailer pricing is not yet live for this food.