Calibra

Calibra Life Puppy & Junior Pouches: Chicken with Rice review

Name: Calibra Life Puppy & Junior Pouches: Chicken with Rice
Brand: Calibra

71.9/100Excellent

WetPuppy

Flavour

Two 400g puppy pouches in our Excellent band, each with a list you can read out in one breath. The meat is 70% of the recipe and comes from a single species. Calcium is declared at a level that suits big-breed growth, which is rarer on a wet puppy food than it should be.

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Our view

Likely to suit

Puppies of any build, large and giant breeds included, with calcium at 1.36% of dry matter
A growing dog that needs its bowl built on meat
Keeping a pup on one animal at a time
Topping up a kibble bowl, as 78% moisture brings water and appetite together
Small appetites with a lot of growing to do

Worth watching

Salmon oil in both, so neither suits a fish-free elimination diet
Rice at 4% keeps them off a grain-free list
A 400g pouch is a big unit for a young puppy; cover and chill the rest

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

How this scores

How we score

71.9/100Excellent

Protein and processingGood

Nutritional balanceOutstanding

TransparencyOutstanding

ValueExcellent

The details

Dog fit

Listed for puppies of every size. Fat runs high for a wet food, so make the changeover gradually and let the growth chart and your pup's outline set the portion.

Food type

Wet

Life stage

Puppy

Breed size

Toy, Small, Medium, Large, Giant

Main protein

Chicken

The score, in context

Beef 73.1
Chicken 71.9

All two Excellent. Typical wet food: Excellent.

An even performance across the pair, holding above the middle of a wet puppy field that is strong to begin with.

What's in it

Chicken40%
Chicken hearts30%Working muscle, dense in protein and naturally rich in taurine.
Rice4%
Pea flour, lignocellulose
Salmon oil1%
Calcium carbonate
Dried algae (Schizochytrium limacinum)0.2%Marine omega 3 from a plant source.

Taurine at 800 mg/kg stands out on a short panel that doses every vitamin and trace element it lists.

Named ingredients

Chicken (40 %), chicken hearts (30 %), rice (4 %), pea flour, lignocellulose, salmon oil (1 %), calcium carbonate, dried algae (0.2 %, Schizochytrium limacinum).

Against the range

Meat: Chicken 40%, hearts 30%; Lamb 70% in the other pouch.
Fat, dry matter: 31.8%; A shade under the lamb's 34.1%.
Carbohydrate, dry matter: 10.0% (estimate); 10.9% on the lamb.

Heart gives a savoury depth that fussy young eaters tend to take to quickly.

Each pouch puts 70% of its weight into one animal. Behind it sit rice at 4%, a little pea flour, lignocellulose for stool body, salmon oil at 1% and dried algae at 0.2% for the marine omega 3s. Calcium carbonate brings calcium to 1.36% of dry matter in both.

Protein converts to 43.2% of dry matter in both pouches and estimated carbohydrate sits around a tenth. Taurine is dosed at 800 mg/kg on each. What changes is the meat, and with it the fat and ash.

Nutritional analysis

Declared analysis

Energy

109.5 kcal/100g

Protein

9.5%

Fat

Fibre

0.8%

Ash

2.5%

Moisture

78%

Dry weight

Protein

43.2%

Fat

31.8%

Fibre

3.6%

Ash

11.4%

Carbs

10%

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

70%

Added water

14.9%

Carbs

10.7%

Veg

0.2%

Oils

Other

3.2%

Pricing & size