Carnilove

Carnilove Active Adult Small Breed review

Name: Carnilove Active Adult Small Breed
Brand: Carnilove

75.9/100Excellent

DryAdult

Excellent, and a kibble built for small dogs that burn through their days. At 391 kcal per 100g it is dense fuel, and the analysis reads meaty right through, with protein at 38.9% of dry matter. Fresh salmon heads the label, but turkey gives the finished biscuit its backbone.

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Our view

Likely to suit

Small breeds with busy legs, on a recipe dense in energy and portioned for little appetites
Dogs that do well without grain
Owners who like fish at the top of the label, with salmon oil behind it
Meat-first feeders
Fussy small mouths. Hydrolysed liver at 3% is one of the most persuasive flavours in dry food

Worth watching

Turkey and beef fat behind the salmon, so it cannot serve as an elimination diet for a dog reacting to poultry or beef
Trim the portions for a small dog whose favourite spot is the sofa
Glucosamine, chondroitin and the gut extras at trace doses only

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

How this scores

How we score

75.9/100Excellent

Protein and processingGood

Nutritional balanceOutstanding

TransparencyOutstanding

ValueExcellent

The details

Dog fit

Listed for small adult dogs. The label feeds dogs between 3kg and 6kg at 64 to 108 grams a day, so weigh the first few bowls.

Food type

Dry

Life stage

Adult

Breed size

Small

Main protein

Salmon

The score, in context

Carnilove Active Adult Small Breed 75.9

All one Excellent. Typical dry food: Good.

Its strength is broad: animal ingredients run the list, carbohydrate is light for a kibble and every added mineral is dosed in print.

What's in it

Fresh salmon26%The headline, though fresh fish is mostly water before the oven.
Turkey protein23%Where much of the finished protein comes from.
Yellow peas
Beef fat13%The energy source, and a big part of the 391 kcal.
Turkey hydrolysed protein9%
Hydrolysed liver3%For flavour.
Pea protein, linseed, salmon oil1% salmon oilPea protein nudges the protein figure up from the plant side.
Chickpeas, pumpkin, dried apple pulp, carrots, pea flourNo grain or white potato anywhere.
Sea buckthorn, ginger, blueberries, rosemary, cranberries, thyme0.2% down to 0.1%Garnish, printed with honest fractions.
Glucosamine, chicory root, chondroitin, brewer's yeast, yucca0.022% down to 0.0085%Trace doses for joints and gut.

Every trace element is declared, with taurine at 1,500 mg per kilo and a full B vitamin set.

Calcium converts to 1.67% of dry matter, outside the range we look for in large-breed puppy food, though this is an adult small-breed recipe.

Named ingredients

Fresh salmon (26%), turkey protein (23%), yellow peas, beef fat (13%), turkey hydrolysed protein (9%), hydrolysed liver (3%), pea protein, linseed, salmon oil (1%), chickpeas, pumpkin, dried apple pulp, carrots, potassium chloride, pea flour, dried sea buckthorn (0.2%), dried ginger root (0.1%), dried blueberries (0.1%), dried rosemary (0.1%), dried cranberries (0.1%), dried thyme (0.1%), hydrolysed crustacean shells (source of glucosamine, 0.022%), chicory root (source of fructo-oligosaccharides, 0.0163%), cartilage extract (source of chondroitin, 0.014%), brewer's yeast (source of mannan-oligosaccharides, 0.013%), Mojave yucca (0.0085%).

Against the range

A grain-free kibble led by fresh salmon at 26%, with turkey protein at 23% and hydrolysed turkey protein at 9% doing most of the protein work once the fish has lost its water. Beef fat at 13% carries the energy, and peas and chickpeas do the binding.

Nutritional analysis

Declared analysis

Energy

391 kcal/100g

Protein

35%

Fat

18%

Fibre

2.6%

Ash

7.2%

Moisture

10%

Dry weight

Protein

38.9%

Fat

20%

Fibre

2.9%

Ash

Carbs

30.2%

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

61%

Carbs

19.5%

Veg

2.3%

Oils

14%

Other

3.2%

Pricing & size