Cobbydog Tiny Chops Immunity Impact Cold Pressed review

This one settles in our Excellent band, a step clear of the wider cold-pressed field, which is a genuinely respectable place for a small breed food to sit. Nearly half the pellet is declared as ocean fish with its species broken out, the micronutrient panel is printed in full, and transparency reads Outstanding on the strength of both.

Ingredients, as declared: Dried Ground Ocean Fish 49% (White Fish, Salmon, Mackerel, Herring), Sweet Potato, Beet Pulp, Peas, Plasma 5%, Fish Oil, Vitamin & Minerals, TurmerAid™ (0.6%) (Turmeric, Linseed Oil, Black Pepper, Yucca, Apple Cider Vinegar), Dried Vegetables (Carrot and Chicory), Dried Fruit (Apple), Seaweed, Fennel, Nettle, Dried Herbs (Sage, Thyme, Oregano), Rapeseed Oil

Ocean fish at 49% is the front of this recipe, and the four species behind it are white fish, salmon, mackerel and herring. Before it goes into the press it is dried and ground. Drying concentrates it, so that figure represents far more animal material than a 49% of fresh fish would once the water has gone. Ground fish also brings its own minerals with it, which shows in an ash reading of 12.0% of dry matter.

Plasma at 5% is what the Immunity Impact name refers to. It is produced by drying the liquid part of blood after the cells have been separated out. Animal feed uses it for the immunoglobulins and other functional proteins it contains, and that is why it appears in diets aimed at young or recovering animals. Cobbydog gives it a real share of the pellet.

What the label never says is which animal the plasma came from. That is the single gap in an otherwise detailed list, and it is worth flagging for anyone feeding fish deliberately. The recipe cannot be called a fish only diet, even though fish is the only species named on it. For a dog without exclusions to manage, it makes no practical difference.

Sweet potato leads the carbohydrate side, with beet pulp for fermentable fibre and peas for a little plant protein, fibre and minerals. Fish oil sits at the fat end alongside rapeseed oil, and it is the better of the two for the long chain omega 3 fats. Carbohydrate converts to 37.8% of dry matter and fat to a modest 8.7%, so this is a lean pellet by the standards of its format.

The micronutrition is fully declared, dose by dose. Among the printed entries are vitamin E at 50 iu, vitamin C at 50 mg, vitamin B6 at 5 mg, zinc at 100 mg, manganese at 80 mg and iron at 30 mg. The TurmerAid at 0.6% is turmeric with black pepper, linseed oil, yucca and apple cider vinegar. Behind it the seaweed, fennel, nettle and herbs are there for character, not for a working dose.

£7.62 a kilo, in 3kg and 5kg bags.

On the standard maintenance estimate, a 15kg adult dog in moderate condition needs about 840 kcal a day (110 × bodyweight^0.75), which comes to 227 grams of this pellet, or £1.73 a day. Since this is a small breed food, the label's own guide is the more useful line. A 5 to 10kg dog is fed 60 to 120 grams a day, and a 3 to 5kg dog 36 to 60 grams.