Collards Older/Overweight Turkey & Rice review

Judged against the whole dry adult shelf, this one comes out in our Average band, a step below the typical bag of adult kibble. Outstanding for transparency, Average for protein and processing, Poor for nutritional balance. That is a fair description of the label: a named meat doing the protein work, a great deal of cereal behind it, and small print that earns a few marks back on joints and prebiotics. For the dog the name points at, an older or heavier one that needs the calories dialled down, that is a sensible place to be.

Ingredients, as declared: Turkey 24% (Turkey Meat Meal 20%, Turkey Fat 2%, Turkey Gravy 2%), Brown Rice 23%, White Rice 23%, Whole Barley 15%, Pea Starch, Sugar Beet Pulp 4.5%, Whole Linseed 4.5%, Dried Alfalfa 1%, Natural Seaweed Meal 0.5%, Fructo-Oligosaccharide (from chicory root extract 0.25%), Sodium chloride, Potassium chloride, Methionine 0.05%, Molluscs and Crustaceans as source of glucosamine, Yucca extract 0.01%, Chondroitin, Taurine, Marigold extract 0.005%, Rosemary extract 0.005%.

Turkey is 24%, and the label breaks that down for you: turkey meat meal at 20%, turkey fat at 2% and turkey gravy at 2%. Meat meal is the dried, rendered form. Its water is gone before the kibble is made, and the 20% survives the oven intact. Each of those entries names the bird rather than falling back on a family term such as poultry.

The plant side is the bulk of it. Brown rice and white rice sit at 23% each, whole barley at 15% and pea starch behind them. That puts carbohydrate at an estimated 57.2% of dry matter against 46.2% for the typical adult dry food. Whole barley is the better form of that grain, holding on to more of its fibre and minerals, though it does bring gluten along.

Protein converts to 22.0% of dry matter and fat to 9.3%, and energy is estimated at 324 kcal per 100g where the typical adult dry food sits at 357. That gap is the entire point of the recipe: a dog carrying extra weight can be given a normal looking bowl and still take in less.

Fibre comes from sugar beet pulp at 4.5%, with whole linseed at the same level supplying plant omega 3s and a chicory derived prebiotic at 0.25% feeding the gut bacteria. Dried alfalfa at 1% and seaweed meal at 0.5% round the plant side off, seaweed being a handy source of iodine.

The joint work is done by molluscs and crustaceans, the usual raw material for glucosamine, with chondroitin listed separately. Neither carries a declared dose, so the label tells you they are present without telling you how much. Taurine sits alongside them, and methionine at 0.05% is an amino acid often added where urinary pH is a consideration. Yucca extract at 0.01% is there for what comes out the other end rather than for nutrition.

The last two entries, marigold and rosemary extracts at 0.005% each, are trace level flourishes. Rosemary earns its keep as a natural antioxidant, and the recipe stands perfectly well without either of them being asked to do more.

There are two bags, a 2kg resealable one and a 10kg.

As a guide, a 15kg adult dog in steady condition gets through about 259 grams a day, taking maintenance at around 840 kcal a day (110 × bodyweight^0.75). The label's own table asks 240 grams at that weight, so watch the waistline and settle on whichever of the two keeps it trim.