CSJ No Grainer review

Our scoring puts this in the Excellent band, a step above the Good band the typical adult dry food sits in. No pillar reads below Good, so nothing here is one strong figure covering for the rest. Meat leads, no cereal appears, carbohydrate estimates at 31.6% of dry matter against a typical 46.2%, and almost everything worth dosing is dosed on the label. The ceiling on it is that the meat entries carry no percentages, so you are told the running order but not the amounts.

Ingredients, as declared: Tripe, Potato, Chicken meal, Chicken fat, Duck meal, Salmon meal, Beet pulp, Peas, Chicken gravy, Linseed, Apple, Carrot, Yeast, Minerals, Dried fruits & herbs (total herbs 2000mg/kg; Dandelion, Turmeric, Celery seed, Burdock root, Nettle, Devil's claw root, Blackcurrant, Rosemary, Pomegranate, Milk thistle, Seaweed, Fenugreek, Spearmint, Parsley, Marshmallow root, Marjoram, Oregano), Yeast cell wall (1400mg/ kg: a natural source of MOS & beta glucans), Glucosamine (1000mg/kg), Yucca schidigera, Green lipped mussel (80mg/kg).

Tripe leads the list, which is a rarer sight than it should be. Tripe is stomach lining from grazing animals, and it carries plenty of protein and fat. Most dogs digest it easily, and few things tempt a reluctant eater more reliably. The label prints no percentage against it. How much tripe is in there stays unstated.

Behind it come chicken meal, duck meal and salmon meal, all named and all in the dried form where the water has already gone. That is four animals in one recipe, generous variety for a dog with no sensitivities and a complication for one on an elimination plan. The finished analysis reads 30.0% protein and 25.6% fat in dry matter, so the meat is doing genuine work.

Potato is the main binder, with peas, beet pulp, apple and carrot filling out the plant side. Carbohydrate estimates at 31.6% of dry matter, well under the 46.2% typical of an adult dry food, so taking the cereal out has not meant swapping it for a mountain of starch.

The supplement list is the strongest part of this label. Glucosamine at 1000 mg/kg and green lipped mussel at 80 mg/kg both point at joints, and yeast cell wall at 1400 mg/kg brings the prebiotic fractions that feed friendly gut bacteria. Taurine at 1,500 mg/kg and L carnitine at 400 mg/kg round things off. Beside the salmon meal sits linseed, the source of the plant omega 3s.

Seventeen plants make up the dried fruit and herb blend, totalling 2000 mg/kg. It is a more interesting selection than most, taking in turmeric, nettle, burdock root and devil's claw. That last one has a long history in traditional joint remedies. At these levels treat it as a flourish rather than the reason to buy the food, which stands up perfectly well on its meat and its dosed extras.

£2.87 a kilo, sold as a 15 kg sack.

On the standard basis, a 15kg adult dog in moderate condition needs around 194 grams a day to reach about 840 kcal (110 × bodyweight^0.75), which puts the day rate near £0.56. That portion is on the small side because the kibble carries 432 kcal per 100 grams against a 357 typical for adult dry food. CSJ's own less active table suggests 135 to 255 grams for a 10kg to 20kg dog.