Dr Veneta

Dr Veneta Freeze-Dried Stay Well review

Name: Dr Veneta Freeze-Dried Stay Well
Brand: Dr Veneta

86.7/100Outstanding

Freeze-driedPuppyAdult

An Outstanding freeze dried food whose reason to exist is rabbit, at 26% beside chicken at 50%, a meat most dogs have never eaten. Apple and pumpkin take the plant side and the crude fibre lands at 5.1% of dry matter, properly fibrous for the format. Protein converts to 52.8% of dry matter.

Where to buy: coming soon

Live retailer links are coming soon. Once we have them from UK retailers, where to buy and the best price will appear here.

Our view

Likely to suit

Dogs that need a protein they have never met. Rabbit at 26% is unlikely to have been on any previous menu
Owners who want some fibre in the bowl, with pumpkin and apple behind a declared 5.0%
Raw style feeding without the freezer or the hygiene routine
Puppies, adults and seniors, all named on the same pack
Dogs that eat better when a meal smells of something. A splash of warm water wakes it up

Worth watching

Chicken leads at 50%, so the rabbit does nothing for a dog that reacts to poultry
No calcium figure published at all, the number you want for a growing large breed puppy
Gentler energy than most freeze dried food at 416 kcal per 100g, so portions run a touch larger

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

How this scores

How we score

86.7/100Outstanding

Protein and processingOutstanding

Nutritional balanceOutstanding

TransparencyOutstanding

ValueOutstanding

The details

Dog fit

Listed for puppies, adults and seniors of every size. For a large breed puppy, ask Dr Veneta for the calcium figure before ordering.

Food type

Freeze-dried

Life stage

Puppy, Adult, Senior

Breed size

Toy, Small, Medium, Large, Giant

Main protein

Chicken

The score, in context

Dr Veneta Freeze-Dried Stay Well 86.7

All one Outstanding. Typical dry food: Good.

Protein and processing, nutritional balance and transparency all read Outstanding, so Stay Well holds its own in the middle of a strong freeze dried field.

What's in it

Chicken50%Leads the recipe, so this is not a poultry-free food
Rabbit26%The reason to look twice. Rarely used in dog food, so a novel protein for most dogs, and easy to digest
Apple, pumpkin10%, 9%Pumpkin carries much of the fibre
Mint
Beet pulpFermentable fibre for the prebiotics to work with
SeaweedIodine and trace minerals
Fermented Saccharomyces cerevisiae, chicory rootDeclared sources of MOS, beta glucans and FOS
Glucosamine, chondroitin sulphateFor the joints
YuccaThe usual pick when a maker is thinking about stool odour
Dandelion root, green tea, hawthorn leaf, nettle, rosehip, parsley, chamomile, lemon balmNo figures. Green tea has the clearest job, bringing catechins

No calcium figure and no vitamin and mineral panel on the label, though ash reads 11.7% of dry matter. For a growing large breed, ask the maker.

Named ingredients

Chicken (50%), Rabbit (26%), Apple (10%), Pumpkin (9%), Mint, Beet pulp, Seaweed, Fermented Saccharomyces cerevisiae (as a source of prebiotic MOS and beta glucans), Chicory root (as a source of prebiotic FOS), Glucosamine, Chondroitin sulphate, Yucca, Dandelion root, Green tea, Hawthorn leaf, Nettle, Rosehip, Parsley, Chamomile, Lemon Balm.

Against the range

One freeze dried recipe: chicken at 50% and rabbit at 26%, then apple and pumpkin, with no grain, potato or pulse anywhere. Moisture is down at 1.5%, so the dry matter figures sit only a whisker above the as fed ones. No vitamin and mineral premix is declared; the support list (prebiotics, joint ingredients, seaweed, yucca and herbs) is written into the composition.

Nutritional analysis

Declared analysis

Energy

415.6 kcal/100g

Protein

52%

Fat

23%

Fibre

Ash

11.5%

Moisture

1.5%

Dry weight

Protein

52.8%

Fat

23.4%

Fibre

5.1%

Ash

11.7%

Carbs

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

76%

Carbs

1.8%

Veg

20.1%

Other

2.1%

Pricing & size

Price per kilo: £29.90 (RRP)
Pack: 125g, 500g (also sold inside the 625 g Discover Set and the 2.5 kg Wellness Set)
A 15kg dog eats: 130 to 215 g a day, 170 in the middle
Cost per day, 15kg dog: £5.08

Around 170 grams a day for a 15kg adult, because almost none of the weight is water.

Budget end of the market for freeze dried food, and fair value for the quality.

Ingredients and nutrition are taken from manufacturer data. Retailer pricing is not yet live for this food.