Essential Foods

Essential Foods Essential Older review

Name: Essential Foods Essential Older
Brand: Essential Foods

76/100Excellent

DryAdultSenior

A high-protein, grain-free kibble for older dogs whose walks have got shorter. Two meat entries open the list, fresh birds at 34% and dried at 32%, so protein reaches 35.0% of dry matter. Fat stays moderate, which is the shape an ageing dog wants.

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Our view

Likely to suit

Older dogs holding on to muscle
Seniors carrying a little extra, at 345 kcal per 100 grams
Joint help built into the bowl: glucosamine, MSM and chondroitin are all named
Dogs edging into their senior years, as one bag covers adult and senior
A mixed pack, with the feeding guide running from toy dogs to giants

Worth watching

Chicken and duck declared together, so neither bird's share is knowable
Chicken heads the recipe, which matters for a chicken intolerance
Fresh salmon and trout at 7%, so it is not fish free

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

How this scores

How we score

76/100Excellent

Protein and processingGood

Nutritional balanceGood

TransparencyOutstanding

ValueExcellent

The details

Dog fit

Listed for adult and senior dogs of every size. The maker's chart gives a 15kg dog 155 grams a day; let the ribs and waistline decide from there.

Food type

Dry

Life stage

Adult, Senior

Breed size

Toy, Small, Medium, Large, Giant

Main protein

Chicken

The score, in context

Essential Older 76.0

All one Excellent. Typical dry food: Good.

The band comes from the whole recipe, two named birds first and a moderate starch load, more than from any single strong suit.

What's in it

Fresh free-range British chicken and British country duck34%Cooks down to a fraction of its weight. The two birds are never split.
Dried chicken and duck32%Already concentrated, and the reason protein runs high.
Sweet potato, potato, peasThe starch, with no cereal anywhere.
Fresh Scottish salmon and trout7%Marine omega 3 for coat and joints.
Whole egg3%
Linseed, lucerne sproutPlant omega 3 behind the fish.
Chicken liver gravy2%For taste, and nutrient-dense enough to earn its place.
Pea fibre, vitamins, minerals, MOS, FOSMOS and FOS feed the gut bacteria.
Glucosamine, MSM, chondroitinNo amounts given, so treat as support.
Cranberry, acai, bilberry and other fruit, vegetables and botanicals

Taurine at 1,500 mg, with zinc, iron and manganese as amino acid chelates and iodine, all dosed; rosemary extract preserves it.

Calcium works out at 1.86% of dry matter, generous for an adult food, from all the dried meat.

Named ingredients

Fresh free-range British chicken and free-run welfare assured British country duck (34%), dried chicken and duck (32%), sweet potato, potato, peas, fresh Scottish salmon and trout (7%), whole egg (3%), linseed, lucerne sprout, chicken liver gravy (2%), pea fibre, vitamins, minerals, MOS (mannan oligosaccarides), FOS (fructooligosaccharides), glucosamine, MSM (methylsulfonylmethane), chondroitin, cranberry, acai, bilberry, mulberry, apple, tomato, orange, pear, carrot, spinach, cauliflower, seaweed, marigold, ginseng, decaffeinated green tea, ginger.

Against the range

One grain-free senior kibble. Fresh chicken and duck at 34% and dried chicken and duck at 32% lead, never split between the two birds, with fresh salmon and trout at 7% behind. Sweet potato, potato and peas carry the starch, and a long tail of fruit, vegetables and botanicals closes the list.

Nutritional analysis

Declared analysis

Energy

345 kcal/100g

Protein

32%

Fat

14%

Fibre

4.5%

Ash

Moisture

8.5%

Dry weight

Protein

35%

Fat

15.3%

Fibre

4.9%

Ash

8.7%

Carbs

36.1%

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

78%

Carbs

19.1%

Other

2.9%

Pricing & size