Eukanuba Grain Free Puppy Small/Medium Breed Rich in Ocean Fish review

We read this one in the Good band, the same band the typical puppy dry food occupies, and it settles below that middle marker rather than above it. Concentration is what earns it: fish meal in front, a protein figure that converts high for a kibble, and a calcium line printed on the panel.

Transparency comes back Excellent, nutritional balance Good and protein and processing Average, a steady showing that leans on what the label is willing to tell you.

Ingredients, as declared: fish meal (33%, a natural source of omega-3 fatty acids), dried sweet potatoes (19%), whole peas, dried potatoes, pork fat, sunflower oil, dried beet pulp (3%), fish gravy, minerals, fructooligosaccharides (0.29%, a natural prebiotic), mannanoligosaccharides (0.15%, a natural prebiotic).

Fish meal at 33% is three percentage points ahead of the large breed version of this recipe, and that difference runs right through the analysis. Meal is dried and ground fish, so what the label declares carries through into the kibble far more completely than a fresh fish figure would. Protein converts to 31.0% of dry matter as a result.

The carbohydrate is headed by dried sweet potatoes at 19%, then whole peas and dried potatoes, with beet pulp at 3% adding a gentle fibre. Sweet potato is the best of that group for a growing dog, carrying more fibre and a good deal more vitamin A than an ordinary potato. The total still estimates at 40.6% of dry matter, close to the 39.0% typical for a puppy kibble.

Fat comes from pork fat and sunflower oil. Pork is rarely used in dog food, so it counts as a genuinely novel meat for most pups, and sunflower oil brings vitamin E along with a light, unsaturated profile. Both get a name, and plenty of labels do not manage that this far down the list.

Calcium is declared and converts to 1.3% of dry matter. For small and medium growth that is a comfortable place to be, and having it printed rather than left to guesswork is the useful part for an owner planning a first year of feeding.

The tail of the label is brief. The gut population is fed by fructooligosaccharides at 0.29% along with mannanoligosaccharides at 0.15%. Taurine is added at 500mg/kg, and beta carotene joins vitamin E in the added panel as a second antioxidant.

Two figures on this page come with a note attached. Moisture is not printed, so the dry matter conversions rest on the 8% that dry foods normally hold, and the 375 kcal per 100g is our estimate. The ingredient order and the declared analysis are the maker's own.

Sold in 3kg and 12kg bags.

Feeding a small or medium pup means frequent small adjustments, since what fits at four months is short by six. Start with what the bag's chart prints and let your pup's condition move it from there.