Eukanuba

Eukanuba Special Care Weight Control Adult Small/Medium Breed Rich in Chicken review

Name: Eukanuba Special Care Weight Control Adult Small/Medium Breed Rich in Chicken
Brand: Eukanuba

45.3/100Average

DryAdult

A lighter everyday kibble for small and medium adults, with fat pulled back to 9% and chicken and turkey properly declared. Maize heads the list, though, with barley, sorghum and wheat behind it, so this is a cereal-based recipe. It holds an Average band verdict, one step under the typical adult dry food.

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Our view

Likely to suit

Small and medium adults on a weight watch, with fat held to 9%
Managing weight through the food while the bowl still looks like dinner
Older joints, with glucosamine declared at 0.04%
Tartar creeping along the back teeth; sodium hexametaphosphate is in the minerals at 0.36%
Owners who like the meat broken out: dried chicken and turkey at 16%, chicken 11% of it

Worth watching

Maize first and wheat further down
Carbohydrate an estimated 58.0% of dry matter, against 46.2% typical
Poultry fat and fish meal name no species, so it is neither single protein nor fish free

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

How this scores

How we score

45.3/100Average

Protein and processingAverage

Nutritional balancePoor

TransparencyGood

ValueAverage

The details

Dog fit

Listed for small and medium adults. Eukanuba's own table asks 255 to 295 grams for a 20kg dog; let the waistline settle any difference.

Food type

Dry

Life stage

Adult

Breed size

Small, Medium

Main protein

Chicken

The score, in context

Eukanuba Special Care Weight Control Adult Small/Medium Breed Rich in Chicken 45.3

All one Average. Typical dry food: Good.

For the job on the front of the bag it does what it says; the fat was lowered by leaning on starch, and that is what the score reflects.

What's in it

MaizeMost of the kibble comes from here.
Dried chicken and turkey16%, chicken 11%The figure that survives cooking intact, and a natural source of glucosamine, chondroitin and taurine.
Fresh chicken10%
Barley, sorghum, wheatBarley brings fibre; sorghum is gluten free; wheat is the cereal intolerance is most often pinned on.
Dried beet pulp3.1%Helps a smaller meal feel like a proper one.
Fish meal, chicken gravy, poultry fatNo fish species, and poultry is a family, not a bird.
MineralsIncluding sodium hexametaphosphate at 0.36%, which makes tartar harder to settle.
Dried whole egg, linseed, brewer's dried yeast
Fructooligosaccharides0.26%A prebiotic.
Glucosamine0.04%Light joint support, with no separately dosed chondroitin.

L-carnitine at 50 mg per kilo, the standard addition to lighter diets, with iron, copper, zinc and manganese as amino acid chelates.

Moisture is not declared, so the dry-matter figures assume 8% and the energy figure is estimated.

Named ingredients

Maize, dried chicken and turkey (16% including chicken 11%, a natural source of glucosamine, chondroitin and taurine), fresh chicken (10%), barley, sorghum, wheat, dried beet pulp (3.1%), fish meal, chicken gravy, poultry fat, minerals (including sodium hexametaphosphate 0.36%), dried whole egg, linseed, brewer's dried yeast (a natural source of B-vitamins and selenium), fructooligosaccharides (0.26%, a natural prebiotic), glucosamine (from animal tissues) (0.04%).

Against the range

Nutritional analysis

Declared analysis

Energy

336.5 kcal/100g

Estimated using Modified Atwater factors*

Protein

21%

Fat

Fibre

2.7%

Ash

Dry weight

Protein

22.8%

Fat

9.8%

Fibre

2.9%

Ash

6.5%

Carbs

58%

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

36.8%

Carbs

61.3%

Oils

0.8%

Other

1.1%

Pricing & size