Gain

GAIN Active review

Name: GAIN Active
Brand: Gain

30.5/100Average

DryAdult

An energy-dense kibble for dogs in hard work, reading Average on our scale. That reading rests on how little the label pins down: cereals, derivatives and oils and fats are all left as categories. The analysis is the better half, with protein at 29.3% and fat at 16.3% of dry matter, a genuinely energetic bowl.

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

Hard working and sporting dogs, with protein at 27% and fat at 15% as fed
Dogs whose weight slips on a standard adult recipe
Owners who want a prebiotic in the bag, chicory FOS on the list
Kennels feeding several working dogs from one recipe
Dogs with no trouble digesting grain

Worth watching

Cereals with no grain named, so the grain can move between batches
Chicken and beef named inside the derivatives term, and nothing else. A dog that reacts to one meat cannot be cleared here
Fish and fish derivatives further down, so not fish free
Oils and fats with no source, ruling out a strict elimination trial

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

How this scores

How we score

30.5/100Average

Protein and processingPoor

Nutritional balanceGood

TransparencyPoor

ValueAverage

The details

Dog fit

Listed for adults of every size, and written for working dogs. No calorie figure is printed, so start from the feeding guide and expect a dog on a real working day to need more.

Food type

Dry

Life stage

Adult

Breed size

Toy, Small, Medium, Large, Giant

Main protein

Chicken

The score, in context

GAIN Active 30.5

All one Average. Typical dry food: Good.

Almost the whole gap to a typical dry food is about naming; the analysis itself is friendlier than the band.

What's in it

CerealsAnything from whole oats to mill sweepings. Not evidence of a poor ingredient, but the grain can change.
Meat and animal derivatives (chicken, beef)min 14%Names two species, more than many foods using the term, but cannot rule a species out.
Oils and fatsNo source given.
Derivatives of vegetable originmin 4%
Sugar beet pulp, chicory FOSA well established fibre, and a real prebiotic for the large intestine.
Minerals
Seeds (linseed)Plant omega 3 and some fibre.
Fish and fish derivativesA marine element, so not for a fish-avoiding dog.
Products from the processing of plants

Named ingredients

Cereals, Meat & animal derivatives (min 14%) Chicken (min 14% beef), Oils & fats, Derivatives of vegetable origin (min 4%), Sugar beet pulp, (min 15% Chicory FOS), Minerals, Seeds (Linseed), Fish & fish derivatives, Products from the processing of plants.

Against the range

A single working-dog recipe built on category terms. Cereals lead, then meat and animal derivatives at a minimum of 14% with chicken and beef named inside, then oils and fats with no source given. Moisture and energy go undeclared, so the dry matter figures assume 8% and the calories are our estimate.

Price and value

Sold in a 15kg bag.

As a guide, an adult dog of 15kg in moderate condition works through about 232 grams a day. That assumes an intake of around 840 kcal a day, which is 110 × bodyweight^0.75, the standard maintenance estimate. Real working days push a dog above that figure.

Nutritional analysis

Declared analysis

Energy

362 kcal/100g

Estimated using Modified Atwater factors*

Protein

27%

Fat

15%

Fibre

2.5%

Ash

7.5%

Dry weight

Protein

29.3%

Fat

16.3%

Fibre

2.7%

Ash

8.2%

Carbs

43.5%

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

16.9%

Carbs

58.7%

Oils

12.5%

Other

11.9%

Pricing & size