Gain

GAIN Elite Grain Free Big Dogs: Adult Salmon review

Name: GAIN Elite Grain Free Big Dogs: Adult Salmon
Brand: Gain

56.5/100Good

DryAdult

Flavour

A grain free kibble for large frames, and both recipes sit in our Good band. A quarter of each is fresh meat of one named species, with the dried form close behind. The doses for the joint helpers are printed, which on a food for heavy dogs counts for more than a claim on the front.

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

Large and giant adults kept off grain
Owners who like the meat broken out: fresh share, dried share and gravy each printed
Big dogs with stiffening joints. Glucosamine and MSM are dosed at 300 mg/kg on each
Switching one dog between bird and fish, since the two recipes swap only the animal

Worth watching

Salmon oil on both and chicken fat on the salmon, so neither is fish or poultry free
Peas and potato doing a fair share of the filling, with carbohydrate at 52.6% and 53.2% of dry matter against 46.2% typical

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

How this scores

How we score

56.5/100Good

Protein and processingAverage

Nutritional balanceAverage

TransparencyExcellent

ValueGood

The details

Dog fit

Listed for large and giant adults. The label asks 340 to 390 grams a day for a dog of 25kg to 30kg, so check the bag size suits that pace before ordering.

Food type

Dry

Life stage

Adult

Breed size

Large, Giant

Main protein

Salmon

The score, in context

Adult Salmon 56.5
Adult Chicken 56.1

All two Good. Typical dry food: Good.

Both earn their place at the front of the list; a little over half the dry matter in carbohydrate holds them back from more.

What's in it

Fresh salmon25%Mostly water by weight before cooking.
Peas
Sweet potatoes, potato flakesSweet potato is richer in fibre and vitamin A than true potato.
Dried salmon13%A shade more of the meat in dried form than on the chicken.
Chicken fatPoultry in a fish recipe.
Salmon gravy4%
Dried beet pulp, dried chicoryPrebiotic fibres from the chicory.
Linseed, salmon oil0.5% salmon oil
Minerals, TruCal milk mineral complex1,000 mg/kg
MSM, glucosamine hydrochloride300 mg/kg each

Chicken fat is on the list, so this is a fish recipe with poultry in it.

Named ingredients

Fresh salmon (25%), peas, sweet potatoes, potato flakes, dried salmon (13%), chicken fat, salmon gravy (4%), dried beet pulp, linseed, dried chicory (a natural source of FOS and inulin), salmon oil (0.5%), minerals, TruCal Milk Mineral Complex (1,000 mg/kg), Methylsulphonyl Methane (300 mg/kg MSM), Glucosamine Hydrochloride (300mg/kg).

Against the range

Meat: Fresh salmon 25%, dried salmon 13%, gravy 4%; Chicken: 25% fresh, 12% dried, 5% gravy
Fat source: Chicken fat; Same fat on the chicken
Calcium, dry matter: 1.09%; 1.2% on the chicken

The fish option for a big dog, as long as chicken fat is no problem for it.

Two recipes built to one plan, chicken and salmon, each opening on fresh meat at 25% with the dried form of the same animal and a gravy of it further down. There is no cereal on either label: peas, sweet potatoes and potato flakes carry the starch.

Both use chicken fat and salmon oil, and both print TruCal milk minerals, glucosamine hydrochloride and MSM at 300 mg/kg. Protein converts to 25.0% of dry matter on each. What changes is the animal, and a shade more dried meat on the salmon.

Price and value

The bag sizes for these two recipes are not listed.

As a guide, the label's own table asks 340 to 390 grams a day for a dog between 25kg and 30kg, and 484 to 572 grams for a dog between 40kg and 50kg. The same figures are given on both recipes.

Nutritional analysis

Declared analysis

Energy

345.5 kcal/100g

Estimated using Modified Atwater factors*

Protein

23%

Fat

11%

Fibre

Ash

Dry weight

Protein

25%

Fat

12%

Fibre

2.2%

Ash

7.6%

Carbs

53.2%

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

42%

Carbs

50.8%

Veg

Oils

3.6%

Other

2.6%

Pricing & size