Gain

GAIN Elite Small Dogs: Puppy review

Name: GAIN Elite Small Dogs: Puppy
Brand: Gain

56.6/100Good

DryPuppy

Flavour

GAIN Elite Small Dogs is a cereal based range for little mouths, running from puppy through adult and light to senior on one construction. Four of the five sit in our Good band, level with the typical adult dry food, and the senior lands in Average. A dried meat heads every label, and a milk mineral complex is dosed on every bag.

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

Small breed dogs at any stage, on one construction from puppy to senior
Owners who want the poultry named. Chicken and turkey are both declared
Little dogs with a settled digestion, kept regular by beet pulp and chicory
Two small dogs of different ages kept on one brand
Fussy small eaters: a hydrolysed protein makes the kibble taste of its animal

Worth watching

Chicken and turkey always declared together, and chicken fat in the salmon recipe too
Fish in every recipe
Maize gluten meal on four of the five, so part of the protein is plant

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

How this scores

How we score

56.6/100Good

Protein and processingAverage

Nutritional balanceGood

TransparencyExcellent

ValueGood

The details

Dog fit

Listed for small breeds, with a puppy recipe, two adults, a light and a senior. Pick by age and waistline; the salmon label's table asks 126 grams a day for a 7kg dog.

Food type

Dry

Life stage

Puppy

Breed size

Small

Main protein

Chicken

The score, in context

Adult Salmon 56.8
Puppy 56.6
Light 51.0
Adult 50.8
Senior 48.0

Five recipes across Good and Average. Typical dry food: Good.

The grain load keeps all five near the typical dry food, with the salmon recipe's shorter list pulling it ahead and the senior's extra starch holding it a step back.

What's in it

Dried chicken and turkeymin 28%The most poultry in the range.
Ricemin 20%
Wholegrain maize, dehulled oats
Poultry fat, maize gluten meal
Hydrolysed chicken proteinFor taste.
Dried sugar beet pulp, fishmeal
Whole dried eggsOnly on this recipe.
Linseed, salmon oil, potassium chloride, sodium chloride
Chicory FOSmin 0.3%
TruCal milk mineral complex1000mg/kgCalcium works out at 1.52% of dry matter, comfortable for a small breed's growth.

Named ingredients

Dried Chicken & Turkey (min 28%), Rice (min 20%), Wholegrain Maize, Dehulled Oats, Poultry Fat, Maize Gluten Meal, Hydrolysed Chicken Protein, Dried Sugar Beet Pulp, Fishmeal, Whole Dried Eggs, Linseed, Salmon Oil, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Chloride, Chicory FOS (min 0.3%), TruCal Milk Mineral Complex (1000mg/kg), Products from processing of plants.

Against the range

Protein, dry matter: 31.5%; The highest; 23.9% on the senior.
Fat, dry matter: 17.4%; 15.2% on the adults.
Egg: Whole dried eggs; On no other recipe.

The richest of the five, built for a small puppy's growth.

Four recipes open with dried chicken and turkey, from a minimum of 22% on the senior to 28% on the puppy; the fifth leads with dried salmon at a minimum of 29%. Rice, wholegrain maize and dehulled oats do the filling, and maize gluten meal lifts the protein figure on the four poultry bags.

Every bag carries a hydrolysed protein for palatability, chicory FOS, dried beet pulp and the TruCal milk mineral complex at 1000 mg/kg. Fish turns up in all five, as fishmeal or salmon oil.

Price and value

Sold in 2kg, 6kg and 12kg bags for the adult and the puppy, 2kg and 6kg for the light, and 2kg, 6kg and 15kg for the senior. No bag size is given for the salmon.

As a guide, the salmon label's own table asks 126 grams a day for a 7kg dog and 165 grams for a 10kg dog. Taking the standard maintenance estimate instead, a 15kg adult in moderate condition would eat between 233 and 270 grams a day depending on the recipe, assuming around 840 kcal a day (110 × bodyweight^0.75).

Nutritional analysis

Declared analysis

Energy

367.7 kcal/100g

Estimated using Modified Atwater factors*

Protein

29%

Fat

16%

Fibre

Ash

7.8%

Dry weight

Protein

31.5%

Fat

17.4%

Fibre

2.2%

Ash

8.5%

Carbs

40.4%

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

32.6%

Carbs

61.2%

Veg

0.3%

Oils

4.5%

Other

1.4%

Pricing & size