K9 Optimum

K9 Optimum Puppy Mini/Medium review

Name: K9 Optimum Puppy Mini/Medium
Brand: K9 Optimum

56.6/100Good

DryPuppy

A growth kibble for smaller frames with an unusually varied meat list behind it, and it lands in our Good band. Fresh chicken at 22% opens the recipe, poultry liver and two kinds of fish follow, and protein reaches 30.0% as fed. Calcium at 2.17% of dry matter sits above what large breed rearing works to.

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Our view

Likely to suit

Small and medium breed puppies, the sizes the recipe is written for
Pups that do well on a mixed meat diet
Protein high on the panel: 32.6% of dry matter
Marine oils for coat and brain, from salmon and trout at 6% and fish meat at 4%
A calmer energy level, an estimated 350 kcal per 100g against the 376 typical of puppy dry food

Worth watching

Calcium at 2.17% of dry matter. A pup who will finish big needs a word with the vet first
Chicken, poultry, fish, egg and pork gravy, so no exclusion diet can run on it
Poultry left unnamed on three entries, which matters for a specific intolerance

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 and medium breed puppies. If your pup may finish larger than that, put the calcium figure in front of your vet before ordering.

Food type

Dry

Life stage

Puppy

Breed size

Small, Medium

Main protein

Chicken

The score, in context

K9 Optimum Puppy Mini/Medium 56.6

All one Good. Typical dry food: Good.

The variety of the meat list does the work here, and high mineral readings for a growth food hold it back.

What's in it

Freshly prepared chicken22%Goes in wet and loses a fair share of that weight in cooking.
Rice, maizeThe main starch. Carbohydrate lands right on the puppy field's usual level.
Dried poultry meat16%Already dry, so more of the declared figure carries through. Poultry is a group of birds, not one.
Freshly prepared poultry liver7%Little else a young dog eats packs as much nutrition per mouthful.
Salmon and trout, dried fish meat6% and 4%The marine oils.
Oats, poultry fat, beet pulpfat 2%Beet pulp for gentle fibre.
Linseed, brewers yeast, DL-methionineLinseed adds a plant omega 3.
Dried egg1%Highly digestible protein.
Poultry gravy, pork gravy1% eachPork turns up here, and nowhere else.
MOS, FOS, yucca, L-carnitine, beta caroteneNone dosed; supporting cast.

Zinc at 630 mg/kg, iron at 330 mg/kg and copper at 90 mg/kg lead a panel that also doses manganese, iodine and selenium beside vitamins A, D3 and E.

Calcium at 2.17% of dry matter is above a large breed growth plan. A pup who will finish big belongs on a plan of their own.

Named ingredients

Freshly Prepared Chicken (22%), Rice, Dried Poultry Meat (16%), Maize, Freshly Prepared Poultry Liver (7%), Freshly Prepared Salmon & Trout (6%), Dried Fish Meat (4%), Oats, Poultry Fat (2%), Beet Pulp, Linseed, Brewers Yeast, Dl-Methionine, Dried Egg (1%), Minerals, Vitamins, Poultry Gravy (1%), Pork Gravy (1%), Mannanoligosaccharides, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Fructooligosaccharides, L-Carnitine, Beta Carotene

Against the range

Meat comes from several directions: fresh chicken, dried poultry meat, poultry liver, salmon and trout, dried fish meat and egg. Rice, maize and oats carry the starch, and a short tail of undosed prebiotics closes the list.

Nutritional analysis

Declared analysis

Energy

350 kcal/100g

Estimated using Modified Atwater factors*

Protein

30%

Fat

14%

Fibre

Ash

Moisture

Dry weight

Protein

32.6%

Fat

15.2%

Fibre

3.3%

Ash

9.8%

Carbs

39.1%

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

57%

Added water

Carbs

36.1%

Oils

Other

3.9%

Pricing & size