Leader

Leader Adult Sensitive Small Breed review

Name: Leader Adult Sensitive Small Breed
Brand: Leader

58.8/100Good

DryAdult

Flavour

A short, meat-forward kibble for small dogs whose digestion needs gentle handling, and Good in both versions. Dehydrated lamb at 30% or salmon at 28% leads, a figure that holds through cooking. Rice and potato protein keep the list narrow on purpose.

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 breeds with an unreliable digestion
Owners avoiding poultry; sunflower oil replaces chicken fat
Dogs that do better on more meat and less starch
Fussy little eaters, with hydrolysed liver protein for flavour

Worth watching

The hydrolysed liver protein names no animal, which a strict elimination diet cannot accept
Fat at 15.0% is generous for a small dog that mostly pootles about the house
Rice in both

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

How this scores

How we score

58.8/100Good

Protein and processingAverage

Nutritional balanceAverage

TransparencyExcellent

ValueGood

The details

Dog fit

Listed for small adult dogs. The label asks 81 grams at 5kg and 132 grams at 10kg for a less active dog, so weigh the first bowls.

Food type

Dry

Life stage

Adult

Breed size

Small

Main protein

Lamb

The score, in context

Leader Adult Sensitive Small Breed 58.8
Salmon 57.3

All two Good. Typical dry food: Good.

The two sit within touching distance, so let the protein choose the bag; what holds both back is mostly what the label leaves out.

What's in it

Dehydrated lamb30%Dried before it goes in, so the figure holds up through cooking.
Brown rice, white riceThe gentlest cereal for a gut that reacts.
Sunflower oilIn place of chicken fat.
Potato proteinLifts protein without a second animal.
Whole linseedPlant omega 3.
Minerals, alfalfa, seaweed meal
Hydrolysed liver protein, yeast extractFor flavour. The liver's animal is not named.
Chicory inulinA prebiotic.
Yucca schidigeraFor whoever is holding the bag on the walk.

Vitamins A, D3 and E, trace minerals with zinc partly as a chelate, plus L-lysine and L-tryptophan, preserved with tocopherol-rich extracts.

Named ingredients

Dehydrated Lamb (30%), Brown Rice, White Rice, Sunflower Oil, Potato Protein, Whole Linseed, Minerals, Alfalfa, Seaweed Meal, Hydrolysed Liver Protein, Yeast Extract, Chicory Inulin, Yucca Schidigera.

Against the range

Meat: Dehydrated lamb, 30%; Salmon at 28% on the other bag.
Protein, dry matter: 26.7%; 27.8% on the salmon.
Carbohydrate, dry matter: 45.9%; 44.8% on the salmon.
Trace minerals: Higher doses; Iron 75 mg against 229.2 mg here.

The higher meat declaration of the two, and the first to try for a small dog that has reacted to poultry.

Both bags share one short list: a dehydrated meat at the top, brown and white rice as the only cereals, then potato protein to lift the protein without a second animal. Sunflower oil supplies the fat, so no chicken fat appears.

Seaweed meal, chicory inulin and yucca finish both lists, and estimated carbohydrate sits a shade under the adult dry typical on each. What varies is the meat, lamb or salmon, and the trace mineral doses, which run higher on the lamb.

Nutritional analysis

Declared analysis

Energy

356 kcal/100g

Estimated using Modified Atwater factors*

Protein

24%

Fat

15%

Fibre

2.2%

Ash

7.5%

Moisture

10%

Dry weight

Protein

26.7%

Fat

16.7%

Fibre

2.4%

Ash

8.3%

Carbs

45.9%

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

30.9%

Carbs

55.8%

Veg

2.4%

Oils

6.1%

Other

4.7%

Pricing & size