Leader Puppy Small Breed review

Leader Puppy Small Breed lands in our Good band and finishes above the midpoint of the growth kibble field, which sits in that same band. Protein and processing, nutritional balance and value all read Good, with transparency at Outstanding above them. The meat share is the main reason: at 39% of a list where the meat has already been dried, there is more chicken behind this kibble than the figure first suggests. The protein and fat declarations follow it up. The clearest gap is the calcium line, which the label leaves out.

Ingredients, as declared: Dehydrated Chicken (39%), Brown Rice, White Rice, Chicken Fat, Dehulled Oats, Whole Linseed, Alfalfa, Hydrolysed Liver Protein, Minerals, Yeast Extract, Chicory Inulin, Dried Cranberries, Dried Beetroot, Rosemary, Ginger, Turmeric, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Yucca schidigera, Chondroitin Sulphate.

Dehydrated chicken at 39% heads the list, and dried is the honest way to declare a meat share. Its water has gone before it goes in, so the printed figure and the figure in the finished kibble are near enough the same. A fresh meat percentage would shrink considerably during cooking. Chicken fat further down names the same bird.

The analysis follows the recipe. Protein converts to 33.3% of dry matter and fat to 18.9%, both healthy figures for growth, and carbohydrate comes in at an estimated 38.4%, marginally below the 39.0% typical for a puppy dry food. That carbohydrate comes from dehulled oats plus rice in brown and white, all easy going once cooked.

There is no calcium figure on this label. Small breed growth is the least demanding version of the calcium question, since a little dog's skeleton finishes early and fast. A printed number is still the ideal, and here that number has to come from the maker instead.

Whole linseed contributes plant omega 3. Chicory inulin is the prebiotic, feeding gut bacteria, and yeast extract adds palatability along with B vitamins. Dried cranberries and dried beetroot follow at trace level, with rosemary, ginger, turmeric and yucca schidigera behind them, none of them quantified. Take that stretch of the list as flavour and good intent rather than a working dose.

Glucosamine hydrochloride and chondroitin sulphate both appear towards the end. On a small breed puppy food they are a long term nod rather than an immediate need, and with no quantities printed there is no judging how much of either the bag holds.

The trace element panel is filled in properly. Zinc comes as the oxide at 97.2 mg alongside an amino acid chelate at 200.0 mg per kilogram. After them come iron at 250.0 mg, manganese at 65.0 mg, copper at 28.0 mg, iodine at 2.4 mg and selenium at 0.3 mg. Vitamins A, D3 and E are each declared with a figure as well, so the supplementation side of this label is thorough.

Energy is estimated at 370 kcal per 100g, not declared. It comes close to the 376 kcal typical of a puppy dry food, so portion sizes should behave much as you would expect from any growth kibble.

£5.00 a kilo, sold in 2kg and 6kg bags.

A puppy's needs change almost weekly. Treat the feeding chart as a starting point tied to age and expected adult weight, then let your hands over the ribs settle it.