Leader

Leader Senior Small Breed review

Name: Leader Senior Small Breed
Brand: Leader

56.6/100Good

DryAdultSenior

A small-breed senior kibble that keeps more fat in the bowl than most senior recipes, which suits little dogs that run hot for their size. Dehydrated chicken at 27% leads, against dehulled oats and two rices. It sits in our Good band, and for a small older dog with a decent appetite it is a straightforward, well rounded bowl.

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

Little dogs past their prime, exactly who the bag names
Older small dogs with plenty of go, with fat declared at 12.0%
Joint ingredients as standard: glucosamine hydrochloride and chondroitin sulphate
Fussy senior appetites, kept interested by yeast extract and hydrolysed liver protein
Owners who want the meat named. Chicken is pinned down

Worth watching

Carbohydrate estimated at 51.5% of dry matter, above the typical adult dry food
Hydrolysed liver protein names no animal, so no strict exclusion diet can rest on it
Chicken supplies the meat and the fat, so a chicken-intolerant dog needs something else
No amounts printed on the joint ingredients

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

How this scores

How we score

56.6/100Good

Protein and processingAverage

Nutritional balanceAverage

TransparencyExcellent

ValueGood

The details

Dog fit

Listed for small-breed adults and seniors. Almost every dog eating this is far smaller than our 15kg example, so portion from the bag's own table.

Food type

Dry

Life stage

Adult, Senior

Breed size

Small

Main protein

Chicken

The score, in context

Leader Senior Small Breed 56.6

All one Good. Typical dry food: Good.

Named dried chicken and a fully dosed panel lift it; a heavy cereal share and one unnamed animal entry hold it at the everyday level.

What's in it

Dehydrated chicken27%Water already gone, so the label figure and the bowl figure are near enough the same.
Brown rice, white riceAmong the gentler cereals on an older digestion.
Chicken fat
Dehulled oatsSoluble fibre of their own.
Whole linseedPlant omega 3, a steady contribution and not a quick one.
Minerals, alfalfa
Hydrolysed liver protein, yeast extractPalatability. The liver's animal is not named.
Chicory inulin, dried cranberries, dried beetrootCranberries have a long association with urinary health, which comes up more with age.
Rosemary, ginger, turmeric, yucca schidigera
Glucosamine hydrochloride, chondroitin sulphateNo amounts, so the recipe leaning a helpful way, not a dosed supplement.

Vitamins A, D3 and E, with iron, manganese, copper, iodine, sodium selenite and zinc in two forms, one of them the more absorbable amino acid chelate.

Hydrolysed liver protein names no animal.

Named ingredients

Dehydrated Chicken (27%), Brown Rice, White Rice, Chicken Fat, Dehulled Oats, Whole Linseed, Minerals, Alfalfa, Hydrolysed Liver Protein, Yeast Extract, Chicory Inulin, Dried Cranberries, Dried Beetroot, Rosemary, Ginger, Turmeric, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Yucca schidigera, Chondroitin Sulphate.

Against the range

Nutritional analysis

Declared analysis

Energy

344.5 kcal/100g

Estimated using Modified Atwater factors*

Protein

23%

Fat

12%

Fibre

2.2%

Ash

6.5%

Moisture

10%

Dry weight

Protein

25.6%

Fat

13.3%

Fibre

2.4%

Ash

7.2%

Carbs

51.5%

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

28.5%

Carbs

57.9%

Veg

1.9%

Oils

6.4%

Other

5.3%

Pricing & size