Lukullus Classic Senior Dry review

Our scoring puts this in the Good band, where the broad middle of the dry shelf also sits, so it holds the line without standing out from it. Turkey protein at the top of the list is the strong part. The maize sitting just behind holds it down, along with poultry entries that never name a bird and a protein figure that is respectable without being generous. The estimated carbohydrate of 42.2% of dry matter is actually the quiet good news, since it sits under the 46.2% typical for an adult dry food. For an older dog on a settled routine, this is an unfussy bowl that has clearly thought about joints.

Ingredients, as declared: `New Recipe!` 1kg / 5 x 1kg / 12kg / 2 x 12kg, Turkey protein (26%), maize (24%), peas (19%), poultry fat (8%), dried apple pulp (7.3%), hydrolysed poultry protein (6%), duck protein (5%), hydrolysed poultry liver (2%), salmon oil (1%), potassium chloride (0.4%), pea meal, dried parsley (0.1%), glucosamine (0.026%), mannan-oligosaccharides (0.0198%), chondroitin (0.016%), fructo-oligosaccharides (0.015%), yucca schidigera (0.015%).

Turkey protein at 26% opens the list, with hydrolysed poultry protein at 6% and duck protein at 5% behind it. Turkey is lighter than chicken and easy on an older digestion. That is why it appears so often on senior and light labels. All the meat arrives in dried protein form. The declared shares are therefore a good guide to what the dog actually gets.

Maize at 24% and peas at 19% form the base. Dried apple pulp at 7.3% is the notable one. Apple pomace is a fibre source, and pushing it this high is a deliberate move on a food aimed at older guts that need a little help keeping things regular. Estimated carbohydrate lands at 42.2% of dry matter.

The joint support is written out in full. Glucosamine at 0.026% and chondroitin at 0.016% each get their own line and their own percentage, which means you can see precisely what is going in. Those are modest shares, so think of them as daily maintenance for an ageing frame, but printing them separately is more than many labels do.

Poultry fat at 8% is the added fat, and the label stops at the family name there too. Marine omega 3s come in through salmon oil at 1%, the form a stiffening older dog gets the most from. Hydrolysed poultry liver at 2% is the palatant. On a senior food, keeping an ageing appetite interested is a genuine consideration and no marketing one.

The tail is short and sensible: potassium chloride at 0.4%, dried parsley at 0.1%, mannan-oligosaccharides and fructo-oligosaccharides as the prebiotic pair, and yucca schidigera at 0.015%. Nothing has been added simply to make the list look longer.

£3.79 a kilo, sold in 1kg, a five pack of 1kg, 12kg and a pair of 12kg.

A 15kg dog in moderate condition works out at roughly 232 grams a day, or £0.88, based on an energy need of about 840 kcal a day using the standard 110 × bodyweight^0.75 maintenance estimate. An older dog that has slowed right down will usually need a shade less than that, so let the waistline lead the way.