Morrisons Mixed Puppy Food in Jelly review

The typical wet puppy food lands in our Excellent band; this one sits in our Average band, a fair distance behind it. Transparency reads Poor while protein and processing reads Average and nutritional balance reaches Outstanding, and the common thread is the label rather than the recipe. The meat, the cereal, the fats and the vegetable matter are each given as a heading with only a token percentage named inside, and no calcium is declared on a food sold for growth. Even the energy figure has to be estimated, because the pack prints none.

Ingredients, as declared: With Beef and Rice in Jelly - Meat and Animal Derivatives (Beef 4%), Cereals (1.5% Uncooked Rice, Equivalent to 4% Cooked Rice), Oils and Fats (Fish Oil 1%), Minerals, Derivatives of Vegetable Origin (Chicory 0.08%), Various Sugars, With Chicken and Rice in Jelly - Meat and Animal Derivatives (Chicken 4%), Cereals (1.5% Uncooked Rice, Equivalent to 4% Cooked Rice), Oils and Fats (Fish Oil 1%), Minerals, Derivatives of Vegetable Origin (Chicory 0.08%), Various Sugars

Both recipes follow one template. Meat and animal derivatives lead, with 4% named as either beef or chicken. Cereals follow at 1.5% uncooked rice, equivalent to 4% once cooked. After that come oils and fats, holding fish oil at 1%, then minerals, then derivatives of vegetable origin with chicory at 0.08%, and various sugars last.

Most of the pack is described in headings, not in ingredients. The meat block could sit anywhere on the quality range, and because the terms are so wide the maker can also move between sources from one batch to the next. That is the part that makes tracing an intolerance so awkward.

Fish oil is the one named fat and a good one, carrying the omega 3 fatty acids a puppy's brain and coat draw on. Whichever meat is on the front, fish belongs on the allergen picture for both recipes.

Chicory at 0.08% is there for the inulin in its root, and inulin is what the gut's friendly bacteria feed on. At that inclusion, treat it as a nod towards digestive support rather than a working dose.

The analysis is the pack's strongest suit. Protein at 8.0% and fat at 7.0% on a declared moisture of 81.0% convert to 42.1% and 36.8% of dry matter, both high. Our carbohydrate estimate is 8.0% of dry matter, where the typical wet puppy food runs at 13.6%. Ash converts to 10.5%, but with no calcium declared there is no way to check the mineral that matters most in a growth diet.

Energy comes out at an estimated 93 kcal per 100g, a little under the 106 typical of wet puppy food, so the bowl fills at a fairly ordinary rate for a jellied food.

£2.92 a kilo. The pack name does not state a total weight, and the retailer's own weight based pricing puts it at roughly 1.2kg.

A puppy's daily amount moves as they do, so it is never a fixed number. Take your starting point from the guide on the pack and revisit it every week or two as your pup gains weight and changes shape.