Morrisons Puppy Complete review

This kibble sits in our Average band. The middle of the puppy dry field is a step above it, in our Good band. Protein and processing reads Poor and nutritional balance Average, with transparency Good. The first two read that way for one reason: four of the five entries on the pack are categories, not ingredients, which leaves the quality of the material impossible to settle. The analysis shows a starch led recipe with a modest fat level, and even the energy figure has to be estimated because none is printed.

Ingredients, as declared: Cereals (including 4% Rice), Meat and Animal Derivatives (29%, including 4% Chicken), Oils and Fats, Minerals, Derivatives of Vegetable Origin

Five entries make up the entire recipe. Cereals come first, itemised only as including 4% rice, then meat and animal derivatives at 29% with 4% chicken named inside, then oils and fats, minerals, and derivatives of vegetable origin.

Leading on cereals rather than meat sets the shape of the food, and the analysis agrees. Carbohydrate converts to an estimated 51.7% of dry matter, well above the 39.0% typical of a puppy kibble, while fat converts to just 11.0%. Protein still reaches 27.5% of dry matter, so a pup is not short of it, but a good deal of this bag is starch.

The broad headings are the real limitation. Under meat and animal derivatives you might find good muscle meat, or you might find the plainest offcuts. Oils and fats might be a fine animal fat or a heavily processed oil. Derivatives of vegetable origin could be almost any plant material. None of that means the ingredients are poor. It means the pack does not let you find out. The recipe can also change batch by batch, with the label unchanged.

Calcium is the bright spot. It converts to 1.43% of dry matter. That sits well within what growing bone needs, and it is gentle enough for a large breed pup. Not every puppy food manages that. Ash converts to 7.1%, so the mineral load overall is unremarkable.

The added micronutrients are properly dosed. Vitamin E is at 70mg, with zinc at 100mg, iron at 60mg, manganese at 50mg, copper at 8mg, iodine at 2.5mg and selenium at 0.1mg. Vitamins A and D3 carry international unit figures too. Selenium comes as sodium selenite here, not the organic form, and that is the route most makers take.

Energy is estimated at 337 kcal per 100g against the 376 typical of a puppy kibble, which simply means a pup works through a slightly larger bowl to get what they need.

£1.20 a kilo, in a 2.5kg bag.

At one end of the pack's chart the smallest pups get 40g a day; at the other it asks for 725g. Few things show as clearly why a growing dog's portion cannot be set once and left alone. Match the chart to your pup's weight as it changes, and adjust to condition from there.