My Pet Says Grain Free Large Breed Puppy: Salmon with Sweet Potato & Vegetables review

This one finishes in our Good band, alongside the middle of the puppy dry field. Transparency reads Outstanding. Behind it, protein and processing and value both read Good, and nutritional balance Average. The strength of it is a 60% single fish inclusion with every part itemised. Calcium is declared and pitched for big pups, and the joint supplements come at doses you can read off the pack.

Ingredients, as declared: Salmon 60% (Freshly Prepared Salmon 38%, Dried Salmon 20%, Salmon Stock 2%), Sweet Potato (19%), Potato, Beet Pulp, Linseed, Minerals, Vitamins, Carrot, Peas (0.2%), Omega 3 Supplement, Vegetable Stock, Glucosamine (355 mg/kg), Methylsulfonylmethane (355 mg/kg), Chondroitin Sulphate (250 mg/kg), Nucleotides, FOS (96 mg/kg), MOS (24 mg/kg). Vitamins: Vitamin A 15,000 IU, Vitamin D3 2,000 IU, Vitamin E 95 IU. Provitamin: L-Carnitine 480mg. Trace Elements: Zinc (Zinc Sulphate Monohydrate) 85mg, Iron (Iron (II) Sulphate Monohydrate) 50mg, Manganese (Manganous Sulphate Monohydrate) 35mg, Copper (Copper (II) Sulphate Pentahydrate) 15mg, Iodine (Calcium Iodate Anhydrous / Potassium Iodide) 1.7mg.

The salmon headline is broken down properly. Freshly prepared salmon is 38% of it, dried salmon 20% and salmon stock 2%, coming to 60% of the recipe. Water is already out of the dried portion, and its protein goes straight into the finished kibble. That makes it count for more than its share suggests.

Just as usefully for anyone keeping to one animal, salmon is the only creature named on the list. The single caveat is the omega 3 supplement, which does not say where it comes from. A rigorous exclusion trial wants that checked with the maker.

The plant side is sweet potato at 19%, potato next, and no grain appears anywhere on the label. A gentle fibre comes from beet pulp, and linseed brings a plant omega 3 to sit beside the marine one. Carbohydrate converts to an estimated 48.9% of dry matter against a 39.0% puppy typical, which is the trade many grain free kibbles make when they swap cereal for root vegetables.

Calcium is the number that decides whether a large breed puppy food is doing its job, and here it converts to 1.41% of dry matter, inside the range unhurried bone growth calls for. Ash converts to 7.6%, and energy is declared at 376 kcal per 100g, level with the puppy kibble typical, so the bowl fills at a familiar rate.

The joint package is unusually generous for a puppy food, with glucosamine and methylsulfonylmethane at 355 mg/kg each and chondroitin sulphate at 250 mg/kg. Big breeds carry more weight through their joints than anyone else, so beginning that support during growth is a sensible piece of design.

Behind them sit nucleotides, with FOS at 96 mg/kg and MOS at 24 mg/kg on the gut side. The vitamin and trace element panel is fully dosed, with vitamin E at 95 IU and vitamins A and D3 beside it. The trace elements run zinc at 85mg, iron at 50mg, manganese at 35mg, copper at 15mg and iodine at 1.7mg. L-Carnitine comes in at 480mg, a nutrient that helps the body put fat to work as energy. Carrot and peas at 0.2% are garnish, and the bag stands on its fish.

£5.29 a kilo, sold in 6kg, 12kg and 24kg bags, with a 15kg working dog pack alongside them.

The label's own chart runs from 145g a day up to 315g a day, depending on your pup's weight and the adult size they are headed for. A big pup's ration keeps moving, so read the chart afresh as they grow.