Natural Woodland

Natural Woodland Optimum Diet: Large review

Name: Natural Woodland Optimum Diet: Large
Brand: Natural Woodland

60.6/100Good

DryPuppyAdult

Flavour

Two sizes of a poultry kibble built on a mixed cereal base, both in our Good band. The labels name what they use: oils specified, herbs dosed, trace minerals on their own lines. For a dog that has never reacted to cereal, it is a plain, well fed 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

Dogs of any age, as puppies, adults and seniors are named on both bags
Bigger dogs on the Large recipe, with glucosamine at 650 mg/kg and chondroitin at 150 mg/kg
Small and medium dogs, who get a kibble on the Mini-Medium bag they can manage
Poultry eaters. Turkey and chicken lead both lists
Owners who like the omega source named: dehydrated salmon at 2%, fish oil at 0.5%

Worth watching

Wheat sits high in both, the first thing to rule out if cereal has caused trouble
Turkey and chicken share one percentage, so the split between the birds is unknown
The Mini-Medium carries no glucosamine or chondroitin
No calcium on either bag, though both are sold for puppies

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

How this scores

How we score

60.6/100Good

Protein and processingGood

Nutritional balanceAverage

TransparencyOutstanding

ValueGood

The details

Dog fit

Listed for puppies, adults and seniors, with the Large bag for big dogs. For a large-breed puppy, get the calcium figure from Natural Woodland before starting.

Food type

Dry

Life stage

Puppy, Adult, Senior

Breed size

Large

Main protein

Chicken

The score, in context

Mini-Medium 63.5
Large 60.6

All two Good. Typical dry food: Good.

Both sit comfortably in the band, held back by a moderate meat total and four cereals, with the Mini-Medium just ahead.

What's in it

Dehydrated turkey and chicken meat18%Water gone before weighing. One figure for both birds.
Fresh chicken10%
Wheat, barleyWheat draws the most debate of the cereals; barley is the useful one.
Rice, corn, peas8%, 6%, 8%Rice sits most gently in the gut.
Chicken oil5%The bulk of the fat.
Chicken liver hydrolysate2%A palatant, and liver is nutrient dense in its own right.
Dehydrated salmon, fish oil2%, 0.5%Long-chain omega 3, ready to use.
Beet pulp, carob, yeast, mineral substances2% beet pulp
Rosemary, chicory, malva1,200, 500 and 400 mg/kgRosemary keeps the fats from turning; chicory feeds gut bacteria.
Glucosamine, chondroitin650 mg/kg, 150 mg/kgThe joint pair only this bag carries.

Vitamins A, D3 and E, each trace mineral on its own line, and L-carnitine at 40 mg/kg.

No calcium figure, yet the bag is sold for puppies. Ask for it before feeding a large-breed pup.

Named ingredients

Dehydrated turkey and chicken meat (18%), Fresh chicken (10%), Wheat, Barley, Rice (8%), Corn (6%), Peas (8%), Chicken Oil (5%), Chicken liver hydrolysate (2%), Dehydrated salmon (2%), Beet pulp (2%), carob, Fish oil (0.5%), Yeast, Mineral substances, Rosemary (1,200 mg/kg), Glucosamin (650 mg/kg), Chicory (500 mg/kg), Malva (400 mg/kg), Chondroitin (150 mg/kg).

Against the range

Joint support: Glucosamine 650 mg/kg, chondroitin 150 mg/kg; None on the Mini-Medium.
Fat: 14.0%; 16.0% on the Mini-Medium.
Carbohydrate, dry matter: 43.5%; 40.2% on the Mini-Medium.
Energy: 370 kcal per 100g; 379 on the Mini-Medium.

The gentler build, and the one to choose for a stiffening older dog.

Both bags open on dehydrated turkey and chicken under one shared percentage, with fresh chicken at 10% behind. Wheat, barley, rice and corn share the carrying, with wheat high on both lists. Dehydrated salmon at 2% and fish oil at 0.5% are named in each, and so are the herbs and every trace mineral.

What varies is size and build. The Large bag prints glucosamine and chondroitin and runs leaner; the Mini-Medium is the richer kibble at 16.0% fat with less carbohydrate. Neither declares calcium, though both are sold for puppies.

Price and value

The Large recipe is sold in a 10kg bag and the Mini-Medium in 2kg and 10kg.

As a guide, a 15kg adult dog in moderate condition would eat about 227 grams a day of the Large recipe or about 222 grams of the Mini-Medium. Work that from around 840 kcal a day (110 × bodyweight^0.75, the standard maintenance estimate). A dog of that weight belongs on the Mini-Medium bag by size. A puppy on either will want considerably more than its adult ration while it is growing, so watch the ribs and not the scoop.

Nutritional analysis

Declared analysis

Energy

369.5 kcal/100g

Protein

27%

Fat

14%

Fibre

Ash

Dry weight

Protein

29.3%

Fat

15.2%

Fibre

3.3%

Ash

8.7%

Carbs

43.5%

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

32%

Carbs

52.4%

Veg

0.5%

Oils

5.5%

Other

9.6%

Pricing & size