Nature's Variety Healthy Grains Puppy Mini: Chicken review

This mini recipe finishes in our Good band, where the puppy dry field settles in the middle. It sits comfortably with the pack. The pillar readings come back Average for protein and processing, Excellent for nutritional balance and Outstanding for transparency. What earns the placing is a top of list that names its chicken twice and a carbohydrate share converting to an estimated 33.1% of dry matter where the field typically runs 39.0%. What limits it is the plant protein sitting mid list, and an analysis that leaves moisture and calcium unprinted.

Ingredients, as declared: Deboned chicken meat* (20%), dried chicken protein (19%), dried peas* (15%), maize protein, poultry fat* (7%), brown rice* (7%), whole barley*, oats* (5%), hydrolysed animal proteins (poultry, pork, fish) (4%), minerals, fish oil* (1%), dried carrot* (0.5% equivalent to 4% of fresh carrot), dried apple* (0.3% equivalent to 2% fresh apple), dried seaweed (kelp)* (0.01%), dried rosemary* (0.01%). *Natural ingredients

Two chicken entries open the list and both are specific. The deboned chicken at 20% goes in fresh and gives up most of its water during cooking. The dried chicken protein at 19% has already lost its own. It therefore carries a bigger share of the finished protein than its position implies.

Dried peas at 15% and maize protein follow. At this level peas are a decent inclusion, bringing fibre and micronutrients alongside their protein. Maize protein does exactly what its name says, a concentrated plant protein. Between them they mean the declared 33.0% protein, or 35.9% of dry matter, is not purely a meat figure.

The grains are the reason this range exists. Brown rice at 7%, whole barley and oats at 5% are cereals a small dog digests easily. They hold the estimated carbohydrate to 33.1% of dry matter, comfortably under the 39.0% carried by the typical puppy kibble.

Poultry fat at 7% gives a family name and no species. At 4% the hydrolysed animal proteins are declared across poultry, pork and fish. Fish oil at 1% is the most transparent fat on the list and the one supplying long chain omega 3.

The finishing touches are modest and clearly quantified: dried carrot at 0.5%, given as the equivalent of 4% fresh, dried apple at 0.3% for 2% fresh, then dried kelp and rosemary at 0.01% apiece. The added vitamin and trace mineral panel behind them is dosed in print, with vitamins A, D3, E and C all named.

The label runs out of detail at the analysis. Protein at 33.0%, fat at 19.0%, fibre at 2.5% and ash at 7.0% are declared, moisture is not, so the dry matter conversions here rest on the standard 8% assumption for kibble. Calcium is not printed either. A small breed puppy has more room for error on calcium than a giant one. Even so, calcium remains the figure a growth food gets judged on, and the maker is worth asking for it. The energy value of 384 kcal per 100g is our estimate, not a declaration.

Sold in 0.6kg, 1.5kg, 3kg and 7kg bags.

Feeding a puppy is a weekly conversation, never a fixed rule. Begin with the bag's chart for age and adult size, then let your dog's condition settle the rest.