Pero

Pero Cold Pressed: Beef with Grain review

Name: Pero Cold Pressed: Beef with Grain
Brand: Pero

56/100Good

Cold pressedPuppyAdult

Flavour

Three ranges under one name, spread from our Good band to Outstanding, with the meat-led 80/20 four at the top. Every recipe is cold pressed, so the pellet crumbles in water where baked kibble swells. Few ranges let you change a dog's dinner this much without changing the brand on the bag.

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Our view

Likely to suit

Meat doing most of the work: four recipes are 70% named animal or more
Fast eaters. A cold-pressed pellet crumbles once wet
Puppy, adult and senior fed from one bag; every recipe is labelled for all three
Dogs settled on one animal, with beef, chicken, duck, trout, lamb, salmon and turkey each given a recipe
Trying before committing, since every recipe comes as a trial pack

Worth watching

Fish in all but the two grain recipes, so a fish-free home is looking at those two
Cane molasses on nine of the twelve labels, a little added sugar
Green lipped mussel in ten recipes, and garlic in Calm Down Dog

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

How this scores

How we score

56/100Good

Protein and processingGood

Nutritional balanceAverage

TransparencyOutstanding

ValueGood

The details

Dog fit

Every recipe is labelled for puppies, adults and seniors, with the duck and fish 80/20s singled out for small breeds. Check the back of the exact bag: one name covers very different labels.

Food type

Cold pressed

Life stage

Puppy, Adult, Senior

Main protein

Beef

The score, in context

80/20 Chicken 84.6
80/20 Fish 83.7
80/20 Duck 82.0
80/20 Beef 77.4
Beef 64.4
Lamb 63.5
Salmon 63.3
Chicken 62.0
Turkey Slim Down 60.4
Calm Down Dog 59.6
Chicken 56.1
Beef 56.0

12 recipes across Outstanding and Excellent and Good. Typical dry food: Good.

Meat share moves Pero up and down: the 80/20 four sit at the top, and the rest keep normal company for the format.

What's in it

Beef37%Leads ahead of the cereals.
Wheat, barleyWheat named outright, the honest way to declare it.
Peas, linseed
Cane molassesBinds and sweetens; a sugar.
Beet pulp
Beef tallow
Vitamins and minerals, lucerne, prebiotic inulin
Herbs: parsley, chicory, kelp, peppermint, basil, fennel and more
Glucosamine, chondroitin sulphate0.1%, 0.05%The joint blend cut back to these two.

Vitamins and minerals are declared without doses on this list.

No fish anywhere on the label, one of only two recipes in the range.

Named ingredients

Beef 37%, Wheat, Barley, Peas, Linseed, Cane Molasses, Beet Pulp, Beef Tallow, Liver Gravy, Vitamins and Minerals, Lucerne, Prebiotic Inulin, Herbs (Parsley, Chicory, Kelp, Peppermint, Basil, Fennel, Thyme, Aniseed, Yucca and Rosemary), Glucosamine 0.1%, Chondroitin Sulphate 0.05%

Against the range

Fish: None; On every recipe bar the two grain ones.
Protein, dry matter: 25.6%; Joint leanest in the range.
Joint blend: Glucosamine, chondroitin; Ten recipes add collagen and mussel.

The one to choose for a beef-fed dog steering clear of fish.

Three constructions share the name. The four 80/20 recipes put named meat at 70% to 76% with sweet potato at 8%. Six more sit on sweet potato at 27% and potato at 20% under 28% to 37% meat, and two grain recipes swap that base for wheat and barley.

All twelve are cold pressed and carry a herbal tail. Ten add a joint blend with green lipped mussel, and cane molasses appears on nine labels. Fish, through salmon oil, salmon protein or white fish hydrolysate, is on every recipe except the two grain ones.

Nutritional analysis

Declared analysis

Energy

322.3 kcal/100g

Estimated using Modified Atwater factors*

Protein

23%

Fat

10%

Fibre

3.5%

Ash

8.7%

Moisture

10%

Dry weight

Protein

25.6%

Fat

11.1%

Fibre

3.9%

Ash

9.7%

Carbs

49.7%

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

38.2%

Carbs

56.6%

Oils

0.9%

Other

4.3%

Pricing & size