Platinum Adult Dry Chicken review

This one comes out in the Good band on our scoring. The same band holds the midpoint of the adult dry market, so on the total this food and an average bag finish together. Protein and processing reads Good, with one named meat at the front, a short and legible list behind it, and estimated carbohydrate at 35.8% of dry matter against the 46.2% typical for adult dry food. The fresh meat share is what holds the total where it is. All of the chicken goes in fresh with no dried meat backing it up, so once the oven has taken the water out the finished kibble declares 26% protein. Nutritional balance reads Good as well and transparency reads Outstanding, so the readings pull together rather than against one another.

Ingredients, as declared: Fresh chicken meat 70 %, broken rice, corn (GMO-free), brewer's yeast*, apple pulp*, salmon oil (omega-3), yucca extract, flaxseed oil (omega-3), olive oil, green-lipped mussel extract, carrots*, tomatoes*, african marigold*, dandelion*, broccoli*, green tea*, chamomile*, oregano*, milk thistle seed*, cranberry seed*, seaweed*, potassium chloride. (*dried, cold-pressed, virgin)

Fresh chicken meat at 70% is a large headline and it is worth knowing what fresh means once the kibble is cooked. The oven drives most of that weight off as water. With no dried chicken sitting behind it, the finished food declares 26% protein, which converts to 32.1% of dry matter. That is a sound adult figure, though not a towering one.

The declared moisture is 19%, high for a kibble, which is why the dry matter column is the fairer place to read this label. Everything in the as fed panel is diluted by that extra water.

Broken rice and corn do the binding, and the corn is declared GMO free. Between them they keep the estimated carbohydrate to 29.1% as fed, or 35.8% of dry matter, a good deal lighter than most dry foods manage.

The working extras are chosen with some thought. Brewer's yeast brings a natural spread of B vitamins and apple pulp adds gentle fibre. Yucca extract is the one owners tend to notice, since it is used to soften what comes out the other end. Salmon oil and flaxseed oil supply the omega 3s, with olive oil alongside them. The joint entry is green-lipped mussel extract, a marine source of omega 3s with a long history in older dogs.

After that comes the parade: carrots, tomatoes, african marigold, dandelion, broccoli, green tea, chamomile, oregano, milk thistle seed, cranberry seed and seaweed. These are flourishes, all sitting at the quiet end of the list, and the recipe would stand up on its chicken without them.

Every added mineral is given a figure. In each kilo of food there is zinc at 150 mg, iron at 75 mg, manganese at 40 mg, copper at 19 mg, iodine at 3 mg and selenium at 0.2 mg. Calcium works out at 1.85% of dry matter, which is comfortable for a grown dog. This is an adult label, not a growth one.

Sold as regular pieces in 1.5kg and 5kg bags, and in 10kg, 15kg, 20kg, 25kg and 30kg made up from 5kg bags. Mini pieces come in 900g, either singly or in packs of 2 or 3.

As a guide, a 15kg adult dog in moderate condition needs about 231 grams a day, assuming around 840 kcal a day (110 × bodyweight^0.75, the standard maintenance estimate). The label's own table asks 165 to 190 grams for a dog between 12kg and 15kg, so weigh the first few meals and let your dog's shape decide which end of that you settle on.