Pooch & Mutt

Pooch & Mutt Primal Dry Food: Venison with Lamb & Duck review

Name: Pooch & Mutt Primal Dry Food: Venison with Lamb & Duck
Brand: Pooch & Mutt

72.7/100Excellent

DryPuppyAdult

Flavour

The meat-forward end of the Pooch & Mutt dry range, and both recipes reach our Excellent band. The lead entry is a concentrated protein from a less common animal, venison or wild boar, which does more work than fresh meat at the same share. Chicken fat carries the energy.

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Our view

Likely to suit

Dogs that do best on a high meat, low plant bowl
Owners after less common meats
Working dogs and dogs with a busy diary
Joints that need looking after, with glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate dosed
Small dogs who find standard kibble too big. The venison comes as a small kibble too

Worth watching

Chicken fat at 12% in both, whatever the pack front says
Lamb and duck behind the headline animal, so neither works as a single protein elimination diet
Rich, energy-dense food, so the portion matters more than on an everyday kibble

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

How this scores

How we score

72.7/100Excellent

Protein and processingGood

Nutritional balanceGood

TransparencyOutstanding

ValueExcellent

The details

Dog fit

Both are listed for puppies, adults and seniors of every size. For a large breed puppy, pick the wild boar: its calcium sits where a big youngster wants it.

Food type

Dry

Life stage

Puppy, Adult, Senior

Breed size

Toy, Small, Medium, Large, Giant

Main protein

Venison

The score, in context

Wild Boar 77.8
Venison 72.7

All two Excellent. Typical dry food: Good.

Named animal ingredients fill most of both bags, and the wild boar's higher protein and Outstanding nutritional balance give it the edge.

What's in it

Venison protein32%Concentrated dried meat, so very little of that weight is lost in the oven.
Fresh lamb26%Mostly water by the time it is cooked.
Peas15%The whole plant story: fibre, antioxidants, a little plant protein.
Chicken fat12%Named, and a good palatable fat, but it puts chicken in the bag.
Duck protein10%Another dried entry.
Pumpkin, dried apple pulp, carrots2% down to 0.5%
Glucosamine, chondroitin sulphate0.019% and 0.012%Joint support, properly dosed.
Mannan-oligosaccharides, fructo-oligosaccharidesPrebiotics for the gut.
Mojave yuccaFor what owners notice on the lawn.
Dried rosemary, dried turmeric, spirulina0.003% eachThe rosemary guards the fats.

Calcium works out at 2.0% of dry matter, a firm level that suits an adult better than a large breed puppy.

Named ingredients

Venison Protein (32 %), Fresh Lamb (26 %), Peas (15 %), Chicken Fat (12 %), Duck Protein (10 %), Pumpkin (2 %), Dried Apple Pulp (2 %), Carrots (0.5 %), Glucosamine (0.019 %), Chondroitin Sulphate (0.012 %), Mannan-oligosaccharides (0.011 %), Fructo-oligosaccharides (0.008 %), Mojave Yucca (0.007 %), Dried Rosemary (0.003 %), Dried Turmeric (0.003 %), Spirulina (0.003 %).

Against the range

Protein, dry matter: 31.1%; 41.1% in the wild boar.
Carbohydrate, dry matter: 37.1%; 30.0% in the wild boar.
Calcium, dry matter: 2.0%; 1.22% in the wild boar.
Kibble size: Regular and small; Regular only in the wild boar.

The milder of the two on paper, and the one to pick for a little dog.

Both recipes open on 32% of a concentrated protein from a less common animal, venison or wild boar, then fresh lamb at 26%, peas at 15%, chicken fat at 12% and duck protein at 10%. Peas are the only plant ingredient of any size, with pumpkin, apple pulp and carrot behind them, and crude fibre is 3.1% of dry matter in both.

Glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate are printed with their doses at the foot of each list. What varies is the analysis and the calcium: the wild boar runs higher in protein and lower in carbohydrate, and the two declare quite different calcium levels.

Nutritional analysis

Declared analysis

Energy

376.7 kcal/100g

Protein

28%

Fat

17%

Fibre

2.8%

Ash

8.8%

Moisture

10%

Dry weight

Protein

31.1%

Fat

18.9%

Fibre

3.1%

Ash

9.8%

Carbs

37.1%

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

68.3%

Carbs

15.1%

Veg

4.5%

Oils

12.1%

Other

0.1%

Pricing & size