Pooch & Mutt Superfoods Puppy Wet Food review

The middle of the wet puppy field already reaches our Excellent band, so sitting there at all means something here. This recipe holds that band: protein and processing reads Excellent, nutritional balance and transparency both Outstanding, and value Excellent. The label does steady work across the whole panel.

Ingredients, as declared: Fresh Chicken (60 %), Dried Egg (6 %), Carrot (2.5 %), Potato (2.5 %), Parsnip (2 %), Chicory Root Extract (as a source of prebiotics FOS, 0.05 %).

Fresh chicken at 60% is most of the story, and the analysis stands behind it. Protein converts to 41.4% of dry matter, a genuinely meaty reading even in a category where big meat headlines are common. Wet food is also the format where a fresh meat figure is fairest, because the water that fresh chicken brings with it stays in the pack and is never driven off in a kiln.

Dried egg at 6% is the second protein and a well chosen one. As proteins go, egg is about as complete as they come, and dogs digest it readily. In a growth recipe the quality of the amino acids counts for more than the sheer quantity. It does put egg on the allergen picture alongside the chicken.

Carrot and potato at 2.5% each with parsnip at 2% are the only plant matter of any substance, and carbohydrate estimates at 10.3% of dry matter against 13.6% typical for a wet puppy food. There is no cereal on the list at all. Fibre reads 5.2% of dry matter and comes from those vegetables, with no added bulking agent.

Chicory root extract at 0.05% closes the list, and the label calls it a source of FOS, the prebiotic. The inulin in chicory feeds the bacteria you want in the large intestine. Small doses are the norm, so read it as a considerate finishing touch and not a digestive programme in its own right.

The energy figure is the surprise of the panel. It runs at 139 kcal per 100g against the 106 typical for the category, driven by fat converting to 34.5% of dry matter. That suits a pup who burns through the day, and it means a smaller serving goes further. Ash converts to 8.6% of dry matter, a modest mineral load. Calcium itself is not printed, and without that number a large breed growth plan cannot be built on this bowl until the maker supplies it.

£6.64 a kilo, sold in 375g packs, singly or in a box of twelve.

The sums change every few weeks as a pup grows, so one daily weight is no use. Feed by the chart on the pack for the size your pup is expected to reach, and let their shape tell you when to move it.