Primal Spirit

Primal Spirit Complete Wild Waters review

Name: Primal Spirit Complete Wild Waters
Brand: Primal Spirit

65.5/100Good

Cold pressedAdult

A fish-led cold-pressed food with the best printed analysis of its brand's four recipes, carrying the most protein and the most energy per gram. What holds it back is what the label leaves out: no vitamin or mineral addition and no calcium figure. It sits in our Good band.

Where to buy: coming soon

Live retailer links are coming soon. Once we have them from UK retailers, where to buy and the best price will appear here.

Our view

Likely to suit

Dogs that get on well with fish, half the recipe before anything else
Working and busy dogs, on the most energy-dense pellet the brand presses
Fast eaters. Cold-pressed pellets crumble once wet and do not swell
A dull coat, where fish is one of the easier changes to make
A trial run before a big sack, with a 1kg bag on offer

Worth watching

Fresh chicken at 20%, so no poultry-free plan
No vitamin or mineral addition declared, uncommon for a complete food
Rice as the carbohydrate, for a household keeping cereals out

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

How this scores

How we score

65.5/100Good

Protein and processingGood

Nutritional balanceGood

TransparencyExcellent

ValueGood

The details

Dog fit

Listed for adults from toy breeds to giants. Ask Primal Spirit for the calcium and vitamin figures if you plan to feed it every day.

Food type

Cold pressed

Life stage

Adult

Breed size

Toy, Small, Medium, Large, Giant

Main protein

Fish

The score, in context

Primal Spirit Complete Wild Waters 65.5

All one Good. Typical dry food: Good.

The analysis is the strongest in the Primal Spirit line; the missing vitamin and mineral declarations are what hold it to its band.

What's in it

Fresh fish50%Mostly water going in, so far less survives into the pellet than the figure implies. No species named.
Fresh chicken20%Completes the animal share.
Rice20%Gluten free and kind to a sensitive gut.
Beta vulgaris pulp5.12%Beet pulp under its Latin name, at an oddly precise figure.
Brewer's yeast3%B vitamins and a savoury smell.
Pumpkin1.25%The only plant in the tail doing measurable work.
Pear, pineapple, thyme, coriander, turmeric0.125% eachSeasoning level.

No vitamin or mineral addition and no calcium figure on the label.

Named ingredients

50% fresh fish, 20% fresh chicken, 20% rice, 5.12% beta vulgaris pulp, 3% brewer's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), 1.25% pumpkin, 0.125% pear, 0.125% pineapple, 0.125% thyme (Thymus vulgaris), 0.125% coriander (Coriandrum sativum), 0.125% turmeric (Curcuma longa)

Against the range

A cold-pressed pellet with fresh fish at 50% and fresh chicken at 20%, rice at 20% as the only cereal and beet pulp for fibre. Protein converts to 35.2% of dry matter and carbohydrate to 31.2%, well under the 43.2% typical of the format. No vitamin or mineral addition is declared, and the 8.7% ash carries no calcium figure.

Nutritional analysis

Declared analysis

Energy

354.1 kcal/100g

Protein

28.5%

Fat

16.5%

Fibre

Ash

8.7%

Moisture

19%

Dry weight

Protein

35.2%

Fat

20.4%

Fibre

2.5%

Ash

10.7%

Carbs

31.2%

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

70%

Carbs

20%

Veg

1.4%

Other

8.6%

Pricing & size