Pro Plan

Pro Plan Small & Mini Puppy OptiStart review

Name: Pro Plan Small & Mini Puppy OptiStart
Brand: Pro Plan

46.4/100Average

DryPuppy

An Average puppy kibble that packs a great deal into a small bowl, at 413 kcal per 100g. That density suits a small breed, which is fully grown long before it is heavy. Behind the 20% chicken, though, the recipe leans on wheat and plant protein.

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Our view

Likely to suit

Small and mini breed puppies with big energy needs
Calcium printed, at 1.63% of dry matter, a fair match for a small breed's quick growth
Pups that eat little and often
Nursing mothers of a small breed litter, whose amounts the guide includes
Trace elements listed with their doses

Worth watching

Wheat third on the list and wheat gluten further down
Soya meal and corn protein meal lift the protein figure but do not match meat
Animal fats and digest with no species, so no use for an exclusion diet
Fat at 22.8% of dry matter, so a pup that rounds out easily should be weighed

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

How this scores

How we score

46.4/100Average

Protein and processingAverage

Nutritional balanceExcellent

TransparencyGood

ValueAverage

The details

Dog fit

Listed for small breed puppies. The portion changes every few weeks, so read the pack's chart for your pup's stage and let how he looks count most.

Food type

Dry

Life stage

Puppy

Breed size

Small

Main protein

Chicken

The score, in context

Pro Plan Small & Mini Puppy OptiStart 46.4

All one Average. Typical dry food: Good.

A fifth of the bag is named chicken and most of the rest is cereal and plant protein, though the label declares everything from calcium to selenium.

What's in it

Chicken (including back and chest)20%Fresh meat, named to the cut.
Dried poultry proteinMore concentrated, and does more for the protein figure. Poultry is a category name.
Wheat
Animal fatsNo species given.
Soya mealPlant protein.
Rice7%
Corn protein meal, dried beet pulp, corn, wheat glutenMore cereal and plant protein.
Minerals, fish oil, dried eggFish oil and egg are both worth having.
DigestAn animal coating, unnamed, that helps the kibble get eaten.
Dried colostrum0.1%

Vitamins A, D3, E and C with iron, iodine, copper, manganese, zinc and selenium, each dosed, plus tocopherol extracts as the preservative.

Named ingredients

High quality chicken (including back and chest) (20%), Dried poultry protein, Wheat, Animal fats, Soya meal, Rice (7%), Corn protein meal, Dried beet pulp, Corn, Wheat gluten, Minerals, Fish oil, Dried egg, Digest, Dried colostrum (0.1%)

Against the range

A single small-breed puppy recipe. Chicken at 20% opens the list, then dried poultry protein, with wheat, soya meal, rice, corn protein meal and wheat gluten carrying much of what follows.

Nutritional analysis

Declared analysis

Energy

413 kcal/100g

Protein

32%

Fat

21%

Fibre

Ash

Moisture

Dry weight

Protein

34.8%

Fat

22.8%

Fibre

2.2%

Ash

8.7%

Carbs

31.5%

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

50.2%

Carbs

38.6%

Oils

6.6%

Other

4.6%

Pricing & size