Pro Plan Veterinary Diets OM Obesity Management Dry review

Ingredients, as declared: Corn*, Soya meal*, Dried poultry protein, Barley*, Wheat gluten, Pea hulls*, Cellulose, Digest, Minerals, Pork fat, *Carbohydrate sources

Corn leads, soya meal comes next, and dried poultry protein in third place is the only named animal protein on the list. Barley, wheat gluten and pea hulls follow, with cellulose behind them. The wording stays put from batch to batch while the species behind it can change, because poultry covers any domestic bird.

Fibre is the mechanism the whole recipe is built around. Pea hulls and cellulose are both in there to add bulk without adding energy, and crude fibre converts to 10.9% of dry matter, a deliberately heavy load for a dry food.

Digest is the coating that keeps a dog interested while the portion is being held down, and pork fat is the only other animal entry, which puts pork alongside the poultry in the bowl.

The analysis reads as you would expect of a diet with this job. Protein converts to 31.5% of dry matter while fat is kept to 6.5%, carbohydrate is estimated at 44.0% and energy comes in at 296 kcal per 100g. Protein stays up and fat comes down, and that is how the maker keeps a dog fed on fewer calories. How far to take that, and for how long, is a call for your vet.

Every vitamin and trace mineral carries its dose on the pack. Vitamin E is at 350 IU per kilo, iron at 120 mg per kilo, iodine at 1.9, copper at 13, manganese at 46, zinc at 110 and selenium at 0.13. The label asks for 250 grams a day at 15kg, starting at 75 grams for a 2.5kg dog and reaching 705 grams at 70kg.

Bags come at 3kg and 12kg, at £5.69 a kilo. Because the food is lighter in energy the portions run larger, and a 15kg dog on 284 grams a day comes to £1.61.