Specific CJD Joint Support review

Ingredients, as declared: Wheat, fish meal, rice, cellulose powder, fish oil, beet pulp, egg powder, animal protein hydrolysate, PETAGILE® (hydrolysed collagen), vitamins and trace elements (including chelated trace elements), Antarctic krill, minerals, yeast (including source of ß-1.3/1.6-glucans), psyllium husk, chondroitin sulphate, borage oil, L-carnitine, rosemary extract. With natural antioxidants (tocopherols and vitamin C).

Wheat is the first ingredient, with fish meal second, rice third and cellulose powder fourth. Fish meal is the only meat meal on the label, while egg powder and Antarctic krill add animal protein lower down and an animal protein hydrolysate names no species.

Wheat in first place is worth registering if your dog has reacted to wheat before, since it is one of the cereals owners most often end up excluding. It is set out here as the label sets it out, and whether it belongs in your dog's diet is a question for the person overseeing the case.

The joint directed entries are easy to pick out. PETAGILE is Specific's name for hydrolysed collagen, and chondroitin sulphate follows the minerals. Gamma linolenic acid comes in with the borage oil, while the marine oils come from fish oil and krill. No level is printed against any of them. You can see what has gone in without knowing the dose.

Cellulose powder sits close to the top of the list, and crude fibre is declared at 7.0%, a lot for a kibble. L-carnitine appears at the end of the list too. Taken together the recipe reads like one built to keep a joint patient's weight in check as much as to feed the joint itself, which is a familiar pairing in this category.

Elsewhere the panel reads protein 21.4% and fat 10.6%, with energy at 335 kcal per 100g and moisture 8.5%. Since the food is nearly all dry matter, those percentages barely move on conversion. Energy held at that level alongside all that fibre is the intended architecture here rather than a shortfall, and only your vet can say whether it matches what your dog needs.

The feeding table runs from 60 grams a day at 2.5kg through 230 grams at 15kg to 800 grams at 80kg, and Specific lists the food for adult dogs. On a prescribed diet, your vet's number is the one that counts.

Bags run to 2kg, with multipacks of three 2kg bags or three 4kg bags, at £6.47 a kilo.