Symply Puppy Fuel review

This one comes out in our Good band, the same band the middle of the puppy kibble market occupies, and it finishes ahead of that mark rather than beside it. Protein and processing, nutritional balance and value all read Good, with transparency the clear standout at Outstanding.

The meat share and the itemised turkey breakdown are what push it up. What holds it back from climbing further is the calcium figure. A growth food meant to serve every size would want that number a little lower.

Ingredients, as declared: 56.3% Turkey (Fresh Turkey 28.5%, Dried Turkey 22%, Turkey Fat 4.2%, Turkey Gravy 1.6%), Sweet Potato (11.7%), Potato (8.8%), Whole Oats (8.7%), Pea Starch, Peas, Alfalfa, Salmon Oil (1.8%), Whole Egg, Cranberry, Carrot, Apple, Broccoli, Marigold Flower, Bilberry, Spinach, Prebiotic - Fructooligosaccharides (0.04%), Peppermint

Turkey at 56.3% is broken into its parts, which is the labelling practice most worth rewarding. Fresh turkey at 28.5% leads, dried turkey at 22% follows, and turkey fat at 4.2% with turkey gravy at 1.6% finish the block. The dried share does the quiet work of the four. Its water has already gone, so it contributes more finished protein than the percentage suggests.

Just as usefully, no second meat appears anywhere. Fat and gravy alike are turkey, off the same bird as the meat. That holds the whole animal side of this label to one species, and a pup being reared on a single meat has a real option here. Salmon oil and whole egg keep it short of a formal elimination diet.

The starch sits mainly with sweet potato at 11.7%, then potato at 8.8%, with whole oats at 8.7% and pea starch behind. Oats keep their fibre and bring B vitamins and minerals along with them, though they do mean this is not a cereal-free bag. Carbohydrate converts to 37.4% of dry matter, under the 39.0% typical for a puppy kibble. In a food selling itself on meat, that is a good sign.

Fat at 18.0% is where the name on the bag earns itself, converting to 19.6% of dry matter. That is a rich recipe by puppy standards and it gives an active young dog plenty in reserve. Energy comes out at 374 kcal per 100g on our estimate, not a declared figure, and that is close to the 376 typical. So the richness shows up in the composition and not in the calorie count.

The label declares calcium, and it converts to 1.63% of dry matter. A toy pup is comfortable at that level and so is a small or medium one, with plenty there for growing bone. A large or giant breed growth plan usually works to a slightly lower level. Speak to your vet first if your pup will grow into a big adult, before this becomes the daily food.

The tail of the list is small but real. Alfalfa, cranberry, carrot, apple, broccoli, bilberry and spinach appear at garnish level with marigold flower and peppermint, and the prebiotic fructooligosaccharides are dosed at 0.04% to feed the gut's own bacteria. Whole egg adds a little protein of about the most complete kind there is. Treat all of it as seasoning; the recipe stands on its turkey.

£5.67 a kilo, sold in 2kg, 6kg and 12kg bags.

A puppy's daily need keeps moving as they grow. Work from the bag's chart with your pup's expected adult weight in mind, and revise the amount as they fill out. The bag's own guide spans 65g to 510g a day.