Vetspec

VetSpec Calm & Focused Formula review

Name: VetSpec Calm & Focused Formula
Brand: Vetspec

68.5/100Good

DryAdult

A Good-band chicken kibble with no grain, made for dogs who find the world a little loud. The calming side sits at the end of the list, as L-tryptophan and magnesium. Neither is a sedative, but as a daily foundation alongside training they are a sensible pair to have in the recipe.

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Our view

Likely to suit

Dogs who find fireworks, car travel or a busy house hard going
Dogs who do well on chicken: meat, meal, fat and gravy all come from it
Active homes. Fat converts to 19.8% of dry matter
Cereal-free feeders, with potato and peas in place of grain
Owners who like percentages, printed from the chicken down to the prebiotic extracts

Worth watching

Fish oil in the recipe, for a dog kept off fish
Nearly all the animal content is chicken, a wall for a dog reacting to it
A rich kibble, so weigh a quieter dog's portions

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

How this scores

How we score

68.5/100Good

Protein and processingGood

Nutritional balanceGood

TransparencyOutstanding

ValueGood

The details

Dog fit

Listed for adults of every size. The calming ingredients work with training and routine, so give the whole picture time before judging it.

Food type

Dry

Life stage

Adult

Breed size

Toy, Small, Medium, Large, Giant

Main protein

Chicken

The score, in context

VetSpec Calm & Focused Formula 68.5

All one Good. Typical dry food: Good.

Two chicken entries ahead of any plant earn the Good band; unweighted herbs, a vaguely described digest and an estimated calorie figure cost it a little.

What's in it

Chicken26.2%Mostly water before cooking.
Chicken meat meal26.2%Already dried, so its share holds up in the bag.
Potato24.2%The main binder; no grain anywhere.
Chicken fat6.2%A named animal fat.
Peas4.6%
Whole linseeds, fish oilOmega 3 two ways: the plant form a dog must convert, and the ready-made long-chain form.
Sugar beet pulp, chicken digest as gravy1.6% (digest)Digest is described by what it does, never by what it is made of.
Sepiolite clay, calcium carbonate, sodium chlorideThe clay keeps the kibble consistent; no nutritional job.
Herbs blend: chicory extract, yeast extract, dried seaweed, parsley to aniseed0.3%, 0.16%, 0.2%FOS and MOS prebiotics, and seaweed for iodine. The herbs carry no weights.
L-tryptophan, DL-methionine, magnesium sulphateThe body makes serotonin from L-tryptophan. This is where the name is earned.

Every dose printed, with zinc and copper each given twice, the second time as an amino acid chelate, and selenium as selenised yeast.

Named ingredients

Chicken (26.2%), chicken meat meal (26.2%), potato (24.2%), chicken fat (6.2%), peas (4.6%), whole linseeds, sugar beet pulp, chicken digest as gravy (1.6%), fish oil, sepiolite clay, calcium carbonate, sodium chloride, culinary herbs blend (chicory extract as source of fructo-oligosaccharides (0.3%), yeast extract as source of mannan-oligosaccharides (0.16%), dried seaweed (0.2%), parsley, alfalfa, yucca extract, rosemary, fennel, basil, thyme, oregano, aniseed), L-tryptophan, DLmethionine, magnesium sulphate

Against the range

One grain-free chicken kibble: fresh chicken and chicken meat meal at 26.2% each, potato at 24.2% and peas at 4.6%. L-tryptophan and magnesium sulphate at the tail are what make it a calming formula and not another adult food.

Nutritional analysis

Declared analysis

Energy

373.5 kcal/100g

Estimated using Modified Atwater factors*

Protein

28.5%

Fat

18%

Fibre

2.5%

Ash

7.5%

Moisture

Dry weight

Protein

31.3%

Fat

19.8%

Fibre

2.7%

Ash

8.2%

Carbs

38%

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

54%

Carbs

32.8%

Veg

0.3%

Oils

7.5%

Other

5.4%

Pricing & size