Virbac

Virbac Veterinary HPM Junior Special Medium review

Name: Virbac Veterinary HPM Junior Special Medium
Brand: Virbac

70.5/100Excellent

DryPuppy

A high protein growth kibble written for medium breed puppies, and it finishes in our Excellent band. The analysis is properly meaty, with protein at 38.5% and fat at 20.9% of dry matter, and calcium converts to 1.43%. The energy figure of 396 kcal per 100g is declared by the maker, not estimated by us.

Where to buy: coming soon

Live retailer links are coming soon. Once we have them from UK retailers, where to buy and the best price will appear here.

Our view

Likely to suit

Medium breed puppies, the one size this recipe was built around
Owners who read the calcium line first. It is printed and converts to 1.43% of dry matter
Busy pups that burn through a bowl, at 396 kcal per 100g against the 376 typical of a puppy kibble
A lower starch bowl: carbohydrate at 26.9% of dry matter where the puppy dry middle runs to 39.0%
Digestive support you can see in print, from fructo-oligosaccharides and psyllium to an inactivated Lactobacillus

Worth watching

Poultry never named to a species, here or in the fats and hydrolysed proteins, so no strict exclusion diet
Rice as the starch, which rules it out for a grain free household
Lignocellulose, a purified fibre powder that bulks the bowl without feeding much

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

How this scores

How we score

70.5/100Excellent

Protein and processingGood

Nutritional balanceOutstanding

TransparencyExcellent

ValueExcellent

The details

Dog fit

Listed for medium breed puppies only. A growing pup's daily amount changes month by month, so weigh it from the chart on the bag and adjust by waistline.

Food type

Dry

Life stage

Puppy

Breed size

Medium

Main protein

Pork

The score, in context

Virbac Veterinary HPM Junior Special Medium 70.5

All one Excellent. Typical dry food: Good.

The analysis and the printed calcium are strong; unnamed poultry and hydrolysed proteins are what keep protein and processing from climbing higher.

What's in it

Dehydrated pork and poultry proteinsDried before it goes in, so it carries through largely as printed. Pork is named; the poultry could be chicken, turkey, duck or goose.
RiceThe main starch, and a light load by kibble standards.
Poultry fatsUnnamed poultry again.
Peas
LignocelluloseA purified plant fibre powder. We would happily see it replaced.
Hydrolysed pork and poultry proteinsMatters for a genuine elimination trial, less so if you simply favour pork.
Minerals
Dried beet pulp, psyllium fibreBoth bring more to the bowl than the lignocellulose.
Fish oil, linseedA marine and a plant source of omega fats for a growing coat and brain.
Fructo-oligosaccharides, inactivated brewer's yeast, inactivated Lactobacillus helveticusThe gut side, with the yeast adding B vitamins.

A full vitamin and trace mineral panel dosed in print, stretching to choline at 3000 mg and taurine at 150 mg per kilogram.

Named ingredients

Dehydrated pork and poultry proteins; Rice; Poultry Fats; Peas; Lignocellulose; Hydrolysed pork and poultry proteins; Minerals; Dried (sugar) beet pulp; Fish oil; Linseed; Fructo-oligosaccharides; Psyllium fibre (Plantago (L.) spp.); Inactivated brewer's yeast; Inactivated Lactobacillus helveticus.

Against the range

One growth kibble for medium breed puppies. Dehydrated pork and poultry proteins lead, rice and peas carry a light starch load, and calcium is printed, converting to 1.43% of dry matter.

Nutritional analysis

Declared analysis

Energy

396 kcal/100g

Protein

35%

Fat

19%

Fibre

4.5%

Ash

Moisture

Dry weight

Protein

38.5%

Fat

20.9%

Fibre

4.9%

Ash

8.8%

Carbs

26.9%

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.

Oils

100%

Pricing & size