Waita

Waita Freeze Dried Complete Food: Duck Recipe review

Name: Waita Freeze Dried Complete Food: Duck Recipe
Brand: Waita

85.5/100Outstanding

Freeze-driedPuppyAdult

Flavour

Animal from top to bottom, kept in the cupboard rather than the freezer, and all three recipes sit in our Outstanding band. Each prints exactly which parts go in. The three differ more than the shared name suggests: the Chicken adds egg yolk, the Duck a pumpkin cube, and the Rabbit keeps to rabbit.

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Our view

Likely to suit

Dogs kept to one protein, through the Rabbit
A dog that has run through the everyday meats
Puppies as well as adults, as all three are listed for both
Small dogs and light eaters, since portions come out modest
Cautious buyers, with a 20g tasting pack on each recipe

Worth watching

Egg yolk in the Chicken and pumpkin in the Duck
Concentrated pieces that are easy to over-serve
Rehydrating suits most dogs, a low drinker especially

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

How this scores

How we score

85.5/100Outstanding

Protein and processingOutstanding

Nutritional balanceOutstanding

TransparencyOutstanding

ValueOutstanding

The details

Dog fit

Listed for puppies and adults of every size. Weigh the first few meals, as a small heap here goes a long way.

Food type

Freeze-dried

Life stage

Puppy, Adult

Breed size

Toy, Small, Medium, Large, Giant

Main protein

Duck

The score, in context

Chicken Recipe 85.8
Duck Recipe 85.5
Rabbit Recipe 84.6

All three Outstanding. Typical dry food: Good.

Close enough together that the animal should decide your choice, with the Chicken a shade ahead.

What's in it

Duck meat62%A red-fleshed bird many dogs with a chicken history get on with.
Duck with bone12.2%
Duck blood7%Rich in iron and highly digestible protein.
Duck liver7%
Duck heart4%
Duck and pumpkin cubes4%The only plant entry in the range.
Duck breast3%

Taurine at 1000mg and choline chloride at 2500mg per kilo, prebiotics and two live cultures, a full vitamin group, and selenium in yeast and selenite forms, read off the pack.

No calcium percentage on the label; for a large-breed puppy, that is the figure to ask Waita for.

Named ingredients

Duck Meat 62%, Duck with Bone 12.2%, Duck Blood 7%, Duck Liver 7%, Duck Heart 4%, Duck & Pumpkin Cubes 4%, Duck Breast 3%. Duck Meat 62%, Duck with Bone 12.2%, Duck Blood 7%, Duck Liver 7%, Duck Heart 4%, Duck & Pumpkin Cubes 4%, Duck Breast 3%

Against the range

Organ share: Blood and liver at 7% each; The largest in the range
Plant entry: Pumpkin, in a 4% cube; None in the other two
Protein, dry matter: 56.5%; Same in the Chicken, 57.6% in the Rabbit

The pick for a dog moving off chicken that still wants a bird.

Three freeze-dried recipes, each built from named parts of one animal, with bone at 12.2% to 13% as the mineral source. Freeze drying draws the ice off as vapour, so nothing is cooked at kibble temperatures, and water at the bowl brings it back towards raw.

Protein converts to 56.5% to 57.6% of dry matter and fat to 21.7% to 23.9%. Energy runs from 451 to 478 kcal per 100g, which is why portions look small. No label prints a calcium figure.

Nutritional analysis

Declared analysis

Energy

451 kcal/100g

Protein

52%

Fat

22%

Fibre

Ash

Moisture

Dry weight

Protein

56.5%

Fat

23.9%

Fibre

4.3%

Ash

7.6%

Carbs

7.7%

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

100%

Pricing & size