Wellness Core

Wellness Core Adult Low Fat Small Breed review

Name: Wellness Core Adult Low Fat Small Breed
Brand: Wellness Core

73.1/100Excellent

DryAdult

The lighter Core recipe, cut down for smaller mouths, and it lands in our Excellent band. Fat comes down while protein stays high, which is the difficult trick for a light food. Unlike its bigger sibling, this label declares its moisture.

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Our view

Likely to suit

Small and toy dogs that gain easily, with fat at 11.0%
A little dog whose owner wants protein kept up: 33.0% as fed
Grain-free homes. Dried potatoes and peas do the starch work
Older small dogs with stiff joints, given glucosamine and chondroitin at 100 mg/kg each
A house with a small dog and a big one, since every size is listed

Worth watching

Two birds and a fish oil on the list, so not a single-protein food
Lignocellulose for part of the fibre, a purified powder
Chicken gravy and chicken fat counted inside the 24% chicken figure

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

How this scores

How we score

73.1/100Excellent

Protein and processingGood

Nutritional balanceExcellent

TransparencyOutstanding

ValueExcellent

The details

Dog fit

Listed for adults, and sized for small dogs. Scale the portion to your own dog and let the waistline confirm it after a few weeks.

Food type

Dry

Life stage

Adult

Breed size

Toy, Small, Medium, Large, Giant

Main protein

Turkey

The score, in context

Wellness Core Adult Low Fat Small Breed 73.1

All one Excellent. Typical dry food: Good.

A light recipe that keeps protein at 36.3% of dry matter is doing the hard version of the job, and the score recognises it.

What's in it

Turkey: fresh, dehydrated29% (17% and 12%)The dehydrated part is what survives into the kibble.
Chicken: dehydrated, gravy, fat24% (17%, 5%, 2%)Gravy and fat sit inside the figure, so it is not all muscle meat.
Dried potatoes, peasThe starch, with no cereal anywhere.
Beet pulp4%
Potato proteinSome of the protein from a plant source.
Linseed, salmon oil2% and 1%Both kinds of omega 3.
LignocelluloseA purified fibre powder.
Carrots, apples, chicory root, yeast extract0.5% each for chicory and yeastFood for the gut bacteria.
Broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, blueberries, cranberriesspinach and blueberries 0.01%Token amounts.
Glucosamine, chondroitin, yucca, mixed herbs100 mg/kg each for the joint pair

Taurine at 1500 mg per kilo, with zinc and iron at 100 mg each, plus vitamins A, D3 and E, copper, manganese and iodine.

Named ingredients

Turkey 29% (Fresh Turkey 17%, Dehydrated Turkey 12%), Chicken 24% (Dehydrated Chicken 17%, Chicken Gravy 5%, Chicken Fat 2%), Dried Potatoes, Peas, Beet Pulp 4%, Potato Protein, Linseed 2%, Lignocellulose, Salmon Oil 1%, Carrots, Apples, Dried Chicory Root (source of Fructo-oligo-saccharides and Inulin) 0.5%, Yeast Extract (source of mannan-oligosaccharides) 0.5%, Broccoli, Spinach 0.01%, Tomatoes, Blueberries 0.01%, Cranberries, D-Glucosamine Hydrochloride 100 mg/kg, Chondroitin Sulphate 100 mg/kg, Yucca Schidigera, Mixed Herbs (Dried Rosemary, Dried Turmeric, Dried Citrus, Dried Eugenia).

Against the range

One small breed recipe on the lighter Core build: turkey at 29%, chicken at 24%, dried potatoes and peas for the starch and no grain. Moisture is declared at 9.0%, so the dry matter figures are calculated and not assumed.

Nutritional analysis

Declared analysis

Energy

333 kcal/100g

Protein

33%

Fat

11%

Fibre

4.5%

Ash

8.5%

Moisture

Dry weight

Protein

36.3%

Fat

12.1%

Fibre

4.9%

Ash

9.3%

Carbs

37.4%

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

48%

Added water

Carbs

36.3%

Veg

4.4%

Oils

Other

5.3%

Pricing & size