Wellness Core

Wellness Core Adult Small Breed: Lamb review

Name: Wellness Core Adult Small Breed: Lamb
Brand: Wellness Core

62.5/100Good

DryAdult

Flavour

The grain-free Core recipe, cut into a small kibble for small mouths. Each bag leads with its named animal and prints the fresh and dried split, and potato and peas carry the starch. The Salmon and Turkey reach our Excellent band; the Lamb sits a step down in Good, and it is the only one with a single animal.

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Our view

Likely to suit

Toy and small breed adults, the dogs this kibble is cut for
Choosing by protein: a red meat, an all-fish and a poultry recipe on one base
Little dogs with ageing joints. Glucosamine and chondroitin are both at 100 mg/kg
Dogs kept off cereal
Fussy small eaters, as fat at 15.0% or 16.0% keeps the kibble appetising

Worth watching

Only the Lamb keeps to one animal. The Turkey carries chicken at 30%, with nothing on the front of the pack to say so
Peas go as high as 20%, which matters if legumes disagree with your dog
No moisture declared on the Lamb, so its dry matter figures rest on an assumption

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

How this scores

How we score

62.5/100Good

Protein and processingAverage

Nutritional balanceGood

TransparencyOutstanding

ValueGood

The details

Dog fit

Listed for adults, with the kibble cut for toy and small breeds. Before ordering, read the animal list on the back: two of the three carry more than the name says.

Food type

Dry

Life stage

Adult

Breed size

Toy, Small, Medium, Large, Giant

Main protein

Lamb

The score, in context

Original Turkey 75.0
Ocean Salmon 72.1
Lamb 62.5

Three recipes across Excellent and Good. Typical dry food: Good.

Choose by the animal first, since the gap between the three matters less than what is on each label.

What's in it

Lamb, fresh and dehydrated38% (20% and 18%)The only animal on the list, with no fish oil or second meat behind it.
Peas20%A big entry, and at that level a structural choice.
Potato protein, potatoesPotato protein is the one to notice: a plant protein adding to the headline figure.
Rapeseed oilThe added oil.
Dried beet pulp, brewer's dried yeast, linseed3% eachLinseed brings plant omega 3; beet pulp is the fermentable fibre.
Lignocellulose, mineralsLignocellulose adds bulk without calories.
Dried apples, carrots, yeast extract, chicory root0.5% on the last three
Broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, blueberries, cranberriesSpinach 0.01%A flourish, not a course.
Glucosamine hydrochloride, chondroitin sulphate100 mg/kg each
Yucca schidigera, rosemary, turmeric, citrus, eugeniaYucca for stool odour; the herbs do the preserving.

Per kilo: vitamin A 14000 IU, vitamin D3 1000 IU, vitamin E 400 mg, taurine 1500 mg, and zinc and iron at 100 mg each, with every trace element given a figure.

Moisture is not declared, so the dry-matter figures assume a standard 8%.

Named ingredients

Lamb 38% (Fresh Lamb 20%, Dehydrated Lamb 18%), Peas 20%, Potato Protein, Potatoes, Rapeseed Oil, Dried Beet Pulp 3%, Brewer's Dried Yeast 3%, Linseed 3%, Lignocellulose, Minerals, Dried Apples, Dried Carrots 0.5%, Yeast Extract (source of mannan-oligosaccharides) 0.5%, Dried Chicory Root (source of Fructo- oligo-saccharides and Inulin) 0.5%, Dried Broccoli, Dried Spinach 0.01%, Dried Tomatoes, Dried Blueberries, Dried Cranberries, 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

Animals on the label: Lamb only; Salmon with tuna; turkey with chicken
Vitamin E: 400 mg per kilo; 120 mg
Protein, dry matter: 32.6%, the lowest; Up to 39.6%
Moisture: Not declared; 9.0% declared

The only recipe here that can anchor an elimination trial.

Each recipe opens with its animal and prints the fresh and dehydrated split. Peas are a big entry everywhere, at 20% in the Lamb and Turkey and 16% in the Salmon, with potato as dried potato and again as potato protein. Linseed at 3% brings plant omega 3 to all three, and beet pulp at 3% or 4% is the fermentable fibre.

The supplement panel barely moves: glucosamine and chondroitin at 100 mg/kg each, taurine at 1500 mg per kilo, zinc and iron at 100 mg. What varies is the animals. Only the Lamb keeps to one; the Salmon adds tuna and the Turkey adds chicken.

Nutritional analysis

Declared analysis

Energy

353.4 kcal/100g

Protein

30%

Fat

15%

Fibre

4.5%

Ash

Dry weight

Protein

32.6%

Fat

16.3%

Fibre

4.9%

Ash

9.8%

Carbs

36.4%

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

38%

Carbs

45.8%

Veg

Oils

2.9%

Other

10.2%

Pricing & size