Wellness Core

Wellness Core Adult Small Breed: Original Turkey review

Name: Wellness Core Adult Small Breed: Original Turkey
Brand: Wellness Core

75/100Excellent

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

75/100Excellent

Protein and processingGood

Nutritional balanceOutstanding

TransparencyOutstanding

ValueExcellent

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

Turkey

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

Turkey, fresh and dehydrated32% (16% each)Half and half.
Chicken: dehydrated chicken, chicken fat, chicken gravy30% (16%, 8%, 6%)Nearly as much chicken as turkey.
Peas20%
Potato protein, dried potatoesPlant protein feeding the headline figure.
Beet pulp, linseed4%, 3%Fermentable fibre, and plant omega 3.
Salmon oil1%The single marine omega 3 source, and fish on a bird label.
Lignocellulose, carrots, apples, yeast extract, chicory root0.5% on the last two
Broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, blueberries, cranberriesCranberries 0.01%
Dried peppermintOn this label only.
Glucosamine, chondroitin, yucca, mixed herbs100 mg/kg each for the joint pair

Vitamin A 14000 IU, vitamin D3 1000 IU, vitamin E 120 mg, taurine 1500 mg, and zinc and iron at 100 mg each.

Chicken is 30% of this recipe, and nothing on the front of the pack says so.

Named ingredients

Turkey 32% (Fresh Turkey 16%, Dehydrated Turkey 16%), Chicken 30% (Dehydrated Chicken 16%, Chicken Fat 8%, Chicken Gravy 6%), Peas 20%, Potato Protein, Beet Pulp 4%, Linseed 3%, Dried Potatoes, Salmon Oil 1%, Lignocellulose, Carrots, Apples, Yeast Extract (source of mannan - oligosaccharides) 0.5%, Dried Chicory Root (source of Fructo-oligo-saccharides and Inulin) 0.5%, Broccoli, Spinach, Tomatoes, Blueberries, Cranberries 0.01%, Dried Peppermint, 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

Meat: Turkey 32%, chicken 30%; Lamb alone; salmon with tuna
Protein, dry matter: 39.6%, the highest; From 32.6%
Carbohydrate, dry matter: 29.6%, the lowest; Up to 36.4%
Marine omega 3: Salmon oil 1%; Salmon oil and tuna on the Salmon

On paper the strongest analysis of the three, as long as chicken suits your dog.

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

359 kcal/100g

Protein

36%

Fat

16%

Fibre

Ash

Moisture

Dry weight

Protein

39.6%

Fat

17.6%

Fibre

4.4%

Ash

8.8%

Carbs

29.6%

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

56%

Added water

Carbs

30.4%

Veg

2.1%

Oils

Other

4.5%

Pricing & size