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This food is suitable for the following breed sizes:
Click here for more info.
In general, unless your dog has health issues, you probably won't have to worry about these figures. Click here for more information
Mixing bowl composition
This is the ingredients list as printed on the packaging or manufacturer's website.
Think of the 'mixing bowl' composition like a recipe - all the ingredients you would need to put in a 'mixing bowl' in order to make the food.
Ingredients have to be listed in descending order of their weight so the higher it appears, the more there is.
Highlighted ingredients
Ingredients that we believe to be controversial or inferior are highlighted in yellow with particularly low grade, highly contentious or excessively vague ingredients in red.
As fed composition
While the 'mixing bowl' composition is useful for knowing what went into the food, it doesn't always reflect what your dog is actually eating. This is because the processes that turn the ingredients into the finished pet food can significantly alter the relative weights of the ingredients.
For this reason we've calculated the approximate 'as fed' percentages for the main ingredient categories in the finished product.
Please note that these figures are very approximate. They are estimates based on the information provided by the manufacturer in the ingredients list so the clearer the terminology and the more percentages they provide, the more accurate our estimates will be. Wherever information is lacking, we always assume the worst.
Ingredient categories
◉ Meat ingredients: includes all meat and fish ingredients except isolated fats/oils.
◉Added oils and fats: includes all isolated oil and fat ingredients.
◉ Carb-rich ingredients: includes all ingredients derived from grains, pseudo-grains, potatoes and other starchy root vegetables, sweet potato and legumes (except whole peas which are categorised under fruit and veg) except for isolated protein and extracted oils. Also includes fibre supplements.
◉ Fruit and veg: includes all whole vegetables and fruits.
◉ Other: all other ingredients. Mostly made up by nutritional supplements and additives.
For more information on any ingredient, please take a look at our Dog Food Ingredient Glossary
The dry matter level of a nutrient is the percentage there would be in the food if all of the water was removed.
With water taken out of the equation, these figures allow the nutrient levels of foods of different types (like wet and dry) to be compared on an even playing field.
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77 out of 100 - Good
Our unique product ratings are calculated based on a number of characteristics including the quality and quantity of the stated ingredients, certain nutritional and technological additives and the processing methods used to create the food. They are designed to indicate how beneficial we think a food is likely to be for the majority of dogs when fed on a daily basis for an extended period. Click here for more information
Country of origin: United Kingdom
A technological additive is any substance added to a pet food "for a technological purpose and which favourably affects the characteristics of feed".
The most common categories of technological additives include preservatives and antioxidants, gelling agents and thickeners and probiotics.
While the primary effects of technoloical additives are certainly 'favourable' (increased shelf life in the case of preservatives & antioxidants, better food texture and consistency in the case of gelling agents and thickeners etc.) some have been linked to health problems in pets and should be treated with caution.
Unfortunately, many technological additives do not have to be declared by the manufacturer so just because they do not appear on the label does not necessarily mean they are not in the food. If in doubt, ask the manufacturer directly exactly what technological additives their foods contain.
SkyBritish• 2 years ago
My American Akita puppy has been eating Essential The Beginning Large Breed since four months. He is now 19 months old and we are moving to ESSENTIAL Nautical Living and ESSENTIAL Highland Living. My puppy is cheerful and energetic, excellent coat shines with health. I am very glad that I found this product in time. I recommend everyone to try these foods. I am grateful to ESSENTIAL FOODS and also want to thank David Jackson and AllAboutDogFood.co.uk for a job well done. You helped me make my choice! Thanks!
DP1985• 2 years ago
We've been feeding our Lab pup (8 months) this brand for about 3 months. We started on the Orijen Puppy Large Breed but it just didn't work for him, always soft/runny stools and it was hard to put any weight on him. He loves this food and, similar to another reviewer below, it is good for treats when training too as the kibble come in quite large pieces. It's difficult to know what is food related, as he's so young, but his energy levels have been great, he's calm, settles well, and thankfully no health complaints. His skin and coat are in great condition too. Be prepared for it to be more expensive than this site advises. We're currently feeding our dog 380g per day at 8.5 months and it will likely go up to about 400g per day before reducing after he passes 12 months.I would definitely recommend this food if you can afford to pay a bit extra. You get free delivery if you order from them directly and a 10% discount for buying more than one bag at a time :)
James Goldman• 3 years ago
Just switched to this from Royal Canin. I've noticed that my dog seems to have more energy. And using part of his food for training and recalls in the park seems to work well. So I'm happy with the switch.
krenapia James Goldman• 3 years ago
Thank you, I needed this answer, because I am also thinking of switching from Royal!
Naomi Rayner• 3 years ago
Just to let you know the calculation per day for Essentials The beginning’ and possibly the other Essential dog foods are incorrect. For the breed /weight I put in, (11mth Labrador) the websites calculations are based on about 100g per day less than they recommend - which makes it seem much cheaper than it is. Great food though. Costs us about £1.60/day
All About Dog Food Naomi Rayner• 3 years ago
Many thanks for bringing that to my attention Naomi. Should all be fixed now.
pjl• 4 years ago
I was given a complimentary bag of this for my lab pup from his breeder who was in the process of dropping Royal Canin in favour of Essentials the Beginning Large Breed due to her new awareness of the crappy ingredients in RC; these are the first few ingredients listed in Royal Canin Puppy :
Ingredients: Chicken by-product meal, brewers rice, brown rice, corn gluten meal, chicken fat, wheat gluten, wheat, corn, and the list goes on and on - what even is chicken by-product meal?? :-(
If you compare these with the ingredients and the 91% nutritional rating above, it's a no-brainer! My pup looks great, he's lean and fit, shiny coat, bright eyes, no insane behaviour (even for a 4 month old lab)...the 12.5kg free bag has only just run out so it should last a couple of months or so using the servings recommended, and I am keeping him on it as he's very happy with it. Hope this review helps, it's just my opinion, but have researched the life out of puppy food and Essentials keeps coming out top for me.
Annmarie Wilson pjl• 4 years ago
Thank you for your comments. My vet recommended I change my puppy/junior food - Chudleys - to RC and I also have been trying to do some research and it certainly does not come out favourable on this site. I will try this one for my lab pup who is also 4 months old. Many Thanks.
pjl Annmarie Wilson• 4 years ago
No problem, apologies for late response! Hope your puppy is getting on well with this, mine is nearly 7 months now and fit as a fiddle, I'm still sticking with this food!
krenapia pjl• 3 years ago
This is very helpfull, thank you! My puppy is also on RC right now and she has some insane mood swings. I think she is also a bit bloated after RC...