Suitable for toy breed dogs Adult weight 1-4kg. e.g. Chihuahua, Pomeranian, Yorkshire Terrier
✔
Suitable for small breed dogs Adult weight 4-10kg. e.g. Beagle, Dachshund, Jack Russell
✔
Suitable for medium breed dogs Adult weight 10-25kg. e.g. Border Collie, Staffie, Springer, Vizsla
✘
NOT suitable for large breed dogs Adult weight 25-45kg. e.g. Boxer, Labrador, Greyhound
✘
NOT suitable for giant breed dogs Adult weight 45kg+ e.g. Bernese, Great Dane, Mastiff
Dog ages
From 12 months to old age
Pack sizes
700g, 2kg & 15kg bags
RRP
15kg bags = £69.99
Nutritional rating
87%
At a glance
Natural: Free from added artificial preservatives, antioxidants, colourings, flavourings or other controversial synthetic ingredientsHigh meat content: Contains at least 30% meat (on a dry matter basis)Hypoallergenic: Free from all ingredients that are regularly linked by veterinarians to food allergies and/or intolerance in dogs like wheat, maize, dairy products, soya products and artificial additivesClearly labelled: Each ingredient is clearly and individually stated and there is at least a reasonable indication of the percentages of the main ingredientsCertified nutritionally complete: This food complies fully with the complete food nutrient tolerances as recommended by FEDIAF and/or AAFCO
Surprisingly, Applaws have only been making dog foods for 4 years but they have wasted no time in establishing their brand as one of the top British natural dog foods.
The Applaws dry food range boasts a huge 75% meat (~71% dry content) with 25% vegetables and no grains. For owners looking for a high meat diet, it doesn't get much higher than this. Of course, so much meat inevitably pushes up the protein and fat levels which might put some customers off, but it is worth noting that the protein is from highly digestible meat sources and should therefore be less likely to cause the upsets sometimes associated with high levels of vegetable proteins.
Applaws is completely cereal and gluten free as well as hypoallergenic making it a good choice for allergy prone dogs.
The vegetable portion of the food is made up a long and impressive list of highly nutritious veggies, fruits and herbs as well as some good quality natural supplements including joint supplements and both pre and pro-biotics. Disappointingly though, the second most abundant vegetable (and the third ingredient overall after chicken and peas) is potato starch which doesn't provide much in the way of nutrition. The only other criticism is the use of cellulose to top up the fibre levels. Since meat doesn't contain any fibre, most high meat diets have to top up their fibre levels somehow, but we believe that it is best done with named, whole vegetables and fruits.
A bag of Applaws is not cheap but with relatively low recommended feeding amounts (especially for larger breeds), the price per day works out fairly well.
Conclusion: Apart from a couple of below-par ingredients, Applaws scores excellently. A very good, grain free, British food.
Comments
We recommend
This food is suitable for the following breed sizes:
Private label (or white label) pet foods are pre-formulated recipes that companies can order from certain factories, add their own label or packaging and retail to the public as their own brand. They are therefore available from numerous suppliers. 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
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The ingredients list as printed on the packaging or company website.
Ingredients that we believe to be controversial, unclear or low-grade are highlighted in red with especially contentious ingredients in bold red.
Information in italics is not usually avaialble on the ingredients list but has been provided to us by the manufacturer to help with our ratings.
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.
In general, unless your dog has health issues, you probably won't have to worry about these figures. Click here for more information
Natural
This food does not contain any added artificial preservatives, antioxidants, colourings, flavourings or other controversial synthetic ingredients. For more information on our logos tap here
Not natural
This food contains some added artificial preservatives, antioxidants, colourings, flavourings and/or other controversial synthetic ingredients. For more information on our logos tap here
High meat content
This food contains at least 30% meat on a dry matter basis (once all of the food's water has been taken out of the equation). For more information on our logos tap here
Not high in meat
This food contains less than 30% meat on a dry matter basis (once all of the food's water has been taken out of the equation). For more information on our logos tap here
Hypoallergenic
This food is free from all ingredients that are regularly linked by veterinarians to food allergies and/or intolerance in dogs like wheat, maize, dairy products, soya products and artificial additives. For more information on our logos tap here
Not hypoallergenic
This food contains one or more ingredients that are regularly linked by veterinarians to food allergies and/or intolerance in dogs or uses ambiguous terms making it impossible to rule their presence out. For more information on our logos tap here
Grain free
This food is free from all cereals including wheat, rice, maize, barley and oats. For more information on our logos tap here
Not grain free
This food contains one or more cereals or has an ingredient list that is too unclear to rule out cereal content. For more information on our logos tap here
Clearly labelled
Each ingredient is clearly and individually stated and there is at least a reasonable indication of the percentages of the main ingredients. For more information on our logos tap here
Not clearly labelled
It is difficult to tell exactly what is in this food due to a lack of labelling clarity. For more information on our logos tap here
Certified nutritionally complete
This food complies fully with the complete food nutrient tolerances as recommended by FEDIAF and/or AAFCO. For more information on our logos tap here
Not certified nutritionally complete
This food does not comply fully with the complete food nutrient tolerances as recommended by FEDIAF and/or AAFCO. For more information on our logos tap here
The price per day of feeding this food based on feeding the manufacturer's recommended daily amount from 15kg bags bought at their rrp to a dog of:
kg
Go!
Note: All suggested feeding amounts and costs are only approximate and may vary considerably from dog to dog. Be sure to contact the manufacturer if in any doubt.
87 out of 100 - Excellent
Our unique nutritional 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 healthy 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
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11
Cheshire, UK 
