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30
4Suitable for all breeds of dogs
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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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66 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.
Catherine Rowe• 9 days ago
Really interested to see this review as it comes to exactly the same conclusion as we have made having fed Skinner's for 35 years. There's better things out there, but not at that price! My partner has fed Skinner's foods to his working terriers, laboradors, spaniels, bloodhounds and our pet terriers for 30 + years and they have all lived into their old age with no notable health issues. Considering the number of dogs we have had and bred over that time (must be around 300+ dogs) this is a remarkable testimonial. I am not so wedded to the brand as he is however I wholeheartedly agree with your conclusion that FOR THE PRICE POINT Skinner's dry food cannot be beaten for quality. Yes there are a lot of superior dog foods out there but you won't find anything better than Skinner's for the money. As I have found to my cost you can in fact spend a lot more money on inferior dog foods. The fairly recent addition of wet food to Skinner's range is very welcome and we are very impressed with that which on the whole is even better quality than the dry food. In case you were wondering I don't work for Skinner's!!! I just have more experience of their products than most dog owners!
I also agree Maintenance is not a good food now - definitely not the same product it was 10+ years ago. Ditto for Working 23 which my partner fed and swore by for 30 years to all his dogs big and small, young and old who all thrived on it. We reluctantly had to stop using as the formulation changed around the time of covid and some of our dogs refused to eat or got upset tummies. I think they took the rice out of it and I'm sure there used to be some beef in it. We changed to the Chicken & Rice as our go-to food and haven't looked back. All our dogs do so well on this again.
Eleanor Smith• 2 months ago
I have fed Skinners with my last 5 dogs. Some, GSD and ESS, preferred Ruff & Ready, which I soaked, my Labs like Duck or Salmon with Rice. My current black lab is shining like a mirror, good thick coat, no itching, loads of energy, not too gassy and not overweight at all. People actually stop me and comment on his condition and ask what I feed. The only times he has been at vets was one Labrador Lug (swimming when bacteria count high), one viral canine enteritis and one Swimmer's Tail. Apart from his boosters, that's it in 5 years. His joints are good, teeth nice and white with very little tartar and, he likes it!!!!!! The proof is walking about so what else can I say!!!!!!!!
Ali Donald• 9 months ago
I feed my dog on Skinners Field and Trial Maintenance. I pay £27 for 15kg.
I moisten it with tepid weather and add salmon oil.
My dog has great stools, a lovely coat and tartar free teeth.
Ccaroll Rrankinn• one year ago
Hi since the change of ingredients, one of my dogs keeps getting really bad runny poo and wow a lot of gas that smells really bad. Anyone else seeing/smelling the same thing? My other dog is fine. They have both been eating skinners since about 6 weeks of age .
Margot and Moose
Ccaroll Rrankinn• one year ago
Yes! Same here too. I did gradual change from existing food to Skinners and went for the lamb version, I've ordered salmon now to see if that will make a difference. If no change, they'll be going back to the food they were on which is more expensive but worth it to not have runny poops every day!
I have four dogs so was trying to scale back on the cost of their feed but it's def not worth it.
They've been on Skinners now for around seven weeks and I realise that it can take some adjustment but this is ridiculous!
Sarah Guffogg• 2 years ago
Just bought today 31.99 in jollyes not on special offer
lysky-mc-lysk• 2 years ago
Just a heads up if anyone new is thinking about starting this. The price here is wrong. It has increased dramatically its now £41 for the duck and rice direct from the supplier and my local farm shop which used to sell it at £28 a bag have put it up to £56 the puppy version has went from £34 a bag to £52 direct and £68 in the farm shop, since I bought the last bag. It's a shame as it was the best value dog food. But that's more than inflation. That's doubled in the farm shop. No longer good value. But so far with the recipe cahnge the quality seems the same
lysky-mc-lysk
lysky-mc-lysk• 2 years ago
Also the protien in the new recipie is 25% now. So just a wee note that has changed too
All About Dog Food
lysky-mc-lysk• 2 years ago
Thanks for the heads-up! I have updated the listing now
SarahsSpaniels2022• 2 years ago
My Springer Spaniel has been on Skinner's Duck & Rice for years with no problem. He's a very food motivated dog but last autumn he went right off it and stopped finishing his bowl. I asked Skinner's if their recipe had changed along with the packaging redesign and they confirmed the protein levels had raised but the rest of the recipe hadn't changed. I suspect they have a new manufacturing supplier using different quality of ingredients to before. My dog is now on Millies Wolfheart Riverside Mix which scores much higher and couldn't he couldn't be happier. Before my Skinner's ran out, I tested offering him two bowls (1 Skinners, 1 Millies) and let him sniff which he preferred. Every time he chose Millies Wolfheart and my less fussy Labrador finished off the Skinners.
Ali Donald
SarahsSpaniels2022• 9 months ago
They manufacture their own food.
SHARON CUNNINGHAM• 2 years ago
Been on this Skinner's Salmon and Rice for years no problem. Now protein level changed from 20% to 25%. Dogs gone Hypo. Too scared to feed now ..
Kevin Williams• 2 years ago
I tried this on the of chance but like many other brands it gave my labrador diarrhea he's fine on raw but commercial dog food gives him the trots raw is way too expensive for me at the minute so looking for a dry food that agrees with him I've tried this, orijen, wainwright's and a few others now trying aatu hopefully 🤞
Niamh
Kevin Williams• 2 years ago
I would suggest wolfworthy if you haven’t tried already
Trish Lysk• 4 years ago
Moved onto this from wainwrights as it's so much cheaper. Only £25 for a 15kg bag from our local farm shop and so far doesnt seem to be any problems. The carb content is high but we mix with high quality tinned or fresh fresh or tripe in each meal as we have always done so that brings the balance back up. Energy levels are good and poop is just the same as wainwrights. There is some swelling up in the food when dropped in water. A test I always do with having a deep chested dog as bloat is something to be aware of. But not too much. Doubled in size in 24 hours. Wainwrights and royal canin are the only ones so far I've found that dont swell up in water at all.
Furr babies
Trish Lysk• 3 years ago
Hi i also wrote a review once on swelling of dog food and I like it to swell as if it didn't a deep chested breed as I have Gsds also suffer with the potential to Gastric torsion/ bloat and I believe the harder the food to digest basically the harder the kibble the longer it festers in the dogs gut & doesn't digest in a good enough time before their next walk. So I pre soak the food for ours and too mash in some good quality wet food or chicken breast to the skinners.
Once the kibble has softened it is good to eat with a quicker digestion rate compared to hard like bullets kibble.
I tried mole valley kibble and to my horror I soaked it for an hour and it did not dissolve AT ALL I was horrified as this is sold to working dogs on the go so I called them to inform them it's not good it doesn't break down at all so how long is it stored festering in the poor dogs belly Not to mentioned how much water does the dog have to drink as a result of eating bullet biscuits ??? Not good .
A digestible food that is more soft when in water is much more gentle on the digestion and as long as you keep to the rule of don't feed for a couple of hours before or After a walk or feed too much in one go in their bowls and keep to a minimum of 2 meals a day you should be fine followed by a big burp wind them patting them gentle on their backs like a baby works 😄 better gas out than in haaa
So to sum it up personally as I've lost a shepherd to torsion I would not purchase bullet type kibble that doesn't like breaking down easy.
I found when the kibble varietys like burns/ skinners / vitalin chicken & potatoes/ jw food I've fed does soften it actually breaks up very easy in your fingers if you squish it which says to me it's very digestible unlike the ones wainwrights etc as you mentioned .
We all learn something all the time in dog food topics it's very interesting subject but does cause a bit of a stirr amongst people as all have their own thoughts of what suits their dogs so I generally keep out of the dog food discussions 😄
But as you mentioned kibble density & bloat I felt I had to put my view over as well as felt it was hopefully helpful.
Also if you feed a lot of wet food or fresh cooked or uncooked meat I found the wonderfully wheat free mixer laughing dog 10 kg £20 is very suitable for sensitive bellys & absorbs the moisture from the added meats & vegg nicely as I do alternate from the dry complete as my male shepherd older now so it helps with keeping his weight good & my 2 yr old shepherd bitch is more on the skinners complete or one of the above varietys I mentioned .
Kind regards
Louise (:*)
Chantelle• 4 years ago
I fed my 3 Dalmatians on this hoping to find a cheaper alternative to Millies Wolfheart. Dalmatians are quite sensitive to their food and environment. I have previously tried James Wellbeloved, Wainwrights, Step Up to Naturals, Autarky, Dr John. etc. Most of those caused skin issues and/or loose stools. I thought this food with very simple and hypoallergenic ingredients would be a good choice, but unfortunately 4 months of being on this food we had skin problems and loose stools. Dalmatians also need to avoid high purine diets, so yeast, game/wild meat, and some fish also have to be avoided.
Jax MacFadyen• 5 years ago
I have fed my Black Lab Skinners Field and Trial, Duck and Rice since she was 1. She loves it. Her coat is beautiful and shiny, her casting is not bad compared with other labs I have witnessed, her breath is not smelly, her teeth are clean, white and beautiful, poo is formed and regular (twice daily), energy level is great with no hyperactivity and no digestive problems. I give her tinned sardines twice weekly as a treat and for her joint health (i am paranoid she gets joint problems as I have had to have my own hips replaced) lol. She also gets titbits of chicken and occasionally red meat. This is a very good food, excellent price and I am always harping on to my friends about it. Try it. You will be glad you did.
Sean• 5 years ago
Seems to be mainly rice but the reviews are good.
Annette Ward• 5 years ago
I have fed Skinners food for many years to Labradors, Border Terrier and now an Irish Setter and cannot find fault with it. All my dogs have plenty of energy without being OTT, even the Setter!!, their coats are shiny and stools firm and they do not suffer with 'wind'. My Setter flatly refused to eat the brand of food she was brought up on when she changed to the adult menu but she had no problem with changing her to Skinners. Highly recommended, excellent value for money
laura• 7 years ago
Excellent food and a fabulous price. Good quality keeps my springer happy, bouncy and active. Without him bouncing off the walls and having pent up energy. He can be out all day and never falters but equally can wait for a walk. Stools are good! & he eats it well. I buy it from Fetch.com at a great price. Highly recommended x
Jenny Cameron• 7 years ago
I was recommended this food by a neighbour who has a spaniel pup with the most amazing shiny coat. I have a gsd x collie who eats anything and an 11 month old saluki x whippet who is a bony ball of energy with a funny tummy. Cheap supermarket food made the older dog sluggish and the younger one itchy and his coat fall out. Really rich, premium food gave the saluki the squits. They were on JWB for a few months but feeding 2 x 19kg dogs on that all the time was getting expensive. Looked at Skinners on here before I bought it and was really surprised to see that Skinners has all the same good/green ingredients as JWB but not the 2 red ones that JWB does. It's also half the price! Both of the dogs love the food, I have to feed the gsd slightly less than recommended as she doesn't run around a lot and the higher fat content meant she started to lose her waistline. I feed the saluki slightly more to accommodate his crazy running and high energy levels. No more itching, no more coat loss, the gsd's coat has gone lovely and shiny and she seems less stiff on her legs too. Saluki x is still growing nicely and putting weight on, both dogs love the food and clear their bowls. Cannot recommend this food enough.
Gen Robertson• 9 years ago
My Border Collie was having a lot of problems with constipation and diarrhoea when he was a pup. Was feeing him on Purina Beta Puppy to begin with then added JWB fish and rice. Eventually changed him onto Skinners Duck/Salmon and rice when he reached a year old. He is now on this gluten free Skinners now and doing brilliantly. No more stomach problems, poops exactly normal and regular, his coat is a dream and he is a fit as a fiddle. I do give him Salmon oil and then Wheat germ oil once a week as well - but he is in great condition. Thank you Skinners - no more stomach problems!!!!!
Grem
Gen Robertson• 3 years ago
Just wondering why you feed gluten free but then add Wheatgerm? If you think your dog needs a gluten free diet, try adding sunflower oil or codliver oil instead. If fish is an issue you could try Naff ‘I can’t believe it’s not Codliver oil’.
Wheatgerm contains the protein (the bit that causes allergies) found in wheat.
Clare Moody• 9 years ago
I have an adopted a 16 year old lurcher, who has had lots of digestion problems. burns alert settled him, but he left lots of it and lost weight. I changed to skinners turkey, and he gained condition. My 3yr old whippet lurcher was on JWB and i changed her to Skinners Duck & Rice with no problems. Great hypoallergenic food. Great price, and can be found cheaper with 'Fetch'.
Nick Bishop• 9 years ago
Skinners is the only food I will feed my working ESS dog's. Duck and Rice out of season and Working 23 during the shooting season. Nothing extra need be added bar love.
Caroline Gale• 9 years ago
I have 7 dogs and feed them all on Skinners (salmon, duck or turkey) and they are all great on it. One of my dogs is a large hound (rescue from Cyprus) and had terrible digestion problems till I put him on this food. Its a great food and not expensive either. It costs me just £20 per week to feed all 7 of my dogs.
Gillian Catterall• 9 years ago
I have a 9 month old Lurcher ( mostly Greyhound) X German Wirehaired Pointer. I currently feed her Specific Large/Giant Puppy ( vet recommended) which suits her well but is very expensive and she has VERY smelly farts! Want to change and this sounds great but will I be OK putting her on an adult food at this age?
Gen Robertson
Gillian Catterall• 9 years ago
Skinners do advertise that it is 9 months to adult . . .
Kait Lee• 10 years ago
I feed my four-year-old labrador on Skinners, either Duck or Salmon, and she's had the same food since she was around 12 weeks old. She's always had good digestion and lovely shiny coat, clear skin and eyes. Skinners gives her good energy levels, but she can also relax fully with no hyperactivity. I would definitely recommend this food to other dog owners.
Lou Webb• 10 years ago
I feed my three dogs on this & I'm happy with the results. Finding a brand I could trust proved to be more difficult than I imagined. Two of my dogs are Great Danes, & initially, my reason for choosing this was the fat & protein content.
We had tried many different brands, including costly Science Plan recommended to us by our vet but non suited our dogs until we came across this.
Their coats are thick & shiny, they are in great shape & they never leave a crumb!
I recommend Skinners Duck & Rice to all my friends.
Jager• 11 years ago
This food works well with my german wirehair pointers, they were on James welbeloved but this is half the price and does the job. they do get supplementary vegetables and wild protien when available.
these are working dogs.