This is the rice-based senior food rather than the grain-free one, and for a lot of older dogs that is the right choice — rice is gentle, familiar, and there is no reason to take a grain out of a diet unless a dog has a problem with it.

Chicken makes up 28%, split as 23% dried and 5% fresh, with rice at 23% and maize behind it. Arden Grange declare the joint ingredients by weight rather than merely listing them — glucosamine at 740mg/kg, MSM at 740mg/kg and chondroitin sulphate at 520mg/kg — plus prebiotic FOS at 900mg/kg, dried krill, whole dried egg at 1% and linseed at 3%. The analysis is crude protein 22%, fat 12%, crude ash 6% and crude fibres 3.5%, with omega-6 at 4.12% and omega-3 at 0.7%, and there is L-carnitine at 50mg/kg to support fat metabolism. It contains no added wheat, gluten, soy or dairy.

• Complete food for older dogs, 12KG
• Chicken 28% — dried 23%, fresh 5%
• Rice 23%
• Protein 22%, fat 12%, crude ash 6%, crude fibres 3.5%
• Glucosamine 740mg/kg, MSM 740mg/kg, chondroitin sulphate 520mg/kg
• No added wheat, gluten, soy or dairy

It contains grain, and that is usually fine. Rice and maize are both in this, so it is not a bag for a dog with a diagnosed grain problem — but for the great majority of older dogs, grain is not the issue and a rice-based food is easier on the stomach than a novelty diet. Worth knowing that the supplied data gives the calcium figure two different ways, so if calcium matters for your dog, check the sack itself rather than taking a number from us.

Who it's for: dogs past their prime who are doing fine on ordinary food, where the owner wants joint support built into the bowl rather than added on top.