Arden Grange Small Breed Adult with Fresh Lamb & Rice

The smallest thing on a bag of small-breed food is usually the kibble, and it is also the only part of the claim that is easy to check. A piece a terrier can chew rather than swallow whole is a genuine difference; most of the rest of what separates small-breed food from ordinary adult food is marketing.

This is a complete dry food for adult small breeds, built on lamb at 36% - split by Arden Grange into 31% dried lamb and 5% fresh lamb, which is a breakdown very few brands at this price bother to publish. Rice follows at 22%, with maize, beet pulp, yeast, whole dried egg at 1% and linseed at 1.5%. Prebiotic FOS is declared at 900mg/kg and MOS at 400mg/kg, alongside nucleotides, yucca extract, glucosamine, MSM and chondroitin. Arden Grange state no added wheat, gluten, soy or dairy.

• 2KG bag, complete dry food for adult small breeds
• Lamb 36% in total - 31% dried lamb and 5% fresh lamb
• Rice 22%, with maize also in the recipe
• Protein 25%, fat 15%, fibre 2.5%, ash 7%
• Calcium 1.4%, phosphorus 0.95%, omega-3 0.5%, omega-6 3.18%
• Prebiotic FOS at 900mg/kg and MOS at 400mg/kg

There is chicken in this lamb food. Arden Grange recommend lamb as the gentler alternative for dogs sensitive to poultry, and the ingredient list for this recipe contains chicken oil and chicken digest. Neither is a large inclusion and a refined oil is not the same thing as chicken meat, but if the whole reason you are reaching for lamb is a reaction to chicken, that is a conversation to have with your vet rather than a decision to make off the front of the bag. Worth being equally plain about the rest of it: with rice at 22% and maize in the recipe, this is not a grain-free food and is not sold as one.

Who it's for: owners of small adult dogs who want a named meat and a published meat split at a mid-range price, and anyone whose dog leaves standard-sized kibble in the bowl.