A working dog that has retired from the field, or simply put on weight over a quiet winter, still needs feeding — but not on the same recipe that fuelled it through a full working season. The mistake owners make is switching an older or heavier dog to a smaller portion of the same food rather than a food built to have less energy in it to begin with.

This is Skinner's lower-protein, lower-fat recipe aimed at older, overweight and less active working dogs. It's built from maize, naked oats, poultry meat meal, barley, beet pulp, brewer's yeast, white fish meal, dried egg, poultry fat and vitamins and minerals, with whole linseed and added glucosamine (350mg/kg), chondroitin sulphate (150mg/kg) and MSM (50mg/kg) — a joint-support addition on top of the reduced-energy base.

• Crude protein 18%, crude fat 8%, crude ash 5%, crude fibres 2.5%
• Omega-3 fatty acids 0.58%
• Glucosamine 350mg/kg, chondroitin sulphate 150mg/kg, MSM 50mg/kg
• Aimed at older, overweight and less active working dogs
• 2.5kg or 15kg sack

On who this isn't for. This is a reduced-energy recipe, not a standard maintenance food with a different name. A young, actively working dog fed this instead of a full-energy feed will likely be under-fuelled for the job — it's built specifically for dogs whose weight or activity level has already dropped, not as a general-purpose everyday food.

Who it's for: owners of an older working dog, one carrying extra weight, or one whose working season has wound down, who want a lower-energy recipe with joint support built in rather than just a smaller bowlful of the usual food.