A dog in daily training is burning through calories a companion dog never touches, and feeding it on a standard maintenance recipe just means it runs a permanent deficit — which is the reason performance feeds like this one exist as a separate category rather than a marketing tier of an ordinary food.

Connolly's RED MILLS Xcel is built from dehydrated poultry meat, maize, poultry fat, fishmeal, soya oil, maize gluten, beet pulp, whole linseed, digest, sodium chloride, calcium carbonate, chicory inulin, yeast extract, glucosamine hydrochloride and chondroitin sulphate. RED MILLS describe it as designed to meet the needs of dogs in sustained training, and say it's meant to be used alongside their Racer feed for dogs in strenuous training rather than as a stand-alone diet in every case.

• Protein 32%, oil 20%, fibre 1.6%, ash 7%, moisture (max) 10%
• Complete dog food
• Suitable for pups, brood bitches and racing dogs
• Contains glucosamine hydrochloride and chondroitin sulphate
• 15KG sack

On feeding it alongside Racer. RED MILLS' own guidance is that Xcel is designed to be used together with their Racer feed for dogs in genuinely strenuous training, rather than as the entire diet on its own in every situation. If your dog isn't in that level of work, a standard complete food is likely to suit it better than a performance feed pitched this high.

Who it's for: owners of dogs in sustained or strenuous training, pups being reared for work, or brood bitches — not a general pet dog on ordinary daily walks.