Barking Heads Puppy Days Wet Chicken Dog Food
Wet Pate complete High meat Clear label Full label
Is Barking Heads Puppy Days Wet Chicken Dog Food a good dog food?
We score it 84/100 (Good). This reflects the ingredient quality, composition and label transparency of the recipe as declared on the label.
Why this score?
The recipe scores 84 out of 100. The meat content contributed +9.1 points, while the overall quality of the ingredient list added +8.9 points. Being labelled nutritionally complete contributed +2.3 points, and the remaining ingredients deducted -1.9 points.
- Recipe84
- Nutritionalmedium100
- Transparency60
- Safety100
- Evidencemoderate100
The Recipe score measures how attractive and transparent the declared ingredient list is. It is not, by itself, proof that the food is nutritionally appropriate for long-term feeding. The Nutritional and Evidence scores measure what we can verify towards that stronger claim.
Complete wet paté food for puppies, with deboned chicken, cooking broth and sweet potatoes as the main ingredients.
Why you might choose it
- Scores 84, in the top quarter of wet foods we track.
- Meat makes up an estimated 95% of the dry matter (77% as fed).
- Prints ingredient percentages on the label.
Why you might not
- High in fat: 29% fat on a dry-matter basis.
Estimated composition
Typical analysis (as fed)
- Protein
- 11%
- Fat
- 7%
- Fibre
- 0.80%
- Ash
- 2.50%
- Moisture
- 76%
Additives & feeding info
Nutritional additives
Vitamin D3 450 IU/kg; Vitamin E (DL-Alpha-Tocopheryl Acetate) 40 mg/kg; Zinc as Zinc Oxide 30 mg/kg; Manganese as Manganese (ll) Oxide 2 mg/kg; Copper as Cupric Sulphate Pentahydrate 0.4 mg/kg; Iodine as Calcium Iodate Anhydrous 0.3 mg/kg
Feeding guide
Weight of Dog | Wet Food only | As a Topper on Dry Food: 5kg 1½ / Up to ½; 10kg 1½-2 / Up to ¾; 20kg 2½-3½ / Up to 1; 30kg+ 4+ / Up to 1½. When introducing, replace 25% of existing food every other day until 100% Barking Heads. Always ensure fresh water available.
Reviews
136 reviews on this product · 4.9/5
Who is this food for?
Suits
- Labelled by the manufacturer for puppies
- Grain-free: no grain ingredients listed
- Doesn't list beef, turkey, lamb, venison, pork, duck as ingredients
Consider something else if:
- Your dog avoids chicken: the label lists deboned chicken
- Your dog avoids fish: the label lists salmon oil
- You want a single-protein recipe: this one lists more than one animal protein
- You are limiting fat: 29.2% on a dry-matter basis is in the high band
These points are derived from declared ingredients and analysis, not a substitute for veterinary advice. If your dog has a diagnosed condition, food choice is a medical nutrition decision: speak to your vet. Use the homepage filter to find foods that fit your dog.
Ingredients (17)
| # | As declared | Matched | Category | Tier | Declared % | Est. % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 85% Chicken includes – Fresh Deboned Chicken (60%) | Deboned Chicken | meat | good | 85 | 85.0 |
| 2 | Chicken Broth (25%) | Cooking broth | other | medium | 25 | 25.0 |
| 3 | Sweet Potato | Sweet Potatoes | carb | good | - | 0.0 |
| 4 | Carrot | Carrots | veg | good | - | 0.0 |
| 5 | Courgette | Courgette | veg | good | - | 0.0 |
| 6 | Peas | Peas | veg | medium | - | 0.0 |
| 7 | Salmon Oil | Salmon Oil | oil | good | - | 0.0 |
| 8 | Sunflower Oil | Sunflower oil | oil | good | - | 0.0 |
| 9 | Lucerne | Alfalfa | veg | good | - | 0.0 |
| 10 | Seaweed | Seaweed | veg | good | - | 0.0 |
| 11 | Parsley | Parsley | veg | good | - | 0.0 |
| 12 | Celery | Celery Seeds | veg | good | - | 0.0 |
| 13 | Chicory Root | Chicory root | veg | good | - | 0.0 |
| 14 | Nettle | Nettles | veg | good | - | 0.0 |
| 15 | Turmeric | Turmeric | veg | good | - | 0.0 |
| 16 | Aniseed | Aniseed | veg | good | - | 0.0 |
| 17 | Minerals | Vitamins and minerals | supplement | medium | - | 0.0 |
Brand
- Website
- https://barkingheads.co.uk/
- [email protected]
- Phone
- 01344 596325
Trust and provenance
- Recall history
- No recalls recorded in our database
- Label data last checked
- 2026-09-19
- Scored with
- Model v3 (methodology)
- Product page
- www.barkingheads.co.uk
Recall history is presentation-only and never affects the score. Dates are when we recorded the data, not when the manufacturer last changed the recipe.
Spotted a mistake in this listing? Report it here and we'll take a look.
Recipe: how the 1-100 score is calculated
Scored with model v3 on 2026-09-26. Each component is the feature value for this product multiplied by the model's published coefficient.
| Component | Input | Coefficient | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base score | - | 30.909 | +30.91 |
| Average ingredient quality | 1.0 | 9.191 | +8.92 |
| Meat share of dry matter | 95.0% | 0.096 | +9.12 |
| Other share of dry matter | 5.0% | -0.375 | -1.87 |
| Complete diet | yes | 2.294 | +2.29 |
| High meat (30%+ of dry matter) | yes | 0.707 | +0.71 |
| Processing multiplier | 1.00 | 33.786 | +33.79 |
| Processing: Wet Pate | yes | -0.672 | -0.67 |
Show all 40 components
| Component | Input | Coefficient | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base score | - | 30.909 | +30.91 |
| Average ingredient quality | 1.0 | 9.191 | +8.92 |
| Meat share of dry matter | 95.0% | 0.096 | +9.12 |
| Carb share of dry matter | 0.0% | -0.115 | +0.00 |
| Oil share of dry matter | 0.0% | -0.092 | +0.00 |
| Vegetable share of dry matter | 0.0% | -0.005 | +0.00 |
| Additive share of dry matter | 0.0% | 0.163 | +0.00 |
| Supplement share of dry matter | 0.0% | -0.012 | +0.00 |
| Other share of dry matter | 5.0% | -0.375 | -1.87 |
| Unrecognised share of dry matter | 0.0% | -0.027 | +0.00 |
| Recipe graded poor | 0.0% | -0.065 | +0.00 |
| Poor-quality meat in recipe | 0.0% | -0.179 | +0.00 |
| Number of poor ingredients | 0 | -0.876 | +0.00 |
| Largest single poor ingredient | 0.0% | 0.060 | +0.00 |
| Undeclared quantities | 0.0% | -0.106 | +0.00 |
| Prints ingredient percentages | no | 0.000 | +0.00 |
| Complete diet | yes | 2.294 | +2.29 |
| Frozen or chilled fresh | no | 0.000 | +0.00 |
| High meat (30%+ of dry matter) | yes | 0.707 | +0.71 |
| Low meat (under 10% of dry matter) | no | -3.158 | +0.00 |
| High carb and low meat | no | -1.180 | +0.00 |
| Meat share × printed percentages | 0.0 | 0.000 | +0.00 |
| Meat share × fresh | 0.0 | 0.000 | +0.00 |
| Fresh × high meat | 0.0 | 11.084 | +0.00 |
| Additive penalty | 0.00 | 0.222 | +0.00 |
| Processing multiplier | 1.00 | 33.786 | +33.79 |
| Processing: Raw | no | -0.054 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Fresh Chilled | no | -2.354 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Fresh Frozen | no | -2.354 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Fresh Refrigerated | no | 0.000 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Fresh Shelf | no | -0.672 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Freeze Dried | no | 6.629 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Air Dried | no | 6.331 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Cold Pressed | no | -6.713 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Baked | no | -6.713 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Extruded | no | -6.713 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Semi Moist | no | -6.174 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Muesli | no | -10.146 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Wet Pate | yes | -0.672 | -0.67 |
| Processing: Wet Chunks | no | -0.672 | +0.00 |
- Processing-type offset
- -0.08
- Additives declared on label
- +1 transparency bonus
- Subtotal
- 84.1
- Final score
- 84/100
Contributions are rounded to two decimals, so they may not sum exactly to the subtotal. The full coefficient table is published on the methodology page.
Nutritional: declared analysis vs reference ranges
How the declared analysis compares with FEDIAF reference ranges for puppies and growth. The label prints as-fed values; we convert to a dry-matter basis before scoring, and the bands are dry-matter ranges. Scores rise to 100 at the band midpoint: the reference is adequacy, not maximisation. Nutrients with a published upper limit taper again above it; fat is policed through calorie density rather than a direct penalty.
Scored against FEDIAF growth minima; puppy scoring is under review.
| Nutrient | As fed (label) | Dry matter (scored) | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein | 11 | 45.8 | 100 |
| Fat | 7 | 29.2 | 100 |
Scored over 2 declared nutrients (combined weight 40); undeclared nutrients do not affect the score.
Medium confidence: the full five-part analysis is on file; where moisture was not declared it was estimated from the food type.
This measures agreement with published reference ranges, not suitability for an individual dog. For medical conditions, follow veterinary guidance.
Transparency: what the label discloses
How much the manufacturer discloses, measured against the FEDIAF Code of Good Labelling Practice and Regulation 767/2009. Mandatory items dominate the weighting.
| Item | Points |
|---|---|
| Ingredient list on the label (mandatory) | 10/10 |
| Printed percentages on the label (100% of the recipe mass) (voluntary) | 20/20 |
| Analytical constituents declared (mandatory) | 15/15 |
| Additives declared (mandatory) | 5/10 |
| Energy value declared (voluntary) - not on file | 0/5 |
| Complete/complementary designation (mandatory) | 5/5 |
| Feeding guidance given (mandatory) | 10/10 |
| Manufacturer identity and address (mandatory) | 5/10 |
| Country of manufacture stated (voluntary) | 10/10 |
| Batch and date labelling (mandatory) - not on file | 0/5 |
Capped at 60: mandatory items missing (Batch and date labelling).
Safety: recall history
Recall and safety-notice history, time-decayed. This dimension is shown alongside the score and never feeds the headline number.
No recalls recorded in our database.
See all current recalls we track.
Evidence: what the brand claims, and what supports it
The claims made on the pack and product page, checked against the declared label. We record claims as stated; "consistent" means our stored label data supports the claim, "contradicted" means it conflicts with it. Functional claims are recorded but never scored.
100/100 · moderate — 1 checkable claim: 1 consistent, 0 contradicted.
Consistent with the label
- "Packed with protein (85% free-run chicken!)" — supported by the declared high protein data.
9 further claims on file that we cannot check against the label.
Moderate: every checkable claim is consistent with the declared label.
| Claim | Type | Check | Substantiation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Everything you need for a happy, healthy puppy (on page) | Functional | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| Approved by our vet for growing puppies (on page) | Functional | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| Specially formulated for all your growing puppy's needs (on page) | Functional | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| Added Vitamins & Minerals (on page) | Content | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| Contains 85% free run chicken (on page) | Content | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| Packed with protein (85% free-run chicken!) (on page) | High/low level | consistent | Manufacturer assertion |
| Grain-Free Recipe (on page) | Content | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| Slow Cooked to Perfection (on page) | Content | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| Natural Ingredients - FREE from artificial colours, flavours & preservatives (on page) | Free-from | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| FREE FROM ARTIFICIAL COLOURS, FLAVOURS & PRESERVATIVES (on pack) | Free-from | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
The full scoring method is published. See the methodology for exactly how the headline score and each dimension are calculated.
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