Canidae Real Lamb & Ancient Grains Recipe

Dry Extruded complete

48out of 100

Average

our rating

Is Canidae Real Lamb & Ancient Grains Recipe a good dog food?

We score it 48/100 (Average). This reflects the ingredient quality, composition and label transparency of the recipe as declared on the label.

How we score

Why this score?

This recipe achieves an overall rating of 48 out of 100 based on several key factors. The overall quality of the ingredient list contributed +6.5 points to the total. However, ingredients without printed percentages reduced the score by -13.1, the processing format subtracted -7, and the additive load contributed -2 points.

Only part of the analytical constituents are declared, so the nutritional picture is incomplete.

100% of this recipe has no printed percentage. Estimated shares are model estimates, not label facts.

Recipe
48
Nutritionallow
95
Transparency
40
Safety
100
Evidence
Not recorded

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 extruded dry food for dogs of all life stages, with lamb, dried chicken protein and oats as the main ingredients.

Why you might choose it

Nutritionally complete: formulated to be fed as the whole diet.

Why you might not

Meat makes up an estimated 7% of the dry matter (8% as fed); carbohydrates dominate.
100% of the recipe mass has no printed percentage, so the exact split cannot be verified.

View the source page

Estimated composition

supplement53.9%

carb13.4%

meat8.2%

veg8.0%

additive7.0%

oil4.9%

fibre2.5%

mineral2.0%

Typical analysis (as fed)

Protein: 24%
Fat: 10%
Fibre: 5%
Moisture: 10%
Omega-3 fatty acids: 0.70%
Omega-6 fatty acids: 2%

Additives & feeding info

Nutritional additives

Zinc 100 mg/kg; Selenium 0.4 mg/kg; Vitamin E 50 IU/kg; Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) 30 mg/kg; Taurine 0.15 %; Glucosamine 400 mg/kg; Chondroitin Sulfate 700 mg/kg; Vitamin E supplement; Zinc proteinate; Zinc sulfate; L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate; Ferrous sulfate; Iron proteinate; Niacin supplement; Copper sulfate; Vitamin A supplement; Copper proteinate; Sodium selenite; Manganese sulfate; Manganese proteinate; Thiamine mononitrate; d-calcium pantothenate; Riboflavin supplement; Pyridoxine hydrochloride; Vitamin B12 supplement; Calcium iodate; Folic acid; Vitamin D3 supplement; Biotin

Technological additives

Mixed tocopherols (a preservative)

Who is this food for?

Suits

Labelled by the manufacturer for all lifestages
Doesn't list beef, turkey, venison, duck as ingredients

Consider something else if:

Your dog avoids chicken: the label lists dried chicken protein
Your dog avoids lamb: the label lists lamb
Your dog avoids fish: the label lists salmon oil
Your dog avoids pork: the label lists dehydrated pork protein
Your dog avoids grain: the label lists oats
You want a single-protein recipe: this one lists more than one animal protein

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 (47)

#	As declared	Matched	Category	Tier	Declared %	Est. %
1	Lamb	Lamb	meat	medium	-	2.8
2	chicken meal (source of glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate)	Dried chicken protein	meat	good	-	2.8
3	oatmeal	Oats	carb	medium	-	2.8
4	barley	Barley	carb	medium	-	2.7
5	whole grain sorghum	Sorghum	carb	medium	-	2.7
6	millet	Millet	carb	good	-	2.7
7	pork meal (source of glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate)	Dehydrated Pork Protein	meat	good	-	2.6
8	peas	Peas	veg	good	-	2.6
9	brown rice	Rice - brown / whole grain	carb	medium	-	2.6
10	suncured alfalfa meal	Alfalfa Meal	fibre	medium	-	2.5
11	flaxseed	Linseed	veg	good	-	2.5
12	chicken fat	Chicken Oil and Fat	oil	good	-	2.5
13	dried yeast	Yeast	supplement	good	-	2.5
14	salmon oil	Salmon Oil	oil	good	-	2.4
15	natural flavor	Flavor	additive	poor	-	2.4
16	salt	Salt	additive	poor	-	2.4
17	Threonine	Threonine	supplement	medium	-	2.3
18	potassium chloride	Potassium Chloride	supplement	medium	-	2.3
19	choline chloride	Choline	supplement	good	-	2.3
20	taurine	Taurine	supplement	good	-	2.2
21	Tryptophan	L-Tryptophan	supplement	good	-	2.2
22	mixed tocopherols (a preservative)	Tocopherols	additive	good	-	2.2
23	vitamin E supplement	Vitamin E	supplement	good	-	2.2
24	zinc proteinate	Zinc Proteinate	supplement	good	-	2.1
25	zinc sulfate	Zinc sulfate	supplement	medium	-	2.1
26	L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate	L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate	supplement	good	-	2.1
27	ferrous sulfate	Iron sulfate	supplement	good	-	2.0
28	iron proteinate	Iron Proteinate	mineral	good	-	2.0
29	niacin supplement	Niacin	supplement	good	-	2.0
30	copper sulfate	Copper sulphate	supplement	good	-	1.9
31	vitamin A supplement	Vitamin A	supplement	good	-	1.9
32	copper proteinate	Copper proteinate	supplement	good	-	1.9
33	sodium selenite	Sodium selenite	supplement	poor	-	1.9
34	manganese sulfate	Manganese sulfate	supplement	medium	-	1.8
35	manganese proteinate	Manganese proteinate	supplement	good	-	1.8
36	thiamine mononitrate	Thiamine mononitrate	supplement	good	-	1.8
37	d-calcium pantothenate	Calcium pantothenate	supplement	good	-	1.7
38	riboflavin supplement	Riboflavin	supplement	good	-	1.7
39	pyridoxine hydrochloride	Pyridoxine hydrochloride	supplement	good	-	1.7
40	vitamin B12 supplement	Vitamin B12	supplement	good	-	1.6
41	calcium iodate	Calcium iodate	supplement	medium	-	1.6
42	dried Bacillus amyloliquefaciens fermentation product	Dried Bacillus amyloliquefaciens fermentation product	supplement	good	-	1.6
43	folic acid	Folic acid	supplement	good	-	1.6
44	vitamin D3 supplement	Vitamin D3 supplement	supplement	good	-	1.5
45	biotin	Biotin	supplement	good	-	1.5
46	green tea extract	Green Tea	veg	good	-	1.5
47	rosemary extract	Rosemary	veg	good	-	1.4

Brand

Website: https://canidae.com/

Trust and provenance

Recall history: No recalls recorded in our database
Label data last checked: 2026-08-22
Scored with: Model v2 (methodology)
Product page: canidae.com

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 v2 on 2026-09-22. Each component is the feature value for this product multiplied by the model's published coefficient.

Component	Input	Coefficient	Contribution
Base score	-	32.336	+32.34
Average ingredient quality	0.7	9.915	+6.46
Meat share of dry matter	6.8%	0.116	+0.78
Carb share of dry matter	13.8%	-0.113	-1.55
Oil share of dry matter	5.7%	-0.088	-0.50
Vegetable share of dry matter	3.6%	-0.002	-0.01
Additive share of dry matter	7.3%	0.177	+1.30
Supplement share of dry matter	57.9%	-0.009	-0.51
Recipe graded poor	6.6%	-0.045	-0.30
Number of poor ingredients	3	-0.868	-2.60
Largest single poor ingredient	2.4%	0.056	+0.14
Undeclared quantities	100.0%	-0.131	-13.09
Complete diet	yes	1.703	+1.70
Low meat (under 10% of dry matter)	yes	-1.988	-1.99
Additive penalty	-8.39	0.236	-1.98
Processing multiplier	1.00	32.336	+32.34
Processing: Dry Extruded	yes	-6.996	-7.00

Show all 40 components

Component	Input	Coefficient	Contribution
Base score	-	32.336	+32.34
Average ingredient quality	0.7	9.915	+6.46
Meat share of dry matter	6.8%	0.116	+0.78
Carb share of dry matter	13.8%	-0.113	-1.55
Oil share of dry matter	5.7%	-0.088	-0.50
Vegetable share of dry matter	3.6%	-0.002	-0.01
Additive share of dry matter	7.3%	0.177	+1.30
Supplement share of dry matter	57.9%	-0.009	-0.51
Other share of dry matter	0.0%	-0.371	+0.00
Unrecognised share of dry matter	0.0%	-0.022	+0.00
Recipe graded poor	6.6%	-0.045	-0.30
Poor-quality meat in recipe	0.0%	-0.182	+0.00
Number of poor ingredients	3	-0.868	-2.60
Largest single poor ingredient	2.4%	0.056	+0.14
Undeclared quantities	100.0%	-0.131	-13.09
Prints ingredient percentages	no	3.194	+0.00
Complete diet	yes	1.703	+1.70
Frozen or chilled fresh	no	11.440	+0.00
High meat (30%+ of dry matter)	no	-0.506	+0.00
Low meat (under 10% of dry matter)	yes	-1.988	-1.99
High carb and low meat	no	-1.250	+0.00
Meat share × printed percentages	0.0	-0.073	+0.00
Meat share × fresh	0.0	-0.339	+0.00
Fresh × high meat	0.0	16.475	+0.00
Additive penalty	-8.39	0.236	-1.98
Processing multiplier	1.00	32.336	+32.34
Processing: Raw	no	13.322	+0.00
Processing: Fresh Chilled	no	7.712	+0.00
Processing: Fresh Frozen	no	6.583	+0.00
Processing: Fresh Refrigerated	no	4.857	+0.00
Processing: Fresh Shelf	no	0.072	+0.00
Processing: Dry Freeze Dried	no	11.127	+0.00
Processing: Dry Air Dried	no	9.320	+0.00
Processing: Dry Cold Pressed	no	4.569	+0.00
Processing: Dry Baked	no	-2.321	+0.00
Processing: Dry Extruded	yes	-6.996	-7.00
Processing: Dry Semi Moist	no	-6.833	+0.00
Processing: Dry Muesli	no	-10.711	+0.00
Processing: Wet Pate	no	2.935	+0.00
Processing: Wet Chunks	no	2.292	+0.00

Processing-type offset: -0.01
Additives declared on label: +2 transparency bonus
Subtotal: 47.5
Final score: 48/100

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.

Score history across model versions

The score shown above is always computed with the latest published model. Earlier scores are kept for the record and are never edited or deleted; a scoring change ships as a new model version with a public write-up on the methodology page.

Model	Score
v2	48/100	current
v1	46/100
v1.9	47/100

Nutritional: declared analysis vs reference ranges

How the declared analysis compares with FEDIAF reference ranges for adult dogs. 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.

Guaranteed-analysis FEDIAF score: crude minimums and maximums are bounds, not typical values; moisture (a maximum) uses the processing median where available; experimental US score.

Nutrient	As fed (label)	Dry matter (scored)	Score
Protein	24	26.1 (band 18 to 40%)	92.1
Fat	10	10.9 (band 5.5 to 20%)	92.2
Fibre	5	5.4 (band 0.5 to 5%)	100
Omega fatty acids (omega-6 and omega-3)	-	-	100

Omega fatty acids (omega-6 and omega-3): scored as the mean of its declared components (omega-6 100). The FEDIAF minimum for omega-6 is linoleic acid specifically.

Scored over 4 declared nutrients (combined weight 60); undeclared nutrients do not affect the score. Moisture was not declared and was estimated at 8% from the food type.

Low confidence: partial analysis or moisture 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 (voluntary) - not on file	0/20
✗ Analytical constituents declared (mandatory) - not on file	0/15
✓ Additives declared (mandatory)	10/10
✗ Energy value declared (voluntary) - not on file	0/5
✓ Complete/complementary designation (mandatory)	5/5
✗ Feeding guidance given (mandatory) - not on file	0/10
✓ 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 (Analytical constituents declared, Feeding guidance given, 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

No on-pack claims on file: nothing to verify.

The full scoring method is published. See the methodology for exactly how the headline score and each dimension are calculated.

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