Gain Original
Dry Extruded complete
Is Gain Original a good dog food?
We score it 20/100 (Poor). The main reasons are set out in "Why you might not" below, and every step of the calculation is shown under "How we calculated this score".
Why this score?
This recipe achieves a total score of 20 out of 100 based on several evaluated elements. The overall quality of the ingredient list reduced the score by -5.9. Additionally, ingredients without printed percentages contributed -13.1 to the tally, while the processing format resulted in a deduction of -7. Finally, the remaining ingredients accounted for a further adjustment of -8.2.
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.
- Recipe20
- Nutritionallow89
- Transparency40
- Safety100
- Evidencelimited33
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 adult dogs, with cereals, fresh meat and vegetable by as the main ingredients.
Why you might choose it
- Nutritionally complete: formulated to be fed as the whole diet.
Why you might not
- 4 poor-graded ingredients make up about 67% of the recipe.
- Meat makes up an estimated 8% of the dry matter (19% as fed); carbohydrates dominate.
- 100% of the recipe mass has no printed percentage, so the exact split cannot be verified.
Estimated composition
Typical analysis (as fed)
- Protein
- 21%
- Fat
- 10%
- Fibre
- 3%
- Ash
- 7.50%
Additives & feeding info
No additives recorded yet.
Storage
Provide clean drinking water at all times. Make all diet changes gradually over a 7-10 day period.
Feeding guide
Dog Weight / Serving per day: 4kg 100g; 7kg 150g; 13kg 230g; 20kg 315g; 30kg 430g; 40kg 530g; 50kg 625g; 60kg 720g. Adjust feeding rate for activity levels and external conditions to maintain a lean healthy body condition. Provide clean drinking water at all times. Make all diet changes gradually over a 7-10 day period.
Who is this food for?
Suits
- Labelled by the manufacturer for adult dogs
- Doesn't list chicken, beef, turkey, lamb, fish, venison, pork, duck as ingredients
Consider something else if:
- Your dog avoids grain: the label lists cereals
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 (6)
| # | As declared | Matched | Category | Tier | Declared % | Est. % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cereals | Cereals | carb | poor | - | 21.1 |
| 2 | Meat & animal derivatives | Fresh Meat | meat | medium | - | 19.3 |
| 3 | Derivatives of vegetable origin | Vegetable By-Products | other | poor | - | 17.5 |
| 4 | Oils & fats | Unspecified Animal Fats and Oils | oil | poor | - | 15.8 |
| 5 | Minerals | Vitamins and minerals | supplement | medium | - | 14.0 |
| 6 | Products from the processing of plants | Vegetable By-Products | other | poor | - | 12.3 |
Brand
Trust and provenance
- Recall history
- No recalls recorded in our database
- Label data last checked
- 2026-09-14
- Scored with
- Model v2 (methodology)
- Product page
- www.gainanimalnutrition.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 | -0.6 | 9.915 | -5.87 |
| Meat share of dry matter | 8.0% | 0.116 | +0.93 |
| Carb share of dry matter | 27.5% | -0.113 | -3.10 |
| Oil share of dry matter | 23.2% | -0.088 | -2.05 |
| Supplement share of dry matter | 19.2% | -0.009 | -0.17 |
| Other share of dry matter | 22.1% | -0.371 | -8.21 |
| Recipe graded poor | 66.7% | -0.045 | -2.98 |
| Number of poor ingredients | 4 | -0.868 | -3.47 |
| Largest single poor ingredient | 21.1% | 0.056 | +1.19 |
| 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 | -0.47 | 0.236 | -0.11 |
| 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 | -0.6 | 9.915 | -5.87 |
| Meat share of dry matter | 8.0% | 0.116 | +0.93 |
| Carb share of dry matter | 27.5% | -0.113 | -3.10 |
| Oil share of dry matter | 23.2% | -0.088 | -2.05 |
| Vegetable share of dry matter | 0.0% | -0.002 | +0.00 |
| Additive share of dry matter | 0.0% | 0.177 | +0.00 |
| Supplement share of dry matter | 19.2% | -0.009 | -0.17 |
| Other share of dry matter | 22.1% | -0.371 | -8.21 |
| Unrecognised share of dry matter | 0.0% | -0.022 | +0.00 |
| Recipe graded poor | 66.7% | -0.045 | -2.98 |
| Poor-quality meat in recipe | 0.0% | -0.182 | +0.00 |
| Number of poor ingredients | 4 | -0.868 | -3.47 |
| Largest single poor ingredient | 21.1% | 0.056 | +1.19 |
| 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 | -0.47 | 0.236 | -0.11 |
| 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
- Subtotal
- 20.4
- Final score
- 20/100
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 | 20/100 | current |
| v1 | 19/100 | |
| v1.9 | 21/100 |
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.
| Nutrient | As fed (label) | Dry matter (scored) | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein | 21 | 22.8 (band 18 to 40%) | 83.2 |
| Fat | 10 | 10.9 (band 5.5 to 20%) | 92.2 |
| Fibre | 3 | 3.3 (band 0.5 to 5%) | 100 |
Scored over 3 declared nutrients (combined weight 50); 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) - not on file | 0/10 |
| 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 (Analytical constituents declared, Additives declared, 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 marketing claims made on the pack and product page, and how much evidence sits behind them. We record the claims as stated; we do not assess whether they are true.
| Claim | Type | Substantiation |
|---|---|---|
| Fibre sources improve digestion. (on page) | Functional | Manufacturer assertion |
| Convenient, highly nutritious, fully balanced diet. (on page) | Nutrient | Manufacturer assertion |
| Complete food for adult pet dogs of all breeds with medium activity. (on page) | Content | Manufacturer assertion |
| Small nugget, suitable for small as well as large breeds. (on page) | Content | Manufacturer assertion |
| No artificial colours or preservatives. (on page) | Free-from | Manufacturer assertion |
Limited: at least one claim rests on manufacturer assertion alone.
The full scoring method is published. See the methodology for exactly how the headline score and each dimension are calculated.
Other products from Gain
Alternatives to Original
Foods in our database that are similar on ingredients, protein, format or price. Scores and figures are from the same deterministic model used everywhere on the site.
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