Happy Dog Sensible Mini Puppy Lamb & Rice

Dry Extruded complete Clear label

Sensible Mini Puppy Lamb & Rice
Average
our rating

Is Happy Dog Sensible Mini Puppy Lamb & Rice a good dog food?

We score it 49/100 (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 49 out of 100 based on several key factors. The overall quality of the ingredient list contributed +4 points to the total. However, the presence of ingredients without printed percentages reduced the score by -7.4. Furthermore, the processing format decreased the score by -7, and the carbohydrate content lowered the final result by -5.1.

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

56% of this recipe has no printed percentage. Estimated shares are model estimates, not label facts.

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.

Estimated composition

carb31.6%
veg24.0%
meat22.1%
supplement8.4%
fibre6.7%
oil2.6%
other2.5%
additive2.2%

Typical analysis (as fed)

Protein
30%
Fat
16%
Fibre
2.50%
Ash
8.50%
Omega-3 fatty acids
0.20%
Omega-6 fatty acids
2%
Calcium
1.45%
Phosphorus
1.05%
Sodium
0.50%

Additives & feeding info

Nutritional additives

Vitamin A (3a672a) 17000 IU/kg; Vitamin D3 (3a671) 900 IU/kg; Vitamin E (as 3a700) 120 mg/kg; Vitamin C (as 3a312) 30 mg/kg; Iron (as 3b103) 65 mg/kg; Copper (as 3b405) 14 mg/kg; Zinc (as 3b603, 3b606) 125 mg/kg; Manganese (as 3b502) 30 mg/kg; Iodine (calcium iodate, anhydrous 3b202) 2.5 mg/kg; Selenium (Sodium Selenite 3b801) 0.2 mg/kg; L-tryptophan (3c440) 1000 mg/kg

Technological additives

Tocopherol extracts from vegetable oils 1b306(i)

Who is this food for?

Suits

  • Labelled by the manufacturer for puppies
  • Labelling or feeding guide is aimed at small dogs
  • Doesn't list chicken, beef, turkey, venison, pork, duck as ingredients

Consider something else if:

  • Your dog avoids lamb: the label lists dried lamb protein
  • Your dog avoids fish: the label lists mussel meat meal
  • Your dog avoids grain: the label lists rice - white
  • 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 (32)

#As declaredMatchedCategoryTierDeclared %Est. %
1Lamb protein (19.5%)Dried Lamb Proteinmeatgood19.519.5
2rice (19%)Rice - whitecarbmedium1919.0
3corn flourCorn flourcarbmedium-2.7
4greavesGreavesmeatpoor-2.7
5oils and fatsOils and Fatsoilpoor-2.6
6cornMaize / Corncarbpoor-2.6
7rice protein (5%)Rice Proteincarbmedium55.0
8hydrolysed proteinProtein Hydrolysateotherpoor-2.5
9beet molasses pulpBlackstrap molassescarbmedium-2.5
10celluloseCellulosefibremedium-2.4
11apple pomaceApple Fibrefibremedium-2.4
12potassium chloridePotassium Chloridesupplementmedium-2.3
13yeastYeastsupplementgood-2.3
14sodium chlorideSaltadditivepoor-2.2
15seaweedSeaweedveggood-2.2
16linseedLinseedveggood-2.1
17psyllium huskPsyllium fibrefibregood-2.1
18yucca schidigeraYucca Schidigerasupplementgood-2.0
19mussel meat (0.04%)Mussel Meat Mealmeatmedium0.040.04
20milk thistleMilk Thistleveggood-2.0
21yeastYeastsupplementgood-1.9
22artichokeArtichokeveggood-1.9
23dandelionDandelion Rootveggood-1.8
24gingerGingerveggood-1.8
25birch leavesBirch Leavesvegmedium-1.7
26nettleNettlesveggood-1.7
27chamomileChamomileveggood-1.6
28corianderCorianderveggood-1.6
29rosemaryRosemaryveggood-1.5
30sageSageveggood-1.5
31liquorice rootLiquoricevegmedium-1.4
32thyme (0.15%)Thymeveggood0.150.1

Brand

Happy Dog logo
Phone
(530) 267-6262
Address
300 Salem Street Chico,CA 95928
Contact page
www.happydog.com

Trust and provenance

Recall history
No recalls recorded in our database
Label data last checked
2026-09-12
Scored with
Model v2 (methodology)
Product page
www.happydoguk.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.

ComponentInputCoefficientContribution
Base score-32.336+32.34
Average ingredient quality0.49.915+4.05
Meat share of dry matter10.1%0.116+1.17
Carb share of dry matter45.2%-0.113-5.09
Oil share of dry matter4.1%-0.088-0.36
Vegetable share of dry matter13.1%-0.002-0.02
Additive share of dry matter3.2%0.177+0.56
Supplement share of dry matter12.5%-0.009-0.11
Other share of dry matter2.0%-0.371-0.74
Recipe graded poor12.3%-0.045-0.55
Poor-quality meat in recipe2.6%-0.182-0.47
Number of poor ingredients5-0.868-4.34
Largest single poor ingredient2.6%0.056+0.15
Undeclared quantities56.3%-0.131-7.37
Prints ingredient percentagesyes3.194+3.19
Complete dietyes1.703+1.70
High carb and low meatyes-1.250-1.25
Meat share × printed percentages10.1-0.073-0.74
Additive penalty-2.660.236-0.63
Processing multiplier1.0032.336+32.34
Processing: Dry Extrudedyes-6.996-7.00
Show all 40 components
ComponentInputCoefficientContribution
Base score-32.336+32.34
Average ingredient quality0.49.915+4.05
Meat share of dry matter10.1%0.116+1.17
Carb share of dry matter45.2%-0.113-5.09
Oil share of dry matter4.1%-0.088-0.36
Vegetable share of dry matter13.1%-0.002-0.02
Additive share of dry matter3.2%0.177+0.56
Supplement share of dry matter12.5%-0.009-0.11
Other share of dry matter2.0%-0.371-0.74
Unrecognised share of dry matter0.0%-0.022+0.00
Recipe graded poor12.3%-0.045-0.55
Poor-quality meat in recipe2.6%-0.182-0.47
Number of poor ingredients5-0.868-4.34
Largest single poor ingredient2.6%0.056+0.15
Undeclared quantities56.3%-0.131-7.37
Prints ingredient percentagesyes3.194+3.19
Complete dietyes1.703+1.70
Frozen or chilled freshno11.440+0.00
High meat (30%+ of dry matter)no-0.506+0.00
Low meat (under 10% of dry matter)no-1.988+0.00
High carb and low meatyes-1.250-1.25
Meat share × printed percentages10.1-0.073-0.74
Meat share × fresh0.0-0.339+0.00
Fresh × high meat0.016.475+0.00
Additive penalty-2.660.236-0.63
Processing multiplier1.0032.336+32.34
Processing: Rawno13.322+0.00
Processing: Fresh Chilledno7.712+0.00
Processing: Fresh Frozenno6.583+0.00
Processing: Fresh Refrigeratedno4.857+0.00
Processing: Fresh Shelfno0.072+0.00
Processing: Dry Freeze Driedno11.127+0.00
Processing: Dry Air Driedno9.320+0.00
Processing: Dry Cold Pressedno4.569+0.00
Processing: Dry Bakedno-2.321+0.00
Processing: Dry Extrudedyes-6.996-7.00
Processing: Dry Semi Moistno-6.833+0.00
Processing: Dry Mueslino-10.711+0.00
Processing: Wet Pateno2.935+0.00
Processing: Wet Chunksno2.292+0.00
Processing-type offset
-0.01
Additives declared on label
+2 transparency bonus
Subtotal
48.8
Final score
49/100

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; 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.

NutrientAs fed (label)Dry matter (scored)Score
Protein3032.6100
Fat1617.4100
Calcium1.451.6100
Phosphorus1.051.1100
Calcium:phosphorus ratio1.41.4100
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, omega-3 100). The FEDIAF minimum for omega-6 is linoleic acid specifically.

Scored over 6 declared nutrients (combined weight 80); 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.

ItemPoints
Ingredient list on the label (mandatory)10/10
Printed percentages on the label (43.7% of the recipe mass) (voluntary)8.7/20
Analytical constituents declared (mandatory) - not on file0/15
Additives declared (mandatory)10/10
Energy value declared (voluntary) - not on file0/5
Complete/complementary designation (mandatory)5/5
Feeding guidance given (mandatory) - not on file0/10
Manufacturer identity and address (mandatory)10/10
Country of manufacture stated (voluntary)10/10
Batch and date labelling (mandatory) - not on file0/5

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

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.

ClaimTypeSubstantiation
100% animal protein (on page)ContentManufacturer assertion
soy-free (on page)Free-fromManufacturer assertion
With easy-to-digest lamb and rice, it's kind on young tummies while supporting steady growth and strong joints (on page)FunctionalManufacturer assertion
balanced, and delicious meal (on page)ContentManufacturer assertion
Outstanding Price/Performance award (on page)ContentManufacturer assertion
no added sugar (on page)Free-fromManufacturer assertion
grain-free (on page)Free-fromManufacturer assertion
crafted for small breed puppies who need gentle nutrition without poultry (on page)ContentManufacturer 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.

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