Leader Adult Medium Breed Dog Food

Dry Extruded complete High meat

Adult Medium Breed Dog Food
Average
our rating

Is Leader Adult Medium Breed Dog Food a good dog food?

We score it 60/100 (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 a total score of 60 out of 100 based on several key factors. The meat content contributed +3.8 points, and the overall quality of the ingredient list added +8.1 points. However, the processing format reduced the score by -7 points. Additionally, ingredients without printed percentages resulted in a deduction of -9.7 points.

74% 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.

Complete dry food for adult medium breed dogs, with dehydrated chicken, brown rice, and white rice as the main ingredients. It is an extruded product.

Estimated composition

meat30.3%
veg27.2%
supplement17.8%
carb15.5%
oil5.1%
fibre4.0%

Typical analysis (as fed)

Protein
21%
Fat
12%
Fibre
2.20%
Ash
6%
Moisture
10%

Additives & feeding info

Nutritional additives

Vitamin A 19,500 iu; Vitamin D3 1,750 iu; Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol) 215 iu; Copper Sulphate Pentahydrate 28.0 mg; Sodium Selenite 0.3 mg; Iron Sulphate Monohydrate 208.5 mg; Manganese Oxide 65.0 mg; Zinc Oxide 85.0 mg; Zinc Chelate of Amino Acid Hydrate 175.0 mg; Calcium Iodate Anhydrous 2.4 mg

Technological additives

Preserved with tocopherol-rich extracts of natural origin

Storage

Store in a cool, dry place, away from direct sunlight.

Feeding guide

Feed adult dogs twice daily, half in the morning and half in the evening. Feed according to the less active, active or highly active body-weight guidelines, adjusting portions to maintain ideal body condition. Leader may be fed wet or dry; if feeding wet, use 1 part water to 2 parts feed and feed within 30 minutes of preparation. Ensure fresh drinking water is always available.

Who is this food for?

Suits

  • Labelled by the manufacturer for adult dogs
  • Labelling or feeding guide is aimed at medium dogs
  • Single named protein: chicken
  • Doesn't list beef, turkey, lamb, fish, venison, pork, duck as ingredients

Consider something else if:

  • Your dog avoids grain: the label lists rice - brown / whole grain

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 (19)

#As declaredMatchedCategoryTierDeclared %Est. %
1Dehydrated Chicken (26%)Dried chicken proteinmeatgood2626.0
2Brown RiceRice - brown / whole graincarbmedium-5.4
3White RiceRice - whitecarbmedium-5.2
4Chicken FatChicken Oil and Fatoilgood-5.1
5Dehulled OatsOatscarbmedium-4.9
6Whole LinseedLinseedveggood-4.8
7MineralsVitamins and mineralssupplementmedium-4.6
8AlfalfaAlfalfaveggood-4.5
9Hydrolysed Liver ProteinLivermeatgood-4.3
10Yeast ExtractYeastsupplementgood-4.2
11Chicory InulinInulinfibregood-4.0
12Dried CranberriesCranberriesveggood-3.9
13Dried BeetrootBeetrootveggood-3.7
14RosemaryRosemaryveggood-3.6
15GingerGingerveggood-3.4
16TurmericTurmericveggood-3.3
17Glucosamine HydrochlorideGlucosaminesupplementgood-3.1
18Yucca schidigeraYucca Schidigerasupplementgood-3.0
19Chondroitin SulphateChondroitinsupplementgood-2.8

Brand

Trust and provenance

Recall history
No recalls recorded in our database
Label data last checked
2026-09-13
Scored with
Model v2 (methodology)

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 quality0.89.915+8.05
Meat share of dry matter32.8%0.116+3.81
Carb share of dry matter16.1%-0.113-1.81
Oil share of dry matter5.9%-0.088-0.52
Vegetable share of dry matter21.7%-0.002-0.04
Supplement share of dry matter19.2%-0.009-0.17
Undeclared quantities74.0%-0.131-9.69
Complete dietyes1.703+1.70
High meat (30%+ of dry matter)yes-0.506-0.51
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 quality0.89.915+8.05
Meat share of dry matter32.8%0.116+3.81
Carb share of dry matter16.1%-0.113-1.81
Oil share of dry matter5.9%-0.088-0.52
Vegetable share of dry matter21.7%-0.002-0.04
Additive share of dry matter0.0%0.177+0.00
Supplement share of dry matter19.2%-0.009-0.17
Other share of dry matter0.0%-0.371+0.00
Unrecognised share of dry matter0.0%-0.022+0.00
Recipe graded poor0.0%-0.045+0.00
Poor-quality meat in recipe0.0%-0.182+0.00
Number of poor ingredients0-0.868+0.00
Largest single poor ingredient0.0%0.056+0.00
Undeclared quantities74.0%-0.131-9.69
Prints ingredient percentagesno3.194+0.00
Complete dietyes1.703+1.70
Frozen or chilled freshno11.440+0.00
High meat (30%+ of dry matter)yes-0.506-0.51
Low meat (under 10% of dry matter)no-1.988+0.00
High carb and low meatno-1.250+0.00
Meat share × printed percentages0.0-0.073+0.00
Meat share × fresh0.0-0.339+0.00
Fresh × high meat0.016.475+0.00
Additive penalty0.000.236+0.00
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
60.5
Final score
60/100

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.

ModelScore
v260/100current
v158/100
v1.959/100
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.

NutrientAs fed (label)Dry matter (scored)Score
Protein2123.3 (band 18 to 40%)84.5
Fat1213.3 (band 5.5 to 20%)100
Fibre2.22.4 (band 0.5 to 5%)95.9

Scored over 3 declared nutrients (combined weight 50); 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.

ItemPoints
Ingredient list on the label (mandatory)10/10
Printed percentages on the label (26% of the recipe mass) (voluntary)5.2/20
Analytical constituents declared (mandatory)15/15
Additives declared (mandatory)10/10
Energy value declared (voluntary) - not on file0/5
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 file0/5

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 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
The highly digestible chicken protein maintains healthy muscles. (on page)FunctionalManufacturer assertion
omega 3 fatty acids for a healthy heart and a shiny coat (on page)FunctionalManufacturer assertion
Strong, Healthy Muscles (on page)FunctionalManufacturer assertion
Strong Immune System (on page)FunctionalManufacturer assertion
Strengthens Bones (on page)FunctionalManufacturer assertion
helps to promote healthy skin and coat (on page)FunctionalManufacturer assertion
Chicken number one ingredient (on page)ContentManufacturer assertion
100% natural (on page)ContentManufacturer assertion
Blended with botanicals (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.

Other products from Leader

Alternatives to Adult Medium Breed Dog Food

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.

See all alternatives

Community

Owners' verdict
0 votes

Comments (0)

No comments yet. Be the first to share how this went down with your dog.

Comments are reviewed before they appear.