Royal Canin Starter Mother & Babydog Ultra Soft Mousse

Wet Pate complete

Starter Mother & Babydog Ultra Soft Mousse
Poor
our rating

Is Royal Canin Starter Mother & Babydog Ultra Soft Mousse a good dog food?

We score it 33/100 (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".

How we score

Why this score?

The score is 33 out of 100. Ingredients without printed percentages contributed -13.1 points, the remaining ingredients contributed -5.3 points, the overall quality of the ingredient list contributed -4 points, and lower-quality ingredients contributed -3.4 points.

100% 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 wet paté food for dogs of all life stages, with meat and animal derivatives, cereals and vegetable by as the main ingredients.

Why you might choose it

  • High in protein: 47% protein on a dry-matter basis.
  • Declares energy content, which most labels omit.

Why you might not

  • 5 poor-graded ingredients make up about 75% of the recipe.
  • High in fat: 28% fat on a dry-matter basis.

View the source page

Estimated composition

other27.3%
supplement24.7%
meat18.2%
carb16.9%
oil13.0%

Typical analysis (as fed)

Protein
10%
Fat
6%
Fibre
0.70%
Ash
2%
Moisture
78.50%

Additives & feeding info

Nutritional additives

Vitamin D3: 170 IU; Iron (3b103): 6 mg; Iodine (3b202): 0.3 mg; Copper (3b405, 3b406): 2.5 mg; Manganese (3b502, 3b503, 3b504): 1.7 mg; Zinc (3b603, 3b605, 3b606): 17 mg

Technological additives

Clinoptilolite of sedimentary origin: 2 g

Storage

Store the product in a cool, dry place.

Feeding guide

Feeding amounts provided are a guideline. Speak to a pet professional regarding specific amounts for your pet. Fresh water should be available at all times.

Who is this food for?

Suits

  • Labelled by the manufacturer for all lifestages
  • 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
  • You are limiting fat: 27.9% 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 (7)

#As declaredMatchedCategoryTierDeclared %Est. %
1Meat and animal derivativesMeat and Animal Derivativesmeatpoor-18.2
2cerealsCerealscarbpoor-16.9
3derivatives of vegetable originVegetable By-Productsotherpoor-15.6
4mineralsVitamins and mineralssupplementmedium-14.3
5oils and fatsOils and Fatsoilpoor-13.0
6milk and milk derivativesMilk and Milk Derivativesotherpoor-11.7
7yeastsYeastsupplementgood-10.4

Brand

Trust and provenance

Recall history
No recalls recorded in our database
Label data last checked
2026-09-09
Scored with
Model v2 (methodology)
Product page
www.royalcanin.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 quality-0.49.915-3.98
Meat share of dry matter7.9%0.116+0.91
Carb share of dry matter22.9%-0.113-2.58
Oil share of dry matter19.8%-0.088-1.75
Supplement share of dry matter35.0%-0.009-0.31
Other share of dry matter14.4%-0.371-5.33
Recipe graded poor75.3%-0.045-3.37
Poor-quality meat in recipe18.2%-0.182-3.31
Number of poor ingredients5-0.868-4.34
Largest single poor ingredient18.2%0.056+1.02
Undeclared quantities100.0%-0.131-13.09
Complete dietyes1.703+1.70
Low meat (under 10% of dry matter)yes-1.988-1.99
Additive penalty-1.450.236-0.34
Processing multiplier1.0032.336+32.34
Processing: Wet Pateyes2.935+2.94
Show all 40 components
ComponentInputCoefficientContribution
Base score-32.336+32.34
Average ingredient quality-0.49.915-3.98
Meat share of dry matter7.9%0.116+0.91
Carb share of dry matter22.9%-0.113-2.58
Oil share of dry matter19.8%-0.088-1.75
Vegetable share of dry matter0.0%-0.002+0.00
Additive share of dry matter0.0%0.177+0.00
Supplement share of dry matter35.0%-0.009-0.31
Other share of dry matter14.4%-0.371-5.33
Unrecognised share of dry matter0.0%-0.022+0.00
Recipe graded poor75.3%-0.045-3.37
Poor-quality meat in recipe18.2%-0.182-3.31
Number of poor ingredients5-0.868-4.34
Largest single poor ingredient18.2%0.056+1.02
Undeclared quantities100.0%-0.131-13.09
Prints ingredient percentagesno3.194+0.00
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)yes-1.988-1.99
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 penalty-1.450.236-0.34
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 Extrudedno-6.996+0.00
Processing: Dry Semi Moistno-6.833+0.00
Processing: Dry Mueslino-10.711+0.00
Processing: Wet Pateyes2.935+2.94
Processing: Wet Chunksno2.292+0.00
Processing-type offset
-0.16
Additives declared on label
+2 transparency bonus
Subtotal
32.7
Final score
33/100

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 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
Protein1046.5 (band 18 to 40%)100
Fat627.9 (band 5.5 to 20%)100
Fibre0.73.3 (band 0.5 to 5%)100

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 (voluntary) - not on file0/20
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)5/5
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
enriched with omega-3 fatty acid (DHA) to support brain development (on page)FunctionalManufacturer assertion
supports natural defences (on page)FunctionalManufacturer assertion
supports a healthy balance of intestinal microbiota (gut flora) for good digestion (on page)FunctionalManufacturer assertion
Ultra soft mousse texture to facilitate the transition to solid food (on pack)FunctionalManufacturer assertion
Supports the development of the puppy’s healthy immune system (on pack)FunctionalManufacturer assertion
Complete feed for dogs -For bitches from the end of gestation and during lactation - Weaning puppies up to 2 months old (on pack)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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