Specific Digestive Support Low Fat
Dry Extruded complete
Is Specific Digestive Support Low Fat a good dog food?
We score it 44/100 (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 an overall rating of 44 out of 100 based on several key factors. The overall quality of the ingredient list contributed +4 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 -2.3 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.
- Recipe44
- Nutritionallow89
- Transparency50
- 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 tapioca, rice protein and salmon protein as the main ingredients.
Why you might choose it
- Low in fat for its format: 7% fat on a dry-matter basis.
- Declares energy content, which most labels omit.
- Nutritionally complete: formulated to be fed as the whole diet.
Why you might not
- 100% of the recipe mass has no printed percentage, so the exact split cannot be verified.
- Its additive load costs about 2 points in the rating.
Estimated composition
Typical analysis (as fed)
- Protein
- 23%
- Fat
- 6.60%
- Fibre
- 3.70%
- Moisture
- 8.50%
- Carbohydrates
- 49.70%
- Omega-3 fatty acids
- 1.51%
- Calcium
- 0.99%
- Phosphorus
- 0.51%
- Sodium
- 0.35%
Energy: 328 kcal/100g
Additives & feeding info
Technological additives
Natural antioxidants (tocopherols and vitamin C)
Feeding guide
Feeding guide in grams per day by weight (2.5–80 kg): e.g. 5 kg = 125 g (thin), 100 g (normal), 80 g (overweight); 10 kg = 205/170/140 g; 20 kg = 350/290/230 g; 30 kg = 470/395/315 g. Daily requirement may vary by breed, environment, season and activity level; monitor and adjust to individual needs.
Who is this food for?
Suits
- Labelled by the manufacturer for adult dogs
- Doesn't list chicken, beef, turkey, lamb, venison, pork, duck as ingredients
Consider something else if:
- Your dog avoids fish: the label lists salmon protein
- Your dog avoids grain: the label lists rice 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 (19)
| # | As declared | Matched | Category | Tier | Declared % | Est. % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tapioca | Tapioca | carb | medium | - | 6.9 |
| 2 | rice protein | Rice Protein | carb | medium | - | 6.7 |
| 3 | hydrolysed salmon protein | Salmon Protein | meat | good | - | 6.5 |
| 4 | minerals | Vitamins and minerals | supplement | medium | - | 6.4 |
| 5 | fish oil | Fish Oil | oil | good | - | 6.2 |
| 6 | potato protein | Potato protein | carb | medium | - | 6.0 |
| 7 | animal protein hydrolysate | Animal Protein Hydrolysate | meat | poor | - | 5.8 |
| 8 | vegetable oil | Vegetable oil | oil | medium | - | 5.6 |
| 9 | beet pulp | Beet Pulp | fibre | medium | - | 5.4 |
| 10 | vitamins and trace elements (including chelated trace elements) | Vitamin | supplement | good | - | 5.3 |
| 11 | cellulose powder | Powdered Cellulose | fibre | poor | - | 5.1 |
| 12 | yeast (including sources of nucleotides, β-1,3/1,6-glucans and mannan-oligo-saccharides) | Yeast | supplement | good | - | 4.9 |
| 13 | psyllium husk | Psyllium fibre | fibre | good | - | 4.7 |
| 14 | fructooligo-saccharides | Fructo-oligosaccharides | supplement | good | - | 4.5 |
| 15 | calcium carbonate | Calcium Carbonate | supplement | medium | - | 4.4 |
| 16 | citrus extract | Citrus Extract | additive | good | - | 4.2 |
| 17 | maltodextrin | Maltodextrin | carb | poor | - | 4.0 |
| 18 | sodium chloride | Salt | additive | poor | - | 3.8 |
| 19 | rosemary extract. | Rosemary | veg | good | - | 3.6 |
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.specific-diets.co.uk
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 | 0.4 | 9.915 | +4.05 |
| Meat share of dry matter | 14.1% | 0.116 | +1.64 |
| Carb share of dry matter | 15.7% | -0.113 | -1.77 |
| Oil share of dry matter | 14.5% | -0.088 | -1.28 |
| Additive share of dry matter | 8.9% | 0.177 | +1.58 |
| Supplement share of dry matter | 29.0% | -0.009 | -0.26 |
| Recipe graded poor | 18.7% | -0.045 | -0.84 |
| Poor-quality meat in recipe | 5.8% | -0.182 | -1.06 |
| Number of poor ingredients | 4 | -0.868 | -3.47 |
| Largest single poor ingredient | 5.8% | 0.056 | +0.33 |
| Undeclared quantities | 100.0% | -0.131 | -13.09 |
| Complete diet | yes | 1.703 | +1.70 |
| Additive penalty | -9.77 | 0.236 | -2.30 |
| 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 | 0.4 | 9.915 | +4.05 |
| Meat share of dry matter | 14.1% | 0.116 | +1.64 |
| Carb share of dry matter | 15.7% | -0.113 | -1.77 |
| Oil share of dry matter | 14.5% | -0.088 | -1.28 |
| Vegetable share of dry matter | 0.7% | -0.002 | -0.00 |
| Additive share of dry matter | 8.9% | 0.177 | +1.58 |
| Supplement share of dry matter | 29.0% | -0.009 | -0.26 |
| 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 | 18.7% | -0.045 | -0.84 |
| Poor-quality meat in recipe | 5.8% | -0.182 | -1.06 |
| Number of poor ingredients | 4 | -0.868 | -3.47 |
| Largest single poor ingredient | 5.8% | 0.056 | +0.33 |
| 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) | no | -1.988 | +0.00 |
| 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 | -9.77 | 0.236 | -2.30 |
| 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
- +1 transparency bonus
- Subtotal
- 43.9
- Final score
- 44/100
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.
| Nutrient | As fed (label) | Dry matter (scored) | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein | 23 | 25.1 (band 18 to 40%) | 89.5 |
| Fat | 6.6 | 7.2 (band 5.5 to 20%) | 77.1 |
| Fibre | 3.7 | 4 (band 0.5 to 5%) | 100 |
| Calcium | 0.99 | 1.1 (band 0.5 to 2.5%) | 87.5 |
| Phosphorus | 0.51 | 0.6 (band 0.4 to 1.6%) | 77.9 |
| Calcium:phosphorus ratio | 1.9 | 1.9 (band 1 to 2%) | 100 |
| Energy (kcal/100g) | 328 | 358.5 | 100 |
Scored over 7 declared nutrients (combined weight 90); undeclared nutrients do not affect the score.
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) | 5/10 |
| Energy value declared (voluntary) | 5/5 |
| 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, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Exceptionally low-fat levels at 7% of dry matter - make these diets suitable for the management of both moderate and severe cases of pancreatitis and cholestasis (on page) | Functional | Manufacturer assertion |
| Low fat and high levels of omega-3 from fish help reduce triglyceride levels (on page) | Functional | Manufacturer assertion |
| Made with hypoallergenic ingredients, hydrolysed salmon and tapioca, this diet is also suitable for dogs with IBD and food allergies and for feeding during periods of reduced intestinal gut barrier (on page) | Functional | Manufacturer assertion |
| With added free nucleotides supporting both immune function and rapid repair of the gut aiding nutrient absorption and speed of return to full digestive health (on page) | Functional | Manufacturer assertion |
| With added AuraGuard supporting gut barrier integrity and a balanced microbiome (on page) | Functional | Manufacturer assertion |
| With natural antioxidants (tocopherols and vitamin C) (on page) | Content | Manufacturer assertion |
| Contains no added artificial colours or flavourings (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.
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