Terra Canis Essential 8 Huhn und Lachs

Wet Chunks · completeClear labelFull label

Essential 8 Huhn und Lachs
Average
our rating

Our verdict

Is Terra Canis Essential 8 Huhn und Lachs a good dog food?

We score it 67/100 (Average). This reflects the ingredient quality, composition and label transparency of the recipe as declared on the label.

Complete wet food in chunks for adult dogs, with chicken gizzard, chicken heart and salmon as the main ingredients.

How we score

Why you might choose it

  • Prints ingredient percentages on the label.
  • Prints a percentage for nearly every ingredient, so the recipe is fully auditable.
  • Nutritionally complete: formulated to be fed as the whole diet.

Why you might not

  • Around 46% of the recipe is generic or unspecified ingredients.
  • Meat makes up an estimated 0% of the dry matter; carbohydrates dominate.

Who is this food for?

Suits

  • Labelled by the manufacturer for adult dogs
  • Doesn't list beef, turkey, lamb, venison, pork, duck as ingredients

Consider something else if:

  • Your dog avoids chicken: the label lists chicken gizzard
  • Your dog avoids fish: the label lists salmon
  • Your dog avoids grain: the label lists millet
  • 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. Find foods that fit your dog.

Nutrition and feedingProtein 5.70% · Fat 3.90%

Typical analysis (as fed)

NutrientAs fed
Protein5.70%
Fat3.90%
Fibre1%
Ash0.80%
Moisture77.40%

Additives & feeding info

No additives recorded yet.

Ingredients (14)2% of the recipe is estimated

Estimated composition

  • veg 31.4%
  • meat 25.0%
  • other 23.0%
  • carb 12.0%
  • unknown 6.6%
  • oil 1.0%
  • supplement 1.0%
#As declaredMatchedLabel readingDeclared %Est. %
1Chicken gizzard 16%Chicken Gizzardmeat · good1616.0
2Chicken heart 9%Chicken Heartmeat · good99.0
3Salmon fillet 5%Salmonmeat · good55.0
4Stock 23%Cooking brothother · medium2323.0
5Carrot 15%Carrotsveg · good1515.0
6Zucchini 12%Courgetteveg · good1212.0
7Millet 11% driedMilletcarb · good-3.8
8Apple 4% driedApplesveg · good-3.5
9Rapeseed oil 1% driedRapeseed oiloil · good-3.2
10Minerals 1%Vitamins and mineralssupplement · medium11.0
11Coconut flour 1%Coconut Flourcarb · medium11.0
12Sage 0.2% driedSageveg · good-2.8
13Chervil 0.2% driedChervilveg · good-2.5
14Thyme 0.2% driedThymeveg · good-2.2
  1. 1. Chicken gizzard 16%16% declared16.0% estimated
    Chicken Gizzard · meat · good
  2. 2. Chicken heart 9%9% declared9.0% estimated
    Chicken Heart · meat · good
  3. 3. Salmon fillet 5%5% declared5.0% estimated
    Salmon · meat · good
  4. 4. Stock 23%23% declared23.0% estimated
    Cooking broth · other · medium
  5. 5. Carrot 15%15% declared15.0% estimated
    Carrots · veg · good
  6. 6. Zucchini 12%12% declared12.0% estimated
    Courgette · veg · good
  7. 7. Millet 11% dried3.8% estimated
    Millet · carb · good
  8. 8. Apple 4% dried3.5% estimated
    Apples · veg · good
  9. 9. Rapeseed oil 1% dried3.2% estimated
    Rapeseed oil · oil · good
  10. 10. Minerals 1%1% declared1.0% estimated
    Vitamins and minerals · supplement · medium
  11. 11. Coconut flour 1%1% declared1.0% estimated
    Coconut Flour · carb · medium
  12. 12. Sage 0.2% dried2.8% estimated
    Sage · veg · good
  13. 13. Chervil 0.2% dried2.5% estimated
    Chervil · veg · good
  14. 14. Thyme 0.2% dried2.2% estimated
    Thyme · veg · good

Trust and sourceNo recalls recorded in our database · checked 2026-08-22

Brand and contact: Terra Canis

Trust and provenance

Recall history
No recalls recorded in our database
Label data last checked
2026-08-22
Scored with
Model v3 (methodology)
Product page
www.terracanis.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.

Score details and methodologyCalculations, history and evidence

Recipe: how the 1-100 score is calculated

Why this score?

The product scored 67 out of 100 in our assessment. The overall quality of the ingredient list contributed +7.6 points, while the meat content added a further +2.3 points. On the other hand, the carbohydrate content reduced the score by -4.2 points, and the remaining ingredients took off -1.5 points.

Scored with model v3 on 2026-10-25. Each component is the feature value for this product multiplied by the model's published coefficient.

ComponentInputCoefficientContribution
Base score-30.909+30.91
Average ingredient quality0.89.191+7.62
Meat share of dry matter24.4%0.096+2.35
Carb share of dry matter36.9%-0.115-4.25
Oil share of dry matter3.5%-0.092-0.32
Vegetable share of dry matter16.4%-0.005-0.08
Supplement share of dry matter3.2%-0.012-0.04
Other share of dry matter4.0%-0.375-1.50
Unrecognised share of dry matter11.5%-0.027-0.31
Undeclared quantities1.6%-0.106-0.17
Processing multiplier1.0033.786+33.79
Processing: Wet Chunksyes-0.672-0.67
Show all 40 components
ComponentInputCoefficientContribution
Base score-30.909+30.91
Average ingredient quality0.89.191+7.62
Meat share of dry matter24.4%0.096+2.35
Carb share of dry matter36.9%-0.115-4.25
Oil share of dry matter3.5%-0.092-0.32
Vegetable share of dry matter16.4%-0.005-0.08
Additive share of dry matter0.0%0.163+0.00
Supplement share of dry matter3.2%-0.012-0.04
Other share of dry matter4.0%-0.375-1.50
Unrecognised share of dry matter11.5%-0.027-0.31
Recipe graded poor0.0%-0.065+0.00
Poor-quality meat in recipe0.0%-0.179+0.00
Number of poor ingredients0-0.876+0.00
Largest single poor ingredient0.0%0.060+0.00
Undeclared quantities1.6%-0.106-0.17
Prints ingredient percentagesno0.000+0.00
Complete dietno2.294+0.00
Frozen or chilled freshno0.000+0.00
High meat (30%+ of dry matter)no0.707+0.00
Low meat (under 10% of dry matter)no-3.158+0.00
High carb and low meatno-1.180+0.00
Meat share × printed percentages0.00.000+0.00
Meat share × fresh0.00.000+0.00
Fresh × high meat0.011.084+0.00
Additive penalty0.000.222+0.00
Processing multiplier1.0033.786+33.79
Processing: Rawno-0.054+0.00
Processing: Fresh Chilledno-2.354+0.00
Processing: Fresh Frozenno-2.354+0.00
Processing: Fresh Refrigeratedno0.000+0.00
Processing: Fresh Shelfno-0.672+0.00
Processing: Dry Freeze Driedno6.629+0.00
Processing: Dry Air Driedno6.331+0.00
Processing: Dry Cold Pressedno-6.713+0.00
Processing: Dry Bakedno-6.713+0.00
Processing: Dry Extrudedno-6.713+0.00
Processing: Dry Semi Moistno-6.174+0.00
Processing: Dry Mueslino-10.146+0.00
Processing: Wet Pateno-0.672+0.00
Processing: Wet Chunksyes-0.672-0.67
Processing-type offset
-0.08
Subtotal
67.2
Final score
67/100

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
v367/100current
v270/100
v169/100
v1.970/100
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
Protein5.725.2 (band 18 to 40%)89.7
Fat3.917.3 (band 5.5 to 20%)100
Fibre14.4 (band 0.5 to 5%)100

Scored over 3 declared nutrients (combined weight 50); undeclared nutrients do not affect the score.

No nutritional additives section declared on the label.

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 (98.4% of the recipe mass) (voluntary)19.7/20
✓ Analytical constituents declared (mandatory)15/15
✗ Additives declared (mandatory) - not on file0/10
✗ 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)5/10
✓ Country of manufacture stated (voluntary)10/10
✗ Batch and date labelling (mandatory) - not on file0/5

Capped at 60: mandatory items missing (Additives 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 claims made on the pack and product page, checked against the declared label. We record claims as stated; "consistent" means our stored label data supports the claim, "contradicted" means it conflicts with it. Functional claims are recorded but never scored.

Claims on file; none we can check against the label

ClaimTypeCheckSubstantiation
Acht Basics für den Hundenapf (on page)Contentnot checkableManufacturer assertion
Wertvolle Fleischkombinationen (on page)Contentnot checkableManufacturer assertion
Acht Basiszutaten und ein Zusatzprotein vereint zu einem appetitlichen Menü. (on page)Contentnot checkableManufacturer assertion
Essential 8 Huhn und Lachs (on page)Contentnot checkableManufacturer assertion

The full scoring method is published. See the methodology for exactly how the headline score and each dimension are calculated.

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