NutriCare Spay & Neuter Small & Toy Junior Dog Food
Dry Extruded complete
Is NutriCare Spay & Neuter Small & Toy Junior Dog Food a good dog food?
We score it 45/100 (Average). This reflects the ingredient quality, composition and label transparency of the recipe as declared on the label.
Why this score?
This food achieves an overall score of 45 out of 100 based on several key factors. The overall quality of the ingredient list contributed +4.4 points. However, ingredients without printed percentages contributed -10.6 points, the processing format contributed -6.7 points, and the additive load contributed -5 points to the final calculation.
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.
- Recipe45
- Nutritionallow100
- Transparency60
- Safety100
- Evidencemoderate100
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.
Why you might choose it
- Declares energy content, which most labels omit.
- Nutritionally complete: formulated to be fed as the whole diet.
Why you might not
- Meat makes up an estimated 9% of the dry matter; carbohydrates dominate.
- 100% of the recipe mass has no printed percentage, so the exact split cannot be verified.
- Its additive load costs about 5 points in the rating.
Estimated composition
Typical analysis (as fed)
- Protein
- 33%
- Fat
- 13.50%
- Fibre
- 11%
- Moisture
- 10%
- Carbohydrates
- 30%
- Omega-3 fatty acids
- 0.60%
- Omega-6 fatty acids
- 2.60%
Energy: 348 kcal/100g
Additives & feeding info
Nutritional additives
Iron Sulfate; Zinc Oxide; Zinc Proteinate; Selenium Yeast; Iron Proteinate; Manganous Oxide; Copper Sulfate; Manganese Proteinate; Copper Proteinate; Potassium Iodide; Vitamin E supplement; Ascorbic Acid; Niacin Supplement; Calcium pantothenate; Vitamin A Supplement; Riboflavin Supplement; Vitamin B12 Supplement; Pyridoxine Hydrochloride; Thiamine mononitrate; Biotin; Vitamin D3 Supplement; Folic Acid
Technological additives
Tocopherols (preservative); Sodium Bentonite; Rosemary Extract (Natural Flavor); Green Tea Extract (Natural Flavor); Spearmint Extract (Natural Flavor)
Feeding guide
Daily feeding guide provided by body weight (3-22 lbs) and age (4-10 months) in cups; see table on page.
Reviews
Trustpilot: 4.6/5 · 37 reviews
Who is this food for?
Suits
- Labelled by the manufacturer for puppies
- Doesn't list beef, turkey, lamb, venison, pork, duck as ingredients
Consider something else if:
- Your dog avoids chicken: the label lists dried chicken protein
- Your dog avoids fish: the label lists fish oil
- 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 (15)
| # | As declared | Matched | Category | Tier | Declared % | Est. % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicken Meal | Dried chicken protein | meat | good | - | 8.7 |
| 2 | Brewers Rice | Rice - white | carb | medium | - | 8.4 |
| 3 | Powdered Cellulose | Powdered Cellulose | fibre | poor | - | 8.1 |
| 4 | Chicken Fat | Chicken Oil and Fat | oil | medium | - | 7.8 |
| 5 | Natural Flavor | Flavor | additive | poor | - | 7.5 |
| 6 | Whole Flaxseeds | Linseed | veg | good | - | 7.2 |
| 7 | Dried Plain Beet Pulp | Beet Pulp | fibre | medium | - | 7.0 |
| 8 | Fish Oil | Fish Oil | oil | good | - | 6.7 |
| 9 | Psyllium Seed Husk | Psyllium | fibre | good | - | 6.4 |
| 10 | Fructooligosaccharide | Fructo-oligosaccharides | supplement | good | - | 6.1 |
| 11 | Sodium Bentonite | Bentonite And Bentonite Montmorillonite | additive | medium | - | 5.8 |
| 12 | Potassium Chloride | Potassium Chloride | supplement | medium | - | 5.5 |
| 13 | Salt | Salt | additive | medium | - | 5.2 |
| 14 | Choline Chloride | Choline | supplement | good | - | 4.9 |
| 15 | DL-Methionine | Methionine | supplement | good | - | 4.6 |
Brand
- Website
- https://ivet.com/
- Phone
- 1.800.436.5909
- Address
- iVet by Virbac, 6300 Kelly Drive, Parkville, MO 64152
- Contact page
- ivet.com
Trust and provenance
- Recall history
- No recalls recorded in our database
- Label data last checked
- 2026-09-20
- Scored with
- Model v3 (methodology)
- Product page
- ivet.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 v3 on 2026-09-26. Each component is the feature value for this product multiplied by the model's published coefficient.
| Component | Input | Coefficient | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base score | - | 30.909 | +30.91 |
| Average ingredient quality | 0.5 | 9.191 | +4.39 |
| Carb share of dry matter | 8.1% | -0.115 | -0.93 |
| Oil share of dry matter | 15.6% | -0.092 | -1.44 |
| Vegetable share of dry matter | 7.1% | -0.005 | -0.04 |
| Additive share of dry matter | 18.2% | 0.163 | +2.96 |
| Supplement share of dry matter | 21.2% | -0.012 | -0.26 |
| Recipe graded poor | 15.7% | -0.065 | -1.02 |
| Number of poor ingredients | 2 | -0.876 | -1.75 |
| Largest single poor ingredient | 8.1% | 0.060 | +0.49 |
| Undeclared quantities | 100.0% | -0.106 | -10.56 |
| Complete diet | yes | 2.294 | +2.29 |
| Low meat (under 10% of dry matter) | yes | -3.158 | -3.16 |
| Additive penalty | -22.37 | 0.222 | -4.96 |
| Processing multiplier | 0.98 | 33.786 | +33.11 |
| Processing: Dry Extruded | yes | -6.713 | -6.71 |
Show all 40 components
| Component | Input | Coefficient | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base score | - | 30.909 | +30.91 |
| Average ingredient quality | 0.5 | 9.191 | +4.39 |
| Meat share of dry matter | 0.0% | 0.096 | +0.00 |
| Carb share of dry matter | 8.1% | -0.115 | -0.93 |
| Oil share of dry matter | 15.6% | -0.092 | -1.44 |
| Vegetable share of dry matter | 7.1% | -0.005 | -0.04 |
| Additive share of dry matter | 18.2% | 0.163 | +2.96 |
| Supplement share of dry matter | 21.2% | -0.012 | -0.26 |
| Other share of dry matter | 0.0% | -0.375 | +0.00 |
| Unrecognised share of dry matter | 0.0% | -0.027 | +0.00 |
| Recipe graded poor | 15.7% | -0.065 | -1.02 |
| Poor-quality meat in recipe | 0.0% | -0.179 | +0.00 |
| Number of poor ingredients | 2 | -0.876 | -1.75 |
| Largest single poor ingredient | 8.1% | 0.060 | +0.49 |
| Undeclared quantities | 100.0% | -0.106 | -10.56 |
| Prints ingredient percentages | no | 0.000 | +0.00 |
| Complete diet | yes | 2.294 | +2.29 |
| Frozen or chilled fresh | no | 0.000 | +0.00 |
| High meat (30%+ of dry matter) | no | 0.707 | +0.00 |
| Low meat (under 10% of dry matter) | yes | -3.158 | -3.16 |
| High carb and low meat | no | -1.180 | +0.00 |
| Meat share × printed percentages | 0.0 | 0.000 | +0.00 |
| Meat share × fresh | 0.0 | 0.000 | +0.00 |
| Fresh × high meat | 0.0 | 11.084 | +0.00 |
| Additive penalty | -22.37 | 0.222 | -4.96 |
| Processing multiplier | 0.98 | 33.786 | +33.11 |
| Processing: Raw | no | -0.054 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Fresh Chilled | no | -2.354 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Fresh Frozen | no | -2.354 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Fresh Refrigerated | no | 0.000 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Fresh Shelf | no | -0.672 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Freeze Dried | no | 6.629 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Air Dried | no | 6.331 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Cold Pressed | no | -6.713 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Baked | no | -6.713 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Extruded | yes | -6.713 | -6.71 |
| Processing: Dry Semi Moist | no | -6.174 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Muesli | no | -10.146 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Wet Pate | no | -0.672 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Wet Chunks | no | -0.672 | +0.00 |
- Processing-type offset
- +0.02
- Additives declared on label
- +2 transparency bonus
- Subtotal
- 45.3
- Final score
- 45/100
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.
| Nutrient | As fed (label) | Dry matter (scored) | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein | 33 | 36.5 | 100 |
| Fat | 13.5 | 14.9 | 100 |
| Omega fatty acids (omega-6 and omega-3) | - | - | 100 |
| Energy (kcal/100g) | 348 | 384.5 | 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 4 declared nutrients (combined weight 60); undeclared nutrients do not affect the score. Moisture was not declared and was estimated at 9.5% 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.
| 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) | 10/10 |
| Energy value declared (voluntary) | 5/5 |
| Complete/complementary designation (mandatory) | 5/5 |
| Feeding guidance given (mandatory) | 10/10 |
| Manufacturer identity and address (mandatory) | 10/10 |
| 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.
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.
100/100 · moderate — 2 checkable claims: 2 consistent, 0 contradicted.
Consistent with the label
- "33% protein content" — supported by the declared high protein data.
- "Complete junior dog food (< 10 months)" — supported by the declared complete and balanced data.
7 further claims on file that we cannot check against the label.
Moderate: every checkable claim is consistent with the declared label.
| Claim | Type | Check | Substantiation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prebiotics and dietary fiber supports healthy digestion (on page) | Functional | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| Beta-glucan (from yeast extract) helps to promote the development of your puppy's immune system (on page) | Functional | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| High level of proteins and balance of omega-6 & omega-3 fatty acids to nourish healthy skin and shiny coat (on page) | Functional | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| Ascophyllum nodosum (Dried Seaweed Meal) helps reduce plaque and aids in overall dental health (on page) | Functional | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| Formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for Growth (on pack) | Nutrient | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| with 82% animal-sourced (protein) (on page) | Content | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| 33% protein content (on page) | High/low level | consistent | Manufacturer assertion |
| 87% animal-sourced protein (on page) | Content | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| Complete junior dog food (< 10 months) (on pack) | Content | consistent | Manufacturer 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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