Is K9 Ancestral Diet • The Way Nature Intended Lamb a good dog food?
We score it 63/100 (Average). This reflects the ingredient quality, composition and label transparency of the recipe as declared on the label.
Why this score?
The overall score is 63 out of 100. Undeclared ingredient shares, meaning ingredients without printed percentages, contributed -10.6 points against the score. Overall ingredient quality, referring to the overall quality of the ingredient list, contributed +7.9 points. Complete recipe, being labelled nutritionally complete, contributed +2.3 points, and printed percentages, meaning printing percentages for most of the recipe, contributed +1 points.
100% of this recipe has no printed percentage. Estimated shares are model estimates, not label facts.
- Recipe63
- NutritionalNot recorded
- Transparency35
- 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
- Scores 63, in the top quarter of raw foods we track.
- Doesn't list grain ingredients.
Why you might not
- No analytical breakdown is published.
- 100% of the recipe mass has no printed percentage, so the exact split cannot be verified.
- Needs freezer space and defrosting before serving.
Estimated composition
Typical analysis (as fed)
No analysis recorded yet.
Additives & feeding info
Nutritional additives
Vitamin E Supplement
Who is this food for?
Suits
- Labelled by the manufacturer for all lifestages
- Grain-free: no grain ingredients listed
- Doesn't list chicken, turkey, venison, pork, duck as ingredients
Consider something else if:
- Your dog avoids beef: the label lists beef liver
- Your dog avoids lamb: the label lists lamb
- Your dog avoids fish: the label lists cod liver oil
- 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 (19)
| # | As declared | Matched | Category | Tier | Declared % | Est. % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lamb | Lamb | meat | medium | - | 6.9 |
| 2 | Sweet Potatoes | Sweet Potatoes | carb | good | - | 6.7 |
| 3 | Beef Livers | Beef Liver | meat | good | - | 6.5 |
| 4 | Beef Hearts | Heart | meat | good | - | 6.4 |
| 5 | Spinach | Spinach | veg | good | - | 6.2 |
| 6 | Apples | Apples | veg | good | - | 6.0 |
| 7 | Water | Water | other | - | - | 5.8 |
| 8 | Apple Juice Concentrate | Apples | veg | good | - | 5.6 |
| 9 | Blackberries | Blackberries | veg | good | - | 5.4 |
| 10 | Blueberries | Blueberries | veg | good | - | 5.3 |
| 11 | Raspberries | Raspberries | veg | good | - | 5.1 |
| 12 | Flaxseed | Linseed | veg | good | - | 4.9 |
| 13 | Cooked Bone Meal | Bone meal | mineral | medium | - | 4.7 |
| 14 | Cod Liver Oil | Cod Liver Oil | oil | good | - | 4.5 |
| 15 | Ground Ginger | Ginger | veg | good | - | 4.4 |
| 16 | Dried Kelp | Kelp | veg | good | - | 4.2 |
| 17 | Vitamin E Supplement | Vitamin E | supplement | good | - | 4.0 |
| 18 | Choline | Choline | supplement | good | - | 3.8 |
| 19 | Calcium Citrate | Calcium Carbonate | supplement | medium | - | 3.6 |
Brand
Trust and provenance
- Recall history
- No recalls recorded in our database
- Label data last checked
- 2026-09-13
- Scored with
- Model v3 (methodology)
- Product page
- www.k9ancestraldiet.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 | 0.9 | 9.191 | +7.87 |
| Carb share of dry matter | 3.8% | -0.115 | -0.44 |
| Oil share of dry matter | 10.2% | -0.092 | -0.94 |
| Vegetable share of dry matter | 39.1% | -0.005 | -0.20 |
| Supplement share of dry matter | 24.0% | -0.012 | -0.29 |
| 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 |
| Processing multiplier | 1.12 | 33.786 | +37.84 |
| Processing: Raw | yes | -0.054 | -0.05 |
Show all 40 components
| Component | Input | Coefficient | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base score | - | 30.909 | +30.91 |
| Average ingredient quality | 0.9 | 9.191 | +7.87 |
| Meat share of dry matter | 0.0% | 0.096 | +0.00 |
| Carb share of dry matter | 3.8% | -0.115 | -0.44 |
| Oil share of dry matter | 10.2% | -0.092 | -0.94 |
| Vegetable share of dry matter | 39.1% | -0.005 | -0.20 |
| Additive share of dry matter | 0.0% | 0.163 | +0.00 |
| Supplement share of dry matter | 24.0% | -0.012 | -0.29 |
| 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 | 0.0% | -0.065 | +0.00 |
| Poor-quality meat in recipe | 0.0% | -0.179 | +0.00 |
| Number of poor ingredients | 0 | -0.876 | +0.00 |
| Largest single poor ingredient | 0.0% | 0.060 | +0.00 |
| 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 | 0.00 | 0.222 | +0.00 |
| Processing multiplier | 1.12 | 33.786 | +37.84 |
| Processing: Raw | yes | -0.054 | -0.05 |
| 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 | no | -6.713 | +0.00 |
| 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
- -1.74
- Additives declared on label
- +1 transparency bonus
- Subtotal
- 62.5
- Final score
- 63/100
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
Analytical constituents not declared
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) - not on file | 0/5 |
| Complete/complementary designation (mandatory) | 5/5 |
| Feeding guidance given (mandatory) - not on file | 0/10 |
| 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, 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.
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 — 1 checkable claim: 1 consistent, 0 contradicted.
Consistent with the label
- "No Grains" — supported by the declared grain-free data.
8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| nutritionally balanced by AAFCO standards (on page) | Functional | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| No Fillers (on page) | Free-from | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| No Preservatives (on page) | Free-from | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| Pre-biotics (on page) | Content | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| No Bi-products (on page) | Free-from | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| packed with fresh ingredients (on page) | Content | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| No Grains (on page) | Free-from | consistent | Manufacturer assertion |
| Nutrient-rich animal organs (on page) | Content | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| Omega 3's (on page) | Content | not checkable | 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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