What the label on your current dog food isn't telling you.
Most kibble is built to a price, then described with words. This page sets the two side by side — the processing, the ingredient grade, the numbers — so you can decide on the evidence rather than the packaging.
Canine Plus+ versus standard kibble.
No brand names — the differences are structural, not competitive. These are the seven decisions that separate a formula built around nutrition from one built around a price point.
| Criterion | Canine Plus+ | Standard kibble |
|---|---|---|
| Ingredient grade | ✓ Whole, named ingredients — wild-caught tuna first by weight | × Meals and by-products of undefined origin |
| Processing temperature | ✓ RawFusion low-temperature process | × High-heat extrusion at ~160°C |
| Enzyme preservation | ✓ Heat-sensitive enzymes largely retained | × Denatured by extrusion heat |
| Lysine integrity | ✓ Lower heat limits Maillard damage to lysine | × Lysine bound and lost in high-heat cooking |
| Vitamin source | ✓ Largely from whole foods — liver, kelp, sweet potato | × Synthetic premix sprayed on post-cooking |
| Omega-3 form | ✓ EPA & DHA intact in whole wild fish | × Fish meal or added oil, oxidised by heat |
| Preservative type | ✓ Rosemary extract — a plant antioxidant | × Synthetic BHA / BHT |
The same fish, cooked two ways.
Heat is the single largest variable in what survives from ingredient to bowl. Protein quality, omega-3 integrity and natural enzymes all degrade as the cooking temperature climbs.
How to read a dog food label.
The information you need is on every bag — it is just arranged to be misread. Four things to check before you trust a claim.
The number tells you how much protein is present, never how digestible it is or where it came from. A meal-and-grain formula can post the same percentage as a whole-fish one while delivering far less your dog can actually use.
Ingredients are listed by pre-cooking weight. Fresh chicken is roughly 70% water, so it lands high on the list, then shrinks dramatically once cooked — while a dry "meal" lower down may contribute more actual protein. Order alone is misleading.
Names like menadione, pyridoxine hydrochloride or DL-alpha-tocopherol are lab-made vitamins sprayed on after cooking to replace what the heat destroyed. Whole-food nutrition needs far fewer of them.
They keep fats from going rancid cheaply, and carry long-standing safety questions. A natural alternative — rosemary extract — does the same job, which is why neither appears on our label.
The questions owners ask first.
Per bag, yes. Per feeding, the gap narrows: because the formula is nutrient-dense and led by whole protein, daily serving sizes are smaller than typical filler-heavy kibble. Our feeding guide lists the exact gram weight for your dog's weight so you can compare cost-per-day, not cost-per-bag. Autoship reduces the price a further 10%.
Over 7 days, at 25% increments. Days 1–2: 25% Canine Plus+ with 75% current food. Days 3–4: 50/50. Days 5–6: 75/25. Day 7 onward: 100%. This gradual shift gives the gut microbiome time to adjust and avoids the loose stools that a sudden change can cause.
Firmer, smaller stools are usually visible within the first 7 to 10 days, since they reflect digestibility directly. Coat condition and energy are slower — they track the skin and hair growth cycle, so expect a noticeable difference at the 6 to 8 week mark once a full coat cycle has turned over on the new nutrition.
The formula is benchmarked against AAFCO nutrient profiles for its life stage and manufactured under HACCP and GMP food-safety practices. As with any diet change — especially for a dog with a diagnosed condition — we recommend confirming the switch with your own veterinarian, who knows your dog's history.
The formula is grain-free, with a single marine protein and sweet potato as the carbohydrate — a profile that removes corn, wheat and soy, the common dietary triggers. For sensitive dogs we suggest extending the transition to 10–14 days rather than 7, increasing the new food more slowly.
Whole chicken liver is included specifically as a natural palatant, and most dogs take to it readily within the transition window. If yours doesn't, our return policy covers your first bag — contact us and we'll make it right.
Yes. Many owners use it as a complete base and top with raw or wet food. If you do, reduce the kibble portion proportionally so total daily calories stay on target — the feeding guide gives the baseline gram weight to scale down from.
Rosemary extract protects the fats from oxidation, and the packaging is sealed to limit air and light exposure. Once opened, keep the bag sealed in a cool, dry place and use it within the window printed on the pack to keep the omega-3s intact.