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1.6k
United States
14
13Suitable for all breeds of dogs
Click here for more info.
In general, unless your dog has health issues, you probably won't have to worry about these figures. Click here for more information
Mixing bowl composition
This is the ingredients list as printed on the packaging or manufacturer's website.
Think of the 'mixing bowl' composition like a recipe - all the ingredients you would need to put in a 'mixing bowl' in order to make the food.
Ingredients have to be listed in descending order of their weight so the higher it appears, the more there is.
Highlighted ingredients
Ingredients that we believe to be controversial or inferior are highlighted in yellow with particularly low grade, highly contentious or excessively vague ingredients in red.
As fed composition
While the 'mixing bowl' composition is useful for knowing what went into the food, it doesn't always reflect what your dog is actually eating. This is because the processes that turn the ingredients into the finished pet food can significantly alter the relative weights of the ingredients.
For this reason we've calculated the approximate 'as fed' percentages for the main ingredient categories in the finished product.
Please note that these figures are very approximate. They are estimates based on the information provided by the manufacturer in the ingredients list so the clearer the terminology and the more percentages they provide, the more accurate our estimates will be. Wherever information is lacking, we always assume the worst.
Ingredient categories
◉ Meat ingredients: includes all meat and fish ingredients except isolated fats/oils.
◉Added oils and fats: includes all isolated oil and fat ingredients.
◉ Carb-rich ingredients: includes all ingredients derived from grains, pseudo-grains, potatoes and other starchy root vegetables, sweet potato and legumes (except whole peas which are categorised under fruit and veg) except for isolated protein and extracted oils. Also includes fibre supplements.
◉ Fruit and veg: includes all whole vegetables and fruits.
◉ Other: all other ingredients. Mostly made up by nutritional supplements and additives.
For more information on any ingredient, please take a look at our Dog Food Ingredient Glossary
The dry matter level of a nutrient is the percentage there would be in the food if all of the water was removed.
With water taken out of the equation, these figures allow the nutrient levels of foods of different types (like wet and dry) to be compared on an even playing field.
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33.30 out of 100 - Poor
Our unique product ratings are calculated based on a number of characteristics including the quality and quantity of the stated ingredients, certain nutritional and technological additives and the processing methods used to create the food. They are designed to indicate how beneficial we think a food is likely to be for the majority of dogs when fed on a daily basis for an extended period. Click here for more information
Country of origin:United Kingdom
A technological additive is any substance added to a pet food "for a technological purpose and which favourably affects the characteristics of feed".
The most common categories of technological additives include preservatives and antioxidants, gelling agents and thickeners and probiotics.
While the primary effects of technoloical additives are certainly 'favourable' (increased shelf life in the case of preservatives & antioxidants, better food texture and consistency in the case of gelling agents and thickeners etc.) some have been linked to health problems in pets and should be treated with caution.
Unfortunately, many technological additives do not have to be declared by the manufacturer so just because they do not appear on the label does not necessarily mean they are not in the food. If in doubt, ask the manufacturer directly exactly what technological additives their foods contain.
GemmaCockapoo •one year ago
Their latest TV advert now says this has superfoods so I had a poke around their website. No surprise that their idea of superfoods is 1% dried spinach (ie not enough to be of any nutritional value whatsoever) and a bit of spirulina. I really don't know how they get away with some of their claims. For instance, on their meaty meals packaging it says "100% tender chunks" - accurate but purely due to glycerol, not meat. However, their website says "100% Tender Meaty Chunks" which gives a whole different meaning and a deliberately false impression. I'm sure I've read somewhere here that Bakers has improved as it now has no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives and perhaps that's why it's been awarded an extremely generous 33%. This is incorrect. One of their FAQs https://www.purina.co.uk/contact-us/faq/ingredients/colours-flavours-preservatives says "Does Bakers Complete still have no added artificial colours, FLAVOURS OR PRESERVATIVES?" They replied "We changed our recipe in response to the fact that many people are now reducing the number of artificial colours in their own diets. We listened to our shoppers and decided to remove the artificial colours from Bakers as well!" So deliberately no mention of artificial flavours and preservatives - but all is revealed in another FAQ - https://www.purina.co.uk/contact-us/faq/ingredients/do-your-foods-contain-additivese-numbers - "Do your foods contain additives/E numbers? Yes they do. They are needed to ensure that our products are complete, balanced and safe for our pets. Additives can be functional or nutritional and are divided into three types: • Nutritional – These support many vital functions in the body (e.g., vitamins, trace elements and amino acids) • Technological – Help to maintain the food and its flavour, while keeping it safe to eat over time (e.g., preservatives & antioxidants) • Sensory – Used to give the product the desired taste, colour and texture (e.g., flavourings) All additives used in our products are regulated and rigorously controlled in accordance with strict European laws – and can be found in food for human consumption. Their safety is completely proven and once they have passed safety tests, they are assigned an ‘E’ number, (‘E’ stands for ‘Europe') for a period of 10 years. At the end of this ten-year period, each additive has to go through a re-authorisation process" So it's still full of E numbers but they are using the totally legal loophole of saying "No ADDED artificial colours, flavours or preservatives" because a third party chucks them in the ingredients before they reach Purina's factoryDavid Campbell •one year ago
I fed my 15 1/2 year old alsation collie cross rescue for his entire life (got him at 6months)on Bakers with no complaints. 3 vet visits in his life. If you want to change your dogs food you need to change over gradually mixing the brands or they can get sick. I now have a 5 year old Goberian same food no problems.Natasha Jade Moore •one year ago
I learned of this from my time in the Dogs Trust as a former work experience placement and volunteer. Feeding a dog with bakers dog food, is essentially the equivalent of feeding a toddler with a McDonald's happy meal every day. Not while I have breath in my body would I ever feed this utter junk to any dog I owned, nor would I recommend that any other dog owner feed their dog(s) with it either. If any other dog owner ever asked me about it, my only recommendation about it would be to avoid it like the plague. If someone gave me a bag, a sack or a box of the stuff, I would take it purely so it wouldn't be fed to any dog, and my only use for it would be tinder. It actually makes me want to punch people in the face when I see them buying this utter crap!GemmaCockapoo
Natasha Jade Moore
•one year ago
Brilliantly written - an excellent description of Bakers (punching the daft owners might be a bit extreme though)Milliemeg
Natasha Jade Moore
•9 months ago
Our girl has just visited the vet as we were concerned about her weight gain! Turns out it’s the Bakers complete she’s been eating. The vet said it’s like feeding her cakesP J Stone •one year ago
My rescue pup came to me eating Bakers. I'm so grateful for these threads, I got him off it within three weeks. I used Step Up Puppy, it's not the very best, but the best I could afford and far better than Bakers.Bwillnot •one year ago
Just because one's own dog didn't get ill is no excuse for defending what you can only surmise is off the slaughterhouse floor, looking at the vast majority of reviews here. If only I'd read them earlier. I now have two dogs at my side, both of whom were perfectly healthy before being given bakers adult last night. This morning they've refused all food and water and the smaller one can hardly walk. They're both curled up asleep and I'm waiting till they wake up, on the vet's advice, to see what we can do next. They're not allowed to warn about bakers, but they know about it now if they didn't before, and everyone here who's given a shocking review should tell their vets the same thing.Tanni C •2 years ago
My dog has been raw fed from a young age but is incredibly fussy which results in a lot of expensive waste. I bought Bakers complete and gave him a handful before checking the nutritional value (I didn't expect it to be this bad). He loved it though, is there a similar tender dry food with a decent nutritional value? I'm not bothered about price.Kitty •10 years ago
I highly recommend Naturediet - which I believe is only very lightly processed. Some good deals online, though it is quite expensive for a large dog month to month. Probably no more than one of the premium dry foods though. Our dog drinks far less water on Naturediet, (looking after other people's dogs has made me realise just how much they drink even when on good quality dry food, but when fed Pedigree, it's like they are diabetic or something - constantly drinking!) and she has a really soft shiny coat and her behaviour has improved (she is a rescue and is fearful of strangers and new situations). We have been learning as we go along with her and completely cut out dry food some months ago - seen a huge improvement in her overall condition. Added bonus is her stools are very small and solid now so far easier to clean up!Lee •10 years ago
I bought some Bakers for the first time a few days ago and since then she hasnt been right! I have stopped the bakers now so hopefully she will perk up but at the minute she is on antibiotics and wearing a lampshade due to her trying to rip her paws apart. :-(Jill •11 years ago
oh crumbs.......a friend of mine has fed her Daschund Bakers (only at breakfast time) for 7 years and he is quite healthy and well behaved.......this prompted me to buy a large bag of it for my pup.......now after reading this it has me worried.......