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Cesar · dry

Cesar Complete Dry review

One of the weakest dry foods we have rated. 30% declared meat content is respectable, and the label keeps too much vague. Feeding it costs about 62p a day for a typical adult dog - the breakdown below shows exactly what that buys.

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ODF Score 18/100 Avoid
Our community ratingNo owner reviews yet - be the first.
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Top 92%scores higher than 8% of rated foodsacross all 3075 foods we've scored
Avoidscore bandthe dot marks where it sits among every food we've rated
£0.62 approx.per day for a 10 kg dogcheaper than 55% of dry foods
30%declared meat content
United Statesbrand origin
368kcal per 100 g

Where the points went

The full breakdown, exactly as the algorithm scored it. How our rating works

Ingredient quality
Weighted ingredient quality 38/100 across 9 ingredients (declared percentages used for 8, position estimates for the rest).
15.2 / 40
Label clarity
Vague category terms on the label (Cereals, Meat and Animal Derivatives, Oils and Fats) - naming points withheld; percentages cover 30% of the recipe (+1.8); meat sources named (+2); variable-composition wording - fixed-formula points withheld.
3.8 / 15
Additives
Artificial colours (-6) - they are for you, not your dog; unnamed preservative - the label does not say which (-4).
0 / 10
Red flags
Cereals leads the label (-10); Meat and Animal Derivatives at position 2 (-16); Oils and Fats at position 3 (-12); Derivatives of Vegetable Origin at position 4 (-12); penalties capped at -25 (uncapped: -50).
-25 / 0
Meat content
Declared meat content 30%.
11 / 15
Nutritional balance
Estimated carbohydrate 49% dry matter (high); fat 13.2% DM in the healthy band; fibre 2.2% DM (+2); ash 7.9% DM - sensible mineral load (+2); functional extras: omega-3 source, named botanicals (+2).
6.9 / 10
Processing
Assumed extruded kibble (standard high-heat process).
6 / 10
ODF Score
Algorithm v1.4.1 · scored August 19, 2026 · full methodology public
18 / 100

Our analysis

Breaking the 18 down: the biggest single loss is ingredient quality, where it takes 15.2 of a possible 40. On top of that, 25 points are deducted outright for red-flag ingredients - a penalty applied before anything else is counted, which is why the total lands where it does.

The label declares 30% meat, which is a real number, which already puts it ahead of the many that print none, and the ingredient list leans on vague groupings instead of naming what is actually in the bag.

At about 62p a day to feed a 10kg dog, the question is not whether it is cheap but whether the label justifies the price - and on our scoring, it does not.

Ingredients

Straight from the label, grouped by role - every ingredient is coloured by our published classification and links to its full page.

Meat & fish

Meat and Animal Derivatives 30%Including Fresh Chicken 4%Oils and FatsIncluding Fish Oil 0.2%Fish and Fish Derivatives Including Salmon 4%Including Salmon 4%

Carbs & grains

CerealsIncluding Rice 4%Wholegrain Wheat minimum 40%Derivatives of Vegetable OriginIncluding Sugar Beet Pulp 3%

Fruit & veg

VegetablesIncluding Dried Carrots 0.5%Dried Peas 1%Dried Tomatoes 0.2%

Supplements & extras

MineralsYeastIncluding Brewer's Yeast 0.2%HerbsIncluding Herbs De Provence 0.3%
Good qualityAcceptable / watch the amountRed flagGeneric / neutralOutlined = first five on the label
Additives (as declared on the label)
Vitamin D3 1650 IU, Vitamin E 100 mg, Copper ( Copper II Sulphate Pentahydrate ) 7.5 mg, Lodine (Potassium Iodide) 1.9 mg, Manganese (Manganous Sulphate Monohydrate) 21.6 mg, Selenium ( Sodium Selenite ) 0.1 mg, Zinc (Zinc Sulphate Monohydrate) 61.2 mg. Antioxidants , Colourants , Preservatives.

Feeding & cost

What a bag actually costs to feed - worked out per dog, not per pack.

Pack sizeRRPPer kg
1.4 kg£5.99£4.28

How heavy is your dog?

A typical 10 kg adult dog needs about 145 g a day = £0.62 / day, £18.85 / month.

How we work this out
  1. Energy: an adult dog at rest needs about 95 × weight0.75 kcal a day (the FEDIAF maintenance formula - a 10 kg dog works out near 534 kcal).
  2. Portion: divide that by this food's energy density, 368 kcal/100g, to get the grams above - a denser food needs fewer grams.
  3. Cost: multiply the grams by this food's price, £4.28 / kg, for the daily cost, then by 30.4 days for the month.

Estimates scale to your dog's weight and the food's calorie density - a denser food needs fewer grams. A rough guide; always follow the pack. Try the full feeding calculator

Nutrition

Declared analysis converted to a dry-matter basis, so wet and dry foods compare fairly.

Protein

27.5 % DM
Directory average: 28.2

Fat

13.2 % DM
Directory average: 14.8

Est. carbs

49.2 % DM
Directory average: 45.2

Fibre

2.2 % DM
Directory average: 3.6

Ash

7.9 % DM
Directory average: 7.9

Energy

368 kcal/100g
Directory average: 365.3

Carbohydrates are estimated: 100% minus protein, fat, fibre, ash and moisture.

Similar foods that score higher

Same type and life stage, better ODF Score, comparable price per day.

More from Cesar

Other foods in this range, whatever they score - the full picture, not just the top of the list.

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This is label analysis, not veterinary advice - if your dog has a health condition, talk to your vet before switching foods.

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