Skip to content
Dog food
All dog foodBy typeDryCold-pressedAir-driedFreeze-driedWet & freshRawTreats & toppersBy life stagePuppyAdultSeniorBy needGrain-freeHypoallergenicSensitive stomachsHigh-energyNaturalVegetarianInsect-proteinVeterinary
Best dog food
All best-of listsBest dry dog foodBest wet dog foodBest puppy foodBest senior dog foodBest raw dog foodBest natural dog foodBest grain-free dog foodBest hypoallergenic dog foodBest dog food for sensitive stomachsBest budget dog foodBest dog food for fussy eatersBest dog food for allergiesBest dog food for joints and mobilityBest dog food for weight managementBest dog food for skin and coatBest cold-pressed dog foodBest fresh dog foodBest air-dried dog foodBest dog food for digestion
BrandsCan dogs eat...?IngredientsCompareGuidesPrice indexHow we rateSearchSign in
Markus Mühle · dry

Markus Mühle Red Deer Venison review

A solid, honest dry food. Just 18% declared meat content, and the label keeps too much vague. Feeding it costs about 68p a day for a typical adult dog - the breakdown below shows exactly what that buys.

Label last checked

Spotted something wrong? Tell us

DryWeight managementJoint care
Write a review

Image © Markus Mühle

+ Add to compare
ODF Score 64/100 Good
Our community ratingNo owner reviews yet - be the first.
Share
Top 66%scores higher than 34% of rated foodsacross all 3075 foods we've scored
Goodscore bandthe dot marks where it sits among every food we've rated
£0.68per day for a 10 kg dogcheaper than 47% of dry foods
18%declared meat content
Germanybrand origin

Where the points went

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

Ingredient quality
Weighted ingredient quality 70/100 across 21 ingredients (declared percentages used for 7, position estimates for the rest).
28 / 40
Label clarity
Vague category terms on the label (gelatine) - naming points withheld; percentages cover 41% of the recipe (+2.4); meat sources named (+2); variable-composition wording - fixed-formula points withheld.
4.4 / 15
Additives
Declared additives below our neutral line, weakest being silica (-2.7).
7.3 / 10
Red flags
No red-flag ingredients.
0 / 0
Meat content
Declared meat content 33.7% (added up from every named meat on the label).
11.7 / 15
Nutritional balance
Estimated carbohydrate 48% dry matter (high); fat 11.1% DM in the healthy band; moisture not declared - 8% assumed for the dry-matter maths; fibre 6.0% DM (+1.3); ash 7.5% DM - sensible mineral load (+2); functional extras: omega-3 source, named botanicals, joint support (+2).
6.5 / 10
Processing
Assumed extruded kibble (standard high-heat process).
6 / 10
ODF Score
Algorithm v1.4.1 · scored August 19, 2026 · full methodology public
64 / 100

Our analysis

Breaking the 64 down: the biggest single loss is ingredient quality, where it takes 28 of a possible 40. Its strongest showing is declared meat content at 11.7 of 15.

The label declares 18% meat, which is a low figure, and a declared low figure is still more honest than silence, and the ingredient list leans on vague groupings instead of naming what is actually in the bag.

At about 68p 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 broadly does.

Ingredients

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

Meat & fish

Ground dried barbary duck meat 18%ground dried venison 9.4%ground dried white fish 6.3%gelatinedried and ground game bonespowdered egg yolk

Carbs & grains

ground brown riceground milletdried rice germ

Fruit & veg

potato flakesdried and ground red beetrootforest fruits 2%redcurrantsraspberriesblackberriesblueberriesrosehipscranberries

Oils & fats

cold-pressed plant oil mix

Supplements & extras

green fish herbslinseedsdry peat 2%fennel seedsdried and ground yucca schidigerasilica 1.5%muscle meat extract from green-lipped mussels 1.5%green mineral soil
Good qualityAcceptable / watch the amountRed flagGeneric / neutralOutlined = first five on the label
Additives (as declared on the label)
Nutritional additives per kg: Vitamin A (10,000 IU), vitamin D3 (1000 IU), vitamin E [all-rac-alpha tocopheryl acetate] (200mg), vitamin B1 [thiamine mononitrat] (3.5mg), vitamin B2 [riboflavin] (7mg), vitamin B6 [pyridoxine hydrochloride] (4.2mg), vitamin B12 (42mg), biotin [D-(+)-biotin] (210mg), folic acid (0.35mg), niacin (21mg), vitamin C [L-ascorbic acid] (140mg), pantothenic acid [calcium-D-pantothenate] (8mg), choline chloride (1500mg), trace elements: manganese [manganese-(II)-oxide] (48mg), copper [copper-(II)-oxide] (10mg), zinc [zinc oxide] (120mg), iron [iron-(III)-oxide] (200mg).

Feeding & cost

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

Pack sizeRRPPer kg
5 kg--
15 kg--
30 kg--

How heavy is your dog?

A typical 10 kg adult dog needs about 162 g a day = £0.68 / day, £20.67 / 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, 330 kcal/100g, to get the grams above - a denser food needs fewer grams.
  3. Cost: multiply the grams by this food's price, £4.17 / 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

11.1 % DM
Directory average: 14.8

Est. carbs

47.9 % DM
Directory average: 45.2

Fibre

6 % DM
Directory average: 3.6

Ash

7.5 % DM
Directory average: 7.9

Moisture isn't declared on this label - dry-matter figures assume 8% (typical for a dry food) and are marked estimated.

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 Markus Mühle

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

Write a review of Markus Mühle Red Deer Venison
Required - tap a star to rate.

Your email stays private - we only use it to confirm genuine reviews. Reviews are checked before they appear.

Related guides

Feeding an overweight dog: what works, and what the “light” bag is not telling youFeeding an overweight dog: what works, and what the “light” bag is not telling youRead the guideFeeding an older dog: what actually changes (and what does not)Feeding an older dog: what actually changes (and what does not)Read the guideBest British dog food: the live rankingBest British dog food: the live rankingRead the guide

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

Better bowls, straight to your inbox

New ratings, recall alerts and genuinely useful feeding guides. No spam, unsubscribe in one click.

What would you like to hear about?