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Farmina

Farmina N&D Dog Food: What the Codes on the Pack Mean

Farmina N&D dog food is sold under short codes. A pack might be called AG CHIC ADU MAXI, or GF LAMB PUP MINI, or QU SKIN & COAT DUCK. If you have stood in front of a shelf trying to work out which one your dog should eat, you are not being slow. The codes are trade shorthand and nobody explains them at the point of sale.

So here they are, decoded. This page is written by a licensed veterinary pharmacy, not by the brand.

What N&D Stands For

N&D is Natural & Delicious, made by Farmina in Italy. It is the brand's main dry food range for dogs and cats. Inside N&D there are several separate lines, and they are not simply different flavours of the same food. They use different carbohydrate sources and are built for different jobs.

Farmina's own description of the range is that "almost all the entire N&D range is made without cereals except for Ancestral Grain line and certain N&D Ocean recipes."

The Line Codes: AG, GF, PR, QU, OC and TS

Code Line What it is
GF Grain Free No cereals at all. The carbohydrate comes from sweet potato and similar sources
PR Prime Farmina describes it as the line "with 98% of protein from animal origin". Grain free
AG Ancestral Grain Contains spelt and oats. Farmina says these "allow for a gradual release of energy throughout the time, promoting a better insulin response and less pancreatic stress"
QU Quinoa Farmina describes it as "made with Quinoa, a high-quality protein source" and containing "a limited number of ingredients to meet the needs of pets with food sensitivities or allergies". This is the functional line: skin and coat, weight management, urinary
OC Ocean "Animal protein only from selected seafood." Cod and herring recipes. Includes limited ingredient and single protein diets
TS Tropical Selection Ancestral grains plus papaya, mango, kiwi, pineapple and banana

A note on honesty. Some of our pack titles carry the line code and some carry only GF, and a few carry both. If you are unsure which line a pack belongs to, read the front of the bag or message us the exact pack and size and we will tell you before you buy.

The Protein Codes and the Life Stage Codes

The middle of the title is the protein. The end is the life stage.

Code Means
CHIC Chicken, usually chicken and pomegranate
LAMB Lamb, usually lamb and blueberry
COD Codfish
DUCK Duck
QUAIL Quail
HERRING Herring
STARTER Farmina states this is for "puppies during weaning up to two months of age"
PUP Puppy, after weaning and through growth
ADU Adult
KITTEN A cat food, not a dog food
WT MGMT Weight management

MINI, MEDIUM and MAXI Are About Your Dog

This is the code people get wrong most often. MINI, MEDIUM and MAXI do not describe the bag. They describe the dog.

  • MINI is for small breeds. Smaller kibble, and a nutrient density suited to a fast metabolism in a small body
  • MEDIUM & MAXI is for medium and large breeds. Larger kibble that a big dog has to chew rather than inhale
  • MAXI on a puppy food matters more than on an adult food, because large breed puppies grow for longer and their skeletons are more sensitive to how fast that happens

A Labrador puppy on a MINI puppy food is not being poisoned. But you have bought the wrong kibble size and the wrong growth profile, and on a large breed puppy the growth profile is the part that matters. If you have a large or giant breed puppy, buy the MAXI puppy food, and ask a vet before you add any calcium supplement on top of it.

Grain Free or Ancestral Grain: How to Choose

Most people pick grain free because they have heard grain is bad. That is not a good reason and it is mostly not true. True grain allergy in dogs is uncommon. The far more frequent food allergens are animal proteins the dog has eaten before.

Better reasons to pick one over the other:

  • Choose Ancestral Grain (AG) if your dog does well on ordinary food and you want a steadier release of energy. Farmina's stated reason for the spelt and oats is insulin response
  • Choose Grain Free (GF or PR) if a vet has actually identified a cereal problem, or if you want the highest proportion of animal protein
  • Choose Quinoa (QU) if you are working through a suspected food sensitivity and you want a short ingredient list, or you need one of the functional recipes
  • Choose Ocean (OC) if your dog reacts to chicken and lamb. A single fish protein is a genuinely useful tool in an elimination diet

If your dog is itchy, do not buy a new food and hope. Itching in Mumbai is far more often fleas or an environmental allergy than food. Rule out parasites first.

Grain Free and Heart Disease: The Honest Answer

You may have read that grain free dog food causes heart disease. Here is what the evidence actually says, because this comes up every week.

The concern is diet-associated dilated cardiomyopathy. The most recent update from the Tufts veterinary nutrition service, published in June 2026, is clear that "grain-free" is the wrong label for the risk. Their words: the pattern "includes both grain-free and grain-inclusive diets since both can be high in pulses." The association is with diets high in pulses, meaning peas, lentils, chickpeas and beans, not with the absence of grain.

That distinction matters for this brand. The published composition for N&D Prime adult lists fresh chicken, dried chicken, then sweet potato as the carbohydrate. Pea fibre appears far down the list. It is not a pulse-heavy formula.

Two honest caveats. Recipes differ between the lines and between markets, so read the composition panel on the actual bag you are buying. And the cause of diet-associated dilated cardiomyopathy is still not established. If your dog has a heart murmur or a diagnosed heart condition, the diet decision belongs to your vet or a cardiologist, not to a collection page.

What This Food Costs Per Kilo

Farmina N&D is a super-premium food and it is priced like one. Right now the range across the dog packs we have in stock runs from about ₹900 a kilo to about ₹1,580 a kilo. The dearest is roughly three quarters more per kilo than the cheapest, inside one brand.

Two things worth knowing before you spend that:

Divide the price by the weight before you buy. The larger bag is usually cheaper per kilo, and sometimes considerably so, but not always. Do the arithmetic on the specific two packs in front of you rather than assuming.

You feed less of it. The published analysis for N&D Prime adult is around 34% protein and 18% fat. That is a dense food. The daily portion is smaller than the portion of a supermarket kibble, so the cost per day is not the same as the cost per kilo. Follow the feeding chart on the bag and weigh the food rather than using a cup, or the density works against you.

How to Switch Your Dog Onto Farmina N&D

Do not change the food overnight. The American Animal Hospital Association puts it plainly: "A sudden switch may cause digestive upset and food aversion." Their guidance is that dogs should move to a new food over seven days, starting by replacing about a quarter of the old food.

  1. Days 1 and 2. Three quarters old food, one quarter Farmina N&D. Mix them in the same bowl
  2. Days 3 and 4. Half and half
  3. Days 5 and 6. One quarter old food, three quarters new
  4. Day 7. All Farmina N&D
  5. Slow down if you need to. If the stool goes loose, hold at the current ratio for two or three days instead of moving on. There is no prize for finishing in a week
  6. Watch the stool, not the bowl. Enthusiasm at mealtimes tells you nothing. Formed stool does
  7. Stop and call a vet if there is vomiting, blood in the stool, or diarrhoea that lasts more than 48 hours. That is not a transition problem any more

Cats are slower. If you are switching a cat, budget weeks rather than days.

Storing a 12kg Bag Through a Mumbai Monsoon

A large bag is better value only if the last third of it is still good. In this climate that is not automatic.

  • Keep the food in its original bag. Tufts is direct about this: "Ideally, dry food should be stored in its original bag." The bag is a barrier layer that a plastic bin is not
  • Put the whole bag inside the container. Their recommendation is "to store the food in its original bag with the entire bag placed in an airtight container." Do not tip the kibble in loose
  • Cool and dry. Indoors, out of direct sun, away from the kitchen platform and the balcony
  • Use an opened bag within two to three months. The fat is what goes first, and rancid fat is why a dog goes off a food it used to like
  • Finish the container before you refill it. Tufts again: "be sure the food in that container has been completely used up before adding new food. Wash and completely dry the container between new bags." Old oily residue at the bottom will spoil a fresh bag

If your dog suddenly refuses a food it has eaten happily for months, smell the kibble before you assume the dog is being fussy.

At a Glance

If you want Look for
Highest animal protein, no cereals PR or GF
Steadier energy release, with cereals AG
Short ingredient list for a suspected sensitivity QU
Fish only, single protein OC
A small breed dog MINI
A large breed dog MEDIUM & MAXI
A puppy still weaning STARTER
A growing puppy PUP, matched to breed size
An overweight dog WT MGMT, and a vet visit to rule out a thyroid problem

Farmina N&D for Cats

Roughly a third of this collection is cat food, not dog food. The codes work the same way. KITTEN replaces PUP, there is no MINI or MAXI split because cats do not vary in size the way dogs do, and there are feline-specific recipes: urinary, neutered, skin and coat, weight management.

If you are buying for a cat, use the Farmina cat food view or browse all cat food. If a vet has prescribed a therapeutic diet, that is a different category and belongs under veterinary diets for cats.

One caution that applies to cats and not dogs. Never put a cat on a long-term reduced-calorie diet without veterinary supervision. Cats that lose weight quickly are at risk of hepatic lipidosis, which is a serious liver condition.

Buy Farmina N&D in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai

We are the online arm of Goodman Pet Chemist, a licensed veterinary pharmacy. You can come in, look at the bag, and read the composition panel yourself before you spend on a 12kg sack.

If you are switching a dog off a food that was making it unwell, or you are choosing between lines for a specific problem, ask a pharmacist at the counter. That conversation is free and it is faster than reading six product pages.

Looking for a Farmina N&D Pack We Do Not Have?

This range is large and we do not hold every recipe in every size at all times. If the pack you want is not here, or is showing as unavailable, tell us and we will source it or tell you honestly that we cannot.

  • WhatsApp +91 90044 85093
  • Email bark@animeal.in
  • Or ask at any of the four branches

Send the exact line, protein, life stage and pack size. For example "AG chicken adult mini 7kg". That is enough for us to find it.

When to Ask a Vet Instead of Changing the Food

Food is the first thing owners reach for and often the wrong lever. See a vet rather than switching bags if your dog has:

  • Persistent itching, especially around the rear, the belly or between the toes, which is more often fleas or environmental allergy than diet
  • Diarrhoea lasting more than two days, or any blood in the stool
  • Repeated vomiting
  • Weight loss with a normal or increased appetite
  • A puppy that is growing unevenly or is lame
  • Any sudden loss of appetite in a cat, which is more urgent than in a dog

Our Parel branch is open 24 hours if you need something out of hours.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Farmina N&D dog food worth the price?
It is a high animal protein, low cereal food with a published composition, which is more than can be said for a lot of what sells in India. Whether it is worth it for your dog depends on your dog. A healthy adult dog thriving on a mid-priced complete food does not need to be moved. A dog with a sensitivity, or an owner who wants a high meat inclusion, is the right buyer.

What is the difference between N&D GF and N&D AG?
GF is grain free. AG is Ancestral Grain and contains spelt and oats. Farmina's stated reason for the ancestral cereals is a gradual release of energy and a better insulin response. Neither is better in the abstract.

Does grain free dog food cause heart problems?
The current evidence points at diets high in pulses, meaning peas, lentils, chickpeas and beans, rather than at the absence of grain. Tufts stated in June 2026 that the pattern "includes both grain-free and grain-inclusive diets since both can be high in pulses." The cause is still not established. If your dog has a known heart condition, take the diet question to your vet.

What does MINI and MAXI mean on Farmina N&D?
The size of the dog, not the size of the bag. MINI is for small breeds and has smaller kibble. MEDIUM & MAXI is for medium and large breeds.

Can I feed my cat the dog version?
No. Cats need dietary taurine and a much higher protein requirement than dogs. A dog food fed long term to a cat can cause taurine deficiency, which damages the heart and the retina. Buy the cat recipes.

How long should I take to switch my dog to Farmina N&D?
Seven days for a dog, starting with about a quarter new food. Slow down if the stool loosens. Cats need considerably longer.

How do I store a 12kg bag in Mumbai?
Keep the kibble in its own bag and put the whole bag inside an airtight container, somewhere cool, dry and indoors. Use an opened bag within two to three months and wash and dry the container before a new bag goes in.

My dog stopped eating a food it used to like. Why?
Smell the kibble. Fat oxidises and the food goes stale, and dogs notice long before we do. If the food smells fine and the dog is still refusing it, that is a reason to see a vet rather than to buy a different brand.

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