Premium Pâté, Puppy Recipe in Bone Broth
Graded by The Sniff System
ACANA Premium Pâté, Puppy Recipe in Bone Broth is a wet pâté food, formulated for puppies, with chicken and chicken liver as its primary proteins.
This recipe offers good protein quality, with chicken providing solid amino acid coverage for growing pups. It also includes quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber and named fat sources with marine oil, which is a good source of EPA and DHA.
The formula contains guar gum, an emulsifier. While it's a minor penalty in canned food, emerging microbiome data on emulsifiers is still being studied, and there's no specific canine clinical evidence yet.
Good fit for puppies and dogs of all life stages. Less ideal if you prefer foods without emulsifiers like guar gum.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Strong fit for puppy Golden Retrievers navigating diet-associated DCM concerns. Chicken anchors position 1, with zero pulses in the top 15, plus chicken liver at position 2 (a natural taurine precursor) and herring at position 8. Goldens appeared disproportionately in the FDA's DCM reports. Pulse-heavy grain-free formulas warrant extra caution; named animal protein with organ meat or marine sources is the safer fit.
Looking at this for puppy Golden Retrievers or Golden Retrievers with diet-associated DCM concerns ? We are building dedicated pages for these combinations.
Auto-matched from this product's measurements (ingredients, life stage, calorie density) to a breed archetype. Not a substitute for vet input on your specific dog.
Research informing this analysis
MethodologyThe Sniff System grades this product against 2 cited studies relevant to its profile. Each link opens the original source.
- FDA, 2022epidemiology · breed predisposition· cited in 4 claims
- FDA, 2019diet composition· cited in 2 claims
Every claim on Sniff traces to a source. If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.
Sniff scored this formula 70/100, landing in B-tier territory. The biggest contributor was protein quality (+20 points): Reasonable protein quality. chicken delivers solid amino acid coverage. The biggest detractor was controversial-ingredient penalty (-5 points): Contains guar gum. Emerging microbiome data on emulsifiers; no canine clinical evidence. Minor penalty in canned food. The gap to A-tier is small (5.0 points). Trimming controversial-ingredient penalty would likely close it.
Reasonable protein quality. chicken delivers solid amino acid coverage.
Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.
Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source).
Contains guar gum. Emerging microbiome data on emulsifiers; no canine clinical evidence. Minor penalty in canned food..
- Top 4% for DMB fat in ACANA's lineup (27.3%)
- Bottom 10% for fat quality in ACANA's lineup (12/16)
- Top 4% for overall Sniff Score in grain-free wet foods (70/100)
Computed against the rest of our catalog. Percentiles refresh on each catalog update.
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Wet and fresh foods contain more water than kibble (typically 65-78%). On a dry-matter basis, this food's protein content is roughly 43%, comparable to premium kibble (typically 30-45% DMB protein).
Read why each ingredient is good or bad for dogs.
- 1protein animalchicken
Real meat. Primary protein source, with the amino acid profile dogs actually evolved to eat.
Position 1: primary protein source. After cooking removes water, this may drop in proportional weight, but it anchors the recipe.
- 2protein animalchicken liver
Organ meat. Dense in protein, iron, vitamin A, and the B vitamins. Among the most nutrient-rich ingredients a dog can eat.
Position 2. Named organ meat this high is a strong build choice. Concentrated source of taurine, glutamine, and B-vitamins.
- 3chicken bone broth
Position 3: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.
- 4vegetablesweet potato
Complex carb with fiber and beta-carotene. Gentle on the stomach.
Position 4: meaningful whole-food inclusion. Source of vitamins, antioxidants, or natural fiber.
- 5turkey bone broth
Position 5: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.
- 6protein animalchicken heart
Organ meat. Dense in taurine, B vitamins, and CoQ10. One of the best ingredients dogs can eat.
Position 6. Functional organ inclusion. Adds amino acids and micronutrients even at smaller weight.
- 7protein animalturkey
Real meat. Lean protein, good amino acid profile, often well-tolerated by dogs sensitive to chicken.
Position 7: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 8herring
Whole fish, naturally high in omega-3s and very digestible protein. Common in premium formulas.
Position 8: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 9dried egg product
Whole eggs with the water removed. Same nutritional value as fresh eggs, just shelf-stable.
Position 9: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 10vegetablecarrots
Real vegetable. Fiber, beta-carotene, and a small amount of antioxidant value.
Position 10: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 11vegetablespinach
Leafy green. Some iron, vitamin K, and fiber. The dose in kibble is small but it's real food.
Position 11: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 12vegetablepumpkin
Soluble fiber that supports stool quality. Mild and well-tolerated.
Position 12: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 13othernatural flavor
Legal term for animal-derived flavoring, usually hydrolyzed liver or broth. Adds taste, says nothing about quality.
- 14fiberguar gum
Thickener common in wet food. Emerging research on emulsifiers and the gut microbiome, but no smoking gun in dogs yet. See why →
Position 14: trace fiber inclusion.
- 15mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 16mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 17mineraldicalcium phosphate
Calcium and phosphorus combined. Required source of both minerals, especially in formulas without much bone content.
- 18agar-agar
Seaweed-derived gel used as a thickener. Functional alternative to carrageenan, generally well-tolerated.
- 19fruitblueberries
Antioxidants, real. But the amount in any kibble is too small to do much. Mostly marketing.
- 20fruitcranberries
Often added with a urinary-tract-support marketing angle. Real cranberry compounds help in concentrate form, but kibble doses are small.
- 21zinc amino acid chelate
Zinc bound to amino acids for better absorption. Same idea as zinc proteinate, the premium form of the mineral.
- 22iron amino acid chelate
Iron bound to amino acids for better absorption. Premium form versus inorganic iron sulfate.
- 23mineralselenium yeast
Organic selenium grown in yeast. The form premium brands use, gentler and more bioavailable than sodium selenite.
- 24copper amino acid chelate
Copper bound to amino acids for better absorption. Premium form versus copper sulfate.
- 25manganese amino acid chelate
Manganese bound to amino acids for better absorption. The chelated form most premium brands use.
Showing first 25 of 42. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
23 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.
ACANA Puppy Recipe in Bone Broth Dog Food is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for All Life Stages, including growth of large size dogs (70 lbs or more as an adult).