Puppy Recipe (3lb / 2 bags)
Graded by The Sniff System
A Pup Above Puppy Recipe is a wet food featuring chicken and chicken liver, formulated for puppies.
This recipe has a strong protein profile, with chicken as the main ingredient, which means good bioavailability for your pup. It also includes quality fat sources like marine oil, providing beneficial EPA and DHA, and good carbohydrate sources with declared fiber.
The main thing to note is the absence of an AAFCO statement, which means its nutritional completeness for puppies is unverified. This lack of verification capped its overall score.
Good fit for puppies. Less ideal if you prefer foods with AAFCO verification for nutritional completeness.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Good 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). 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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.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 59/100, landing in C-tier (acceptable-with-notes). The biggest contributor was protein quality (+23 points): Strong protein profile with chicken as the primary ingredient, delivering high biological value. A hard cap of 59 also applied because the AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement isn't disclosed on the retailer page (so our methodology can't verify the formula meets adult, growth, or all-life-stages standards). If the brand publishing the AAFCO statement were on the label, the cap would lift and this formula could clear the B-band threshold (60).
Strong protein profile with chicken as the primary ingredient, delivering high biological value.
Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source).
Quality carbohydrate sources with declared fiber.
No AAFCO statement. Nutritional completeness unverified.
- Lowest DMB fat in A Pup Above's lineup (10.0%)
- Top 4% for protein quality in grain-free wet foods (23/27)
- Bottom quartile for carb quality in A Pup Above's lineup (12/16)
Computed against the rest of our catalog. Percentiles refresh on each catalog update.
Similar dog foods worth considering
Three lenses on products with formulation profiles similar to this one.
Premium Pâté, Puppy Recipe in Bone Broth
Scores 11 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Natural Balance Original Ultra Chicken Recipe Wet Dog Food, 13-oz can, case of 12
$4.56/lb vs your seed's $13.33/lb (66% less) at a comparable score.
Surfaced from a vector similarity search across 3,491 scored dog foods. How this works.
Wet and fresh foods contain more water than kibble (typically 65-78%). On a dry-matter basis, this food's protein content is roughly 48%, 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.
- 3vegetablesweet potato
Complex carb with fiber and beta-carotene. Gentle on the stomach.
Position 3: meaningful whole-food inclusion. Source of vitamins, antioxidants, or natural fiber.
- 4vegetablevegetable
Unnamed vegetable. No way to know what species. Named vegetables are far more transparent.
Position 4: meaningful whole-food inclusion. Source of vitamins, antioxidants, or natural fiber.
- 5green beans
Real vegetable. Fiber and a small amount of vitamins. Often used in weight-management formulas because it bulks up a meal without adding calories.
- 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.
- 7chicken bone broth
Position 7: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 8egg
Whole eggs. The highest-quality protein on any ingredient label, by amino acid score.
Position 8: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 9thyme
- 10supplementturmeric
Spice with anti-inflammatory compounds. Real research in humans, but the dose in kibble is small. Mostly there for label appeal.
- 11supplementparsley
Real herb. Trace amount of vitamins K and C. The dose in kibble is small, mostly there for label appeal.
- 12mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 13fatfish oil
Concentrated omega-3s. The reason 'EPA' and 'DHA' get to show up on the bag.
Position 13. Trace marine oil. Contributes some omega-3 but well below the level that drives EPA/DHA totals.
- 14apa nutrient mix
11 of 14 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.