Grain-Free Large Breed Puppy Salmon & Sweet Potato Recipe Dry Dog Food, 24-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
American Journey Grain-Free Large Breed Puppy Salmon & Sweet Potato Recipe is a dry food for large breed puppies, featuring salmon, chicken, and turkey as its main proteins.
This formula has a strong protein profile, led by salmon, which offers high biological value. It also includes quality fat sources like chicken fat and marine oil, providing beneficial EPA and DHA. The inclusion of fish meal adds to the diverse, highly bioavailable protein content.
The formula contains high legume stacking, with peas, chickpeas, and pea protein all in the top ingredients. This is a pattern the FDA has investigated, though the formula's protein diversity helps mitigate this concern.
Good fit for large breed puppies. Less ideal if you prefer formulas without significant legume content.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Good fit for active large sporting breeds like Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, and Irish Setters navigating diet-associated DCM concerns. Salmon anchors position 1, with 3 pulse-family ingredients in the top 15 (peas at position 4, chickpeas at position 6, pea protein at position 7). 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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.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 72/100, landing in B-tier territory. The biggest contributor was protein quality (+22.5 points): Strong protein profile with salmon as the primary ingredient, delivering high biological value. The biggest detractor was controversial-ingredient penalty (-2 points): Contains high legume stacking. Multiple pulse-family ingredients in top 15. Mitigated by taurine supplementation or organ meat (natural taurine precursor) in top 10. The gap to A-tier is small (3.0 points). Trimming controversial-ingredient penalty would likely close it.
Strong protein profile with salmon as the primary ingredient, delivering high biological value.
Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source).
Includes egg, named fish, or organ meat for diverse high-bioavailability protein.
Contains high legume stacking. Multiple pulse-family ingredients in top 15. Mitigated by taurine supplementation or organ meat (natural taurine precursor) in top 10..
- Lowest crude fiber in American Journey's lineup (5.0% DMB)
- Top quartile for protein quality in American Journey's lineup (22.4/27)
- Bottom 10% for caloric density in grain-free dry kibbles (352 kcal/cup)
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.
American Journey Protein & Grains Small Breed Salmon, Brown Rice & Vegetables Recipe Adult Dry Dog Food, 14-lb bag
Scores 9 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
American Journey Protein & Grains Healthy Weight Salmon, Brown Rice & Vegetables Recipe Dry Dog Food, 28-lb bag
$1.79/lb vs your seed's $2.50/lb (29% less) at a comparable score.
Merrick Grain-Free Dry Puppy Food Real Chicken & Sweet Potato Recipe, 22-lb bag
Chicken instead of salmon, 4 points higher, different brand.
Surfaced from a vector similarity search across 3,491 scored dog foods. How this works.
Read why each ingredient is good or bad for dogs.
- 1protein animalsalmon
Real fish meat. Natural source of omega-3s, which kibble usually has to add back from oil.
Position 1: primary protein source. After cooking removes water, this may drop in proportional weight, but it anchors the recipe.
- 2protein animalchicken meal
Chicken with the water cooked out. Per pound, packs more protein than fresh chicken. See why →
Position 2: co-primary protein. Two named animal proteins in the top 2 is a strong protein build.
- 3protein animalturkey meal
Turkey with the water cooked out. Per pound, packs more protein than fresh turkey. See why →
Position 3: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.
- 4legumepeas
Cheap protein bulk. Fine in small amounts, but when peas stack with lentils and chickpeas in the top ingredients, it's the pattern the FDA flagged in its heart-disease investigation. See why →
Position 4. Within the FDA's top-5 DCM-pattern threshold. Especially notable if multiple pulses stack here.
- 5vegetablesweet potato
Complex carb with fiber and beta-carotene. Gentle on the stomach.
Position 5: meaningful whole-food inclusion. Source of vitamins, antioxidants, or natural fiber.
- 6legumechickpeas
Also called garbanzo beans. Affordable plant protein source, part of the legume stack the FDA examined in its heart-disease investigation. See why →
Position 6. Moderate inclusion. Contributes carbohydrate and some plant protein.
- 7protein plantpea protein
Concentrated plant protein. Inflates the protein number on the label without matching the amino acid quality of meat.
Position 7. Moderate inclusion. Contributes carbohydrate and some plant protein.
- 8fatchicken fat
Despite the name, a high-quality energy source. Concentrated calories plus essential fatty acids like linoleic acid. See why →
Position 8: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 9dried plain beet pulp
Beet fiber, with the sugar removed. Long unfairly maligned. It's a real soluble fiber that supports stool quality. See why →
Position 9: functional fiber for digestion or satiety.
- 10othernatural flavor
Legal term for animal-derived flavoring, usually hydrolyzed liver or broth. Adds taste, says nothing about quality.
- 11fatflaxseed
Plant source of omega-3. Helpful for skin and coat, though dogs absorb omega-3 from fish more efficiently.
Position 11: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 12protein animalfish meal
Concentrated fish protein, usually whitefish, herring, or mackerel. Strong amino acid profile. See why →
Position 12: trace protein. Likely there for amino-acid diversity or label appeal more than nutritional weight.
- 13fruitblueberries
Antioxidants, real. But the amount in any kibble is too small to do much. Mostly marketing.
Position 13: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 14vegetablecarrots
Real vegetable. Fiber, beta-carotene, and a small amount of antioxidant value.
Position 14: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 15mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 16fatsalmon oil
Pure omega-3s. The thing skin-and-coat formulas are usually built around.
- 17probioticdried bacillus coagulans fermentation product
Probiotic strain. More heat-stable than lactobacillus, which means more of it likely survives kibble processing.
- 18supplementdried kelp
Natural source of iodine and trace minerals. A common premium-brand inclusion.
- 19fiberfructooligosaccharides
Prebiotic fiber, often called FOS. Feeds beneficial gut bacteria, similar in function to inulin.
- 20supplementcholine chloride
Essential nutrient for liver and brain function. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 21preservative naturalmixed tocopherols
Natural vitamin E used to keep fats from going rancid. The good kind of preservative. See why →
- 22vitaminvitamin e supplement
Required nutrient and a natural antioxidant. Often pulls double duty as a preservative.
- 23supplementtaurine
Amino acid critical for heart health. Especially important in grain-free or pulse-heavy formulas where natural taurine precursors run thin.
- 24mineralzinc sulfate
Inorganic zinc. Effective at AAFCO doses but less well-absorbed than chelated forms like zinc proteinate.
- 25mineralferrous sulfate
Inorganic iron. Standard mineral source. Iron proteinate is the gentler, better-absorbed premium form.
Showing first 25 of 45. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
25 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.