Grain-Free Puppy Chicken & Sweet Potato Recipe Dry Dog Food, 24-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
American Journey Grain-Free Puppy Chicken & Sweet Potato Recipe is a dry food for puppies, featuring deboned chicken, chicken, and turkey as its main protein sources.
This recipe starts with deboned chicken, providing a strong protein foundation with high biological value for growing puppies. It also includes quality fat sources like chicken fat and salmon oil, which delivers beneficial EPA and DHA. The combination of fresh meat and same-species meal is a good sign for how the food is put together.
Nothing concerning in the deck.
Good fit for puppies of all sizes. Nothing serious working against it.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Strong fit for lower-energy small companion breeds like French Bulldogs, Bulldogs, and Boston Terriers navigating a sensitive stomach. Working in its favor: AAFCO growth profile (suitable for puppies). Deboned chicken leads at position 1, with dried plain beet pulp (prebiotic fiber) at position 8 on the deck. What we'd flag: multiple protein sources stacked (harder to isolate triggers). Frenchies have notoriously sensitive GI tracts plus a tendency toward obesity given their low activity needs. Limited-ingredient formulas with moderate calorie density tend to fit them well.
Looking at this for puppy French Bulldogs or French Bulldogs with a sensitive stomach ? 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.
Solid grade. 73/100 (B) reflects the structural fit of this formula against The Sniff System's eight scoring components. Protein quality did the heavy lifting (+21.5 points): Strong protein profile with deboned chicken as the primary ingredient, delivering high biological value. The supporting beat: fat quality (+12 points). Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source). What's keeping it out of A-tier: protein quality (21.5 of 27 possible). Full protein quality requires named-species named-cut proteins in the top of the deck (e.g., "deboned chicken" rather than "chicken meal" or "poultry meal").
Strong protein profile with deboned chicken as the primary ingredient, delivering high biological value.
Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source).
Named fresh meat paired with same-species meal, a strong extrusion architecture.
No negative drivers crossed our reporting threshold.
- Bottom 3% for crude fiber in American Journey's lineup (5.6% DMB)
- Top 10% for caloric density in American Journey's lineup (380 kcal/cup)
- Bottom quartile for DMB fat in American Journey's lineup (13.3%)
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 Puppy Chicken, Brown Rice & Vegetables Recipe Dog Food, 28-lb bag
Scores 3 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
American Journey Protein & Grains Senior Chicken, Brown Rice & Vegetables Recipe Dry Dog Food, 28-lb bag
$1.79/lb vs your seed's $2.08/lb (14% less) at a comparable score.
Merrick Grain-Free Dry Puppy Food Real Beef & Sweet Potato Recipe, 22-lb bag
Beef instead of chicken, 5 points lower, 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 animaldeboned chicken
Real meat with the bones removed before grinding. The cleanest version of chicken on an ingredient label.
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.
- 5legumechickpeas
Also called garbanzo beans. Affordable plant protein source, part of the legume stack the FDA examined in its heart-disease investigation. See why →
Position 5. Within the FDA's top-5 DCM-pattern threshold. Especially notable if multiple pulses stack here.
- 6vegetablesweet potato
Complex carb with fiber and beta-carotene. Gentle on the stomach.
Position 6: meaningful whole-food inclusion. Source of vitamins, antioxidants, or natural fiber.
- 7tapioca starch
Refined cassava starch, used as a binder. Easy to digest, low on nutrition.
- 8dried 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 8: functional fiber for digestion or satiety.
- 9fatchicken fat
Despite the name, a high-quality energy source. Concentrated calories plus essential fatty acids like linoleic acid. See why →
Position 9: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 10othernatural flavor
Legal term for animal-derived flavoring, usually hydrolyzed liver or broth. Adds taste, says nothing about quality.
- 11fatsalmon oil
Pure omega-3s. The thing skin-and-coat formulas are usually built around.
Position 11. Moderate marine-oil inclusion. Supplements EPA/DHA without being the primary fat.
- 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.
- 13fatflaxseed
Plant source of omega-3. Helpful for skin and coat, though dogs absorb omega-3 from fish more efficiently.
Position 13: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 14fruitblueberries
Antioxidants, real. But the amount in any kibble is too small to do much. Mostly marketing.
Position 14: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 15vegetablecarrots
Real vegetable. Fiber, beta-carotene, and a small amount of antioxidant value.
Position 15: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 16mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 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.
- 21vitaminvitamin e supplement
Required nutrient and a natural antioxidant. Often pulls double duty as a preservative.
- 22preservative naturalmixed tocopherols
Natural vitamin E used to keep fats from going rancid. The good kind of preservative. See why →
- 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.
This is completely safe for your large breed puppy, as it is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for growth and gestation/lactation including growth of large size dogs (70 lbs or more as an adult).