Protein & Grains Large Breed Puppy Chicken, Brown Rice & Vegetables Recipe Dry Dog Food, 28-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
American Journey Protein & Grains Large Breed Puppy Chicken, Brown Rice & Vegetables Recipe is a dry food for growing puppies, featuring deboned chicken and chicken as its main protein sources.
This formula offers good protein quality, with deboned chicken providing solid amino acid coverage for growing pups. It also includes quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber, and its fat sources are well-chosen, featuring named fat and marine oil for EPA and DHA.
Nothing concerning in the deck.
Good fit for large breed puppies. 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 puppy Labrador Retrievers and similar active sporting breeds navigating weight management. Working in its favor: explicitly formulated for large-breed dogs. At 341 kcal/cup this formula runs on the moderate side, with crude fiber at 6% (above the catalog median, supports satiety). Labs are the canonical food-motivated breed. Weight management is the dominant practical concern, even more than breed-specific health risks. The 2014 AAHA Weight Management Guidelines define overweight as a Body Condition Score (BCS) of 6-7 on a 9-point scale. A score of 8 or 9 indicates obesity, representing 20-30% and >30% above ideal body weight, respectively (Brooks et al., 2014) .
Looking at this for puppy Labrador Retrievers or Labrador Retrievers with weight management ? 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.
- Brooks et al., 2014diagnostic · protocol · satiety· cited in 3 claims
- Raffan et al., 2016genetics
Every claim on Sniff traces to a source. If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.
Solid grade. 70/100 (B) reflects the structural fit of this formula against The Sniff System's eight scoring components. Protein quality did the heavy lifting (+18 points): Reasonable protein quality. deboned chicken delivers solid amino acid coverage. The supporting beat: carbohydrate quality (+13 points). Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber. What's keeping it out of A-tier: protein quality (18 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").
Reasonable protein quality. deboned chicken delivers solid amino acid coverage.
Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.
Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source).
No negative drivers crossed our reporting threshold.
- Bottom 10% for DMB protein in American Journey's lineup (27.8%)
- Bottom 10% for crude fiber in American Journey's lineup (6.7% DMB)
- Bottom quartile for caloric density in grain-inclusive dry kibbles (341 kcal/cup)
Computed against the rest of our catalog. Percentiles refresh on each catalog update.
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Three lenses on products with formulation profiles similar to this one.
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Scores 11 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 $1.89/lb (6% less) at a comparable score.
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.
- 3grainbrown rice
Whole grain that's easy to digest. Steady carb energy plus a little fiber.
Position 3: major carbohydrate source.
- 4grainrice
Generic rice. Could be white or brown, the label doesn't say. Brown rice would be specified if it were.
Position 4: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 5legumepeas
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 5. Within the FDA's top-5 DCM-pattern threshold. Especially notable if multiple pulses stack here.
- 6grainbarley
Whole grain with a low glycemic profile and some soluble fiber. Easy on blood sugar.
Position 6: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 7othernatural flavor
Legal term for animal-derived flavoring, usually hydrolyzed liver or broth. Adds taste, says nothing about quality.
- 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.
- 9fatflaxseed
Plant source of omega-3. Helpful for skin and coat, though dogs absorb omega-3 from fish more efficiently.
Position 9: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 10suncured alfalfa meal
Sun-dried alfalfa, preserving more of the natural vitamins than heat-dried versions.
- 11fatfish oil
Concentrated omega-3s. The reason 'EPA' and 'DHA' get to show up on the bag.
Position 11. Moderate marine-oil inclusion. Supplements EPA/DHA without being the primary fat.
- 12dried 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 12: trace fiber inclusion.
- 13dried tomato pomace
The fiber-rich byproduct of tomato processing. Sometimes flagged unfairly. It's a real fiber source, not a filler shortcut.
Position 13: trace fiber inclusion.
- 14mineraldicalcium phosphate
Calcium and phosphorus combined. Required source of both minerals, especially in formulas without much bone content.
- 15mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 16vitaminvitamin e supplement
Required nutrient and a natural antioxidant. Often pulls double duty as a preservative.
- 17vitaminniacin supplement
B vitamin (B3). Required in complete dog foods, added as a supplement to standardize the dose.
- 18vitamind-calcium pantothenate
B vitamin (B5). Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 19vitaminriboflavin supplement
B vitamin (B2). Required in complete dog foods. The standardized form ensures consistent dosing.
- 20vitaminvitamin a supplement
Vitamin A in stable, standardized form. Required for vision, immune function, and growth.
- 21vitaminthiamine mononitrate
B vitamin (B1). Essential for nervous system function. Cooked-in vitamin loss is why thiamine is always added back.
- 22vitaminpyridoxine hydrochloride
B vitamin (B6). Essential for protein metabolism. Standard inclusion in complete formulas.
- 23vitaminvitamin b12 supplement
Essential for red blood cell formation and neurological function. Plant ingredients lack B12, so it has to be added.
- 24vitaminvitamin d3 supplement
The active form of vitamin D dogs need. Required for calcium absorption and bone health.
- 25vitaminfolic acid
B vitamin (B9), essential for cell function. Standard in complete dog foods.
Showing first 25 of 50. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
25 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.
This food is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO dog food nutrient profiles for growth and reproduction including growth for large size dogs that are 70 pounds and more as an adult.