All Life Stages High Protein Real Lamb, Sweet Potato & Blueberry Dry Dog Food, 5-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Animal Love All Life Stages High Protein Real Lamb, Sweet Potato & Blueberry Dry Dog Food is a dry food featuring lamb as its primary protein, suitable for all life stages.
Lamb as the first ingredient provides solid amino acid coverage, contributing to good protein quality. The formula also uses quality fat sources, including marine oil for beneficial EPA and DHA. Plus, pairing fresh lamb with lamb meal is a strong sign for protein content and how the food is made.
Nothing concerning in the deck.
Good fit for dogs of all life stages. Nothing serious working against it.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Good fit for active large sporting breeds, including the Golden Retriever, navigating diet-associated DCM concerns. Lamb anchors position 1, with 2 pulse-family ingredients in the top 15 (chickpeas at position 3, peas at position 14), plus liver at position 7 (a natural taurine precursor). In its 2022 update on diet-associated DCM, the FDA identified Golden Retrievers as the most reported breed, with 121 cases out of 1,382 total canine reports (8.8%) received between January 1, 2014, and November 1, 2022 (FDA, 2022) .
Looking at this for adult 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 3 cited studies relevant to its profile. Each link opens the original source.
- FDA, 2022cardiac · epidemiology · breed predisposition· cited in 5 claims
- FDA, 2019diet composition· cited in 2 claims
- NRC, 2006nutrient bioavailability
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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.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 (+18.5 points): Reasonable protein quality. lamb delivers solid amino acid coverage. Also adding to the lift: fat quality (+12). Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source). The 3-point gap to A-tier sits mostly in protein quality (18.5 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").
Reasonable protein quality. lamb delivers solid amino acid coverage.
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.
- Top 10% for DMB protein in dry kibbles (38.9%)
- Bottom quartile for crude fiber in grain-free dry kibbles (4.4% DMB)
- Top quartile for overall Sniff Score in grain-free dry kibbles (72/100)
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.
Animal Love All Life Stages High Protein Real Salmon, Brown Rice & Cranberry Dry Dog Food, 13-lb bag
Scores 5 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
CANIDAE All Life Stages Real Lamb & Ancient Grains Recipe Dry Dog Food, 27-lb bag
$1.85/lb vs your seed's $5.40/lb (66% 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 animallamb
Real meat. Often used for dogs with chicken or beef sensitivities. Slightly higher fat content than chicken.
Position 1: primary protein source. After cooking removes water, this may drop in proportional weight, but it anchors the recipe.
- 2protein animallamb meal
Lamb cooked down to a dry concentrate. Per pound, more protein than fresh lamb. See why →
Position 2: co-primary protein. Two named animal proteins in the top 2 is a strong protein build.
- 3legumechickpeas
Also called garbanzo beans. Affordable plant protein source, part of the legume stack the FDA examined in its heart-disease investigation. See why →
Position 3. Pulse-family ingredient this high in the deck is a notable build choice. When stacked with other pulses in the top 10, matches the formulation pattern the FDA flagged in its diet-associated DCM investigation.
- 4protein plantpotato protein
Concentrated potato protein. Like pea protein, it inflates the protein number without matching meat-quality amino acids.
Position 4: plant protein in the top 5. Stacked with animal protein, can inflate the crude protein number without matching the amino-acid quality of named animal sources.
- 5dried yeast
Natural source of B vitamins and trace minerals. Adds a savory flavor that dogs respond well to.
- 6beef tallow
Position 6: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 7liver
Generic liver, usually chicken or beef. Among the most nutrient-dense ingredients a dog can eat. Named species is more informative.
- 8vegetablesweet potato
Complex carb with fiber and beta-carotene. Gentle on the stomach.
Position 8: meaningful whole-food inclusion. Source of vitamins, antioxidants, or natural fiber.
- 9fruitblueberries
Antioxidants, real. But the amount in any kibble is too small to do much. Mostly marketing.
Position 9: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 10protein animaldried egg
Whole eggs. The highest-quality protein on any ingredient label, by amino acid score.
Position 10: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 11grainoats
Whole grain. Steady energy, soluble fiber, and well-tolerated by most dogs.
Position 11: minor grain inclusion.
- 12grainbrown rice
Whole grain that's easy to digest. Steady carb energy plus a little fiber.
Position 12: minor grain inclusion.
- 13grainbarley
Whole grain with a low glycemic profile and some soluble fiber. Easy on blood sugar.
Position 13: minor grain inclusion.
- 14legumepeas
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 14. Trace inclusion. Below the level associated with the FDA's DCM-pattern concerns.
- 15othernatural flavor
Legal term for animal-derived flavoring, usually hydrolyzed liver or broth. Adds taste, says nothing about quality.
- 16fatsalmon oil
Pure omega-3s. The thing skin-and-coat formulas are usually built around.
- 17mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 18vegetablepumpkin
Soluble fiber that supports stool quality. Mild and well-tolerated.
- 19fruitblackberries
- 20fruitcranberries
Often added with a urinary-tract-support marketing angle. Real cranberry compounds help in concentrate form, but kibble doses are small.
- 21supplementtaurine
Amino acid critical for heart health. Especially important in grain-free or pulse-heavy formulas where natural taurine precursors run thin.
- 22supplementcholine chloride
Essential nutrient for liver and brain function. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 23vitaminvitamin e supplement
Required nutrient and a natural antioxidant. Often pulls double duty as a preservative.
- 24vitaminniacin supplement
B vitamin (B3). Required in complete dog foods, added as a supplement to standardize the dose.
- 25vitaminvitamin b12 supplement
Essential for red blood cell formation and neurological function. Plant ingredients lack B12, so it has to be added.
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.