Advanced Limited Ingredient Diet Lamb & Sweet Potato Adult Dry Dog Food, 22-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
AvoDerm Advanced Limited Ingredient Diet Lamb & Sweet Potato is a dry food for growth, featuring lamb as its primary protein source.
This food uses a good protein architecture, pairing fresh lamb with lamb meal, which is a strong approach for extrusion. It also includes premium micronutrient forms like chelated minerals.
The formula does have high legume stacking, with peas, garbanzo beans, and pea flour all appearing high on the ingredient list.
Good fit for growing dogs, especially those needing a limited ingredient diet. Less ideal if you prefer foods without high legume content.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Labs are the canonical food-motivated breed. Weight management is the dominant practical concern, even more than breed-specific health risks. Strong fit for active large sporting breeds like Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, and English Setters navigating weight management. At 420 kcal/cup this formula runs on the rich side, with crude fiber at 6% (above the catalog median, supports satiety). 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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.
At 59/100, this formula lands mid-pack. The lift comes from ingredient diversity, worth 5 points to the final number: Named fresh meat paired with same-species meal, a strong extrusion architecture. Where it lost ground: controversial-ingredient penalty, costing 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. This formula sits 1.0 points below the B-tier line. The most direct lever is controversial-ingredient penalty.
Named fresh meat paired with same-species meal, a strong extrusion architecture.
Premium micronutrient forms such as chelated minerals or natural vitamin E.
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 fat quality in AvoDerm's lineup (6/16)
- Top quartile for caloric density in AvoDerm's lineup (420 kcal/cup)
- Bottom quartile for protein quality in AvoDerm's lineup (13.4/27)
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.
AvoDerm Chicken Meal & Brown Rice Recipe Large Breed Adult Dry Dog Food, 26-lb bag
Scores 16 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
AvoDerm Weight Support Chicken Meal & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food, 28-lb bag
$2.61/lb vs your seed's $3.41/lb (24% 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.
- 3legumepeas
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 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.
- 4legumegarbanzo beans
Same as chickpeas. Part of the legume stack the FDA investigated. See why →
Position 4. Within the FDA's top-5 DCM-pattern threshold. Especially notable if multiple pulses stack here.
- 5legumepea flour
Powdered peas, usually used as a binder or filler. Counts toward the legume stack the FDA flagged.
Position 5. Within the FDA's top-5 DCM-pattern threshold. Especially notable if multiple pulses stack here.
- 6protein plantpea protein
Concentrated plant protein. Inflates the protein number on the label without matching the amino acid quality of meat.
Position 6. Moderate inclusion. Contributes carbohydrate and some plant protein.
- 7fatcanola oil
Plant oil. Some omega-3 from the parent plant, though dogs absorb it less efficiently than fish-derived omega-3. Fine in moderation.
Position 7: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 8avocado
- 9dried tomato pomace
The fiber-rich byproduct of tomato processing. Sometimes flagged unfairly. It's a real fiber source, not a filler shortcut.
Position 9: functional fiber for digestion or satiety.
- 10vegetablesweet potato
Complex carb with fiber and beta-carotene. Gentle on the stomach.
Position 10: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 11othernatural flavor
Legal term for animal-derived flavoring, usually hydrolyzed liver or broth. Adds taste, says nothing about quality.
- 12fiberpea fiber
Insoluble fiber from peas. Doesn't carry the protein-inflation concern of pea protein. Mostly there for stool quality.
Position 12. Trace inclusion. Below the level associated with the FDA's DCM-pattern concerns.
- 13fiberdried chicory root
Natural prebiotic. Feeds beneficial gut bacteria. The same compound (inulin) used in human gut-health products.
Position 13: trace fiber inclusion.
- 14mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 15mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 16kelp meal
- 17avocado oil
- 18supplementtaurine
Amino acid critical for heart health. Especially important in grain-free or pulse-heavy formulas where natural taurine precursors run thin.
- 19mineralzinc sulfate
Inorganic zinc. Effective at AAFCO doses but less well-absorbed than chelated forms like zinc proteinate.
- 20mineralferrous sulfate
Inorganic iron. Standard mineral source. Iron proteinate is the gentler, better-absorbed premium form.
- 21iron amino acid chelate
Iron bound to amino acids for better absorption. Premium form versus inorganic iron sulfate.
- 22zinc amino acid chelate
Zinc bound to amino acids for better absorption. Same idea as zinc proteinate, the premium form of the mineral.
- 23mineralselenium yeast
Organic selenium grown in yeast. The form premium brands use, gentler and more bioavailable than sodium selenite.
- 24copper amino acid chelate
Copper bound to amino acids for better absorption. Premium form versus copper sulfate.
- 25mineralcopper sulfate
Inorganic copper. Standard, effective at small doses. Premium formulas tend to use copper proteinate instead.
Showing first 25 of 36. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
22 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.
AvoDerm Natural Grain Free Revolving Menu Lamb & Sweet Potato Recipe dog food is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for Growth & Maintenance.