Advanced Senior Health Lamb & Chicken Meal Formula Dry Dog Food, 24-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
AvoDerm Advanced Senior Health Lamb & Chicken Meal Formula is a dry food for senior dogs, featuring lamb and chicken as its main protein sources.
Lamb meal as the first ingredient provides good protein quality and amino acid coverage. The formula also includes salmon meal and chicken cartilage, adding diverse, high-bioavailability protein sources.
Nothing concerning in the deck.
Good fit for senior dogs. 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 senior Labrador Retrievers and similar active sporting breeds navigating weight management. Working in its favor: protein at 31% DMB supports lean mass in aging dogs. At 350 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 senior 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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.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. 63/100 (B) reflects the structural fit of this formula against The Sniff System's eight scoring components. Protein quality did the heavy lifting (+17 points): Reasonable protein quality. lamb meal delivers solid amino acid coverage. The supporting beat: ingredient diversity (+5 points). Includes egg, named fish, or organ meat for diverse high-bioavailability protein. What's keeping it out of A-tier: carbohydrate quality (5 of 16 possible). Full carbohydrate quality requires whole-grain or single-source carbohydrates with a declared fermentable fiber.
Reasonable protein quality. lamb meal delivers solid amino acid coverage.
Includes egg, named fish, or organ meat for diverse high-bioavailability protein.
AAFCO formulation inferred from declared adult maintenance. Verbatim statement not published by retailer.
No negative drivers crossed our reporting threshold.
- Lowest carb quality in AvoDerm's lineup (5/16)
- Top quartile for DMB protein in AvoDerm's lineup (31.1%)
- Bottom 3% for DMB fat in grain-free dry kibbles (11.1%)
Computed against the rest of our catalog. Percentiles refresh on each catalog update.
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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 meal
Lamb cooked down to a dry concentrate. Per pound, more protein than fresh lamb. See why →
Position 1: primary protein source. After cooking removes water, this may drop in proportional weight, but it anchors the recipe.
- 2legumepeas
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 2. 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.
- 3tapioca flour
- 4legumepea flour
Powdered peas, usually used as a binder or filler. Counts toward the legume stack the FDA flagged.
Position 4. Within the FDA's top-5 DCM-pattern threshold. Especially notable if multiple pulses stack here.
- 5protein animalchicken meal
Chicken with the water cooked out. Per pound, packs more protein than fresh chicken. See why →
Position 5: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.
- 6dried tomato pomace
The fiber-rich byproduct of tomato processing. Sometimes flagged unfairly. It's a real fiber source, not a filler shortcut.
Position 6: functional fiber for digestion or satiety.
- 7fatchicken fat
Despite the name, a high-quality energy source. Concentrated calories plus essential fatty acids like linoleic acid. See why →
Position 7: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 8protein animalsalmon meal
Salmon cooked into a dry concentrate. Carries both protein and natural omega-3s in one ingredient. See why →
Position 8: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 9avocado
- 10flax seed
- 11othernatural flavors
Same as natural flavor. Usually hydrolyzed liver or broth, adds palatability.
- 12chicken cartilage
Position 12: trace protein. Likely there for amino-acid diversity or label appeal more than nutritional weight.
- 13mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 14mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 15kelp meal
- 16avocado oil
- 17supplementtaurine
Amino acid critical for heart health. Especially important in grain-free or pulse-heavy formulas where natural taurine precursors run thin.
- 18mineralzinc sulfate
Inorganic zinc. Effective at AAFCO doses but less well-absorbed than chelated forms like zinc proteinate.
- 19mineralferrous sulfate
Inorganic iron. Standard mineral source. Iron proteinate is the gentler, better-absorbed premium form.
- 20iron amino acid chelate
Iron bound to amino acids for better absorption. Premium form versus inorganic iron sulfate.
- 21zinc amino acid chelate
Zinc bound to amino acids for better absorption. Same idea as zinc proteinate, the premium form of the mineral.
- 22mineralselenium yeast
Organic selenium grown in yeast. The form premium brands use, gentler and more bioavailable than sodium selenite.
- 23copper amino acid chelate
Copper bound to amino acids for better absorption. Premium form versus copper sulfate.
- 24mineralcopper sulfate
Inorganic copper. Standard, effective at small doses. Premium formulas tend to use copper proteinate instead.
- 25mineralmanganese sulfate
Inorganic manganese. Functional but less well-absorbed than the chelated proteinate form.
Showing first 25 of 35. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
19 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.