Chicken Meal & Brown Rice Recipe Large Breed Adult Dry Dog Food, 26-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
AvoDerm Chicken Meal & Brown Rice Recipe Large Breed Adult Dry Dog Food is a dry kibble for large breed adult dogs, primarily featuring chicken and salmon.
This formula offers good protein quality, with chicken meal providing solid amino acid coverage. It also includes quality carbohydrate sources that provide fermentable fiber, and the fat sources are clearly named and declared.
Nothing concerning in the deck.
Good fit for large breed adult 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 active large sporting breeds like Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, and Irish Setters navigating diet-associated DCM concerns. Chicken meal anchors position 1, with zero pulses in the top 15, plus salmon meal at position 5. 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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.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 75/100, landing in A-tier territory. The biggest contributor was protein quality (+16.5 points): Reasonable protein quality. chicken meal delivers solid amino acid coverage. Also adding to the lift: carbohydrate quality (+16). Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.
Reasonable protein quality. chicken meal delivers solid amino acid coverage.
Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.
Quality fat sources: named fat with declared fat sources.
No negative drivers crossed our reporting threshold.
- Lowest crude fiber in AvoDerm's lineup (3.9% DMB)
- Top 10% for overall Sniff Score in AvoDerm's lineup (75/100)
- Bottom 10% for DMB fat in dry kibbles (11.1%)
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.
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 animalchicken meal
Chicken with the water cooked out. Per pound, packs more protein than fresh chicken. See why →
Position 1: primary protein source. After cooking removes water, this may drop in proportional weight, but it anchors the recipe.
- 2grainbrown rice
Whole grain that's easy to digest. Steady carb energy plus a little fiber.
Position 2: major carbohydrate source.
- 3grainwhite rice
Refined grain with the bran stripped off. Easy to digest, but not as nutrient-dense as brown rice.
Position 3: major carbohydrate source.
- 4grainoatmeal
Gentle on the stomach. Slow-release carbs and soluble fiber that supports stool quality.
Position 4: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 5protein animalsalmon meal
Salmon cooked into a dry concentrate. Carries both protein and natural omega-3s in one ingredient. See why →
Position 5: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.
- 6grainrice
Generic rice. Could be white or brown, the label doesn't say. Brown rice would be specified if it were.
Position 6: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 7avocado
- 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.
- 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.
- 10flax seed
- 11othernatural flavor
Legal term for animal-derived flavoring, usually hydrolyzed liver or broth. Adds taste, says nothing about quality.
- 12supplementalfalfa meal
Dried alfalfa. Real fiber and trace minerals. Functional plant ingredient.
- 13chicken cartilage
Position 13: trace protein. Likely there for amino-acid diversity or label appeal more than nutritional weight.
- 14dried egg product
Whole eggs with the water removed. Same nutritional value as fresh eggs, just shelf-stable.
Position 14: trace protein. Likely there for amino-acid diversity or label appeal more than nutritional weight.
- 15mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 16mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 17kelp meal
- 18dried plain beet pulp
Beet fiber, with the sugar removed. Long unfairly maligned. It's a real soluble fiber that supports stool quality. See why →
- 19avocado oil
- 20supplementtaurine
Amino acid critical for heart health. Especially important in grain-free or pulse-heavy formulas where natural taurine precursors run thin.
- 21mineralzinc sulfate
Inorganic zinc. Effective at AAFCO doses but less well-absorbed than chelated forms like zinc proteinate.
- 22mineralferrous sulfate
Inorganic iron. Standard mineral source. Iron proteinate is the gentler, better-absorbed premium form.
- 23iron amino acid chelate
Iron bound to amino acids for better absorption. Premium form versus inorganic iron sulfate.
- 24zinc amino acid chelate
Zinc bound to amino acids for better absorption. Same idea as zinc proteinate, the premium form of the mineral.
- 25mineralselenium yeast
Organic selenium grown in yeast. The form premium brands use, gentler and more bioavailable than sodium selenite.
Showing first 25 of 38. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
20 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.