Holistic Natural Formula Dry Dog Food, 12-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Bench & Field Holistic Natural Formula Dry Dog Food is a dry kibble built around chicken meal as its main protein source.
This formula offers reasonable protein quality, with chicken meal providing solid amino acid coverage. It also includes quality carbohydrate sources that have fermentable fiber. You'll find good fat sources too, like named fats and marine oil which provides EPA and DHA.
The main thing to note is the absence of an AAFCO statement, which means its nutritional completeness is unverified. This factor capped the overall score.
Good fit for dogs whose owners are comfortable with unverified nutritional completeness. Less ideal if you need AAFCO-verified nutrition.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Strong fit for lower-energy small companion breeds like French Bulldogs, Bulldogs, and Boston Terriers navigating a sensitive stomach. Chicken meal leads at position 1, with dried beet pulp (prebiotic fiber) at position 7 on the deck, but 4 stacked proteins make isolating triggers harder. Frenchies have notoriously sensitive GI tracts plus a tendency toward obesity given their low activity needs. Limited-ingredient formulas with moderate calorie density tend to fit them well.
Looking at this for adult French Bulldogs or French Bulldogs with a sensitive stomach ? 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.
- NRC, 2006digestibility · fiber· cited in 2 claims
- AAFCO, 2024zinc
- Swanson et al., 2002prebiotics
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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.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 59/100, landing in C-tier (acceptable-with-notes). The biggest contributor was protein quality (+19 points): Reasonable protein quality. chicken meal delivers solid amino acid coverage. A hard cap of 59 also applied because the AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement isn't disclosed on the retailer page (so our methodology can't verify the formula meets adult, growth, or all-life-stages standards). If the brand publishing the AAFCO statement were on the label, the cap would lift and this formula could clear the B-band threshold (60).
Reasonable protein quality. chicken meal delivers solid amino acid coverage.
Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.
Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source).
No AAFCO statement. Nutritional completeness unverified.
- Top quartile for carb quality in dry kibbles (16/16)
- Bottom quartile for DMB protein in dry kibbles (26.7%)
- Bottom quartile for crude fiber in dry kibbles (4.4% DMB)
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.
Wellness Complete Health Adult Grain-Free Natural Chicken Dry Dog Food, 12-lb bag
Scores 7 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Purina Beneful Healthy Weight with Farm-Raised Chicken Dry Dog Food, 36-lb bag
$1.08/lb vs your seed's $3.83/lb (72% less) at a comparable score.
Earthborn Holistic Primitive Natural Turkey Meal & Vegetables Grain-Free Dry Dog Food, 25-lb bag
Turkey instead of chicken, matched score, different brand.
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.
- 5fatchicken fat
Despite the name, a high-quality energy source. Concentrated calories plus essential fatty acids like linoleic acid. See why →
Position 5: secondary fat. Often where marine oils sit when present alongside a primary land-animal fat.
- 6protein animalpork meal
Pork cooked into a dry concentrate. Per pound, more protein than fresh pork.
Position 6: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 7fiberdried beet pulp
Soluble fiber from sugar-beet processing. Sometimes treated as a filler, but it's actually one of the better fiber sources in kibble. See why →
Position 7: functional fiber for digestion or satiety.
- 8anchovy & sardine meal
Position 8: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 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.
- 10dried egg product
Whole eggs with the water removed. Same nutritional value as fresh eggs, just shelf-stable.
Position 10: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 11fatmenhaden fish oil
Omega-3 from menhaden, a small oily fish. Same skin and coat support as salmon oil.
Position 11. Moderate marine-oil inclusion. Supplements EPA/DHA without being the primary fat.
- 12vegetablecarrots
Real vegetable. Fiber, beta-carotene, and a small amount of antioxidant value.
Position 12: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 13vegetablesweet potato
Complex carb with fiber and beta-carotene. Gentle on the stomach.
Position 13: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 14vegetablepumpkin
Soluble fiber that supports stool quality. Mild and well-tolerated.
Position 14: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 15fruitcranberries
Often added with a urinary-tract-support marketing angle. Real cranberry compounds help in concentrate form, but kibble doses are small.
Position 15: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 16fibertomato pomace
The fiber-rich byproduct of tomato processing. Sometimes flagged unfairly. It's a real fiber source, not a filler shortcut.
- 17dehydrated alfalfa meal
Dried alfalfa. Fiber and trace minerals. Not exciting but it's a real plant ingredient.
- 18mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 19fruitapples
Real fruit, some fiber and antioxidants. The amount in kibble is too small to matter much.
- 20legumepeas
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 →
- 21grainquinoa
Pseudo-grain with a complete amino acid profile. Rare in dog food because it's expensive.
- 22vitaminvitamin e supplement
Required nutrient and a natural antioxidant. Often pulls double duty as a preservative.
- 23beta-carotene
- 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 60. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
23 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.