Complete & Balanced Diet Chicken Meal & Brown Rice with Ancient Grains Recipe All Life Stages Dry Dog Food, 24-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Blackwood Complete & Balanced Diet Chicken Meal & Brown Rice with Ancient Grains Recipe is a dry food for all life stages, featuring chicken meal as its main protein.
This recipe uses quality carbohydrate sources that provide fermentable fiber. Chicken meal offers solid amino acid coverage, contributing to reasonable protein quality. It also includes quality fat sources, like named chicken fat and fish meal, which provides marine oil for EPA and DHA.
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.
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) . Strong fit for active large sporting breeds, including the Golden Retriever, navigating diet-associated DCM concerns. Chicken meal anchors position 1, with zero pulses in the top 15, plus fish meal at position 10.
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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.
At 69/100, this formula lands in solid B territory. The lift comes from carbohydrate quality, worth 16 points to the final number: Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber. Secondary contribution comes from protein quality (+14 points). Reasonable protein quality. chicken meal delivers solid amino acid coverage. The 6-point gap to the A-tier line is concentrated in protein quality (14 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").
Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.
Reasonable protein quality. chicken meal delivers solid amino acid coverage.
Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source).
No negative drivers crossed our reporting threshold.
- Bottom 10% for DMB fat in Blackwood's lineup (13.3%)
- Top quartile for caloric density in grain-inclusive dry kibbles (420 kcal/cup)
- Bottom 10% for crude fiber in Blackwood's lineup (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.
Merrick Classic Healthy Grains Real Chicken + Brown Rice Recipe with Ancient Grains Adult Dry Dog Food, 25-lb bag
Scores 11 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Nature's Recipe Adult Chicken, Barley & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food, 24-lb bag
$1.48/lb vs your seed's $2.91/lb (49% 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 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.
- 3grainmillet
Gluten-free whole grain. Fine for most dogs, often used as an alternative to rice.
Position 3: major carbohydrate source.
- 4oat
- 5grainsorghum
Whole grain with a low glycemic index. Gluten-free, well-tolerated, decent fiber content.
Position 5: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 6fatchicken fat
Despite the name, a high-quality energy source. Concentrated calories plus essential fatty acids like linoleic acid. See why →
Position 6: secondary fat. Often where marine oils sit when present alongside a primary land-animal fat.
- 7grainrice
Generic rice. Could be white or brown, the label doesn't say. Brown rice would be specified if it were.
Position 7: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 8fiberdried 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 8: functional fiber for digestion or satiety.
- 9brewers dried yeast
Yeast left over from brewing. Rich in B vitamins and amino acids. A traditional and well-tolerated inclusion.
- 10protein animalfish meal
Concentrated fish protein, usually whitefish, herring, or mackerel. Strong amino acid profile. See why →
Position 10: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 11dried egg product
Whole eggs with the water removed. Same nutritional value as fresh eggs, just shelf-stable.
Position 11: trace protein. Likely there for amino-acid diversity or label appeal more than nutritional weight.
- 12dried tomato pomace
The fiber-rich byproduct of tomato processing. Sometimes flagged unfairly. It's a real fiber source, not a filler shortcut.
Position 12: trace fiber inclusion.
- 13othernatural flavor
Legal term for animal-derived flavoring, usually hydrolyzed liver or broth. Adds taste, says nothing about quality.
- 14fatflaxseed
Plant source of omega-3. Helpful for skin and coat, though dogs absorb omega-3 from fish more efficiently.
Position 14: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 15mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 16mineraldicalcium phosphate
Calcium and phosphorus combined. Required source of both minerals, especially in formulas without much bone content.
- 17fatmenhaden fish oil
Omega-3 from menhaden, a small oily fish. Same skin and coat support as salmon oil.
- 18mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 19fiberinulin
Prebiotic fiber that feeds beneficial gut bacteria. Same compound found in chicory root.
- 20supplementdried kelp
Natural source of iodine and trace minerals. A common premium-brand inclusion.
- 21fruitcranberries
Often added with a urinary-tract-support marketing angle. Real cranberry compounds help in concentrate form, but kibble doses are small.
- 22fruitblueberries
Antioxidants, real. But the amount in any kibble is too small to do much. Mostly marketing.
- 23supplementtaurine
Amino acid critical for heart health. Especially important in grain-free or pulse-heavy formulas where natural taurine precursors run thin.
- 24apple pomace
- 25vegetablepumpkin
Soluble fiber that supports stool quality. Mild and well-tolerated.
Showing first 25 of 57. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
23 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.
Nutritionally Complete & Balanced: Chicken Meal & Brown Rice with Ancient Grains Recipe dog food is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO dog food nutrient profiles for all life stages including growth of large size dogs (70 lb. or more as an adult).