Grain-Free Chicken & Field Pea Recipe All Life Stages Dry Dog Food, 24-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Blackwood Grain-Free Chicken & Field Pea Recipe is a dry food for all life stages, featuring chicken as its main protein source.
This recipe has a strong protein profile, with chicken as the primary ingredient, offering high biological value. It also uses quality fat sources, including named fat with marine oil for EPA and DHA. The combination of fresh chicken and chicken meal is a good sign for its protein content.
The formula contains high legume stacking, with chickpeas, lentils, and peas all appearing in the top five ingredients. This is a pattern the FDA has investigated, though it's partially mitigated here.
Good fit for dogs of all life stages. Less ideal if you prefer foods without significant legume content.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
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. Good fit for adult French Bulldogs navigating a sensitive stomach. Chicken leads at position 1. What to watch: calorie density (448 kcal/cup) is rich for a lower-activity breed.
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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.
At 70/100, this formula lands in solid B territory. The lift comes from protein quality, worth 21.5 points to the final number: Strong protein profile with chicken as the primary ingredient, delivering high biological value. 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 5.0 points below the A-tier line. The most direct lever is controversial-ingredient penalty.
Strong protein profile with chicken as the primary ingredient, delivering high biological value.
Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source).
Named fresh meat paired with same-species meal, a strong extrusion architecture.
Contains high legume stacking. Multiple pulse-family ingredients in top 15. Mitigated by taurine supplementation or organ meat (natural taurine precursor) in top 10..
- Bottom 10% for crude fiber in Blackwood's lineup (4.4% DMB)
- Top quartile for protein quality in Blackwood's lineup (21.6/27)
- Bottom 10% for carb quality in Blackwood's lineup (11/16)
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.
ACANA Free Run Poultry Grain-Free Dry Dog Food, 25-lb bag
Scores 4 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 $2.75/lb (46% 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
Real meat. Primary protein source, with the amino acid profile dogs actually evolved to eat.
Position 1: primary protein source. After cooking removes water, this may drop in proportional weight, but it anchors the recipe.
- 2protein animalchicken meal
Chicken with the water cooked out. Per pound, packs more protein than fresh chicken. See why →
Position 2: co-primary protein. Two named animal proteins in the top 2 is a strong protein build.
- 3legumechickpeas
Also called garbanzo beans. Affordable plant protein source, part of the legume stack the FDA examined 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.
- 4legumelentils
Same concern as peas. Affordable plant protein, but when they pile up in the top 5 ingredients, it's a flag. See why →
Position 4. Within the FDA's top-5 DCM-pattern threshold. Especially notable if multiple pulses stack here.
- 5legumepeas
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 5. Within the FDA's top-5 DCM-pattern threshold. Especially notable if multiple pulses stack here.
- 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.
- 7tapioca
Starch from cassava root. Highly digestible energy source, but pure starch with minimal nutrition beyond that.
- 8whitefish meals
Position 8: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 9brewers dried yeast
Yeast left over from brewing. Rich in B vitamins and amino acids. A traditional and well-tolerated inclusion.
- 10vegetablepotato
Standard white potato. Steady carb source, common starch in grain-free recipes.
Position 10: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 11tomato
- 12othernatural flavor
Legal term for animal-derived flavoring, usually hydrolyzed liver or broth. Adds taste, says nothing about quality.
- 13fatflaxseed
Plant source of omega-3. Helpful for skin and coat, though dogs absorb omega-3 from fish more efficiently.
Position 13: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 14fatmenhaden fish oil
Omega-3 from menhaden, a small oily fish. Same skin and coat support as salmon oil.
Position 14. Trace marine oil. Contributes some omega-3 but well below the level that drives EPA/DHA totals.
- 15monosodium phosphate
Mineral source and preservative. Standard inclusion at small doses.
- 16mineraldicalcium phosphate
Calcium and phosphorus combined. Required source of both minerals, especially in formulas without much bone content.
- 17mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 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.
- 20supplementcholine chloride
Essential nutrient for liver and brain function. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 21supplementdried kelp
Natural source of iodine and trace minerals. A common premium-brand inclusion.
- 22fruitcranberries
Often added with a urinary-tract-support marketing angle. Real cranberry compounds help in concentrate form, but kibble doses are small.
- 23fruitblueberries
Antioxidants, real. But the amount in any kibble is too small to do much. Mostly marketing.
- 24supplementtaurine
Amino acid critical for heart health. Especially important in grain-free or pulse-heavy formulas where natural taurine precursors run thin.
- 25apple
Real fruit, some fiber and antioxidants. The amount in kibble is too small to matter much.
Showing first 25 of 58. 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: Blackwood Chicken Meal with Ancient Grains and Corn 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)