Large Breed White Fish with Ancient Grains Recipe Adult Dry Dog Food, 24-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Blackwood Large Breed White Fish with Ancient Grains Recipe Adult Dry Dog Food is a dry food for all life stages, featuring whitefish as its main protein.
This formula stands out for its quality carbohydrate sources, which include fermentable fiber. The protein quality is reasonable, with whitefish meal providing solid amino acid coverage. It also uses quality fat sources, which are clearly named.
Nothing concerning in the deck.
Good fit for large breed 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.
Strong fit for active large sporting breeds, including the Golden Retriever, navigating diet-associated DCM concerns. Whitefish meal anchors position 1, with zero pulses in the top 15. 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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.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 72/100, landing in B-tier territory. The biggest contributor was carbohydrate quality (+16 points): Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber. Also adding to the lift: protein quality (+15). Reasonable protein quality. whitefish meal delivers solid amino acid coverage. The 3-point gap to A-tier sits mostly in protein quality (15 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. whitefish meal delivers solid amino acid coverage.
Quality fat sources: named fat with declared fat sources.
No negative drivers crossed our reporting threshold.
- Lowest crude fiber in Blackwood's lineup (3.9% DMB)
- Top quartile for caloric density in grain-inclusive dry kibbles (421 kcal/cup)
- Bottom quartile for DMB protein in dry kibbles (26.7%)
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 Wholesome Large Breed Adult Grains Dry Dog Food, 22.5-lb bag
Scores 11 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Black Gold Explorer Large Breed Adult Recipe Dry Dog Food, 40-lb bag
$1.20/lb vs your seed's $2.92/lb (59% less) at a comparable score.
Nulo Frontrunner Ancient Grains Turkey, Whitefish, & Quinoa Recipe High-Protein Adult Dry Dog Food, 14-lb bag
Turkey instead of whitefish, 8 points higher, 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 animalwhitefish meal
Whitefish cooked into a dry concentrate. Strong protein source, common in premium formulas.
Position 1: primary protein source. After cooking removes water, this may drop in proportional weight, but it anchors the recipe.
- 2grainoats
Whole grain. Steady energy, soluble fiber, and well-tolerated by most dogs.
Position 2: major carbohydrate source.
- 3grainbarley
Whole grain with a low glycemic profile and some soluble fiber. Easy on blood sugar.
Position 3: major carbohydrate source.
- 4grainsorghum
Whole grain with a low glycemic index. Gluten-free, well-tolerated, decent fiber content.
Position 4: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 5grainmillet
Gluten-free whole grain. Fine for most dogs, often used as an alternative to rice.
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.
- 7grainbrown rice
Whole grain that's easy to digest. Steady carb energy plus a little fiber.
Position 7: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 8grainrice
Generic rice. Could be white or brown, the label doesn't say. Brown rice would be specified if it were.
Position 8: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 9fiberdried 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 9: functional fiber for digestion or satiety.
- 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.
- 11brewers dried yeast
Yeast left over from brewing. Rich in B vitamins and amino acids. A traditional and well-tolerated inclusion.
- 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.
- 17mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 18vegetablepumpkin
Soluble fiber that supports stool quality. Mild and well-tolerated.
- 19supplementdried kelp
Natural source of iodine and trace minerals. A common premium-brand inclusion.
- 20fruitblueberries
Antioxidants, real. But the amount in any kibble is too small to do much. Mostly marketing.
- 21fruitcranberries
Often added with a urinary-tract-support marketing angle. Real cranberry compounds help in concentrate form, but kibble doses are small.
- 22supplementdl-methionine
Essential amino acid. Often added when plant proteins dominate, since methionine is naturally lower in pulses than meat.
- 23dried apple pomace
- 24supplementl-lysine
Essential amino acid. Plant-protein-heavy formulas sometimes add it to round out the amino acid profile.
- 25fiberinulin
Prebiotic fiber that feeds beneficial gut bacteria. Same compound found in chicory root.
Showing first 25 of 59. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
24 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.
Nutritionally Complete & Balanced: Blackwood Lamb 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).