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Canine Caviar Open Range Water Buffalo Limited Ingredient Diet Alkaline Grain-Free Dry Dog Food, 22-lb bag
Canine Caviar

Open Range Water Buffalo Limited Ingredient Diet Alkaline Grain-Free Dry Dog Food, 22-lb bag

Evidence Fair
dry $5.50/lb

Graded by The Sniff System

In plain English

Canine Caviar Open Range Water Buffalo Limited Ingredient Diet Alkaline Grain-Free Dry Dog Food is a dry formula featuring water buffalo meal, designed without a specific life stage.

There aren't many strong positives to highlight for this formula. The guaranteed analysis shows a high protein content, but its source is a concern.

The biggest concern is the lack of an AAFCO statement, which means the nutritional completeness of this food is unverified. Also, chickpeas are the second ingredient, contributing to a formula dominated by plant proteins.

Hard to recommend for any dog due to the unverified nutritional completeness and plant-protein dominance.

Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.

Who this is for

Strong fit for medium-sized herding breeds like Australian Shepherds, Australian Cattle Dogs, and Border Collies navigating skin allergies. The protein deck is built around a single species (lamb), with algae oil at position 9 for EPA/DHA skin support, and the product is explicitly marketed as limited-ingredient. Aussies are working-line dogs that thrive on high-protein performance formulas. Coat quality also benefits from EPA+DHA. The National Research Council (2006) recommends a minimum of 2.6 grams of linoleic acid (an omega-6) per 1000 kcal of metabolizable energy to maintain skin barrier function in adult dogs  (NRC, 2006) .

Looking at this for adult Australian Shepherds or Australian Shepherds with skin allergies ? 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.

Why this score

Sniff scored this formula 34/100, landing in D-tier territory. 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). Even without the cap, the base component scores sit below the next band. The structural fix would need to address protein quality as well.

What lifted the score

No positive drivers crossed our reporting threshold.

What pulled it down

Score capped at 59 due to no AAFCO statement.

CAP why?

Plant-protein-dominated formula. chickpeas as the #1 ingredient.

PQI

No AAFCO statement. Nutritional completeness unverified.

ACF
What sets this apart
  • Lowest protein quality in Canine Caviar's lineup (0/27)
  • Top 2% for crude fiber in grain-free dry kibbles (13.3% DMB)
  • Lowest fat quality in Canine Caviar's lineup (8/16)

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.

Better match
Higher score, similar formulation
Health Extension Grain-Free Buffalo & Whitefish Recipe Dry Dog Food, 23.5-lb bag
Health Extension

Health Extension Grain-Free Buffalo & Whitefish Recipe Dry Dog Food, 23.5-lb bag

59

Scores 25 points higher with a similar formulation profile.

Best value
Lower price, comparable score
Zignature Kangaroo Limited Ingredient Formula Dry Dog Food, 25-lb bag
Zignature

Zignature Kangaroo Limited Ingredient Formula Dry Dog Food, 25-lb bag

32

$4.04/lb vs your seed's $5.50/lb (27% less) at a comparable score.

Surfaced from a vector similarity search across 3,491 scored dog foods. How this works.

Guaranteed analysis
Dry-matter protein: 37% ⓘ
Protein
33%
min (as fed)
Fat
18%
min (as fed)
Fiber
12%
max (as fed)
Moisture
10%
max
Ingredients

Read why each ingredient is good or bad for dogs.

19 total
Good Neutral Watch Flagged
  1. 1
    water buffalo meal
  2. 2
    chickpeas

    Also called garbanzo beans. Affordable plant protein source, part of the legume stack the FDA examined in its heart-disease investigation. See why →

    Position 2. 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.

  3. 3
    lamb fat

    Position 3: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.

  4. 4
    fermented yeast
  5. 5
    ground sunflower seeds
  6. 6
    ground flax seed
  7. 7
    alfalfa concentrate
  8. 8
    sun-cured kelp
  9. 9
    algae oil

    Position 9. Moderate marine-oil inclusion. Supplements EPA/DHA without being the primary fat.

  10. 10
    taurine

    Amino acid critical for heart health. Especially important in grain-free or pulse-heavy formulas where natural taurine precursors run thin.

  11. 11
    sodium chloride

    Same as salt. Required mineral, necessary at small doses.

  12. 12
    choline chloride

    Essential nutrient for liver and brain function. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.

  13. 13
    fructooligosaccharide

    Prebiotic fiber, often abbreviated FOS. Feeds beneficial gut bacteria.

  14. 14
    peppermint
  15. 15
    parsley

    Real herb. Trace amount of vitamins K and C. The dose in kibble is small, mostly there for label appeal.

  16. 16
    papaya
  17. 17
    rose hips
  18. 18
    beta-carotene
  19. 19
    folic acid

    B vitamin (B9), essential for cell function. Standard in complete dog foods.

7 of 19 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.