28-16 Grain-Free Dog Food, 30-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Country Vet Naturals 28-16 Grain-Free Dog Food is a dry formula with chicken as its primary protein source.
This formula uses chicken meal as its first ingredient, providing solid amino acid coverage. It also includes quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber, and ingredients like salmon meal and dried egg product add diverse, highly bioavailable protein.
The main thing to watch here is the lack of an AAFCO statement, which means the nutritional completeness of this food is unverified. This absence capped its overall score.
Good fit for adult dogs who do well on a chicken-based, grain-free diet. Less ideal if you prioritize verified nutritional completeness.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Strong fit for large sporting breeds like German Shorthaired Pointers, Weimaraners, and Brittanys navigating hip and joint concerns. Working in its favor: calorie density (407 kcal/cup) matches a high-energy working breed. No glucosamine or chondroitin on the label. Based on 28,157 evaluations through 2023, the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals reports a 5.6% hip dysplasia prevalence in German Shorthaired Pointers, with 91.5% of hips rated as excellent, good, or fair (OFA) .
Looking at this for adult German Shorthaired Pointers or German Shorthaired Pointers with hip and joint 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 5 cited studies relevant to its profile. Each link opens the original source.
- OFAorthopedics · breed predisposition· cited in 4 claims
- APOP, 2023weight management
- Bhathal et al., 2017glucosamine
- Brooks et al., 2014weight management
- OFAorthopedics
Every claim on Sniff traces to a source. If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.
Middle-of-pack grade. 59/100 (C) reflects the structural fit of this formula against The Sniff System's eight scoring components. Protein quality did the heavy lifting (+16 points): Reasonable protein quality. chicken meal delivers solid amino acid coverage. What capped it: the score can't exceed 59 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). How it could climb: the brand publishing the AAFCO statement, which would lift the cap into B-band range.
Reasonable protein quality. chicken meal delivers solid amino acid coverage.
Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.
Includes egg, named fish, or organ meat for diverse high-bioavailability protein.
No AAFCO statement. Nutritional completeness unverified.
- Bottom 10% for crude fiber in grain-free dry kibbles (3.9% DMB)
- Top quartile for carb quality in grain-free dry kibbles (12/16)
- Bottom quartile for fat quality in grain-free dry kibbles (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.
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Scores 12 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
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$1.20/lb vs your seed's $1.41/lb (15% less) at a comparable score.
Redbarn Grain-Free Large Breed Recipe Dry Dog Food, 28-lb bag
Beef 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.
- 2legumepeas
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 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.
- 3vegetablepotato
Standard white potato. Steady carb source, common starch in grain-free recipes.
Position 3: meaningful whole-food inclusion. Source of vitamins, antioxidants, or natural fiber.
- 4fatchicken fat
Despite the name, a high-quality energy source. Concentrated calories plus essential fatty acids like linoleic acid. See why →
Position 4: secondary fat. Often where marine oils sit when present alongside a primary land-animal fat.
- 5tapioca
Starch from cassava root. Highly digestible energy source, but pure starch with minimal nutrition beyond that.
- 6protein animalsalmon meal
Salmon cooked into a dry concentrate. Carries both protein and natural omega-3s in one ingredient. See why →
Position 6: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 7vegetablesweet potato
Complex carb with fiber and beta-carotene. Gentle on the stomach.
Position 7: meaningful whole-food inclusion. Source of vitamins, antioxidants, or natural fiber.
- 8dried egg product
Whole eggs with the water removed. Same nutritional value as fresh eggs, just shelf-stable.
Position 8: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 9flaxseeds
Plural form, same as flaxseed. Plant source of omega-3, helpful for skin and coat.
- 10othernatural flavors
Same as natural flavor. Usually hydrolyzed liver or broth, adds palatability.
- 11mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 12mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 13supplementcholine chloride
Essential nutrient for liver and brain function. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 14fruitblueberries
Antioxidants, real. But the amount in any kibble is too small to do much. Mostly marketing.
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.
- 16vegetablecarrots
Real vegetable. Fiber, beta-carotene, and a small amount of antioxidant value.
- 17vegetablespinach
Leafy green. Some iron, vitamin K, and fiber. The dose in kibble is small but it's real food.
- 18dried chicory
- 19probioticdried aspergillus oryzae fermentation product
- 20probioticdried bacillus subtilis fermentation product
- 21probioticdried bacillus coagulans fermentation product
Probiotic strain. More heat-stable than lactobacillus, which means more of it likely survives kibble processing.
- 22probioticdried enterococcus faecium fermentation product
- 23probioticdried lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product
A probiotic strain. Whether the dose is high enough to actually colonize is debated, but it's a real beneficial bacterium.
- 24probioticdried lactobacillus casei fermentation product
- 25probioticdried lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product
Showing first 25 of 46. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
19 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.