Restricted Phosphorus Chicken Formula Kidney Support Crumble Dog Food, 4-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Dave's Pet Food Restricted Phosphorus Chicken Formula Kidney Support Crumble Dog Food is a dry food for growth, featuring chicken as its primary protein.
This formula offers reasonable protein quality, with brewer's rice contributing solid amino acid coverage. It also includes quality fat sources like chicken fat and salmon oil, which provides EPA and DHA. The addition of dried egg product and salmon oil adds diverse, high-bioavailability protein.
The score for this food is capped at 49, mainly because its protein and fat levels are quite low on a dry matter basis, at 15.2% each. Nothing else concerning in the deck.
Good fit for growing dogs who need a restricted phosphorus diet. Less ideal if your dog doesn't require this specific dietary management.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Strong fit for active large sporting breeds like Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, and Irish Setters navigating diet-associated DCM concerns. Chicken fat anchors position 3, with zero pulses in the top 15, plus salmon oil at position 7. Goldens appeared disproportionately in the FDA's DCM reports. Pulse-heavy grain-free formulas warrant extra caution; named animal protein with organ meat or marine sources is the safer fit.
Looking at this for puppy 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 2 cited studies relevant to its profile. Each link opens the original source.
- FDA, 2022epidemiology · breed predisposition· cited in 4 claims
- FDA, 2019diet composition· cited in 2 claims
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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.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 49/100, landing in C-tier (acceptable-with-notes). The biggest contributor was protein quality (+16.5 points): Reasonable protein quality. brewer's rice delivers solid amino acid coverage. A hard cap of 49 also applied because the guaranteed analysis falls below AAFCO's minimum nutrient profile. If a formula update that meets AAFCO minimums were on the label, the cap would lift and this formula could clear the B-band threshold (60).
Reasonable protein quality. brewer's rice delivers solid amino acid coverage.
Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source).
Includes egg, named fish, or organ meat for diverse high-bioavailability protein.
- Lowest DMB protein in Dave's Pet Food's lineup (15.2%)
- Top 2% for caloric density in grain-inclusive dry kibbles (549 kcal/cup)
- Bottom 10% for crude fiber in Dave's Pet Food's lineup (4.3% DMB)
Computed against the rest of our catalog. Percentiles refresh on each catalog update.
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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.
- 1brewer's rice
Position 1 grain: primary carbohydrate base. This is a grain-inclusive formula with brewer's rice as the dominant carb.
- 2grainwhite rice
Refined grain with the bran stripped off. Easy to digest, but not as nutrient-dense as brown rice.
Position 2: major carbohydrate source.
- 3fatchicken fat
Despite the name, a high-quality energy source. Concentrated calories plus essential fatty acids like linoleic acid. See why →
Position 3: primary fat source. Drives the formula's caloric density and omega-6 content.
- 4fatflaxseed
Plant source of omega-3. Helpful for skin and coat, though dogs absorb omega-3 from fish more efficiently.
Position 4: secondary fat. Often where marine oils sit when present alongside a primary land-animal fat.
- 5dried egg product
Whole eggs with the water removed. Same nutritional value as fresh eggs, just shelf-stable.
Position 5: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.
- 6hydrolyzed whole chicken
Position 6: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 7fatsalmon oil
Pure omega-3s. The thing skin-and-coat formulas are usually built around.
Position 7. Moderate marine-oil inclusion. Supplements EPA/DHA without being the primary fat.
- 8dried chicken
Real meat. Primary protein source, with the amino acid profile dogs actually evolved to eat.
Position 8: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 9othernatural flavor
Legal term for animal-derived flavoring, usually hydrolyzed liver or broth. Adds taste, says nothing about quality.
- 10mineralcalcium carbonate
Source of calcium. Functional. Required in complete dog foods, especially those without bone-in meat meals.
- 11potassium citrate
Source of potassium. Sometimes added in urinary-support formulas to help manage urine pH.
- 12vitaminvitamin e supplement
Required nutrient and a natural antioxidant. Often pulls double duty as a preservative.
- 13vitaminvitamin a supplement
Vitamin A in stable, standardized form. Required for vision, immune function, and growth.
- 14niacinimide
- 15pantothenic acid
- 16vitaminriboflavin supplement
B vitamin (B2). Required in complete dog foods. The standardized form ensures consistent dosing.
- 17vitaminvitamin d3 supplement
The active form of vitamin D dogs need. Required for calcium absorption and bone health.
- 18vitaminthiamine mononitrate
B vitamin (B1). Essential for nervous system function. Cooked-in vitamin loss is why thiamine is always added back.
- 19vitaminvitamin b12 supplement
Essential for red blood cell formation and neurological function. Plant ingredients lack B12, so it has to be added.
- 20vitaminpyridoxine hydrochloride
B vitamin (B6). Essential for protein metabolism. Standard inclusion in complete formulas.
- 21vitaminfolic acid
B vitamin (B9), essential for cell function. Standard in complete dog foods.
- 22mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 23supplementdl-methionine
Essential amino acid. Often added when plant proteins dominate, since methionine is naturally lower in pulses than meat.
- 24supplementl-tryptophan
Essential amino acid. Sometimes added in calming or weight-management formulas.
- 25magnesium proteinate
Magnesium bound to protein for better absorption. The premium chelated form.
Showing first 25 of 36. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
21 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.
It was formulated to meet nutritional levels established by the AAFCO dog food nutrient profiles for growth and maintenance.