Field & Stream Recipe Lamb & Whitefish Meals Dry Dog Food, 26-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Dr. Gary's Best Breed Field & Stream Recipe Lamb & Whitefish Meals is a dry dog food with lamb and whitefish as its primary protein sources.
This formula uses quality carbohydrate sources like brown rice, oatmeal, and pearled barley, which also contribute to its declared fiber content. Lamb meal and white fish meal are the first two ingredients.
The main thing to note is the absence of an AAFCO statement, which means its nutritional completeness for any life stage is unverified. This lack of verification caps its overall score.
Good fit for owners who prioritize quality carbohydrate sources. Less ideal if you need a food with a verified AAFCO statement.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
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). 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.
Sniff scored this formula 46/100, landing in C-tier (acceptable-with-notes). The biggest contributor was carbohydrate quality (+12 points): Quality carbohydrate sources with declared fiber. 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 AAFCO compliance as well.
Quality carbohydrate sources with declared fiber.
No AAFCO statement. Nutritional completeness unverified.
- Lowest fat quality in Dr. Gary's Best Breed's lineup (7/16)
- Bottom 10% for overall Sniff Score in Dr. Gary's Best Breed's lineup (46/100)
- Bottom quartile for DMB protein in Dr. Gary's Best Breed's lineup (28.9%)
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.
Dr. Gary's Best Breed Holistic Senior Reduced Calorie Dry Dog Food, 28-lb bag
Scores 19 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Sportsman's Pride Field Master 26/18 Limited Ingredient Dry Dog Food, 40-lb bag
Turkey instead of lamb, 13 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 animallamb meal
Lamb cooked down to a dry concentrate. Per pound, more protein than fresh lamb. See why →
Position 1: primary protein source. After cooking removes water, this may drop in proportional weight, but it anchors the recipe.
- 2white fish meal
Position 2: co-primary protein. Two named animal proteins in the top 2 is a strong protein build.
- 3grainbrown rice
Whole grain that's easy to digest. Steady carb energy plus a little fiber.
Position 3: major carbohydrate source.
- 4grainoatmeal
Gentle on the stomach. Slow-release carbs and soluble fiber that supports stool quality.
Position 4: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 5grainpearled barley
Barley with the outer hull removed. Easy to digest, steady carb release.
Position 5: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 6grainmillet
Gluten-free whole grain. Fine for most dogs, often used as an alternative to rice.
Position 6: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 7fatcanola oil
Plant oil. Some omega-3 from the parent plant, though dogs absorb it less efficiently than fish-derived omega-3. Fine in moderation.
Position 7: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 8dried eggs
Whole eggs. The highest-quality protein on any ingredient label by amino acid score.
Position 8: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 9dried tomato pomace
The fiber-rich byproduct of tomato processing. Sometimes flagged unfairly. It's a real fiber source, not a filler shortcut.
Position 9: functional fiber for digestion or satiety.
- 10protein plantpea protein
Concentrated plant protein. Inflates the protein number on the label without matching the amino acid quality of meat.
Position 10. Moderate inclusion. Contributes carbohydrate and some plant protein.
- 11othernatural flavor
Legal term for animal-derived flavoring, usually hydrolyzed liver or broth. Adds taste, says nothing about quality.
- 12lecithin
Natural emulsifier, usually from soy or sunflower. Helps blend fats and water. Safe at typical inclusion.
- 13vegetablecarrots
Real vegetable. Fiber, beta-carotene, and a small amount of antioxidant value.
Position 13: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 14dried spinach
Leafy green. Some iron, vitamin K, and fiber. The dose in kibble is small but it's real food.
- 15fruitblueberries
Antioxidants, real. But the amount in any kibble is too small to do much. Mostly marketing.
Position 15: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 16fruitcranberries
Often added with a urinary-tract-support marketing angle. Real cranberry compounds help in concentrate form, but kibble doses are small.
- 17dried kelp meal
- 18green mussel
Mussel from New Zealand. Natural source of glucosamine and omega-3s. Common in joint-support formulas.
- 19mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 20supplementdl-methionine
Essential amino acid. Often added when plant proteins dominate, since methionine is naturally lower in pulses than meat.
- 21supplementcholine chloride
Essential nutrient for liver and brain function. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 22monosodium phosphate
Mineral source and preservative. Standard inclusion at small doses.
- 23supplementl-lysine
Essential amino acid. Plant-protein-heavy formulas sometimes add it to round out the amino acid profile.
- 24mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 25supplementtaurine
Amino acid critical for heart health. Especially important in grain-free or pulse-heavy formulas where natural taurine precursors run thin.
Showing first 25 of 52. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
23 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.