Great Plains Feast Bison Meal & Vegetables Grain-Free Dry Dog Food, 25-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Earthborn Holistic Great Plains Feast Bison Meal & Vegetables is a grain-free dry dog food with bison meal as its primary protein.
Bison meal is the first ingredient, providing good protein quality and solid amino acid coverage. The inclusion of dried egg further adds diverse, high-bioavailability protein to the formula.
The lack of an AAFCO statement means its nutritional completeness is unverified, which is the biggest watch item. There's also high legume stacking with peas and pea protein, though dried egg is included which can help with taurine precursors.
Good fit for adult dogs. Less ideal if you prioritize a clear AAFCO statement or want to avoid high legume content.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Good fit for active large sporting breeds, including the Labrador Retriever, navigating weight management. At 360 kcal/cup this formula runs on the moderate side, with crude fiber at 4% (above the catalog median, supports satiety). The landmark 14-year Purina Lifespan Study on 48 Labrador Retrievers demonstrated that dogs fed 25% fewer calories lived a median of 1.8 years longer and delayed the onset of chronic diseases. According to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention's 2023 survey, 59% of dogs in the United States were classified as overweight or obese by their veterinary healthcare professional, representing an estimated 55 million dogs (APOP, 2023) .
Looking at this for adult Labrador Retrievers or Labrador Retrievers with weight management ? 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.
- Brooks et al., 2014diagnostic · protocol · satiety· cited in 5 claims
- APOP, 2023prevalence
- Raffan et al., 2016genetics
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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.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 59/100, landing in C-tier (acceptable-with-notes). The biggest contributor was protein quality (+19 points): Reasonable protein quality. bison meal delivers solid amino acid coverage. 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). If the brand publishing the AAFCO statement were on the label, the cap would lift and this formula could clear the B-band threshold (60).
Reasonable protein quality. bison meal delivers solid amino acid coverage.
Includes egg, named fish, or organ meat for diverse high-bioavailability protein.
No AAFCO statement. Nutritional completeness unverified.
Contains high legume stacking. Multiple pulse-family ingredients in top 15. Mitigated by taurine supplementation or organ meat (natural taurine precursor) in top 10..
- Lowest crude fiber in Earthborn Holistic's lineup (4.4% DMB)
- Top quartile for protein quality in Earthborn Holistic's lineup (19.2/27)
- Lowest fat quality in Earthborn Holistic's lineup (6/16)
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.
Nature's Logic 100% Natural Canine Rabbit Meal Feast All Life Stages Dry Dog Food, 25-lb bag
Scores 12 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Earthborn Holistic Meadow Feast Lamb Meal & Vegetables Grain-Free Dry Dog Food, 25-lb bag
$2.65/lb vs your seed's $2.68/lb (1% less) at a comparable score.
Nature's Logic 100% Natural Canine Venison Meal Feast All Life Stages Dry Dog Food, 25-lb bag
Pork instead of beef, 7 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.
- 1bison meal
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.
- 3protein plantpea protein
Concentrated plant protein. Inflates the protein number on the label without matching the amino acid quality of meat.
Position 3. 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.
- 4fatcanola 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 4: secondary fat. Often where marine oils sit when present alongside a primary land-animal fat.
- 5protein animalbeef meal
Beef cooked down to a dry concentrate. More protein per pound than fresh beef. See why →
Position 5: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.
- 6fatflaxseed
Plant source of omega-3. Helpful for skin and coat, though dogs absorb omega-3 from fish more efficiently.
Position 6: secondary fat. Often where marine oils sit when present alongside a primary land-animal fat.
- 7dried yeast
Natural source of B vitamins and trace minerals. Adds a savory flavor that dogs respond well to.
- 8tapioca
Starch from cassava root. Highly digestible energy source, but pure starch with minimal nutrition beyond that.
- 9pea starch
Refined starch from peas, mostly carbs after the protein is removed. Counts toward the legume stack the FDA examined.
Position 9. Moderate inclusion. Contributes carbohydrate and some plant protein.
- 10vegetablesweet potato
Complex carb with fiber and beta-carotene. Gentle on the stomach.
Position 10: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 11vegetablepumpkin
Soluble fiber that supports stool quality. Mild and well-tolerated.
Position 11: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 12protein animaldried egg
Whole eggs. The highest-quality protein on any ingredient label, by amino acid score.
Position 12: trace protein. Likely there for amino-acid diversity or label appeal more than nutritional weight.
- 13protein animalsalmon meal
Salmon cooked into a dry concentrate. Carries both protein and natural omega-3s in one ingredient. See why →
Position 13: trace protein. Likely there for amino-acid diversity or label appeal more than nutritional weight.
- 14alaska pollock meal
- 15whiting meal
- 16othernatural flavor
Legal term for animal-derived flavoring, usually hydrolyzed liver or broth. Adds taste, says nothing about quality.
- 17fruitapples
Real fruit, some fiber and antioxidants. The amount in kibble is too small to matter much.
- 18fruitblueberries
Antioxidants, real. But the amount in any kibble is too small to do much. Mostly marketing.
- 19vegetablecarrots
Real vegetable. Fiber, beta-carotene, and a small amount of antioxidant value.
- 20fruitcranberries
Often added with a urinary-tract-support marketing angle. Real cranberry compounds help in concentrate form, but kibble doses are small.
- 21vegetablespinach
Leafy green. Some iron, vitamin K, and fiber. The dose in kibble is small but it's real food.
- 22fiberdried chicory root
Natural prebiotic. Feeds beneficial gut bacteria. The same compound (inulin) used in human gut-health products.
- 23choline
- 24mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 25mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
Showing first 25 of 38. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
21 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.