N&D Tropical Selection Lamb Puppy Medium & Maxi Dry Dog Food, 22-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Farmina N&D Tropical Selection Lamb Puppy Medium & Maxi Dry Dog Food is a dry kibble featuring lamb as its primary protein source, formulated for puppies.
This formula offers excellent protein quality, with lamb providing a strong amino acid profile. It also includes quality carbohydrate sources that provide fermentable fiber, and its fat sources are well-chosen, featuring named fats and marine oil for EPA and DHA.
Nothing concerning in the deck.
Good fit for puppies of medium and large breeds. Nothing serious working against it.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Good fit for active large sporting breeds like Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, and Irish Setters navigating diet-associated DCM concerns. Lamb anchors position 1, with zero pulses in the top 15, plus dehydrated herring 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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.
Strong grade. 78/100 (A) reflects the structural fit of this formula against The Sniff System's eight scoring components. Protein quality did the heavy lifting (+19.5 points): Reasonable protein quality. lamb delivers solid amino acid coverage. The supporting beat: carbohydrate quality (+16 points). Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.
Reasonable protein quality. lamb delivers solid amino acid coverage.
Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.
Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source).
No negative drivers crossed our reporting threshold.
- Bottom 2% for crude fiber in grain-inclusive dry kibbles (3.0% DMB)
- Top 10% for DMB fat in grain-inclusive dry kibbles (22.0%)
- Bottom 10% for fat quality in Farmina's lineup (12/16)
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.
Farmina N&D Ancestral Grain Lamb & Blueberry Recipe Puppy Mini Dry Dog Food, 5.5-lb bag
Scores 3 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Farmina N&D Tropical Selection Pork Adult Medium & Maxi Dry Dog Food, 22-lb bag
$3.32/lb vs your seed's $3.64/lb (9% less) at a comparable score.
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
Real meat. Often used for dogs with chicken or beef sensitivities. Slightly higher fat content than chicken.
Position 1: primary protein source. After cooking removes water, this may drop in proportional weight, but it anchors the recipe.
- 2dehydrated lamb
Real meat. Often used for dogs with chicken or beef sensitivities. Slightly higher fat content than chicken.
Position 2: co-primary protein. Two named animal proteins in the top 2 is a strong protein build.
- 3spelt
Position 3: major carbohydrate source.
- 4grainoats
Whole grain. Steady energy, soluble fiber, and well-tolerated by most dogs.
Position 4: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 5dehydrated chicken
Real meat. Primary protein source, with the amino acid profile dogs actually evolved to eat.
Position 5: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.
- 6fatchicken fat
Despite the name, a high-quality energy source. Concentrated calories plus essential fatty acids like linoleic acid. See why →
Position 6: secondary fat. Often where marine oils sit when present alongside a primary land-animal fat.
- 7dehydrated herring
Whole fish, naturally high in omega-3s and very digestible protein. Common in premium formulas.
Position 7: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 8grainbarley
Whole grain with a low glycemic profile and some soluble fiber. Easy on blood sugar.
Position 8: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 9grainrice
Generic rice. Could be white or brown, the label doesn't say. Brown rice would be specified if it were.
Position 9: minor grain inclusion.
- 10fiberdried beet pulp
Soluble fiber from sugar-beet processing. Sometimes treated as a filler, but it's actually one of the better fiber sources in kibble. See why →
Position 10: functional fiber for digestion or satiety.
- 11pork fat
Real animal fat from a named species. Clean energy source.
Position 11: trace protein. Likely there for amino-acid diversity or label appeal more than nutritional weight.
- 12othernatural flavors
Same as natural flavor. Usually hydrolyzed liver or broth, adds palatability.
- 13herring oil
Concentrated omega-3 from herring. Same role as salmon oil, skin and coat support.
Position 13: trace protein. Likely there for amino-acid diversity or label appeal more than nutritional weight.
- 14fiberinulin
Prebiotic fiber that feeds beneficial gut bacteria. Same compound found in chicory root.
Position 14: trace fiber inclusion.
- 15fructooligosaccharide
Prebiotic fiber, often abbreviated FOS. Feeds beneficial gut bacteria.
- 16dried banana
- 17dried kiwi
- 18dried mango
- 19dried papaya
- 20dried pineapple
- 21mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 22mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 23monocalcium phosphate
Source of calcium and phosphorus. Standard mineral inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 24mineralcalcium carbonate
Source of calcium. Functional. Required in complete dog foods, especially those without bone-in meat meals.
- 25brewers dried yeast
Yeast left over from brewing. Rich in B vitamins and amino acids. A traditional and well-tolerated inclusion.
Showing first 25 of 49. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
19 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.