Natural & Delicious Wild Herring Grain-Free Mini Breed Formula Dry Dog Food, 15.4-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Farmina Natural & Delicious Wild Herring Grain-Free Mini Breed Formula is a grain-free dry food for mini breeds, built around herring.
This formula features herring as a primary protein, which provides solid amino acid coverage. It also includes quality fat sources like herring oil, offering beneficial EPA and DHA. The product has AAFCO feeding trial substantiation, which is a strong indicator of nutritional adequacy.
Nothing concerning in the deck.
Good fit for mini breed dogs who thrive on a fish-based, grain-free diet.
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 Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, and English Setters navigating weight management. Caloric density is not declared. 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. The 2014 AAHA Weight Management Guidelines define overweight as a Body Condition Score (BCS) of 6-7 on a 9-point scale. A score of 8 or 9 indicates obesity, representing 20-30% and >30% above ideal body weight, respectively (Brooks et al., 2014) .
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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.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 74/100, landing in B-tier territory. The biggest contributor was protein quality (+19.5 points): Reasonable protein quality. herring delivers solid amino acid coverage. Also adding to the lift: fat quality (+12). Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source). The 1-point gap to A-tier sits mostly in protein quality (19.5 of 27 possible). Full protein quality requires named-species named-cut proteins in the top of the deck (e.g., "deboned chicken" rather than "chicken meal" or "poultry meal").
Reasonable protein quality. herring delivers solid amino acid coverage.
Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source).
AAFCO feeding trial substantiation for not stated.
No negative drivers crossed our reporting threshold.
- Lowest carb quality in Farmina's lineup (11/16)
- Top 10% for overall Sniff Score in grain-free dry kibbles (74/100)
- Bottom 1% for crude fiber in grain-free dry kibbles (2.9% DMB)
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 Natural & Delicious Chicken & Ancestral Low-Grain Mini Breed Formula Dry Dog Food, 5.5-lb bag
Scores 5 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Farmina N&D Ocean Herring & Orange Medium & Maxi Adult Grain-Free Dry Dog Food, 26.5-lb bag
$4.04/lb vs your seed's $6.75/lb (40% 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.
- 1herring
Whole fish, naturally high in omega-3s and very digestible protein. Common in premium formulas.
Position 1: primary protein source. After cooking removes water, this may drop in proportional weight, but it anchors the recipe.
- 2dehydrated herring
Whole fish, naturally high in omega-3s and very digestible protein. Common in premium formulas.
Position 2: co-primary protein. Two named animal proteins in the top 2 is a strong protein build.
- 3vegetablesweet potato
Complex carb with fiber and beta-carotene. Gentle on the stomach.
Position 3: meaningful whole-food inclusion. Source of vitamins, antioxidants, or natural fiber.
- 4herring oil
Concentrated omega-3 from herring. Same role as salmon oil, skin and coat support.
Position 4: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.
- 5pea starch
Refined starch from peas, mostly carbs after the protein is removed. Counts toward the legume stack the FDA examined.
Position 5. Within the FDA's top-5 DCM-pattern threshold. Especially notable if multiple pulses stack here.
- 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.
- 7hydrolyzed fish
- 8pork fat
Real animal fat from a named species. Clean energy source.
Position 8: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 9othernatural flavors
Same as natural flavor. Usually hydrolyzed liver or broth, adds palatability.
- 10dried whole eggs
Position 10: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 11fiberdried 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 11: trace fiber inclusion.
- 12mineralcalcium carbonate
Source of calcium. Functional. Required in complete dog foods, especially those without bone-in meat meals.
- 13monocalcium phosphate
Source of calcium and phosphorus. Standard mineral inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 14fiberpea fiber
Insoluble fiber from peas. Doesn't carry the protein-inflation concern of pea protein. Mostly there for stool quality.
Position 14. Trace inclusion. Below the level associated with the FDA's DCM-pattern concerns.
- 15dried carrot
Real vegetable. Fiber, beta-carotene, antioxidants. Same as carrots, sometimes singular on labels.
- 16suncured alfalfa meal
Sun-dried alfalfa, preserving more of the natural vitamins than heat-dried versions.
- 17fiberinulin
Prebiotic fiber that feeds beneficial gut bacteria. Same compound found in chicory root.
- 18fructooligosaccharide
Prebiotic fiber, often abbreviated FOS. Feeds beneficial gut bacteria.
- 19dried sweet orange
- 20dried pomegranate
Antioxidants, real. Like other fruit additions, the dose in kibble is mostly cosmetic.
- 21dried apple
Whole apple with the moisture removed. Real fruit, fiber, modest nutrition contribution.
- 22dried spinach
Leafy green. Some iron, vitamin K, and fiber. The dose in kibble is small but it's real food.
- 23psyllium seed husk
Soluble fiber. Supports stool quality. The same fiber humans use for digestive regularity.
- 24dried blueberry
- 25mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
Showing first 25 of 55. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
21 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.