Adult Perfect Digestion Salmon, Brown Rice & Whole Oats Recipe Dry Dog Food, 22-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Hill's Science Diet Adult Perfect Digestion Salmon, Brown Rice & Whole Oats Recipe is a dry food for adult dogs, with salmon as its primary protein.
This formula offers good protein quality, with salmon providing solid amino acid coverage. It also includes quality carbohydrate sources that provide fermentable fiber, which is good for digestion. The fat sources are also high quality, being named and clearly declared.
Nothing concerning in the deck.
Good fit for adult dogs looking for a formula with quality protein, carbs, and fats. 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. Salmon anchors position 1, with one pulse (pea protein at position 10), plus chicken liver flavor at position 11 (a natural taurine precursor). In its 2022 update on diet-associated DCM, the FDA identified Golden Retrievers as the most reported breed, with 121 cases out of 1,382 total canine reports (8.8%) received between January 1, 2014, and November 1, 2022 (FDA, 2022) .
Looking at this for adult 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 3 cited studies relevant to its profile. Each link opens the original source.
- FDA, 2022cardiac · epidemiology · breed predisposition· cited in 5 claims
- FDA, 2019diet composition· cited in 2 claims
- NRC, 2006nutrient bioavailability
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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.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 (+16 points): Reasonable protein quality. salmon delivers solid amino acid coverage. Also adding to the lift: carbohydrate quality (+15). Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber. The 1-point gap to A-tier sits mostly in protein quality (16 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. salmon delivers solid amino acid coverage.
Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.
Quality fat sources: named fat with declared fat sources.
No negative drivers crossed our reporting threshold.
- Bottom 10% for DMB protein in dry kibbles (22.8%)
- Top quartile for overall Sniff Score in Hill's Science Diet's lineup (74/100)
- Bottom quartile for crude fiber in Hill's Science Diet's lineup (4.4% 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.
Hill's Science Diet Puppy Sensitive Stomach & Sensitive Skin Salmon & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food, 13-lb bag
Scores 4 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Hill's Science Diet Adult Salmon & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food, 33-lb bag
$2.73/lb vs your seed's $4.14/lb (34% 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 animalsalmon
Real fish meat. Natural source of omega-3s, which kibble usually has to add back from oil.
Position 1: primary protein source. After cooking removes water, this may drop in proportional weight, but it anchors the recipe.
- 2cracked pearled barley
Pre-cracked pearled barley for better digestibility. Same whole-grain story.
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.
- 3grainbrown rice
Whole grain that's easy to digest. Steady carb energy plus a little fiber.
Position 3: major carbohydrate source.
- 4brewers rice
Broken rice kernels left over from milling, usually destined for human beer-making. Cheaper than whole or even white rice. Same carbs, less nutrition than the brown version. See why →
Position 4: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 5corn protein meal
Concentrated corn protein. Similar in role to corn gluten meal, pads the protein number on the label without matching meat amino acids.
Position 5: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 6protein animalchicken meal
Chicken with the water cooked out. Per pound, packs more protein than fresh chicken. See why →
Position 6: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 7grainwhole grain corn
Whole corn with the kernel intact. Decent fiber and B vitamins, though it can crowd out meat in cheaper recipes.
Position 7: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 8fatchicken fat
Despite the name, a high-quality energy source. Concentrated calories plus essential fatty acids like linoleic acid. See why →
Position 8: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 9grainoats
Whole grain. Steady energy, soluble fiber, and well-tolerated by most dogs.
Position 9: minor grain inclusion.
- 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.
- 11chicken liver flavor
Hydrolyzed chicken liver used as a flavor enhancer. Real ingredient, used in tiny amounts for palatability.
Position 11. Small organ inclusion. Functional but not a primary contributor to the protein profile.
- 12ground pecan shells
- 13pork liver flavor
Hydrolyzed pork liver used as a flavor enhancer. Same role as chicken liver flavor.
Position 13. Small organ inclusion. Functional but not a primary contributor to the protein profile.
- 14lactic acid
Natural acid used as a mild preservative and pH adjuster. Found in fermented foods too. Safe at typical inclusion.
- 15fatflaxseed
Plant source of omega-3. Helpful for skin and coat, though dogs absorb omega-3 from fish more efficiently.
Position 15: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 16fiberdried 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 →
- 17dried citrus pulp
- 18mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 19mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 20soybean oil
Plant oil. High in omega-6, which is required but commonly oversupplied. Fine in moderation.
- 21supplementcholine chloride
Essential nutrient for liver and brain function. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 22mineralcalcium carbonate
Source of calcium. Functional. Required in complete dog foods, especially those without bone-in meat meals.
- 23pressed cranberries
- 24vegetablepumpkin
Soluble fiber that supports stool quality. Mild and well-tolerated.
- 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 34. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
22 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.