Puppy Large Breed Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food, 27.5-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Hill's Science Diet Puppy Large Breed Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe is a dry food for growing large breed puppies, with chicken as its main protein.
This formula offers good protein quality, with chicken providing solid amino acid coverage. It also includes quality carbohydrate sources that have fermentable fiber, and the fat sources are good, featuring named fat and marine oil for EPA and DHA.
Nothing concerning in the deck.
Good fit for large breed puppies. Nothing serious working against it.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Labs are the canonical food-motivated breed. Weight management is the dominant practical concern, even more than breed-specific health risks. Strong fit for active large sporting breeds like Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, and English Setters navigating weight management. Caloric density is not declared. 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 puppy 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 2 cited studies relevant to its profile. Each link opens the original source.
- Brooks et al., 2014diagnostic · protocol · satiety· cited in 3 claims
- 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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.
At 73/100, this formula lands in solid B territory. The lift comes from protein quality, worth 16 points to the final number: Reasonable protein quality. chicken delivers solid amino acid coverage. Secondary contribution comes from carbohydrate quality (+15 points). Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber. The 2-point gap to the A-tier line is concentrated 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. chicken 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 4% for crude fiber in grain-inclusive dry kibbles (3.3% DMB)
- Top quartile for DMB protein in Hill's Science Diet's lineup (26.7%)
- Bottom quartile for DMB fat in grain-inclusive dry kibbles (12.2%)
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 5 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Hill's Science Diet Adult Large Breed Chicken & Barley Dry Dog Food, 45-lb bag
$2.33/lb vs your seed's $2.87/lb (19% 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 animalchicken
Real meat. Primary protein source, with the amino acid profile dogs actually evolved to eat.
Position 1: primary protein source. After cooking removes water, this may drop in proportional weight, but it anchors the recipe.
- 2grainbrown rice
Whole grain that's easy to digest. Steady carb energy plus a little fiber.
Position 2: major carbohydrate source.
- 3grainoats
Whole grain. Steady energy, soluble fiber, and well-tolerated by most dogs.
Position 3: major carbohydrate source.
- 4protein animalchicken meal
Chicken with the water cooked out. Per pound, packs more protein than fresh chicken. See why →
Position 4: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.
- 5cracked pearled barley
Pre-cracked pearled barley for better digestibility. Same whole-grain story.
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.
- 7protein plantpea protein
Concentrated plant protein. Inflates the protein number on the label without matching the amino acid quality of meat.
Position 7. Moderate inclusion. Contributes carbohydrate and some plant protein.
- 8brewers 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 8: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 9grainwheat
Whole wheat. Fine for most dogs, though a portion are sensitive. Not a quality concern, just a fit-for-your-dog question.
Position 9: minor grain inclusion.
- 10protein plantsoybean meal
Concentrated soy protein. Cheap plant protein that pads the label number, common in budget formulas.
Position 10: moderate plant-protein boost. Less likely to materially shift the protein profile.
- 11grainwhole grain corn
Whole corn with the kernel intact. Decent fiber and B vitamins, though it can crowd out meat in cheaper recipes.
Position 11: minor grain inclusion.
- 12chicken liver flavor
Hydrolyzed chicken liver used as a flavor enhancer. Real ingredient, used in tiny amounts for palatability.
Position 12. Small organ inclusion. Functional but not a primary contributor to the protein profile.
- 13ground pecan shells
- 14lactic acid
Natural acid used as a mild preservative and pH adjuster. Found in fermented foods too. Safe at typical inclusion.
- 15pork liver flavor
Hydrolyzed pork liver used as a flavor enhancer. Same role as chicken liver flavor.
Position 15. Small organ inclusion. Functional but not a primary contributor to the protein profile.
- 16mineraldicalcium phosphate
Calcium and phosphorus combined. Required source of both minerals, especially in formulas without much bone content.
- 17fatflaxseed
Plant source of omega-3. Helpful for skin and coat, though dogs absorb omega-3 from fish more efficiently.
- 18fiberdried 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 →
- 19fatfish oil
Concentrated omega-3s. The reason 'EPA' and 'DHA' get to show up on the bag.
- 20mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 21dried citrus pulp
- 22mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 23supplementcholine chloride
Essential nutrient for liver and brain function. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 24pressed cranberries
- 25mineralcalcium carbonate
Source of calcium. Functional. Required in complete dog foods, especially those without bone-in meat meals.
Showing first 25 of 39. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
22 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.
Animal feeding tests using AAFCO procedures substantiate that Hill's® Science Diet® Puppy Large Breed provides complete and balanced nutrition for growing puppies.