Puppy Sensitive Stomach & Sensitive Skin Salmon & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food, 13-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Hill's Science Diet Puppy Sensitive Stomach & Sensitive Skin Salmon & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food is a dry food featuring salmon and chicken, formulated for puppies.
This dry food has a strong protein profile, with salmon as the first ingredient, which means high biological value for your pup. It also includes quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber and good fat sources, like named fat with marine oil for EPA and DHA.
Nothing concerning in the deck.
Good fit for puppies, especially those with sensitive stomachs or skin. 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 puppy Golden Retrievers and similar active sporting breeds navigating diet-associated DCM concerns. Salmon anchors position 1, with one pulse (pea protein at position 7), plus pork liver flavor at position 12 (a natural taurine precursor). 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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.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 (+23 points): Strong protein profile with salmon as the primary ingredient, delivering high biological value. The supporting beat: carbohydrate quality (+15 points). Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.
Strong protein profile with salmon as the primary ingredient, delivering high biological value.
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.
- Top 3% for DMB protein in Hill's Science Diet's lineup (27.8%)
- Bottom quartile for crude fiber in Hill's Science Diet's lineup (4.4% DMB)
- Top 4% for DMB fat in Hill's Science Diet's lineup (17.2%)
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.
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.
- 2protein animalchicken meal
Chicken with the water cooked out. Per pound, packs more protein than fresh chicken. See why →
Position 2: co-primary protein. Two named animal proteins in the top 2 is a strong protein build.
- 3cracked pearled barley
Pre-cracked pearled barley for better digestibility. Same whole-grain story.
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.
- 4grainbrown rice
Whole grain that's easy to digest. Steady carb energy plus a little fiber.
Position 4: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 5brewers 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 5: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb 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.
- 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.
- 8corn 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 8: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 9protein plantsoybean meal
Concentrated soy protein. Cheap plant protein that pads the label number, common in budget formulas.
Position 9: moderate plant-protein boost. Less likely to materially shift the protein profile.
- 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.
- 11hydrolyzed chicken flavor
Hydrolyzed chicken used as a palatability enhancer. Real ingredient, tiny inclusion, no quality signal either way.
- 12pork liver flavor
Hydrolyzed pork liver used as a flavor enhancer. Same role as chicken liver flavor.
Position 12. Small organ inclusion. Functional but not a primary contributor to the protein profile.
- 13fatflaxseed
Plant source of omega-3. Helpful for skin and coat, though dogs absorb omega-3 from fish more efficiently.
Position 13: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 14lactic acid
Natural acid used as a mild preservative and pH adjuster. Found in fermented foods too. Safe at typical inclusion.
- 15soybean oil
Plant oil. High in omega-6, which is required but commonly oversupplied. Fine in moderation.
Position 15: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 16mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 17fatfish oil
Concentrated omega-3s. The reason 'EPA' and 'DHA' get to show up on the bag.
- 18mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 19l-threonine
Essential amino acid. Sometimes added when plant proteins dominate, since threonine is naturally lower in plants than meat.
- 20supplementcholine chloride
Essential nutrient for liver and brain function. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 21mineraldicalcium phosphate
Calcium and phosphorus combined. Required source of both minerals, especially in formulas without much bone content.
- 22mineralcalcium carbonate
Source of calcium. Functional. Required in complete dog foods, especially those without bone-in meat meals.
- 23supplementtaurine
Amino acid critical for heart health. Especially important in grain-free or pulse-heavy formulas where natural taurine precursors run thin.
- 24supplementdl-methionine
Essential amino acid. Often added when plant proteins dominate, since methionine is naturally lower in pulses than meat.
- 25supplementl-tryptophan
Essential amino acid. Sometimes added in calming or weight-management formulas.
Showing first 25 of 34. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
25 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.