Puppy Sensitive Stomach & Sensitive Skin Salmon & Vegetable Stew Chunks in Gravy Wet Dog Food, 12.5-oz can, 12 count
Graded by The Sniff System
Hill's Science Diet Puppy Sensitive Stomach & Sensitive Skin Salmon & Vegetable Stew is a wet food, featuring pork liver and salmon, formulated for puppies.
This food has a strong protein profile, with pork liver as a primary ingredient, which means good biological value for your puppy. It also uses quality fat sources, like chicken fat, and has AAFCO feeding trial substantiation for growth.
The formula contains guar gum, an emulsifier. While there's emerging data on emulsifiers and the microbiome, there's no specific canine clinical evidence, so it's a minor watch item for canned foods.
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.
Strong fit for puppy Golden Retrievers and similar active sporting breeds navigating diet-associated DCM concerns. Chicken broth anchors position 1, with one pulse (green peas at position 9), plus pork liver at position 2 (a natural taurine precursor) and salmon at position 3. 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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.
Solid grade. 66/100 (B) reflects the structural fit of this formula against The Sniff System's eight scoring components. Protein quality did the heavy lifting (+22 points): Strong protein profile with pork liver as the primary ingredient, delivering high biological value. What we'd flag for vet discussion: controversial-ingredient penalty (-5 points). Contains guar gum. Emerging microbiome data on emulsifiers; no canine clinical evidence. Minor penalty in canned food. A-tier is 9 points up. Controversial-ingredient penalty is where to find them.
Strong protein profile with pork liver as the primary ingredient, delivering high biological value.
Quality fat sources: named fat with declared fat sources.
AAFCO feeding trial substantiation for growth.
Contains guar gum. Emerging microbiome data on emulsifiers; no canine clinical evidence. Minor penalty in canned food..
- Top 4% for protein quality in grain-inclusive wet foods (21.9/27)
- Bottom 10% for DMB protein in wet foods (26.5%)
- Top 4% for overall Sniff Score in grain-inclusive wet foods (66/100)
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 Healthy Cuisine Variety Pack Adult Wet Dog Food, 13-oz can, case of 12
Scores 1 point higher with a similar formulation profile.
Hill's Science Diet Adult Savory Stew with Beef & Vegetables Wet Dog Food, 12.8-oz can, case of 12
$4.61/lb vs your seed's $5.24/lb (12% less) at a comparable score.
Surfaced from a vector similarity search across 3,491 scored dog foods. How this works.
Wet and fresh foods contain more water than kibble (typically 65-78%). On a dry-matter basis, this food's protein content is roughly 26%, comparable to premium kibble (typically 30-45% DMB protein).
Read why each ingredient is good or bad for dogs.
- 1chicken broth
Real broth, adds flavor and moisture. Negligible nutrition on its own but tells you the recipe leans on real meat.
Position 1: primary protein source. After cooking removes water, this may drop in proportional weight, but it anchors the recipe.
- 2protein animalpork liver
Organ meat. Dense in B vitamins, iron, and vitamin A. Among the most nutritious ingredients on any label.
Position 2. Named organ meat this high is a strong build choice. Concentrated source of taurine, glutamine, and B-vitamins.
- 3protein animalsalmon
Real fish meat. Natural source of omega-3s, which kibble usually has to add back from oil.
Position 3: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.
- 4vegetablecarrots
Real vegetable. Fiber, beta-carotene, and a small amount of antioxidant value.
Position 4: meaningful whole-food inclusion. Source of vitamins, antioxidants, or natural fiber.
- 5rice starch
Position 5: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 6grainrice
Generic rice. Could be white or brown, the label doesn't say. Brown rice would be specified if it were.
Position 6: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 7fatchicken fat
Despite the name, a high-quality energy source. Concentrated calories plus essential fatty acids like linoleic acid. See why →
Position 7: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 8protein plantpotato protein
Concentrated potato protein. Like pea protein, it inflates the protein number without matching meat-quality amino acids.
Position 8: moderate plant-protein boost. Less likely to materially shift the protein profile.
- 9legumegreen peas
Same as peas. Useful in small amounts. The concern is when pulses dominate the top of the ingredient list. See why →
Position 9. Moderate inclusion. Contributes carbohydrate and some plant protein.
- 10egg whites
Position 10: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 11potato starch
Refined potato. Pure carb energy, low on other nutrition. Often used as a binder in grain-free recipes.
- 12soybean oil
Plant oil. High in omega-6, which is required but commonly oversupplied. Fine in moderation.
Position 12: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 13chicken liver flavor
Hydrolyzed chicken liver used as a flavor enhancer. Real ingredient, used in tiny amounts for palatability.
Position 13. Small organ inclusion. Functional but not a primary contributor to the protein profile.
- 14hydrolyzed chicken flavor
Hydrolyzed chicken used as a palatability enhancer. Real ingredient, tiny inclusion, no quality signal either way.
- 15fiberdried 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 15: trace fiber inclusion.
- 16egg yolks
- 17potassium alginate
- 18calcium chloride
- 19brewers dried yeast
Yeast left over from brewing. Rich in B vitamins and amino acids. A traditional and well-tolerated inclusion.
- 20mineraldicalcium phosphate
Calcium and phosphorus combined. Required source of both minerals, especially in formulas without much bone content.
- 21monosodium phosphate
Mineral source and preservative. Standard inclusion at small doses.
- 22potassium citrate
Source of potassium. Sometimes added in urinary-support formulas to help manage urine pH.
- 23calcium sulfate
Source of calcium. Functional, required for AAFCO-complete formulas.
- 24fiberguar gum
Thickener common in wet food. Emerging research on emulsifiers and the gut microbiome, but no smoking gun in dogs yet. See why →
- 25mineralsodium tripolyphosphate
Preservative and texture agent in wet food. Functional at small doses, not a major concern, but some brands avoid it.
Showing first 25 of 37. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
20 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.