Pulsar Grain-Free Pork Recipe Dry Dog Food, 25-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Horizon Pulsar Grain-Free Pork Recipe is a dry dog food featuring pork as its main protein source.
This formula uses premium micronutrient forms like chelated minerals, which are easier for dogs to absorb. Pork meal is the first ingredient, providing a strong animal protein base.
The biggest concern is the lack of an AAFCO statement, which means its nutritional completeness is unverified. This formula also contains high legume stacking, with red lentils and peas appearing high on the ingredient list.
Good fit for dogs who do well on pork-based, grain-free diets. Less ideal if AAFCO verification is a priority.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Frenchies have notoriously sensitive GI tracts plus a tendency toward obesity given their low activity needs. Limited-ingredient formulas with moderate calorie density tend to fit them well. Strong fit for lower-energy small companion breeds like French Bulldogs, Bulldogs, and Boston Terriers navigating a sensitive stomach. Pork meal leads at position 1, and a single-species protein design that makes trigger isolation easier.
Looking at this for adult French Bulldogs or French Bulldogs with a sensitive stomach ? 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.
- NRC, 2006digestibility · fiber· cited in 2 claims
- AAFCO, 2024zinc
- Swanson et al., 2002prebiotics
Every claim on Sniff traces to a source. If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.
At 48/100, this formula lands mid-pack. The lift comes from micronutrient inclusion, worth 3 points to the final number: Premium micronutrient forms such as chelated minerals or natural vitamin E. The ceiling on this score is 59, set because the AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement isn't disclosed on the retailer page (so our methodology can't verify the formula meets adult, growth, or all-life-stages standards). The cap isn't the binding constraint here. AAFCO compliance would also need to improve to reach the next band.
Premium micronutrient forms such as chelated minerals or natural vitamin E.
No AAFCO statement. Nutritional completeness unverified.
Contains high legume stacking. Multiple pulse-family ingredients in top 15. Mitigated by taurine supplementation or organ meat (natural taurine precursor) in top 10..
- Lowest fat quality in Horizon's lineup (6/16)
- Top quartile for DMB fat in Horizon's lineup (17.2%)
- Lowest carb quality in Horizon's lineup (5/16)
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.
Nulo Frontrunner Ancient Grains Pork, Barley, & Beef Recipe High-Protein Adult Dry Dog Food, 25-lb bag
Scores 32 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Horizon Pulsar Grain-Free Turkey Recipe Dry Dog Food, 25-lb bag
$2.84/lb vs your seed's $2.88/lb (1% less) at a comparable score.
ACANA Puppy Grain-Free Dry Dog Food, 25-lb bag
Chicken instead of pork, 16 points higher, different brand.
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 animalpork meal
Pork cooked into a dry concentrate. Per pound, more protein than fresh pork.
Position 1: primary protein source. After cooking removes water, this may drop in proportional weight, but it anchors the recipe.
- 2legumered lentils
Same concern as other lentils. Affordable plant protein, part of the legume stack the FDA examined. See why →
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.
- 3legumepeas
Cheap protein bulk. Fine in small amounts, but when peas stack with lentils and chickpeas in the top ingredients, it's the pattern the FDA flagged in its heart-disease investigation. See why →
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.
- 4pea starch
Refined starch from peas, mostly carbs after the protein is removed. Counts toward the legume stack the FDA examined.
Position 4. Within the FDA's top-5 DCM-pattern threshold. Especially notable if multiple pulses stack here.
- 5protein animalpork
Real meat. Dense protein and fat, though less common in dog food than chicken or beef.
Position 5: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.
- 6fatcanola oil
Plant oil. Some omega-3 from the parent plant, though dogs absorb it less efficiently than fish-derived omega-3. Fine in moderation.
Position 6: secondary fat. Often where marine oils sit when present alongside a primary land-animal fat.
- 7fatflaxseed
Plant source of omega-3. Helpful for skin and coat, though dogs absorb omega-3 from fish more efficiently.
Position 7: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 8vegetablecarrots
Real vegetable. Fiber, beta-carotene, and a small amount of antioxidant value.
Position 8: meaningful whole-food inclusion. Source of vitamins, antioxidants, or natural fiber.
- 9fruitapples
Real fruit, some fiber and antioxidants. The amount in kibble is too small to matter much.
Position 9: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 10vegetablebroccoli
Real vegetable. Adds fiber and some antioxidants. Fine in the small amounts used in kibble.
Position 10: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 11bok choy
- 12vegetablecabbage
Position 12: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 13fruitblueberries
Antioxidants, real. But the amount in any kibble is too small to do much. Mostly marketing.
Position 13: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 14mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 15supplementdl-methionine
Essential amino acid. Often added when plant proteins dominate, since methionine is naturally lower in pulses than meat.
- 16mineraldicalcium phosphate
Calcium and phosphorus combined. Required source of both minerals, especially in formulas without much bone content.
- 17fiberfructooligosaccharides
Prebiotic fiber, often called FOS. Feeds beneficial gut bacteria, similar in function to inulin.
- 18hydrolyzed yeast
Yeast broken down with enzymes. Strong palatant plus a real source of B vitamins and amino acids.
- 19supplementyucca schidigera extract
Plant extract added to reduce stool odor. Functional, not nutritional. Fine in trace amounts.
- 20supplementtaurine
Amino acid critical for heart health. Especially important in grain-free or pulse-heavy formulas where natural taurine precursors run thin.
- 21dried aspergillus niger fermentation extract
- 22pineapple
- 23probioticdried trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract
- 24dried rhizopus oryzae fermentation extract
- 25probioticdried enterococcus faecium fermentation product
Showing first 25 of 52. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
18 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.