Advanced Health Skin & Coat Chicken & Salmon Recipe Adult Dry Dog Food, 36-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Iams Advanced Health Skin & Coat Chicken & Salmon Recipe is a dry dog food featuring chicken and salmon as its primary protein sources.
This formula uses quality carbohydrate sources that include fermentable fiber, which is good for gut health. It also provides reasonable protein quality, with chicken offering solid amino acid coverage, and quality fat sources like named fat with marine oil for EPA and DHA.
Nothing concerning in the deck.
Good fit for adult dogs, particularly if you're looking for a formula to support skin and coat health. 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, including the Golden Retriever, navigating diet-associated DCM concerns. Chicken anchors position 1, with zero pulses in the top 15, plus salmon at position 6. 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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.
Solid grade. 73/100 (B) reflects the structural fit of this formula against The Sniff System's eight scoring components. Carbohydrate quality did the heavy lifting (+16 points): Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber. The supporting beat: protein quality (+15 points). Reasonable protein quality. chicken delivers solid amino acid coverage. What's keeping it out of A-tier: protein quality (15 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").
Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.
Reasonable protein quality. chicken delivers solid amino acid coverage.
Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source).
No negative drivers crossed our reporting threshold.
- Lowest crude fiber in Iams's lineup (3.9% DMB)
- Top quartile for overall Sniff Score in Iams's lineup (73/100)
- Bottom quartile for DMB protein in Iams's lineup (27.8%)
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.
Iams Proactive Health High Protein Chicken & Beef Dry Dog Food, 30-lb bag
Scores 5 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Iams Proactive Health Large Breed Adult Lamb & Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food, 40-lb bag
$1.51/lb vs your seed's $1.72/lb (12% less) at a comparable score.
Hill's Science Diet Adult Salmon & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food, 33-lb bag
Salmon instead of chicken, 1 point 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 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.
- 2ground whole grain corn
Whole corn with the kernel intact. Decent fiber and B vitamins, though it can crowd out meat in cheaper recipes.
Position 2: major carbohydrate source.
- 3ground whole grain sorghum
Position 3: major carbohydrate source.
- 4protein animalchicken by-product meal
Ground organs, bone, and tissue. Nutritionally dense, especially the liver and gizzard fractions. Named species ('chicken') is what matters. Generic 'poultry by-product meal' is the one to worry about. See why →
Position 4: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.
- 5grainbarley
Whole grain with a low glycemic profile and some soluble fiber. Easy on blood sugar.
Position 5: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 6protein animalsalmon
Real fish meat. Natural source of omega-3s, which kibble usually has to add back from oil.
Position 6: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 7dried plain beet pulp
Beet fiber, with the sugar removed. Long unfairly maligned. It's a real soluble fiber that supports stool quality. See why →
Position 7: functional fiber for digestion or satiety.
- 8othernatural flavor
Legal term for animal-derived flavoring, usually hydrolyzed liver or broth. Adds taste, says nothing about quality.
- 9fatchicken fat
Despite the name, a high-quality energy source. Concentrated calories plus essential fatty acids like linoleic acid. See why →
Position 9: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 10dried egg product
Whole eggs with the water removed. Same nutritional value as fresh eggs, just shelf-stable.
Position 10: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 11caramel color
Artificial coloring made by heating sugars. Cosmetic. Some forms contain trace 4-MEI, a compound the IARC lists as possibly carcinogenic.
- 12mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 13fatfish oil
Concentrated omega-3s. The reason 'EPA' and 'DHA' get to show up on the bag.
Position 13. Trace marine oil. Contributes some omega-3 but well below the level that drives EPA/DHA totals.
- 14probioticdried bacillus subtilis fermentation product
Probiotic culture. Functional regardless of position if viable through extrusion.
- 15supplementcholine chloride
Essential nutrient for liver and brain function. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 16fiberfructooligosaccharides
Prebiotic fiber, often called FOS. Feeds beneficial gut bacteria, similar in function to inulin.
- 17zinc-methionine complex
- 18supplementdl-methionine
Essential amino acid. Often added when plant proteins dominate, since methionine is naturally lower in pulses than meat.
- 19mineralferrous sulfate
Inorganic iron. Standard mineral source. Iron proteinate is the gentler, better-absorbed premium form.
- 20zinc oxide
Inorganic zinc. Cheapest mineral form on the market. Functional but less bioavailable than chelated alternatives.
- 21mineralsodium selenite Flagged
Inorganic selenium. Effective at AAFCO levels, no documented safety concern in dogs despite what some pet food blogs claim. Selenium yeast is a marginal upgrade, not a necessity. See why →
- 22mineralmanganese sulfate
Inorganic manganese. Functional but less well-absorbed than the chelated proteinate form.
- 23cooper sulfate
- 24mineralpotassium iodide
Source of iodine, an essential trace mineral for thyroid function. Required for AAFCO-complete formulas.
- 25manganous oxide
Inorganic manganese. Functional, cheaper than chelated forms, less efficiently absorbed.
Showing first 25 of 28. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
21 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.