ProActive Health Classic Ground with Chicken & Whole Grain Rice Canned Adult Wet Dog Food, 13-oz can, case of 12
Graded by The Sniff System
Iams ProActive Health Classic Ground with Chicken & Whole Grain Rice is a canned wet dog food primarily featuring chicken, formulated for adult maintenance.
While this food has some quality carbohydrate sources with declared fiber, and includes named fat sources with marine oil for EPA and DHA, these positives are overshadowed by other concerns. It does have AAFCO feeding trial substantiation for adult maintenance.
This formula contains several flagged ingredients, including unspecified meat by-products, carrageenan, and artificial colors yellow 5 and yellow 6. The protein quality from chicken is also noted as low, delivering limited bioavailable amino acids.
Hard to recommend for any dog. The flagged ingredients are a significant concern.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Good fit for active large sporting breeds like Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, and English Setters navigating skin allergies. The protein deck is built around a single species (chicken), but artificial colors (yellow 6, yellow 5) appear in the deck. Worth watching: contains artificial colors (correlates with skin-reactive ingredients). For Labrador Retrievers with suspected cutaneous adverse food reactions, a strict elimination diet trial must last a minimum of 8 weeks to reliably diagnose or rule out a food-based trigger. The National Research Council (2006) recommends a minimum of 2.6 grams of linoleic acid (an omega-6) per 1000 kcal of metabolizable energy to maintain skin barrier function in adult dogs (NRC, 2006) .
Looking at this for adult Labrador Retrievers or Labrador Retrievers with skin allergies ? 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.
Sniff scored this formula 21/100, landing in F-tier (avoid). The biggest contributor was carbohydrate quality (+13 points): Quality carbohydrate sources with declared fiber. A hard cap of 39 also applied because multiple FLAG-tier ingredients are stacked in the formula. Even without the cap, the base component scores sit below the next band. The structural fix would need to address protein quality as well.
Quality carbohydrate sources with declared fiber.
Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source).
AAFCO feeding trial substantiation for adult maintenance.
- Lowest overall Sniff Score in Iams's lineup (21/100)
- Top quartile for DMB fat in Iams's lineup (27.3%)
- Bottom 10% for protein quality in Iams's lineup (7.4/27)
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.
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Scores 42 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Iams Proactive Health Variety Pack Canned Wet Dog Food, 13-oz can, case of 12
$2.56/lb vs your seed's $2.68/lb (5% less) at a comparable score.
Purina Pro Plan Weight Control Adult High Protein Chicken & Rice Entree Canned Dog Food, 13-oz can, case of 12
Beef instead of chicken, 33 points higher, different brand.
Surfaced from a vector similarity search across 3,491 scored dog foods. How this works.
Controversial ingredients · 4
- meat by-productsUnspecified species. AAFCO definition allows organs, blood, bone. but the lack of a named source means quality and consistency are not auditable.
- carrageenanSeaweed-derived thickener; some studies link it to gastrointestinal inflammation. Most common in wet foods but appears in some kibble gravies.
- yellow 6Artificial color with no nutritional value.
- yellow 5Artificial color with no nutritional value. Some dogs show allergic-type reactions.
Every flagged ingredient has a published basis (confirmed harm / regulatory action / precautionary). See methodology →
Wet and fresh foods contain more water than kibble (typically 65-78%). On a dry-matter basis, this food's protein content is roughly 36%, comparable to premium kibble (typically 30-45% DMB protein).
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.
- 2sufficient water for processing
- 3protein animalmeat by-products Flagged
Unnamed organ meats and tissue. Could be nutritious, but no species is listed, so quality varies by batch.
Position 3: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.
- 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.
- 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.
- 6feeding oatmeal
Position 6: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 7flax seed
- 8mineralsodium tripolyphosphate
Preservative and texture agent in wet food. Functional at small doses, not a major concern, but some brands avoid it.
- 9mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 10magnesium proteinate
Magnesium bound to protein for better absorption. The premium chelated form.
- 11mineralzinc sulfate
Inorganic zinc. Effective at AAFCO doses but less well-absorbed than chelated forms like zinc proteinate.
- 12mineralcopper proteinate
Copper bound to protein for better absorption. Common in better-formulated diets.
- 13mineralmanganese sulfate
Inorganic manganese. Functional but less well-absorbed than the chelated proteinate form.
- 14mineralcopper sulfate
Inorganic copper. Standard, effective at small doses. Premium formulas tend to use copper proteinate instead.
- 15mineralpotassium iodide
Source of iodine, an essential trace mineral for thyroid function. Required for AAFCO-complete formulas.
- 16dried yam
Yam with the moisture removed. Complex carb, fiber, similar role to sweet potato.
- 17othercarrageenan Flagged
Seaweed-derived thickener. Some lab studies suggest gut inflammation, but the evidence in pets is mixed. See why →
- 18fiberxanthan gum
Thickener common in wet food and gravies. Same emulsifier-microbiome conversation as guar gum, not a clear flag. See why →
- 19othernatural flavors
Same as natural flavor. Usually hydrolyzed liver or broth, adds palatability.
- 20supplementcholine chloride
Essential nutrient for liver and brain function. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 21vitaminvitamin e supplement
Required nutrient and a natural antioxidant. Often pulls double duty as a preservative.
- 22thiamine mononitrate {vitamin b1}
- 23vitamind-calcium pantothenate
B vitamin (B5). Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 24vitaminbiotin
B vitamin that supports skin and coat health. Required for AAFCO-complete formulas.
- 25vitaminvitamin a supplement
Vitamin A in stable, standardized form. Required for vision, immune function, and growth.
Showing first 25 of 33. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
21 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.