Raw Boost Puppy Whole Grain Real Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food, 3.5-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Instinct Raw Boost Puppy Whole Grain Real Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe is a dry food for puppies, built around chicken and turkey.
This recipe has a strong protein profile, with chicken as the primary ingredient, which means high biological value for your puppy. It also includes quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber, and good fat sources like named fats and marine oil for EPA and DHA.
Nothing concerning in the deck.
Good fit for puppies of any size. 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. Chicken anchors position 1, with zero pulses in the top 15, plus freeze-dried chicken liver at position 14 (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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.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. 80/100 (A) reflects the structural fit of this formula against The Sniff System's eight scoring components. Protein quality did the heavy lifting (+21.5 points): Strong protein profile with chicken as the primary ingredient, delivering high biological value. The supporting beat: carbohydrate quality (+16 points). Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.
Strong protein profile with chicken 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 2% for overall Sniff Score in Instinct's lineup (80/100)
- Bottom quartile for DMB protein in Instinct's lineup (31.1%)
- Top quartile for protein quality in Instinct's lineup (21.7/27)
Computed against the rest of our catalog. Percentiles refresh on each catalog update.
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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 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.
- 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.
- 3grainbarley
Whole grain with a low glycemic profile and some soluble fiber. Easy on blood sugar.
Position 3: major carbohydrate source.
- 4protein animalturkey meal
Turkey with the water cooked out. Per pound, packs more protein than fresh turkey. See why →
Position 4: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.
- 5grainoatmeal
Gentle on the stomach. Slow-release carbs and soluble fiber that supports stool quality.
Position 5: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 6grainbrown rice
Whole grain that's easy to digest. Steady carb energy plus a little fiber.
Position 6: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 7grainsorghum
Whole grain with a low glycemic index. Gluten-free, well-tolerated, decent fiber content.
Position 7: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 8dried yeast
Natural source of B vitamins and trace minerals. Adds a savory flavor that dogs respond well to.
- 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.
- 10fatground flaxseed
Cracked flaxseed for better digestibility. Same plant omega-3s as whole flaxseed, just easier for the dog to extract.
Position 10: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 11freeze-dried chicken
Position 11: trace protein. Likely there for amino-acid diversity or label appeal more than nutritional weight.
- 12fatsalmon oil
Pure omega-3s. The thing skin-and-coat formulas are usually built around.
Position 12. Moderate marine-oil inclusion. Supplements EPA/DHA without being the primary fat.
- 13othernatural flavor
Legal term for animal-derived flavoring, usually hydrolyzed liver or broth. Adds taste, says nothing about quality.
- 14freeze-dried chicken liver
- 15mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 16pumpkin seeds
- 17freeze-dried chicken heart
- 18fruitapples
Real fruit, some fiber and antioxidants. The amount in kibble is too small to matter much.
- 19fruitblueberries
Antioxidants, real. But the amount in any kibble is too small to do much. Mostly marketing.
- 20fruitcranberries
Often added with a urinary-tract-support marketing angle. Real cranberry compounds help in concentrate form, but kibble doses are small.
- 21vegetablecarrots
Real vegetable. Fiber, beta-carotene, and a small amount of antioxidant value.
- 22mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 23montmorillonite clay
Natural clay used as a binder and anti-caking agent. Functional, not nutritional.
- 24fibermiscanthus grass
Perennial grass used as a fiber source. Replaces cellulose in some recipes. Functional but unremarkable.
- 25mineralzinc proteinate
Zinc bound to protein for better absorption. The premium form of the mineral, versus zinc oxide which sits cheaper on the label.
Showing first 25 of 49. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
21 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.