RawBoost Adult High Protein Grain-Free Real Salmon Recipe Dry Dog Food, 19-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Instinct RawBoost Adult High Protein Grain-Free Real Salmon Recipe is a dry dog food for adults, featuring salmon and other fish as its main protein sources.
Salmon as the first ingredient provides good protein quality and amino acid coverage. The formula also includes quality fat sources, like marine oil, which is a good source of EPA and DHA. Plus, the inclusion of named fish and organ meat adds to the protein diversity and bioavailability.
There are no notable negative drivers or flagged ingredients identified in this formula. The ingredient deck appears clean from that perspective.
Good fit for adult dogs who need a high-protein diet. 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 adult Australian Shepherds navigating skin allergies. The protein deck is built around a single species (salmon). Aussies are working-line dogs that thrive on high-protein performance formulas. Coat quality also benefits from EPA+DHA. Zinc is essential for skin immunity and healing; the NRC (2006) established a recommended allowance of 20 mg of zinc per 1000 kcal ME for adult dogs at maintenance (NRC, 2006) .
Looking at this for adult Australian Shepherds or Australian Shepherds 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 62/100, landing in B-tier territory. The biggest contributor was protein quality (+17 points): Reasonable protein quality. salmon delivers solid amino acid coverage. Also adding to the lift: fat quality (+12). Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source). The 13-point gap to A-tier sits mostly in protein quality (17 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").
Reasonable protein quality. salmon delivers solid amino acid coverage.
Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source).
Includes egg, named fish, or organ meat for diverse high-bioavailability protein.
No negative drivers crossed our reporting threshold.
- Bottom quartile for DMB fat in Instinct's lineup (16.5%)
- Top quartile for DMB protein in dry kibbles (34.6%)
- Bottom quartile for crude fiber in Instinct's lineup (4.9% DMB)
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.
Instinct Raw Boost Puppy Whole Grain Real Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food, 3.5-lb bag
Scores 18 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Instinct Original Adult Grain-Free Real Chicken Recipe Dry Dog Food, 22.5-lb bag
$3.47/lb vs your seed's $5.00/lb (31% less) at a comparable score.
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 animalsalmon
Real fish meat. Natural source of omega-3s, which kibble usually has to add back from oil.
Position 1: primary protein source. After cooking removes water, this may drop in proportional weight, but it anchors the recipe.
- 2protein animalfish meal
Concentrated fish protein, usually whitefish, herring, or mackerel. Strong amino acid profile. See why →
Position 2: co-primary protein. Two named animal proteins in the top 2 is a strong protein build.
- 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.
- 4fatcanola 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 4: secondary fat. Often where marine oils sit when present alongside a primary land-animal fat.
- 5tapioca
Starch from cassava root. Highly digestible energy source, but pure starch with minimal nutrition beyond that.
- 6dried yeast
Natural source of B vitamins and trace minerals. Adds a savory flavor that dogs respond well to.
- 7white fish meal
Position 7: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 8vegetablesweet potato
Complex carb with fiber and beta-carotene. Gentle on the stomach.
Position 8: meaningful whole-food inclusion. Source of vitamins, antioxidants, or natural fiber.
- 9legumechickpeas
Also called garbanzo beans. Affordable plant protein source, part of the legume stack the FDA examined in its heart-disease investigation. See why →
Position 9. Moderate inclusion. Contributes carbohydrate and some plant protein.
- 10othernatural flavor
Legal term for animal-derived flavoring, usually hydrolyzed liver or broth. Adds taste, says nothing about quality.
- 11freeze-dried beef
Position 11: trace protein. Likely there for amino-acid diversity or label appeal more than nutritional weight.
- 12freeze-dried beef liver
- 13freeze-dried beef spleen
- 14pumpkin seeds
- 15dried tomato pomace
The fiber-rich byproduct of tomato processing. Sometimes flagged unfairly. It's a real fiber source, not a filler shortcut.
Position 15: trace fiber inclusion.
- 16freeze-dried beef kidneys
- 17montmorillonite clay
Natural clay used as a binder and anti-caking agent. Functional, not nutritional.
- 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.
- 20vegetablecarrots
Real vegetable. Fiber, beta-carotene, and a small amount of antioxidant value.
- 21fruitcranberries
Often added with a urinary-tract-support marketing angle. Real cranberry compounds help in concentrate form, but kibble doses are small.
- 22fatground flaxseed
Cracked flaxseed for better digestibility. Same plant omega-3s as whole flaxseed, just easier for the dog to extract.
- 23fibermiscanthus grass
Perennial grass used as a fiber source. Replaces cellulose in some recipes. Functional but unremarkable.
- 24supplementcholine chloride
Essential nutrient for liver and brain function. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 25vitaminvitamin e supplement
Required nutrient and a natural antioxidant. Often pulls double duty as a preservative.
Showing first 25 of 51. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
19 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.