New Zealand Chicken Feast Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Dog Food, 17.6-oz bag
Graded by The Sniff System
K9 Natural New Zealand Chicken Feast is a grain-free freeze-dried food featuring chicken and chicken liver as its main protein sources.
This food uses quality carbohydrate sources that provide fermentable fiber, which is good for gut health. It also includes organ meat like chicken liver and named fish like hoki oil and green mussel for diverse, highly bioavailable protein. You'll also find premium micronutrient forms, such as natural vitamin E.
The main thing to note is the absence of an AAFCO statement, which means its nutritional completeness for any life stage is unverified. This lack of verification capped its overall score.
Good fit for dogs whose owners prioritize freeze-dried food with quality ingredients and diverse protein. Less ideal if you need AAFCO verification for nutritional completeness.
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 chicken liver at position 2 (a natural taurine precursor). 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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.
Sniff scored this formula 55/100, landing in C-tier (acceptable-with-notes). The biggest contributor was carbohydrate quality (+12 points): Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber. A hard cap of 59 also applied 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). Even without the cap, the base component scores sit below the next band. The structural fix would need to address AAFCO compliance as well.
Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.
Includes egg, named fish, or organ meat for diverse high-bioavailability protein.
Premium micronutrient forms such as chelated minerals or natural vitamin E.
No AAFCO statement. Nutritional completeness unverified.
- Bottom 3% for caloric density in grain-free freeze-dried foods (195 kcal/cup)
- Top 10% for DMB protein in grain-free freeze-dried foods (52.2%)
- Bottom quartile for crude fiber in grain-free freeze-dried foods (2.7% DMB)
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.
Nature's Diet Fresh Chicken Simply Raw Freeze-Dried Dog Food, 3-lb bag
Scores 16 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
A Better Treat Raw You Can See Chicken Recipe High-Protein Kibble & Raw Freeze-Dried Dog Food, 15-lb bag
$4.67/lb vs your seed's $43.35/lb (89% less) at a comparable score.
Primal Turkey & Sardine Formula Nuggets Grain-Free Raw Freeze-Dried Dog Food, 5.5-oz bag
Turkey instead of chicken, 2 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 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 liver
Organ meat. Dense in protein, iron, vitamin A, and the B vitamins. Among the most nutrient-rich ingredients a dog can eat.
Position 2. Named organ meat this high is a strong build choice. Concentrated source of taurine, glutamine, and B-vitamins.
- 3flaxseed flakes
- 4hoki oil
Position 4: secondary fat. Often where marine oils sit when present alongside a primary land-animal fat.
- 5carrot
Real vegetable. Fiber, beta-carotene, antioxidants. Same as carrots, sometimes singular on labels.
- 6green mussel
Mussel from New Zealand. Natural source of glucosamine and omega-3s. Common in joint-support formulas.
- 7vegetablepumpkin
Soluble fiber that supports stool quality. Mild and well-tolerated.
Position 7: meaningful whole-food inclusion. Source of vitamins, antioxidants, or natural fiber.
- 8vegetablebroccoli
Real vegetable. Adds fiber and some antioxidants. Fine in the small amounts used in kibble.
Position 8: meaningful whole-food inclusion. Source of vitamins, antioxidants, or natural fiber.
- 9supplementdried kelp
Natural source of iodine and trace minerals. A common premium-brand inclusion.
- 10dipotassium phosphate
- 11vitaminvitamin e supplement
Required nutrient and a natural antioxidant. Often pulls double duty as a preservative.
- 12mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 13mineralzinc proteinate
Zinc bound to protein for better absorption. The premium form of the mineral, versus zinc oxide which sits cheaper on the label.
- 14mineraliron proteinate
Iron bound to protein for better absorption. The premium form versus inorganic iron sulfate.
- 15mineralmagnesium oxide
Inorganic magnesium. Functional at AAFCO doses, less efficiently absorbed than chelated forms.
- 16mineralselenium yeast
Organic selenium grown in yeast. The form premium brands use, gentler and more bioavailable than sodium selenite.
- 17mineralcopper proteinate
Copper bound to protein for better absorption. Common in better-formulated diets.
- 18mineralmanganese proteinate
Manganese bound to protein for better absorption. The chelated form most premium brands use.
- 19vitamins
15 of 19 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.