New Zealand Hoki & Beef Feast Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Dog Food, 4-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
K9 Natural New Zealand Hoki & Beef Feast is a freeze-dried dog food featuring beef, beef heart, beef liver, and hoki fish.
This food offers good protein quality, with beef providing solid amino acid coverage. It also includes diverse, highly bioavailable protein sources like beef heart, beef liver, and hoki fish. The carbohydrate sources are of good quality and provide fermentable fiber.
The main thing to note is the absence of an AAFCO statement, which means the nutritional completeness of this food is unverified. This absence also capped its overall score.
Good fit for owners seeking a freeze-dried food with diverse protein sources. Less ideal if you require AAFCO verification.
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. Beef anchors position 1, with zero pulses in the top 15, plus beef heart 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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.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 58/100, landing in C-tier (acceptable-with-notes). The biggest contributor was protein quality (+17 points): Reasonable protein quality. beef delivers solid amino acid coverage. 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). If the brand publishing the AAFCO statement were on the label, the cap would lift and this formula could clear the B-band threshold (60).
Reasonable protein quality. beef delivers solid amino acid coverage.
Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.
Includes egg, named fish, or organ meat for diverse high-bioavailability protein.
No AAFCO statement. Nutritional completeness unverified.
- Bottom 10% for caloric density in grain-free freeze-dried foods (203 kcal/cup)
- Top quartile for DMB protein in grain-free freeze-dried foods (50.0%)
- 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.
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Scores 12 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
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Salmon instead of beef, 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 animalbeef
Real meat. Dense in protein and iron. Some dogs are sensitive to it, but for most it's an excellent base.
Position 1: primary protein source. After cooking removes water, this may drop in proportional weight, but it anchors the recipe.
- 2protein animalbeef heart
Position 2. Named organ meat this high is a strong build choice. Concentrated source of taurine, glutamine, and B-vitamins.
- 3beef tripe
Stomach lining. Strong-smelling but nutrient-dense, with natural digestive enzymes.
Position 3. Named organ meat this high is a strong build choice. Concentrated source of taurine, glutamine, and B-vitamins.
- 4hoki fish
- 5protein animalbeef liver
Organ meat. Among the most nutrient-dense ingredients available, rich in B vitamins, iron, and vitamin A.
Position 5. Named organ meat this high is a strong build choice. Concentrated source of taurine, glutamine, and B-vitamins.
- 6beef lung
Organ meat. Lean, protein-dense, real-food inclusion. More common in raw and freeze-dried diets.
Position 6: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 7fatsunflower oil
Common plant oil. Useful in moderation for omega-6, though too much skews the omega ratio against the dog's favor.
Position 7: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 8flaxseed flakes
- 9carrot
Real vegetable. Fiber, beta-carotene, antioxidants. Same as carrots, sometimes singular on labels.
- 10green mussel
Mussel from New Zealand. Natural source of glucosamine and omega-3s. Common in joint-support formulas.
- 11vegetablepumpkin
Soluble fiber that supports stool quality. Mild and well-tolerated.
Position 11: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 12vegetablebroccoli
Real vegetable. Adds fiber and some antioxidants. Fine in the small amounts used in kibble.
Position 12: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 13supplementdried kelp
Natural source of iodine and trace minerals. A common premium-brand inclusion.
- 14dipotassium phosphate
- 15vitaminvitamin e supplement
Required nutrient and a natural antioxidant. Often pulls double duty as a preservative.
- 16mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 17mineralzinc proteinate
Zinc bound to protein for better absorption. The premium form of the mineral, versus zinc oxide which sits cheaper on the label.
- 18mineraliron proteinate
Iron bound to protein for better absorption. The premium form versus inorganic iron sulfate.
- 19mineralmagnesium oxide
Inorganic magnesium. Functional at AAFCO doses, less efficiently absorbed than chelated forms.
- 20mineralselenium yeast
Organic selenium grown in yeast. The form premium brands use, gentler and more bioavailable than sodium selenite.
- 21mineralcopper proteinate
Copper bound to protein for better absorption. Common in better-formulated diets.
- 22mineralmanganese proteinate
Manganese bound to protein for better absorption. The chelated form most premium brands use.
- 23vitaminthiamine mononitrate
B vitamin (B1). Essential for nervous system function. Cooked-in vitamin loss is why thiamine is always added back.
- 24beta-carotene
- 25vitaminfolic acid
B vitamin (B9), essential for cell function. Standard in complete dog foods.
Showing first 25 of 26. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
20 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.