Salmon & Brown Rice Recipe with Freeze-Dried Nugs Dry Dog Food, 19-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Kismet Salmon & Brown Rice Recipe with Freeze-Dried Nugs Dry Dog Food is a dry food with freeze-dried pieces, featuring salmon and fish as its main proteins.
This recipe has a strong protein profile, with salmon as the primary ingredient, which means good biological value for your dog. It also includes quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber, and good fat sources like salmon oil, providing beneficial EPA and DHA.
The main thing to watch out for is the absence of an AAFCO statement, which means the nutritional completeness of this food is unverified. This is why the score is capped at 59.
Good fit for dogs whose owners are comfortable with unverified nutritional completeness. Less ideal if you prefer foods with a clear AAFCO statement.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Good fit for lower-energy small companion breeds like French Bulldogs, Bulldogs, and Boston Terriers navigating a sensitive stomach. Salmon leads at position 1, with dried plain beet pulp (prebiotic fiber) at position 10 on the deck. Frenchies have notoriously sensitive GI tracts plus a tendency toward obesity given their low activity needs. Limited-ingredient formulas with moderate calorie density tend to fit them well.
Looking at this for adult French Bulldogs or French Bulldogs with a sensitive stomach ? 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.
- NRC, 2006digestibility · fiber· cited in 2 claims
- AAFCO, 2024zinc
- Swanson et al., 2002prebiotics
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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.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 59/100, landing in C-tier (acceptable-with-notes). The biggest contributor was protein quality (+24 points): Strong protein profile with salmon as the primary ingredient, delivering high biological value. 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).
Strong protein profile with salmon 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 AAFCO statement. Nutritional completeness unverified.
- Bottom 2% for DMB protein in grain-inclusive freeze-dried foods (27.8%)
- Top 10% for protein quality in freeze-dried foods (23.9/27)
- Bottom 2% for DMB fat in grain-inclusive freeze-dried foods (15.6%)
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.
Wellness CORE+ Sensitive Skin & Stomach with Freeze-Dried Pieces Adult Wholesome Grains High-Protein Natural Salmon & Rice Dry Dog Food, 18-lb bag
Scores 21 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Kismet Chicken & Barley Recipe with Freeze-Dried Nugs Dry Dog Food, 9-lb bag
$4.00/lb vs your seed's $4.74/lb (16% less) at a comparable score.
Wellness CORE+ with Freeze-Dried Pieces Adult Wholesome Grains High-Protein Natural Ocean Whitefish, Herring, & Salmon Dry Dog Food, 18-lb bag
Whitefish instead of salmon, 17 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 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 animalsalmon meal
Salmon cooked into a dry concentrate. Carries both protein and natural omega-3s in one ingredient. See why →
Position 2: co-primary protein. Two named animal proteins in the top 2 is a strong protein build.
- 3grainbrown rice
Whole grain that's easy to digest. Steady carb energy plus a little fiber.
Position 3: major carbohydrate source.
- 4grainpearled barley
Barley with the outer hull removed. Easy to digest, steady carb release.
Position 4: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 5protein animalfish meal
Concentrated fish protein, usually whitefish, herring, or mackerel. Strong amino acid profile. See why →
Position 5: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.
- 6brewers rice
Broken rice kernels left over from milling, usually destined for human beer-making. Cheaper than whole or even white rice. Same carbs, less nutrition than the brown version. See why →
Position 6: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 7fatcanola 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 7: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 8protein animalbeef
Real meat. Dense in protein and iron. Some dogs are sensitive to it, but for most it's an excellent base.
Position 8: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 9othernatural flavor
Legal term for animal-derived flavoring, usually hydrolyzed liver or broth. Adds taste, says nothing about quality.
- 10dried plain beet pulp
Beet fiber, with the sugar removed. Long unfairly maligned. It's a real soluble fiber that supports stool quality. See why →
Position 10: functional fiber for digestion or satiety.
- 11fatsalmon oil
Pure omega-3s. The thing skin-and-coat formulas are usually built around.
Position 11. Moderate marine-oil inclusion. Supplements EPA/DHA without being the primary fat.
- 12vegetablesweet potato
Complex carb with fiber and beta-carotene. Gentle on the stomach.
Position 12: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 13vegetablecarrots
Real vegetable. Fiber, beta-carotene, and a small amount of antioxidant value.
Position 13: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 14dried kale
Leafy green with antioxidants and fiber. Small dose in kibble, but it's not just for marketing.
- 15dried apples
Real fruit, some fiber and antioxidants. The amount in kibble is too small to matter much.
- 16fruitcranberries
Often added with a urinary-tract-support marketing angle. Real cranberry compounds help in concentrate form, but kibble doses are small.
- 17mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 18mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 19vitaminvitamin e supplement
Required nutrient and a natural antioxidant. Often pulls double duty as a preservative.
- 20vitaminniacin supplement
B vitamin (B3). Required in complete dog foods, added as a supplement to standardize the dose.
- 21vitamind-calcium pantothenate
B vitamin (B5). Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 22vitaminvitamin a supplement
Vitamin A in stable, standardized form. Required for vision, immune function, and growth.
- 23vitaminriboflavin supplement
B vitamin (B2). Required in complete dog foods. The standardized form ensures consistent dosing.
- 24vitaminthiamine mononitrate
B vitamin (B1). Essential for nervous system function. Cooked-in vitamin loss is why thiamine is always added back.
- 25vitaminpyridoxine hydrochloride
B vitamin (B6). Essential for protein metabolism. Standard inclusion in complete formulas.
Showing first 25 of 40. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
25 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.