Puppy Human-Grade Raw Frozen Chicken Dog Food, 5-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
MAEV Puppy Human-Grade Raw Frozen Chicken Dog Food is a raw frozen food for puppies, primarily featuring chicken and chicken liver.
This formula uses quality carbohydrate sources like sweet potato that provide fermentable fiber, which is good for gut health. It also includes quality fats like fish oil, providing beneficial EPA and DHA. The protein blend is diverse, with chicken, chicken liver, and egg contributing to high bioavailability.
The product does not include an AAFCO statement, which means it's not clear if it meets the nutritional standards for puppies.
Good fit for owners seeking a raw frozen diet for their puppies. Less ideal if you prefer foods with an AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement.
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 4 (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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.
Sniff scored this formula 62/100, landing in B-tier territory. The biggest contributor was carbohydrate quality (+15 points): Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber. 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 (13 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").
Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.
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.
- Lowest fat quality in MAEV's lineup (12/16)
- Top 1% for DMB fat in grain-free wet foods (51.8%)
- Top 1% for crude fiber in grain-free wet foods (25.0% 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.
Instinct FreshRaw Patties Cage-Free Chicken Recipe Dog Food, 6-lb bag
Scores 4 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Stella & Chewy's Chewy's Chicken Patties Frozen Raw Dog Food, 12-lb bag
$7.08/lb vs your seed's $18.76/lb (62% less) at a comparable score.
Surfaced from a vector similarity search across 3,491 scored dog foods. How this works.
Wet and fresh foods contain more water than kibble (typically 65-78%). On a dry-matter basis, this food's protein content is roughly 133%, comparable to premium kibble (typically 30-45% DMB protein).
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.
- 2vegetablesweet potato
Complex carb with fiber and beta-carotene. Gentle on the stomach.
Position 2: meaningful whole-food inclusion. Source of vitamins, antioxidants, or natural fiber.
- 3green beans
Real vegetable. Fiber and a small amount of vitamins. Often used in weight-management formulas because it bulks up a meal without adding calories.
- 4protein 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 4. Named organ meat this high is a strong build choice. Concentrated source of taurine, glutamine, and B-vitamins.
- 5zucchini
- 6peanut butter
- 7egg
Whole eggs. The highest-quality protein on any ingredient label, by amino acid score.
Position 7: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 8mineraltricalcium phosphate
Calcium and phosphorus source. Same role as dicalcium phosphate, slightly different ratio.
- 9fatfish oil
Concentrated omega-3s. The reason 'EPA' and 'DHA' get to show up on the bag.
Position 9. Moderate marine-oil inclusion. Supplements EPA/DHA without being the primary fat.
- 10fiberchicory root
Prebiotic fiber that supports gut bacteria. A genuine functional ingredient, not marketing.
Position 10: functional fiber for digestion or satiety.
- 11fatground flaxseed
Cracked flaxseed for better digestibility. Same plant omega-3s as whole flaxseed, just easier for the dog to extract.
Position 11: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 12mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 13iodine
- 14micronutrient premix
- 15gelatin
- 16bovine colostrum
- 17probiotic blend
- 18vegetablekale
Leafy green with antioxidants and fiber. Small dose in kibble, but it's not just for marketing.
- 19fruitblueberries
Antioxidants, real. But the amount in any kibble is too small to do much. Mostly marketing.
- 20chicken gizzards
12 of 20 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.