Backcountry Raw Infused Puppy Recipe + Grains with Chicken & Salmon Freeze-Dried Dry Dog Food, 10-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Merrick Backcountry Raw Infused Puppy Recipe + Grains is a dry food with freeze-dried raw pieces, featuring deboned chicken and chicken as its main proteins, designed for puppies.
This recipe boasts a strong protein profile, starting with deboned chicken, which offers high biological value. It also includes quality carbohydrate sources with declared fiber, and its fat sources are well-defined, featuring marine oil for EPA and DHA.
Nothing concerning in the deck.
Good fit for puppies of all sizes. 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 active large sporting breeds like Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, and Irish Setters navigating diet-associated DCM concerns. Deboned chicken anchors position 1, with zero pulses in the top 15, plus salmon at position 9. 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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.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 78/100, landing in A-tier territory. The biggest contributor was protein quality (+22.5 points): Strong protein profile with deboned chicken as the primary ingredient, delivering high biological value. Also adding to the lift: carbohydrate quality (+13). Quality carbohydrate sources with declared fiber.
Strong protein profile with deboned chicken as the primary ingredient, delivering high biological value.
Quality carbohydrate sources with declared fiber.
Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source).
No negative drivers crossed our reporting threshold.
- Lowest crude fiber in Merrick's lineup (3.9% DMB)
- Top 3% for overall Sniff Score in freeze-dried foods (78/100)
- Bottom 10% for DMB protein in freeze-dried foods (31.5%)
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.
Merrick Healthy Grains Raw-Coated Kibble Real Salmon + Brown Rice Recipe Freeze-Dried Dry Dog Food, 22-lb bag
Scores 1 point higher with a similar formulation profile.
Merrick Healthy Grains Raw-Coated Kibble Puppy Recipe Freeze-Dried Dry Dog Food, 22-lb bag
$3.64/lb vs your seed's $5.60/lb (35% 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 chicken, 2 points lower, 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 animaldeboned chicken
Real meat with the bones removed before grinding. The cleanest version of chicken on an ingredient label.
Position 1: primary protein source. After cooking removes water, this may drop in proportional weight, but it anchors the recipe.
- 2grainbrown rice
Whole grain that's easy to digest. Steady carb energy plus a little fiber.
Position 2: major carbohydrate source.
- 3protein animalchicken meal
Chicken with the water cooked out. Per pound, packs more protein than fresh chicken. See why →
Position 3: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.
- 4grainbarley
Whole grain with a low glycemic profile and some soluble fiber. Easy on blood sugar.
Position 4: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 5oat meal
Alternate spelling of oatmeal. Gentle whole grain, steady carb energy, soluble fiber.
- 6protein animalturkey meal
Turkey with the water cooked out. Per pound, packs more protein than fresh turkey. See why →
Position 6: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 7fatchicken fat
Despite the name, a high-quality energy source. Concentrated calories plus essential fatty acids like linoleic acid. See why →
Position 7: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 8protein plantpotato protein
Concentrated potato protein. Like pea protein, it inflates the protein number without matching meat-quality amino acids.
Position 8: moderate plant-protein boost. Less likely to materially shift the protein profile.
- 9protein animalsalmon
Real fish meat. Natural source of omega-3s, which kibble usually has to add back from oil.
Position 9: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 10othernatural flavor
Legal term for animal-derived flavoring, usually hydrolyzed liver or broth. Adds taste, says nothing about quality.
- 11fibermiscanthus grass
Perennial grass used as a fiber source. Replaces cellulose in some recipes. Functional but unremarkable.
Position 11: trace fiber inclusion.
- 12dried yeast
Natural source of B vitamins and trace minerals. Adds a savory flavor that dogs respond well to.
- 13chicken hearts and livers
Position 13. Small organ inclusion. Functional but not a primary contributor to the protein profile.
- 14fatsalmon oil
Pure omega-3s. The thing skin-and-coat formulas are usually built around.
Position 14. Trace marine oil. Contributes some omega-3 but well below the level that drives EPA/DHA totals.
- 15tapioca starch
Refined cassava starch, used as a binder. Easy to digest, low on nutrition.
- 16mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 17mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 18supplementcholine chloride
Essential nutrient for liver and brain function. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 19mineralzinc amino acid complex
Zinc bound to amino acids for better absorption. Same idea as zinc proteinate, the premium form of the mineral.
- 20mineraliron amino acid complex
Iron bound to amino acids for better absorption. Premium form versus inorganic iron sulfate.
- 21mineralsodium selenite Flagged
Inorganic selenium. Effective at AAFCO levels, no documented safety concern in dogs despite what some pet food blogs claim. Selenium yeast is a marginal upgrade, not a necessity. See why →
- 22mineralmanganese amino acid complex
Manganese bound to amino acids for better absorption. The chelated form most premium brands use.
- 23mineralcopper amino acid complex
Copper bound to amino acids for better absorption. Premium form versus copper sulfate.
- 24mineralcalcium iodate
Source of iodine for thyroid function. Functional, required in complete formulas.
- 25supplementdl-methionine
Essential amino acid. Often added when plant proteins dominate, since methionine is naturally lower in pulses than meat.
Showing first 25 of 28. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
24 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.