Healthy Grains Raw-Coated Kibble Puppy Recipe Freeze-Dried Dry Dog Food, 22-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Merrick Healthy Grains Raw-Coated Kibble Puppy Recipe is a freeze-dried raw-coated dry food for puppies, featuring deboned chicken as its main protein.
This recipe has a strong protein profile, with deboned chicken as the first ingredient, providing high biological value. It also includes quality carbohydrate sources with declared fiber, and good fat sources like named chicken fat and marine oil for EPA and DHA.
Nothing concerning in the deck.
Good fit for puppies of any size. Nothing serious working against it.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Good fit for puppy Saint Bernards and similar lower-energy working breeds navigating diet-associated DCM concerns. Deboned chicken anchors position 1, with zero pulses in the top 15, plus chicken giblets at position 15 (a natural taurine precursor) and salmon meal at position 8. What we'd flag: calorie density (495 kcal/cup) is rich for a lower-activity breed. As of the FDA's June 2019 update on diet-associated DCM, the Saint Bernard was one of the most reported breeds, with 10 cases submitted to the agency (FDA, 2019) .
Looking at this for puppy Saint Bernards or Saint Bernards 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, 2022epidemiology · breed predisposition· cited in 4 claims
- FDA, 2019cardiac concerns with named research if dcm predisposed · diet composition· cited in 3 claims
- OFAcardiac concerns with named research if dcm predisposed
Every claim on Sniff traces to a source. If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.
Strong grade. 75/100 (A) reflects the structural fit of this formula against The Sniff System's eight scoring components. Protein quality did the heavy lifting (+22 points): Strong protein profile with deboned chicken as the primary ingredient, delivering high biological value. The supporting beat: carbohydrate quality (+13 points). 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.
- Top 3% for caloric density in freeze-dried foods (495 kcal/cup)
- Bottom 10% for DMB protein in freeze-dried foods (31.5%)
- Top 10% for overall Sniff Score in freeze-dried foods (75/100)
Computed against the rest of our catalog. Percentiles refresh on each catalog update.
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Scores 7 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
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Beef instead of chicken, 15 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.
- 4oat meal
Alternate spelling of oatmeal. Gentle whole grain, steady carb energy, soluble fiber.
- 5grainbarley
Whole grain with a low glycemic profile and some soluble fiber. Easy on blood sugar.
Position 5: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 6fatchicken fat
Despite the name, a high-quality energy source. Concentrated calories plus essential fatty acids like linoleic acid. See why →
Position 6: secondary fat. Often where marine oils sit when present alongside a primary land-animal fat.
- 7othernatural flavor
Legal term for animal-derived flavoring, usually hydrolyzed liver or broth. Adds taste, says nothing about quality.
- 8protein animalsalmon meal
Salmon cooked into a dry concentrate. Carries both protein and natural omega-3s in one ingredient. See why →
Position 8: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 9dried egg product
Whole eggs with the water removed. Same nutritional value as fresh eggs, just shelf-stable.
Position 9: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 10protein animalturkey meal
Turkey with the water cooked out. Per pound, packs more protein than fresh turkey. See why →
Position 10: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 11fatflaxseed
Plant source of omega-3. Helpful for skin and coat, though dogs absorb omega-3 from fish more efficiently.
Position 11: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 12dried yeast
Natural source of B vitamins and trace minerals. Adds a savory flavor that dogs respond well to.
- 13fatsunflower oil
Common plant oil. Useful in moderation for omega-6, though too much skews the omega ratio against the dog's favor.
Position 13: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 14fibermiscanthus grass
Perennial grass used as a fiber source. Replaces cellulose in some recipes. Functional but unremarkable.
Position 14: trace fiber inclusion.
- 15chicken giblets
Position 15. Small organ inclusion. Functional but not a primary contributor to the protein profile.
- 16fatsalmon oil
Pure omega-3s. The thing skin-and-coat formulas are usually built around.
- 17mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 18mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 19supplementalfalfa meal
Dried alfalfa. Real fiber and trace minerals. Functional plant ingredient.
- 20supplementcholine chloride
Essential nutrient for liver and brain function. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 21fruitapples
Real fruit, some fiber and antioxidants. The amount in kibble is too small to matter much.
- 22vegetablecarrots
Real vegetable. Fiber, beta-carotene, and a small amount of antioxidant value.
- 23tapioca
Starch from cassava root. Highly digestible energy source, but pure starch with minimal nutrition beyond that.
- 24mineraliron amino acid complex
Iron bound to amino acids for better absorption. Premium form versus inorganic iron sulfate.
- 25mineralzinc amino acid complex
Zinc bound to amino acids for better absorption. Same idea as zinc proteinate, the premium form of the mineral.
Showing first 25 of 40. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
24 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.