Lil' Plates Petite Pates Grain-Free Small Breed Wet Dog Food, Variety Pack, 3-oz can, case of 12
Graded by The Sniff System
Merrick Lil' Plates Petite Pates Grain-Free Small Breed Wet Dog Food is a wet food with deboned chicken as its primary protein.
Deboned chicken is the first ingredient, providing good protein quality and amino acid coverage. The formula also includes chicken giblets and dried egg product, which add diverse, highly bioavailable protein sources.
The formula contains guar gum, an emulsifier that carries a minor penalty in canned foods due to emerging microbiome data, though there's no canine clinical evidence yet.
Good fit for small breed dogs who prefer wet food. 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 adult Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and similar moderately active toy breeds navigating diet-associated DCM concerns. Deboned chicken anchors position 1, with zero pulses in the top 15, plus chicken giblets at position 3 (a natural taurine precursor). The FDA's 2019 investigation update on diet-associated DCM included 13 reported cases in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, making them one of the top 15 most frequently reported breeds at that time (FDA, 2019) .
Looking at this for adult Cavalier King Charles Spaniels or Cavalier King Charles Spaniels 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 · diet composition· cited in 3 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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.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 50/100, landing in C-tier (acceptable-with-notes). The biggest contributor was protein quality (+15 points): Reasonable protein quality. deboned chicken delivers solid amino acid coverage. The biggest detractor was controversial-ingredient penalty (-5 points): Contains guar gum. Emerging microbiome data on emulsifiers; no canine clinical evidence. Minor penalty in canned food. To reach B-tier, this formula would need to gain about 10 points, most likely through controversial-ingredient penalty.
Reasonable protein quality. deboned chicken delivers solid amino acid coverage.
Includes egg, named fish, or organ meat for diverse high-bioavailability protein.
AAFCO formulation inferred from declared not stated. Verbatim statement not published by retailer.
Contains guar gum. Emerging microbiome data on emulsifiers; no canine clinical evidence. Minor penalty in canned food..
- Bottom 2% for overall Sniff Score in Merrick's lineup (50/100)
- Top 10% for crude fiber in Merrick's lineup (9.1% DMB)
- Bottom 10% for protein quality in Merrick's lineup (15.2/27)
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 Lil' Plates Grain-Free Small Breed Wet Dog Food Pint-Sized Puppy Plate, 3.5-oz tub, case of 12
Scores 16 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Merrick Chunky Grain-Free Wet Dog Food Colossal Chicken Dinner, 12.7-oz can, case of 12
$5.14/lb vs your seed's $10.21/lb (50% 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 36%, comparable to premium kibble (typically 30-45% DMB protein).
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.
- 2chicken broth
Real broth, adds flavor and moisture. Negligible nutrition on its own but tells you the recipe leans on real meat.
Position 2: co-primary protein. Two named animal proteins in the top 2 is a strong protein build.
- 3chicken giblets
Position 3. Named organ meat this high is a strong build choice. Concentrated source of taurine, glutamine, and B-vitamins.
- 4dried egg product
Whole eggs with the water removed. Same nutritional value as fresh eggs, just shelf-stable.
Position 4: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.
- 5othernatural flavor
Legal term for animal-derived flavoring, usually hydrolyzed liver or broth. Adds taste, says nothing about quality.
- 6green 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.
- 7vegetablecarrots
Real vegetable. Fiber, beta-carotene, and a small amount of antioxidant value.
Position 7: meaningful whole-food inclusion. Source of vitamins, antioxidants, or natural fiber.
- 8flaxseed oil
Position 8: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 9mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 10mineralzinc sulfate
Inorganic zinc. Effective at AAFCO doses but less well-absorbed than chelated forms like zinc proteinate.
- 11mineralferrous sulfate
Inorganic iron. Standard mineral source. Iron proteinate is the gentler, better-absorbed premium form.
- 12mineralcopper sulfate
Inorganic copper. Standard, effective at small doses. Premium formulas tend to use copper proteinate instead.
- 13mineralmanganese sulfate
Inorganic manganese. Functional but less well-absorbed than the chelated proteinate form.
- 14mineralpotassium iodide
Source of iodine, an essential trace mineral for thyroid function. Required for AAFCO-complete formulas.
- 15mineralsodium 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 →
- 16fiberguar gum
Thickener common in wet food. Emerging research on emulsifiers and the gut microbiome, but no smoking gun in dogs yet. See why →
- 17mineralcalcium carbonate
Source of calcium. Functional. Required in complete dog foods, especially those without bone-in meat meals.
- 18supplementcholine chloride
Essential nutrient for liver and brain function. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 19mineralmagnesium sulfate
Source of magnesium, a required mineral. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 20sage
- 21supplementrosemary
- 22thyme. c287124; lil' plates petite pate turkey dinner : deboned turkey
- 23protein animalchicken
Real meat. Primary protein source, with the amino acid profile dogs actually evolved to eat.
- 24turkey broth
Real broth from named meat. Adds flavor and moisture, signals a recipe that leans on real meat.
- 25turkey giblets
Showing first 25 of 64. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
19 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.