Burger with Cheddar Cheese Flavor Dry Dog Food, 6-oz pouch, case of 36
Graded by The Sniff System
Moist & Meaty Burger with Cheddar Cheese Flavor Dry Dog Food is a soft-moist dry food, with meat by-products as the first ingredient.
There isn't much to highlight here. The product lacks an AAFCO statement, which is the basic nutritional completeness guarantee for dog food.
This food contains several flagged ingredients, including unspecified meat by-products, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, and artificial colors. It also contains ethoxyquin, a synthetic antioxidant with safety concerns.
This food is hard to recommend for any dog due to its extensive flagged ingredients and the lack of an AAFCO 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 like Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, and Irish Setters navigating diet-associated DCM concerns. Meat by-products anchors position 1, with zero pulses in the top 15. In its 2022 update on diet-associated DCM, the FDA identified Golden Retrievers as the most reported breed, with 121 cases out of 1,382 total canine reports (8.8%) received between January 1, 2014, and November 1, 2022 (FDA, 2022) .
Looking at this for adult 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 3 cited studies relevant to its profile. Each link opens the original source.
- FDA, 2022cardiac · epidemiology · breed predisposition· cited in 5 claims
- FDA, 2019diet composition· cited in 2 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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.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 0/100, landing in F-tier (avoid). A hard cap of 39 also applied because multiple FLAG-tier ingredients are stacked in the formula. Even without the cap, the base component scores sit below the next band. The structural fix would need to address controversial-ingredient penalty as well.
No positive drivers crossed our reporting threshold.
- Lowest fat quality in grain-inclusive dry kibbles (2/16)
- Lowest overall Sniff Score in grain-inclusive dry kibbles (0/100)
- Bottom 2% for carb quality in grain-inclusive dry kibbles (9/16)
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.
Purina Beneful Originals with Farm-Raised Beef Real Meat Dog Food, 36-lb bag
Scores 56 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Kibbles 'n Bits Original Adult Savory Beef & Chicken Flavors Dry Dog Food, 45-lb bag
$0.60/lb vs your seed's $1.37/lb (56% less) at a comparable score.
Surfaced from a vector similarity search across 3,491 scored dog foods. How this works.
Controversial ingredients · 6
- meat by-productsUnspecified species. AAFCO definition allows organs, blood, bone. but the lack of a named source means quality and consistency are not auditable.
- high fructose corn syrupAdded sugar. No nutritional purpose in dog food; commonly added to semi-moist treats for palatability.
- corn syrupAdded sugar. No nutritional purpose in dog food; commonly added to semi-moist treats for palatability.
- ethoxyquinSynthetic antioxidant originally developed as a rubber stabilizer. The FDA asked manufacturers to voluntarily reduce levels in 1997. Often present in fish meal without being declared on the label.
- yellow 6Artificial color with no nutritional value.
- red 40Artificial color with no nutritional value. Linked to behavioral effects in children; relevance to dogs is unclear but the ingredient serves only marketing purposes.
Every flagged ingredient has a published basis (confirmed harm / regulatory action / precautionary). See methodology →
Wet and fresh foods contain more water than kibble (typically 65-78%). On a dry-matter basis, this food's protein content is roughly 27%, comparable to premium kibble (typically 30-45% DMB protein).
Read why each ingredient is good or bad for dogs.
- 1protein animalmeat by-products Flagged
Unnamed organ meats and tissue. Could be nutritious, but no species is listed, so quality varies by batch.
Position 1: primary protein source. After cooking removes water, this may drop in proportional weight, but it anchors the recipe.
- 2soy flour
Refined soy. Cheap plant protein, common in budget formulas. Pads the protein percent without matching meat amino acids.
- 3soy grits
- 4high fructose corn syrup Flagged
- 5wheat flour
Refined wheat, usually used as a binder. Cheap, not harmful, not a nutrition contributor.
Position 5: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 6water
Just water. Counted on the label of any wet or fresh food. The number tells you the moisture content.
- 7othercorn syrup Flagged
Added sugar, usually for palatability or moisture. Dogs don't need added sugar. Common in semi-moist treats. See why →
- 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.
- 9phosphoric acid
- 10mineralcalcium carbonate
Source of calcium. Functional. Required in complete dog foods, especially those without bone-in meat meals.
- 11animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols
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.
- 13vegetable oil
Unnamed plant oil. Could be soy, canola, corn, or a blend. Named oils like sunflower or canola are more transparent.
Position 13: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 14sorbic acid
- 15cheese powder
- 16calcium propionate
- 17mineralzinc sulfate
Inorganic zinc. Effective at AAFCO doses but less well-absorbed than chelated forms like zinc proteinate.
- 18mineralferrous sulfate
Inorganic iron. Standard mineral source. Iron proteinate is the gentler, better-absorbed premium form.
- 19mineralmanganese sulfate
Inorganic manganese. Functional but less well-absorbed than the chelated proteinate form.
- 20mineralcopper sulfate
Inorganic copper. Standard, effective at small doses. Premium formulas tend to use copper proteinate instead.
- 21mineralcalcium iodate
Source of iodine for thyroid function. Functional, required in complete formulas.
- 22mineralsodium 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 →
- 23supplementdl-methionine
Essential amino acid. Often added when plant proteins dominate, since methionine is naturally lower in pulses than meat.
- 24supplementcholine chloride
Essential nutrient for liver and brain function. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 25preservative syntheticethoxyquin Flagged
Synthetic preservative originally developed as a herbicide. Common in fish meal, sometimes not on the label because suppliers add it before delivery. Banned in human food. See why →
Showing first 25 of 28. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
18 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.