Chicken & Quail Mini Patties Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food, 14-oz bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Nature's Advantage Chicken & Quail Mini Patties is a freeze-dried raw dog food primarily featuring chicken and quail.
This food uses quality fat sources, including herring oil for EPA and DHA, and good carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber from ingredients like carrots and blueberries. It also includes organ meats like chicken liver and heart for diverse, highly bioavailable protein.
The main thing to note is the absence of an AAFCO statement, which means its nutritional completeness is unverified. This lack of verification capped its overall score.
Good fit for owners seeking a freeze-dried raw food with quality ingredients. Less ideal if you require AAFCO verification for nutritional completeness.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
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) . 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 3 (a natural taurine precursor) and herring oil at position 8.
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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.
At 59/100, this formula lands mid-pack. The lift comes from fat quality, worth 12 points to the final number: Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source). The ceiling on this score is 59, set because the AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement isn't disclosed on the retailer page (so our methodology can't verify the formula meets adult, growth, or all-life-stages standards). The fix path: the brand publishing the AAFCO statement. That would lift the cap and put this formula above the B-band line at 60.
Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source).
Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.
Includes egg, named fish, or organ meat for diverse high-bioavailability protein.
No AAFCO statement. Nutritional completeness unverified.
- Bottom quartile for DMB protein in grain-free freeze-dried foods (38.0%)
- Bottom quartile for protein quality in grain-free freeze-dried foods (13.6/27)
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.
Nature's Diet Fresh Chicken Simply Raw Freeze-Dried Dog Food, 3-lb bag
Scores 12 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Nature's Diet Raw Coated Kibble Raw Chicken Liver & Bone Broth Coating Freeze-Dried Dog Food, 5-lb bag
$5.40/lb vs your seed's $37.70/lb (86% less) at a comparable score.
Primal Turkey & Sardine Formula Nuggets Grain-Free Raw Freeze-Dried Dog Food, 5.5-oz bag
Turkey 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 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.
- 2quail
Position 2: co-primary protein. Two named animal proteins in the top 2 is a strong protein build.
- 3protein 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 3. Named organ meat this high is a strong build choice. Concentrated source of taurine, glutamine, and B-vitamins.
- 4protein animalchicken heart
Organ meat. Dense in taurine, B vitamins, and CoQ10. One of the best ingredients dogs can eat.
Position 4. Named organ meat this high is a strong build choice. Concentrated source of taurine, glutamine, and B-vitamins.
- 5carrot
Real vegetable. Fiber, beta-carotene, antioxidants. Same as carrots, sometimes singular on labels.
- 6vegetablebroccoli
Real vegetable. Adds fiber and some antioxidants. Fine in the small amounts used in kibble.
Position 6: meaningful whole-food inclusion. Source of vitamins, antioxidants, or natural fiber.
- 7blueberry
- 8herring oil
Concentrated omega-3 from herring. Same role as salmon oil, skin and coat support.
Position 8: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 9preservative naturalmixed tocopherols
Natural vitamin E used to keep fats from going rancid. The good kind of preservative. See why →
Natural preservative. Methodologically preferred over synthetic alternatives.
- 10apple
Real fruit, some fiber and antioxidants. The amount in kibble is too small to matter much.
- 11tomato
- 12orange
- 13cranberry
Same as cranberries. Real ingredient, dose in kibble is small.
- 14vegetablepumpkin
Soluble fiber that supports stool quality. Mild and well-tolerated.
Position 14: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 15vegetablespinach
Leafy green. Some iron, vitamin K, and fiber. The dose in kibble is small but it's real food.
Position 15: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 16beet
- 17cherry
- 18strawberry
- 19vitaminvitamin e supplement
Required nutrient and a natural antioxidant. Often pulls double duty as a preservative.
12 of 19 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.