Cold Pressed Puppy & Adult Grain-Free Chicken Recipe Dry Dog Food, 4-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Nulo Cold Pressed Puppy & Adult Grain-Free Chicken Recipe Dry Dog Food is a dry food featuring chicken as its primary protein, suitable for both puppies and adult dogs.
This formula includes quality carbohydrate sources that provide fermentable fiber, which is good for gut health. It also features diverse, highly bioavailable protein sources like chicken, tuna, and spray-dried porcine plasma. The AAFCO formulation is inferred to support growth, meaning it's likely suitable for puppies.
Nothing concerning in the deck.
Good fit for puppies and adult dogs 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 Labrador Retrievers navigating weight management. Working in its favor: crude fiber (6%) helps satiety. At 350 kcal/cup this formula runs on the moderate side, with crude fiber at 6% (above the catalog median, supports satiety). Labs are the canonical food-motivated breed. Weight management is the dominant practical concern, even more than breed-specific health risks. The 2014 AAHA Weight Management Guidelines define overweight as a Body Condition Score (BCS) of 6-7 on a 9-point scale. A score of 8 or 9 indicates obesity, representing 20-30% and >30% above ideal body weight, respectively (Brooks et al., 2014) .
Looking at this for puppy Labrador Retrievers or Labrador Retrievers with weight management ? 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.
- Brooks et al., 2014diagnostic · protocol · satiety· cited in 3 claims
- Raffan et al., 2016genetics
Every claim on Sniff traces to a source. If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.
Solid grade. 64/100 (B) reflects the structural fit of this formula against The Sniff System's eight scoring components. Carbohydrate quality did the heavy lifting (+12 points): Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber. The supporting beat: ingredient diversity (+5 points). Includes egg, named fish, or organ meat for diverse high-bioavailability protein. What's keeping it out of A-tier: protein quality (14 of 27 possible). Full protein quality requires named-species named-cut proteins in the top of the deck (e.g., "deboned chicken" rather than "chicken meal" or "poultry meal").
Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.
Includes egg, named fish, or organ meat for diverse high-bioavailability protein.
AAFCO formulation inferred from declared growth. Verbatim statement not published by retailer.
No negative drivers crossed our reporting threshold.
- Top 1% for DMB fat in grain-free dry kibbles (28.4%)
- Bottom 10% for fat quality in Nulo's lineup (7/16)
- Top quartile for crude fiber in Nulo's lineup (6.8% DMB)
Computed against the rest of our catalog. Percentiles refresh on each catalog update.
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Scores 16 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
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$3.42/lb vs your seed's $20.00/lb (83% less) at a comparable score.
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.
- 2tuna
Position 2: co-primary protein. Two named animal proteins in the top 2 is a strong protein build.
- 3spray-dried porcine plasma
- 4ground miscanthus grass
Same as miscanthus grass. A plant fiber source, mostly there for stool quality.
- 5fruitapples
Real fruit, some fiber and antioxidants. The amount in kibble is too small to matter much.
Position 5: meaningful whole-food inclusion. Source of vitamins, antioxidants, or natural fiber.
- 6vegetablepumpkin
Soluble fiber that supports stool quality. Mild and well-tolerated.
Position 6: meaningful whole-food inclusion. Source of vitamins, antioxidants, or natural fiber.
- 7tuna oil
Position 7: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 8fatsunflower oil
Common plant oil. Useful in moderation for omega-6, though too much skews the omega ratio against the dog's favor.
Position 8: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 9othernatural flavor
Legal term for animal-derived flavoring, usually hydrolyzed liver or broth. Adds taste, says nothing about quality.
- 10mineraltricalcium phosphate
Calcium and phosphorus source. Same role as dicalcium phosphate, slightly different ratio.
- 11coconut glycerin
- 12yeast culture
Fermented yeast. Source of B vitamins and beta-glucans that some research suggests support immune function.
- 13betaine
- 14mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 15preservative 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.
- 16mineralzinc proteinate
Zinc bound to protein for better absorption. The premium form of the mineral, versus zinc oxide which sits cheaper on the label.
- 17mineraliron proteinate
Iron bound to protein for better absorption. The premium form versus inorganic iron sulfate.
- 18mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 19mineralcopper proteinate
Copper bound to protein for better absorption. Common in better-formulated diets.
- 20mineralmanganese proteinate
Manganese bound to protein for better absorption. The chelated form most premium brands use.
- 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 →
- 22mineralcalcium iodate
Source of iodine for thyroid function. Functional, required in complete formulas.
- 23vitaminvitamin e supplement
Required nutrient and a natural antioxidant. Often pulls double duty as a preservative.
- 24vitaminniacin supplement
B vitamin (B3). Required in complete dog foods, added as a supplement to standardize the dose.
- 25vitamincalcium pantothenate
Same as d-calcium pantothenate. Vitamin B5 in standardized form.
Showing first 25 of 39. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
20 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.