FreeStyle Limited Ingredient Pollock & Lentil Recipe High-Protein & Grain-Free Adult & Puppy Dry Dog Food, 24-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Nulo FreeStyle Limited Ingredient Pollock & Lentil Recipe is a dry dog food for adult dogs and puppies, featuring pollock as its main protein.
Pollock provides good protein quality and amino acid coverage. The recipe uses quality carbohydrate sources that include fermentable fiber. It also pairs fresh pollock with pollock meal, which is a good sign for the overall protein structure.
Nothing concerning in the deck.
Good fit for adult dogs and puppies, especially those needing a limited ingredient diet. Nothing serious working against it.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Labs are the canonical food-motivated breed. Weight management is the dominant practical concern, even more than breed-specific health risks. Good fit for active large sporting breeds like Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, and English Setters navigating weight management. At 407 kcal/cup this formula runs on the rich side, with crude fiber at 6% (above the catalog median, supports satiety). 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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.
At 68/100, this formula lands in solid B territory. The lift comes from protein quality, worth 19 points to the final number: Reasonable protein quality. pollock delivers solid amino acid coverage. Secondary contribution comes from carbohydrate quality (+12 points). Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber. The 7-point gap to the A-tier line is concentrated in fat-quality declaration (7 of 16 possible). Full fat-quality declaration requires a named-species animal fat (e.g., chicken fat, salmon oil) plus a marine oil with declared EPA/DHA milligram content.
Reasonable protein quality. pollock delivers solid amino acid coverage.
Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.
Named fresh meat paired with same-species meal, a strong extrusion architecture.
No negative drivers crossed our reporting threshold.
- Bottom 10% for fat quality in Nulo's lineup (7/16)
- Top quartile for crude fiber in Nulo's lineup (6.7% DMB)
- Bottom quartile for DMB protein in Nulo's lineup (33.3%)
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.
Nulo Frontrunner Ancient Grains Pork, Barley, & Beef Recipe High-Protein Adult Dry Dog Food, 25-lb bag
Scores 12 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Nulo Freestyle Grain-Free Salmon & Peas Recipe Dry Dog Food, 26-lb bag
$3.42/lb vs your seed's $3.92/lb (13% 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.
- 1pollock
Position 1: primary protein source. After cooking removes water, this may drop in proportional weight, but it anchors the recipe.
- 2legumelentils
Same concern as peas. Affordable plant protein, but when they pile up in the top 5 ingredients, it's a flag. See why →
Position 2. Pulse-family ingredient this high in the deck is a notable build choice. When stacked with other pulses in the top 10, matches the formulation pattern the FDA flagged in its diet-associated DCM investigation.
- 3pollock meal
Position 3: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.
- 4fatcanola oil
Plant oil. Some omega-3 from the parent plant, though dogs absorb it less efficiently than fish-derived omega-3. Fine in moderation.
Position 4: secondary fat. Often where marine oils sit when present alongside a primary land-animal fat.
- 5vegetablesweet potato
Complex carb with fiber and beta-carotene. Gentle on the stomach.
Position 5: meaningful whole-food inclusion. Source of vitamins, antioxidants, or natural fiber.
- 6fatground flaxseed
Cracked flaxseed for better digestibility. Same plant omega-3s as whole flaxseed, just easier for the dog to extract.
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.
- 8ground miscanthus grass
Same as miscanthus grass. A plant fiber source, mostly there for stool quality.
- 9mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 10supplementdl-methionine
Essential amino acid. Often added when plant proteins dominate, since methionine is naturally lower in pulses than meat.
- 11mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 12supplementcholine chloride
Essential nutrient for liver and brain function. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 13supplementtaurine
Amino acid critical for heart health. Especially important in grain-free or pulse-heavy formulas where natural taurine precursors run thin.
- 14vitaminvitamin e supplement
Required nutrient and a natural antioxidant. Often pulls double duty as a preservative.
- 15fiberdried chicory root
Natural prebiotic. Feeds beneficial gut bacteria. The same compound (inulin) used in human gut-health products.
Position 15: trace fiber inclusion.
- 16mineralzinc proteinate
Zinc bound to protein for better absorption. The premium form of the mineral, versus zinc oxide which sits cheaper on the label.
- 17mineralzinc sulfate
Inorganic zinc. Effective at AAFCO doses but less well-absorbed than chelated forms like zinc proteinate.
- 18l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate
A stable form of vitamin C used in pet food. Provides antioxidant support and survives processing better than plain ascorbic acid.
- 19mineraliron proteinate
Iron bound to protein for better absorption. The premium form versus inorganic iron sulfate.
- 20vitaminniacin supplement
B vitamin (B3). Required in complete dog foods, added as a supplement to standardize the dose.
- 21mineralferrous sulfate
Inorganic iron. Standard mineral source. Iron proteinate is the gentler, better-absorbed premium form.
- 22mineralcopper proteinate
Copper bound to protein for better absorption. Common in better-formulated diets.
- 23mineralcopper sulfate
Inorganic copper. Standard, effective at small doses. Premium formulas tend to use copper proteinate instead.
- 24vitaminvitamin a supplement
Vitamin A in stable, standardized form. Required for vision, immune function, and growth.
- 25mineralmanganese proteinate
Manganese bound to protein for better absorption. The chelated form most premium brands use.
Showing first 25 of 39. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
23 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.