Max Puppy Farm-Raised Chicken Recipe Natural Dry Dog Food, 12-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Nutro Max Puppy Farm-Raised Chicken Recipe is a dry food for puppies, featuring chicken as its main protein source.
This formula offers good protein quality, with chicken meal providing solid amino acid coverage. It also includes quality fat sources, like named fat and marine oil, which is a good source of EPA and DHA. The carbohydrate sources are also considered quality, providing fermentable fiber.
Nothing concerning in the deck.
Good fit for puppies 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 active small hounds like Beagles, Dachshunds, and Boston Terriers. Chicken meal leads the deck at position 1, 29% DMB protein, 380 kcal/cup. Musladin-Lueke Syndrome (MLS) in Beagles is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by an ADAMTSL2 gene mutation. An estimated 10% of the breed population are carriers of this mutation.
Looking at this for puppy Beagles ? 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.
Solid grade. 65/100 (B) reflects the structural fit of this formula against The Sniff System's eight scoring components. Protein quality did the heavy lifting (+16 points): Reasonable protein quality. chicken meal delivers solid amino acid coverage. The supporting beat: fat quality (+12 points). Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source). What's keeping it out of A-tier: protein quality (16 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").
Reasonable protein quality. chicken meal delivers solid amino acid coverage.
Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source).
Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.
No negative drivers crossed our reporting threshold.
- Top quartile for caloric density in Nutro's lineup (380 kcal/cup)
- Bottom quartile for crude fiber in Nutro's lineup (4.4% DMB)
- Top quartile for fat quality in Nutro's lineup (12/16)
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.
Nutro Ultra Puppy High Protein Trio of Proteins Chicken, Lamb & Salmon Dry Dog Food, 12-lb bag
Scores 9 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Nutro Max Puppy Large Breed Farm-Raised Chicken Recipe Natural Dry Dog Food, 25-lb bag
$2.20/lb vs your seed's $2.67/lb (17% 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 meal
Chicken with the water cooked out. Per pound, packs more protein than fresh chicken. See why →
Position 1: primary protein source. After cooking removes water, this may drop in proportional weight, but it anchors the recipe.
- 2grainbarley
Whole grain with a low glycemic profile and some soluble fiber. Easy on blood sugar.
Position 2: major carbohydrate source.
- 3protein animalchicken
Real meat. Primary protein source, with the amino acid profile dogs actually evolved to eat.
Position 3: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.
- 4grainsorghum
Whole grain with a low glycemic index. Gluten-free, well-tolerated, decent fiber content.
Position 4: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 5brewers rice
Broken rice kernels left over from milling, usually destined for human beer-making. Cheaper than whole or even white rice. Same carbs, less nutrition than the brown version. See why →
Position 5: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 6fatchicken fat
Despite the name, a high-quality energy source. Concentrated calories plus essential fatty acids like linoleic acid. See why →
Position 6: secondary fat. Often where marine oils sit when present alongside a primary land-animal fat.
- 7split peas
Position 7. Moderate inclusion. Contributes carbohydrate and some plant protein.
- 8dried plain beet pulp
Beet fiber, with the sugar removed. Long unfairly maligned. It's a real soluble fiber that supports stool quality. See why →
Position 8: functional fiber for digestion or satiety.
- 9protein plantpea protein
Concentrated plant protein. Inflates the protein number on the label without matching the amino acid quality of meat.
Position 9. Moderate inclusion. Contributes carbohydrate and some plant protein.
- 10othernatural flavor
Legal term for animal-derived flavoring, usually hydrolyzed liver or broth. Adds taste, says nothing about quality.
- 11fatflaxseed
Plant source of omega-3. Helpful for skin and coat, though dogs absorb omega-3 from fish more efficiently.
Position 11: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 12mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 13fatfish oil
Concentrated omega-3s. The reason 'EPA' and 'DHA' get to show up on the bag.
Position 13. Trace marine oil. Contributes some omega-3 but well below the level that drives EPA/DHA totals.
- 14mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 15supplementcholine chloride
Essential nutrient for liver and brain function. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 16mineraldicalcium phosphate
Calcium and phosphorus combined. Required source of both minerals, especially in formulas without much bone content.
- 17preservative naturalcitric acid
Natural antioxidant preservative. Helps keep fats from going rancid.
- 18preservative naturalmixed tocopherols
Natural vitamin E used to keep fats from going rancid. The good kind of preservative. See why →
- 19vitaminvitamin e supplement
Required nutrient and a natural antioxidant. Often pulls double duty as a preservative.
- 20mineralferrous sulfate
Inorganic iron. Standard mineral source. Iron proteinate is the gentler, better-absorbed premium form.
- 21zinc oxide
Inorganic zinc. Cheapest mineral form on the market. Functional but less bioavailable than chelated alternatives.
- 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 →
- 23l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate
A stable form of vitamin C used in pet food. Provides antioxidant support and survives processing better than plain ascorbic acid.
- 24mineralmanganese sulfate
Inorganic manganese. Functional but less well-absorbed than the chelated proteinate form.
- 25mineralcopper sulfate
Inorganic copper. Standard, effective at small doses. Premium formulas tend to use copper proteinate instead.
Showing first 25 of 38. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
24 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.