Natural Choice Adult High Protein Salmon & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food, 28-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Nutro Natural Choice Adult High Protein Salmon & Brown Rice Recipe is a dry dog food featuring salmon and fish as its main protein sources.
This formula offers good protein quality, with salmon providing solid amino acid coverage. You'll also find quality carbohydrate sources that include fermentable fiber, and the fat sources are well-defined, like chicken fat, which is a good sign.
Nothing concerning in the deck.
Good fit for 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.
Neutral fit for lower-energy small companion breeds, including the French Bulldog, at the adult life stage. Salmon leads the deck at position 1, 24% DMB protein, 383 kcal/cup.
Looking at this for adult French Bulldogs ? 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 4 cited studies relevant to its profile. Each link opens the original source.
Every claim on Sniff traces to a source. If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.
Solid grade. 62/100 (B) reflects the structural fit of this formula against The Sniff System's eight scoring components. Protein quality did the heavy lifting (+19 points): Reasonable protein quality. salmon delivers solid amino acid coverage. The supporting beat: carbohydrate quality (+12 points). Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber. What's keeping it out of A-tier: protein quality (19 of 27 possible) and ingredient-source specificity (4.5 of 12 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"); full ingredient-source specificity requires a named species (not a generic descriptor like "fish meal" or "animal fat") for every animal-source ingredient in the top 15.
Reasonable protein quality. salmon delivers solid amino acid coverage.
Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.
Quality fat sources: named fat with declared fat sources.
No negative drivers crossed our reporting threshold.
- Bottom 10% for DMB protein in Nutro's lineup (24.4%)
- Top quartile for caloric density in Nutro's lineup (383 kcal/cup)
- Bottom 10% for crude fiber in Nutro's lineup (3.9% DMB)
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 Natural Choice Adult Beef & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food, 28-lb bag
Scores 10 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Nutro Natural Choice Healthy Weight Adult Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food, 30-lb bag
$2.50/lb vs your seed's $2.68/lb (7% 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 animalsalmon
Real fish meat. Natural source of omega-3s, which kibble usually has to add back from oil.
Position 1: primary protein source. After cooking removes water, this may drop in proportional weight, but it anchors the recipe.
- 2protein animalfish meal
Concentrated fish protein, usually whitefish, herring, or mackerel. Strong amino acid profile. See why →
Position 2: co-primary protein. Two named animal proteins in the top 2 is a strong protein build.
- 3grainbrown rice
Whole grain that's easy to digest. Steady carb energy plus a little fiber.
Position 3: major carbohydrate source.
- 4grainbarley
Whole grain with a low glycemic profile and some soluble fiber. Easy on blood sugar.
Position 4: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 5grainoatmeal
Gentle on the stomach. Slow-release carbs and soluble fiber that supports stool quality.
Position 5: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 6brewers 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 6: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 7legumepeas
Cheap protein bulk. Fine in small amounts, but when peas stack with lentils and chickpeas in the top ingredients, it's the pattern the FDA flagged in its heart-disease investigation. See why →
Position 7. Moderate inclusion. Contributes carbohydrate and some plant protein.
- 8fatchicken fat
Despite the name, a high-quality energy source. Concentrated calories plus essential fatty acids like linoleic acid. See why →
Position 8: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 9protein animalchicken meal
Chicken with the water cooked out. Per pound, packs more protein than fresh chicken. See why →
Position 9: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 10dried 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 10: functional fiber for digestion or satiety.
- 11othernatural flavors
Same as natural flavor. Usually hydrolyzed liver or broth, adds palatability.
- 12grainsorghum
Whole grain with a low glycemic index. Gluten-free, well-tolerated, decent fiber content.
Position 12: minor grain inclusion.
- 13protein plantpea protein
Concentrated plant protein. Inflates the protein number on the label without matching the amino acid quality of meat.
Position 13. Trace inclusion. Below the level associated with the FDA's DCM-pattern concerns.
- 14mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 15mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 16supplementcholine chloride
Essential nutrient for liver and brain function. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 17supplementdl-methionine
Essential amino acid. Often added when plant proteins dominate, since methionine is naturally lower in pulses than meat.
- 18mineraldicalcium phosphate
Calcium and phosphorus combined. Required source of both minerals, especially in formulas without much bone content.
- 19chia seed
Plant source of omega-3 and fiber. Like flaxseed, useful in trace amounts.
- 20dried coconut
- 21dried tomato pomace
The fiber-rich byproduct of tomato processing. Sometimes flagged unfairly. It's a real fiber source, not a filler shortcut.
- 22dried egg product
Whole eggs with the water removed. Same nutritional value as fresh eggs, just shelf-stable.
- 23vegetablepumpkin
Soluble fiber that supports stool quality. Mild and well-tolerated.
- 24dried kale
Leafy green with antioxidants and fiber. Small dose in kibble, but it's not just for marketing.
- 25dried spinach
Leafy green. Some iron, vitamin K, and fiber. The dose in kibble is small but it's real food.
Showing first 25 of 47. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
24 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.