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Nutro Natural Choice Adult Small Bites High Protein Salmon & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food, 28-lb bag
Nutro

Natural Choice Adult Small Bites High Protein Salmon & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food, 28-lb bag

Evidence Fair
AAFCO compliance inferred from product name
dry $2.68/lb

Graded by The Sniff System

In plain English

Nutro Natural Choice Adult Small Bites High Protein Salmon & Brown Rice Recipe is a dry food featuring salmon and chicken as its main protein sources.

This formula offers good protein quality, with salmon providing solid amino acid coverage. It also includes quality carbohydrate sources that have fermentable fiber, and its fat sources are well-defined and of good quality.

Nothing concerning in the deck.

Good fit for adult dogs, especially those who prefer smaller kibble. Nothing serious working against it.

Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.

Who this is for

Neutral fit for adult active large herding breeds like German Shepherds, Australian Shepherds, and German Shorthaired Pointers. Salmon leads the deck at position 1, 24% DMB protein, 16% DMB fat.

Looking at this for adult German Shepherds ? 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

Methodology

The 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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.

Why this score

Sniff scored this formula 68/100, landing in B-tier territory. The biggest contributor was protein quality (+19 points): Reasonable protein quality. salmon delivers solid amino acid coverage. Also adding to the lift: carbohydrate quality (+12). Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber. The 7-point gap to A-tier sits mostly in protein quality (19 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").

What lifted the score

Reasonable protein quality. salmon delivers solid amino acid coverage.

PQI

Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.

CQI

Quality fat sources: named fat with declared fat sources.

FQI
What pulled it down

No negative drivers crossed our reporting threshold.

What sets this apart
  • Bottom 10% for DMB protein in Nutro's lineup (24.4%)
  • Top quartile for fat quality in Nutro's lineup (11/16)
  • 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.

Better match
Higher score, similar formulation
Nutro Natural Choice Adult Small Bites Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food, 13-lb bag
Nutro

Nutro Natural Choice Adult Small Bites Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food, 13-lb bag

72

Scores 4 points higher with a similar formulation profile.

Best value
Lower price, comparable score
Nutro Natural Choice Adult Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food, 30-lb bag
Nutro

Nutro Natural Choice Adult Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food, 30-lb bag

72

$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.

Guaranteed analysis
Dry-matter protein: 24% ⓘ
Protein
22%
min (as fed)
Fat
14%
min (as fed)
Fiber
3.5%
max (as fed)
Moisture
10%
max
Ingredients

Read why each ingredient is good or bad for dogs.

45 total
Good Neutral Watch Flagged
  1. 1
    salmon

    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.

  2. 2
    chicken meal

    Chicken with the water cooked out. Per pound, packs more protein than fresh chicken. See why →

    Position 2: co-primary protein. Two named animal proteins in the top 2 is a strong protein build.

  3. 3
    brown rice

    Whole grain that's easy to digest. Steady carb energy plus a little fiber.

    Position 3: major carbohydrate source.

  4. 4
    sorghum

    Whole grain with a low glycemic index. Gluten-free, well-tolerated, decent fiber content.

    Position 4: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.

  5. 5
    brewers 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.

  6. 6
    split peas

    Position 6. Moderate inclusion. Contributes carbohydrate and some plant protein.

  7. 7
    chicken fat

    Despite the name, a high-quality energy source. Concentrated calories plus essential fatty acids like linoleic acid. See why →

    Position 7: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.

  8. 8
    dried 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.

  9. 9
    natural flavors

    Same as natural flavor. Usually hydrolyzed liver or broth, adds palatability.

  10. 10
    flaxseed

    Plant source of omega-3. Helpful for skin and coat, though dogs absorb omega-3 from fish more efficiently.

    Position 10: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.

  11. 11
    pea protein

    Concentrated plant protein. Inflates the protein number on the label without matching the amino acid quality of meat.

    Position 11. Trace inclusion. Below the level associated with the FDA's DCM-pattern concerns.

  12. 12
    salt

    Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.

  13. 13
    potassium chloride

    Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.

  14. 14
    choline chloride

    Essential nutrient for liver and brain function. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.

  15. 15
    dl-methionine

    Essential amino acid. Often added when plant proteins dominate, since methionine is naturally lower in pulses than meat.

  16. 16
    citric acid

    Natural antioxidant preservative. Helps keep fats from going rancid.

  17. 17
    mixed tocopherols

    Natural vitamin E used to keep fats from going rancid. The good kind of preservative. See why →

  18. 18
    chia seed

    Plant source of omega-3 and fiber. Like flaxseed, useful in trace amounts.

  19. 19
    dried coconut
  20. 20
    dried tomato pomace

    The fiber-rich byproduct of tomato processing. Sometimes flagged unfairly. It's a real fiber source, not a filler shortcut.

  21. 21
    dried egg product

    Whole eggs with the water removed. Same nutritional value as fresh eggs, just shelf-stable.

  22. 22
    pumpkin

    Soluble fiber that supports stool quality. Mild and well-tolerated.

  23. 23
    dried kale

    Leafy green with antioxidants and fiber. Small dose in kibble, but it's not just for marketing.

  24. 24
    dried spinach

    Leafy green. Some iron, vitamin K, and fiber. The dose in kibble is small but it's real food.

  25. 25
    dicalcium phosphate

    Calcium and phosphorus combined. Required source of both minerals, especially in formulas without much bone content.

Showing first 25 of 45. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.

23 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.