Natural Choice Puppy High Protein Lamb & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food, 12-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Nutro Natural Choice Puppy High Protein Lamb & Brown Rice Recipe is a dry food for puppies, featuring lamb as its main protein source.
This formula offers quality carbohydrate sources that include fermentable fiber, which is good for gut health. The protein quality is reasonable, with lamb providing solid amino acid coverage. It also uses quality fat sources, including a named fat and marine oil for EPA and DHA.
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 active large sporting breeds like Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, and Irish Setters navigating diet-associated DCM concerns. Lamb anchors position 1, with one pulse (pea protein at position 7). Goldens appeared disproportionately in the FDA's DCM reports. Pulse-heavy grain-free formulas warrant extra caution; named animal protein with organ meat or marine sources is the safer fit.
Looking at this for puppy Golden Retrievers or Golden Retrievers with diet-associated DCM concerns ? 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.
- FDA, 2022epidemiology · breed predisposition· cited in 4 claims
- FDA, 2019diet composition· cited in 2 claims
Every claim on Sniff traces to a source. If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.
Sniff scored this formula 67/100, landing in B-tier territory. The biggest contributor was carbohydrate quality (+15 points): Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber. Also adding to the lift: protein quality (+15). Reasonable protein quality. lamb delivers solid amino acid coverage. The 8-point gap to A-tier sits mostly in protein quality (15 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.
Reasonable protein quality. lamb delivers solid amino acid coverage.
Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source).
No negative drivers crossed our reporting threshold.
- Lowest crude fiber in Nutro's lineup (3.3% DMB)
- Top quartile for fat quality in Nutro's lineup (12/16)
- Bottom quartile for protein quality in Nutro's lineup (14.8/27)
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 7 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Nutro Natural Choice Puppy Large Breed Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food, 30-lb bag
$2.50/lb vs your seed's $3.16/lb (21% 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 animallamb
Real meat. Often used for dogs with chicken or beef sensitivities. Slightly higher fat content than chicken.
Position 1: primary protein source. After cooking removes water, this may drop in proportional weight, but it anchors the recipe.
- 2protein animallamb meal
Lamb cooked down to a dry concentrate. Per pound, more protein than fresh lamb. 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.
- 7protein plantpea protein
Concentrated plant protein. Inflates the protein number on the label without matching the amino acid quality of meat.
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 plantpotato protein
Concentrated potato protein. Like pea protein, it inflates the protein number without matching meat-quality amino acids.
Position 9: moderate plant-protein boost. Less likely to materially shift the protein profile.
- 10othernatural flavors
Same as natural flavor. Usually hydrolyzed liver or broth, adds palatability.
- 11dried 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 11: trace fiber inclusion.
- 12mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 13mineraldicalcium phosphate
Calcium and phosphorus combined. Required source of both minerals, especially in formulas without much bone content.
- 14fatfish oil
Concentrated omega-3s. The reason 'EPA' and 'DHA' get to show up on the bag.
Position 14. Trace marine oil. Contributes some omega-3 but well below the level that drives EPA/DHA totals.
- 15fatflaxseed
Plant source of omega-3. Helpful for skin and coat, though dogs absorb omega-3 from fish more efficiently.
Position 15: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 16supplementdl-methionine
Essential amino acid. Often added when plant proteins dominate, since methionine is naturally lower in pulses than meat.
- 17mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 18supplementcholine chloride
Essential nutrient for liver and brain function. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 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 48. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
24 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.