Small Dog Complete Nutrition Grilled Steak & Vegetable Flavor Dog Kibble Small Breed Adult Dry Dog Food, 14-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Pedigree Small Dog Complete Nutrition Grilled Steak & Vegetable Flavor is a dry kibble for adult small breed dogs, primarily featuring chicken by-product meal.
There isn't much to highlight here. The formula is likely designed to meet AAFCO adult maintenance standards, which is the basic requirement for commercial dog food.
This food contains several flagged ingredients, including BHA, a synthetic preservative, and artificial colors like yellow 5, yellow 6, blue 2, and red 40. The formula is also heavily reliant on plant proteins, with ground whole grain corn as the first ingredient.
Hard to recommend for any dog. The presence of multiple flagged ingredients is a significant concern.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Good fit for adult French Bulldogs and similar lower-energy companion breeds navigating skin allergies. The protein deck is built around a single species (chicken), but artificial colors (yellow 5, yellow 6, blue 2, red 40) appear in the deck. Worth watching: contains artificial colors (correlates with skin-reactive ingredients). For French Bulldogs with suspected food allergies, a strict elimination diet for a minimum of 8 weeks is the diagnostic gold standard, as serological tests have low reliability per a 2018 review. The National Research Council (2006) recommends a minimum of 2.6 grams of linoleic acid (an omega-6) per 1000 kcal of metabolizable energy to maintain skin barrier function in adult dogs (NRC, 2006) .
Looking at this for adult French Bulldogs or French Bulldogs with skin allergies ? 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.
Sniff scored this formula 0/100, landing in F-tier (avoid). The biggest contributor was AAFCO compliance (+4 points): AAFCO formulation inferred from declared adult maintenance. Verbatim statement not published by retailer. A hard cap of 39 also applied because multiple FLAG-tier ingredients are stacked in the formula. Even without the cap, the base component scores sit below the next band. The structural fix would need to address protein quality as well.
AAFCO formulation inferred from declared adult maintenance. Verbatim statement not published by retailer.
Plant-protein-dominated formula. ground whole grain corn as the #1 ingredient.
Contains bha. IARC Group 2B probable carcinogen; CA Prop 65 listed; FDA reassessment announced 2025. Natural alternatives (mixed tocopherols) widely available..
- Lowest DMB protein in Pedigree's lineup (23.9%)
- Lowest fat quality in Pedigree's lineup (2/16)
- Lowest overall Sniff Score in Pedigree's lineup (0/100)
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.
Pedigree Roasted Chicken & Vegetable Flavor with Bacon Flavored Bites Adult Dry Dog Food, 44-lb bag
Scores 13 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Pedigree Large Breed Adult Roasted Chicken, Rice & Vegetable Flavor Dry Dog Food, 40-lb bag
$0.65/lb vs your seed's $1.21/lb (46% less) at a comparable score.
Surfaced from a vector similarity search across 3,491 scored dog foods. How this works.
Controversial ingredients · 5
- bhaSynthetic preservative classified by the U.S. National Toxicology Program as 'reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.' Many premium brands have removed it.
- yellow 5Artificial color with no nutritional value. Some dogs show allergic-type reactions.
- yellow 6Artificial color with no nutritional value.
- blue 2Artificial color. A 1990s industry-funded study reported brain tumors in male rats; subsequent reviews disputed methodology, but the additive provides no nutritional benefit.
- red 40Artificial color with no nutritional value. Linked to behavioral effects in children; relevance to dogs is unclear but the ingredient serves only marketing purposes.
Every flagged ingredient has a published basis (confirmed harm / regulatory action / precautionary). See methodology →
Read why each ingredient is good or bad for dogs.
- 1ground whole grain corn
Whole corn with the kernel intact. Decent fiber and B vitamins, though it can crowd out meat in cheaper recipes.
Position 1 grain: primary carbohydrate base. This is a grain-inclusive formula with ground whole grain corn as the dominant carb.
- 2protein animalchicken by-product meal
Ground organs, bone, and tissue. Nutritionally dense, especially the liver and gizzard fractions. Named species ('chicken') is what matters. Generic 'poultry by-product meal' is the one to worry about. See why →
Position 2: co-primary protein. Two named animal proteins in the top 2 is a strong protein build.
- 3protein plantcorn gluten meal
Concentrated corn protein. Inflates the protein percent on the label without matching meat-quality amino acids.
Position 3: plant protein in the top 5. Stacked with animal protein, can inflate the crude protein number without matching the amino-acid quality of named animal sources.
- 4animal fat
Unnamed fat source. The species matters: 'chicken fat' or 'beef fat' is fine, but 'animal fat' tells you nothing about origin.
Position 4: secondary fat. Often where marine oils sit when present alongside a primary land-animal fat.
- 4preservative syntheticbha Flagged
Synthetic preservative. Listed as a possible human carcinogen by the IARC. Banned from human food in Japan and parts of the EU, still permitted in US pet food. See why →
Synthetic preservative at position 4. Sniff flags this regardless of where it sits in the deck.
- 5meat and bone meal
Unnamed animal protein with bone included. Cheap, vague, and not traceable to a specific species.
- 6protein plantsoybean meal
Concentrated soy protein. Cheap plant protein that pads the label number, common in budget formulas.
Position 6: moderate plant-protein boost. Less likely to materially shift the protein profile.
- 7ground whole grain wheat
Position 7: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 8othernatural flavor
Legal term for animal-derived flavoring, usually hydrolyzed liver or broth. Adds taste, says nothing about quality.
- 9brewers 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 9: minor grain inclusion.
- 10mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 11mineralcalcium carbonate
Source of calcium. Functional. Required in complete dog foods, especially those without bone-in meat meals.
- 12monocalcium phosphate
Source of calcium and phosphorus. Standard mineral inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 13mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 14supplementcholine chloride
Essential nutrient for liver and brain function. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 15dried peas
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 15. Trace inclusion. Below the level associated with the FDA's DCM-pattern concerns.
- 16supplementdl-methionine
Essential amino acid. Often added when plant proteins dominate, since methionine is naturally lower in pulses than meat.
- 17vitamine e supplement
- 18mineralzinc sulfate
Inorganic zinc. Effective at AAFCO doses but less well-absorbed than chelated forms like zinc proteinate.
- 19supplementl-tryptophan
Essential amino acid. Sometimes added in calming or weight-management formulas.
- 20otheryellow 5 Flagged
Artificial coloring. Strictly cosmetic. Banned or restricted in several countries. See why →
- 21otheryellow 6 Flagged
Artificial coloring. No functional purpose. Banned or restricted in several countries. See why →
- 22vegetablecarrots
Real vegetable. Fiber, beta-carotene, and a small amount of antioxidant value.
- 23otherblue 2 Flagged
Artificial coloring. No nutritional or functional purpose. Banned or restricted in several countries. See why →
- 24niacin [vitamin b3]
Showing first 25 of 37. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
22 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.