Duck with Turkey & Fish Formula Nuggets Grain-Free Raw Freeze-Dried Dog Food, 14-oz bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Primal Duck with Turkey & Fish Formula Nuggets is a freeze-dried dog food featuring duck, turkey, and fish as its main protein sources.
This formula offers good protein quality, with duck providing solid amino acid coverage. It also includes quality fat sources, like marine oil, which is a good source of EPA and DHA. You'll find quality carbohydrate sources with beneficial fermentable fiber here too.
The main thing to note is that this product lacks an AAFCO statement. This means its nutritional completeness hasn't been verified, which capped its overall score.
Good fit for owners who prioritize raw feeding and are comfortable with unverified nutritional completeness. Less ideal if an AAFCO statement is a must-have.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Strong fit for adult Golden Retrievers and similar active sporting breeds navigating diet-associated DCM concerns. Duck anchors position 1, with zero pulses in the top 15, plus turkey gizzard at position 4 (a natural taurine precursor). In its 2022 update on diet-associated DCM, the FDA identified Golden Retrievers as the most reported breed, with 121 cases out of 1,382 total canine reports (8.8%) received between January 1, 2014, and November 1, 2022 (FDA, 2022) .
Looking at this for adult 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 3 cited studies relevant to its profile. Each link opens the original source.
- FDA, 2022cardiac · epidemiology · breed predisposition· cited in 5 claims
- FDA, 2019diet composition· cited in 2 claims
- NRC, 2006nutrient bioavailability
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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.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 59/100, landing in C-tier (acceptable-with-notes). The biggest contributor was protein quality (+16 points): Reasonable protein quality. duck delivers solid amino acid coverage. A hard cap of 59 also applied because the AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement isn't disclosed on the retailer page (so our methodology can't verify the formula meets adult, growth, or all-life-stages standards). If the brand publishing the AAFCO statement were on the label, the cap would lift and this formula could clear the B-band threshold (60).
Reasonable protein quality. duck delivers solid amino acid coverage.
Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source).
Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.
No AAFCO statement. Nutritional completeness unverified.
- Lowest fat quality in Primal's lineup (12/16)
- Top quartile for DMB fat in freeze-dried foods (34.8%)
- Lowest carb quality in Primal's lineup (12/16)
Computed against the rest of our catalog. Percentiles refresh on each catalog update.
Similar dog foods worth considering
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Scores 10 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Primal Kibble in the Raw Beef Recipe Non-GMO Freeze-Dried Dog Food, 144-oz bag
$15.55/lb vs your seed's $54.83/lb (72% less) at a comparable score.
Formula Raw Duck & Beef Grain-Free Adult Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food, 25-oz bag
Beef instead of duck, 2 points higher, different brand.
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 animalduck
Real meat. Often used as a novel protein for dogs with sensitivities to chicken or beef.
Position 1: primary protein source. After cooking removes water, this may drop in proportional weight, but it anchors the recipe.
- 2protein animalturkey
Real meat. Lean protein, good amino acid profile, often well-tolerated by dogs sensitive to chicken.
Position 2: co-primary protein. Two named animal proteins in the top 2 is a strong protein build.
- 3whiting
- 4protein animalturkey gizzard
Position 4: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.
- 5protein animalturkey liver
Organ meat. Same nutrient-density story as chicken or beef liver: protein, iron, B vitamins, vitamin A.
Position 5. Named organ meat this high is a strong build choice. Concentrated source of taurine, glutamine, and B-vitamins.
- 6vegetablecarrots
Real vegetable. Fiber, beta-carotene, and a small amount of antioxidant value.
Position 6: meaningful whole-food inclusion. Source of vitamins, antioxidants, or natural fiber.
- 7squash
Real vegetable. Fiber, vitamin A, gentle on the stomach. Similar nutrition role to sweet potato.
- 8vegetablekale
Leafy green with antioxidants and fiber. Small dose in kibble, but it's not just for marketing.
Position 8: meaningful whole-food inclusion. Source of vitamins, antioxidants, or natural fiber.
- 9fruitapples
Real fruit, some fiber and antioxidants. The amount in kibble is too small to matter much.
Position 9: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 10supplementparsley
Real herb. Trace amount of vitamins K and C. The dose in kibble is small, mostly there for label appeal.
- 11pumpkin seeds
- 12sunflower seeds
- 13vegetablebroccoli
Real vegetable. Adds fiber and some antioxidants. Fine in the small amounts used in kibble.
Position 13: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 14fruitblueberries
Antioxidants, real. But the amount in any kibble is too small to do much. Mostly marketing.
Position 14: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 15fruitcranberries
Often added with a urinary-tract-support marketing angle. Real cranberry compounds help in concentrate form, but kibble doses are small.
Position 15: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 16fatsunflower oil
Common plant oil. Useful in moderation for omega-6, though too much skews the omega ratio against the dog's favor.
- 17dried yeast
Natural source of B vitamins and trace minerals. Adds a savory flavor that dogs respond well to.
- 18montmorillonite clay
Natural clay used as a binder and anti-caking agent. Functional, not nutritional.
- 19apple cider vinegar
- 20fatfish oil
Concentrated omega-3s. The reason 'EPA' and 'DHA' get to show up on the bag.
- 21fatcoconut oil
Saturated fat with medium-chain triglycerides. Mostly marketing in the doses kibble uses, but harmless.
- 22preservative naturalrosemary extract
Natural preservative. Replaces synthetic ones like BHA and BHT.
- 23vitaminvitamin e supplement
Required nutrient and a natural antioxidant. Often pulls double duty as a preservative.
- 24ground alfalfa
- 25dried organic kelp
Showing first 25 of 26. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
18 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.