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Pupford Good Dog Food Lamb & Salmon Recipe Freeze-Dried Dog Food, 25-oz bag
Pupford

Good Dog Food Lamb & Salmon Recipe Freeze-Dried Dog Food, 25-oz bag

Evidence Fair
freeze dried $35.19/lb

Graded by The Sniff System

In plain English

Pupford Good Dog Food Lamb & Salmon Recipe is a freeze-dried food featuring lamb and salmon.

This food offers good protein quality, with lamb and lamb liver providing solid amino acid coverage. It also includes quality fat sources like fish oil, which is a good source of EPA and DHA, and quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber from ingredients like apple and pumpkin.

The main thing to note is the absence of an AAFCO statement, which means the nutritional completeness of this food is unverified. This factor capped its overall score.

Good fit for dogs whose owners are comfortable with an unverified nutritional completeness. Less ideal if you prefer AAFCO-verified foods.

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

Who this is for

Strong fit for adult Golden Retrievers navigating diet-associated DCM concerns. Lamb anchors position 1, with zero pulses in the top 15, plus lamb liver at position 2 (a natural taurine precursor) and salmon at position 3. 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

Methodology

The Sniff System grades this product against 3 cited studies relevant to its profile. Each link opens the original source.

  • FDA, 2022
    cardiac · epidemiology · breed predisposition· cited in 5 claims
  • FDA, 2019
    diet composition· cited in 2 claims
  • NRC, 2006
    nutrient bioavailability

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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.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 59/100, landing in C-tier (acceptable-with-notes). The biggest contributor was protein quality (+17.5 points): Reasonable protein quality. lamb 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).

What lifted the score

Reasonable protein quality. lamb delivers solid amino acid coverage.

PQI

Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source).

FQI

Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.

CQI
What pulled it down

Score capped at 59 due to no AAFCO statement.

CAP why?

No AAFCO statement. Nutritional completeness unverified.

ACF
What sets this apart
  • Bottom quartile for caloric density in grain-free freeze-dried foods (215 kcal/cup)

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
SIMPLE FOOD PROJECT Beef & Salmon Recipe Freeze-Dried Dog Food, 6-lb box
Simple Food Project

SIMPLE FOOD PROJECT Beef & Salmon Recipe Freeze-Dried Dog Food, 6-lb box

66

Scores 7 points higher with a similar formulation profile.

Best value
Lower price, comparable score
A Better Treat Raw You Can See Salmon Recipe High-Protein Kibble & Raw Freeze-Dried Dog Food, 15-lb bag
A Better Treat

A Better Treat Raw You Can See Salmon Recipe High-Protein Kibble & Raw Freeze-Dried Dog Food, 15-lb bag

59

$5.33/lb vs your seed's $35.19/lb (85% less) at a comparable score.

Worth a look
Different brand, different protein
Shepherd Boy Farms Beef Recipe Freeze-Dried Dog Food, 14-oz bag
Shepherd Boy Farms

Shepherd Boy Farms Beef Recipe Freeze-Dried Dog Food, 14-oz bag

59

Beef instead of lamb, matched score, different brand.

Surfaced from a vector similarity search across 3,491 scored dog foods. How this works.

Guaranteed analysis
Dry-matter protein: 41% ⓘ
Protein
38%
min (as fed)
Fat
26%
min (as fed)
Fiber
4%
max (as fed)
Moisture
8%
max
Ingredients

Read why each ingredient is good or bad for dogs.

23 total
Good Neutral Watch Flagged
  1. 1
    lamb

    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.

  2. 2
    lamb liver

    Organ meat. Same nutrient-density story as chicken or beef liver, dense in B vitamins, iron, vitamin A.

    Position 2. Named organ meat this high is a strong build choice. Concentrated source of taurine, glutamine, and B-vitamins.

  3. 3
    salmon

    Real fish meat. Natural source of omega-3s, which kibble usually has to add back from oil.

    Position 3: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.

  4. 4
    tricalcium phosphate

    Calcium and phosphorus source. Same role as dicalcium phosphate, slightly different ratio.

  5. 5
    apple

    Real fruit, some fiber and antioxidants. The amount in kibble is too small to matter much.

  6. 6
    broccoli

    Real vegetable. Adds fiber and some antioxidants. Fine in the small amounts used in kibble.

    Position 6: meaningful whole-food inclusion. Source of vitamins, antioxidants, or natural fiber.

  7. 7
    pumpkin

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

    Position 7: meaningful whole-food inclusion. Source of vitamins, antioxidants, or natural fiber.

  8. 8
    squash

    Real vegetable. Fiber, vitamin A, gentle on the stomach. Similar nutrition role to sweet potato.

  9. 9
    parsley

    Real herb. Trace amount of vitamins K and C. The dose in kibble is small, mostly there for label appeal.

  10. 10
    fish oil

    Concentrated omega-3s. The reason 'EPA' and 'DHA' get to show up on the bag.

    Position 10. Moderate marine-oil inclusion. Supplements EPA/DHA without being the primary fat.

  11. 11
    mixed tocopherols

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

    Natural preservative. Methodologically preferred over synthetic alternatives.

  12. 12
  13. 13
    carrot

    Real vegetable. Fiber, beta-carotene, antioxidants. Same as carrots, sometimes singular on labels.

  14. 14
    tomato
  15. 15
    shiitake mushroom
  16. 16
    orange
  17. 17
    cranberry

    Same as cranberries. Real ingredient, dose in kibble is small.

  18. 18
    spinach

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

  19. 19
    beet
  20. 20
    tart cherry
  21. 21
    strawberry
  22. 22
    blueberry
  23. 23
    vitamin e supplement

    Required nutrient and a natural antioxidant. Often pulls double duty as a preservative.

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