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Purina Beneful IncrediBites Pate with Real Salmon Recipe Small Breed Wet Dog Food, 3-oz can, case of 24
Purina Beneful

IncrediBites Pate with Real Salmon Recipe Small Breed Wet Dog Food, 3-oz can, case of 24

Evidence Fair
wet $5.00/lb

Graded by The Sniff System

In plain English

Purina Beneful IncrediBites Pate with Real Salmon Recipe is a wet pate food for small breeds, featuring chicken and salmon as its main protein sources.

This recipe has a strong protein profile, with chicken as the first ingredient, which means good biological value for your dog. It also includes liver, adding diverse, high-quality protein to the mix.

A significant watch item is the absence of an AAFCO statement, meaning its nutritional completeness is unverified. It also contains unnamed meat by-products, which lack species traceability and make quality harder to audit.

Good fit for small breed dogs. Less ideal if you prefer AAFCO-verified foods or want to avoid unnamed by-products.

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 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels navigating diet-associated DCM concerns. Chicken anchors position 1, with zero pulses in the top 15, plus liver at position 3 (a natural taurine precursor) and chicken and salmon broth at position 2. The FDA's 2019 investigation update on diet-associated DCM included 13 reported cases in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, making them one of the top 15 most frequently reported breeds at that time  (FDA, 2019) .

Looking at this for adult Cavalier King Charles Spaniels or Cavalier King Charles Spaniels 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
    epidemiology · breed predisposition· cited in 4 claims
  • FDA, 2019
    cardiac · diet composition· cited in 3 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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.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 48/100, landing in C-tier (acceptable-with-notes). The biggest contributor was protein quality (+21.5 points): Strong protein profile with chicken as the primary ingredient, delivering high biological value. 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). Even without the cap, the base component scores sit below the next band. The structural fix would need to address AAFCO compliance as well.

What lifted the score

Strong protein profile with chicken as the primary ingredient, delivering high biological value.

PQI

Includes egg, named fish, or organ meat for diverse high-bioavailability protein.

STACK
What pulled it down

Score capped at 59 due to no AAFCO statement.

CAP why?

No AAFCO statement. Nutritional completeness unverified.

ACF

Contains meat by-products. Unnamed by-products lack species traceability. Named by-products (chicken by-products) are CLEAR..

CIP
What sets this apart
  • Top 3% for protein quality in Purina Beneful's lineup (21.4/27)
  • Bottom 3% for carb quality in Purina Beneful's lineup (9/16)
  • Top quartile for DMB fat in Purina Beneful's lineup (27.3%)

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
Purina Pro Plan Adult Small Breed High-Protein Beef & Green Beans Entree in Gravy Shredded Wet Dog Food, 5.5-oz can, case of 24
Purina Pro Plan

Purina Pro Plan Adult Small Breed High-Protein Beef & Green Beans Entree in Gravy Shredded Wet Dog Food, 5.5-oz can, case of 24

59

Scores 11 points higher with a similar formulation profile.

Best value
Lower price, comparable score
Purina ONE SmartBlend True Instinct Tender Cuts in Gravy with Real Beef & Wild-Caught Salmon Canned Dog Food, 13-oz can, case of 12
Purina ONE

Purina ONE SmartBlend True Instinct Tender Cuts in Gravy with Real Beef & Wild-Caught Salmon Canned Dog Food, 13-oz can, case of 12

48

$2.93/lb vs your seed's $5.00/lb (41% less) at a comparable score.

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

Controversial ingredients · 1

  • meat by-products
    Unspecified species. AAFCO definition allows organs, blood, bone. but the lack of a named source means quality and consistency are not auditable.

Every flagged ingredient has a published basis (confirmed harm / regulatory action / precautionary). See methodology →

Guaranteed analysis
Dry-matter protein: 41% ⓘ
Protein
9%
min (as fed)
Fat
6%
min (as fed)
Fiber
1.5%
max (as fed)
Moisture
78%
max

Wet and fresh foods contain more water than kibble (typically 65-78%). On a dry-matter basis, this food's protein content is roughly 41%, comparable to premium kibble (typically 30-45% DMB protein).

Ingredients

Read why each ingredient is good or bad for dogs.

17 total
Good Neutral Watch Flagged
  1. 1
    chicken

    Real meat. Primary protein source, with the amino acid profile dogs actually evolved to eat.

    Position 1: primary protein source. After cooking removes water, this may drop in proportional weight, but it anchors the recipe.

  2. 2
    chicken and salmon broth

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

  3. 3
    liver

    Generic liver, usually chicken or beef. Among the most nutrient-dense ingredients a dog can eat. Named species is more informative.

  4. 4
    meat by-products Flagged

    Unnamed organ meats and tissue. Could be nutritious, but no species is listed, so quality varies by batch.

    Position 4: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.

  5. 5
    salmon

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

    Position 5: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.

  6. 6
    tomatoes

    Real fruit. Lycopene and trace antioxidants. Different from tomato pomace, which is the fiber byproduct.

  7. 7
    carrots

    Real vegetable. Fiber, beta-carotene, and a small amount of antioxidant value.

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

  8. 8
    spinach

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

    Position 8: meaningful whole-food inclusion. Source of vitamins, antioxidants, or natural fiber.

  9. 9
    potassium chloride

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

  10. 10
    zinc sulfate

    Inorganic zinc. Effective at AAFCO doses but less well-absorbed than chelated forms like zinc proteinate.

  11. 11
    ferrous sulfate

    Inorganic iron. Standard mineral source. Iron proteinate is the gentler, better-absorbed premium form.

  12. 12
    copper sulfate

    Inorganic copper. Standard, effective at small doses. Premium formulas tend to use copper proteinate instead.

  13. 13
    manganese sulfate

    Inorganic manganese. Functional but less well-absorbed than the chelated proteinate form.

  14. 14
    potassium iodide

    Source of iodine, an essential trace mineral for thyroid function. Required for AAFCO-complete formulas.

  15. 15
    sodium selenite Flagged

    Inorganic selenium. Effective at AAFCO levels, no documented safety concern in dogs despite what some pet food blogs claim. Selenium yeast is a marginal upgrade, not a necessity. See why →

  16. 16
    guar gum

    Thickener common in wet food. Emerging research on emulsifiers and the gut microbiome, but no smoking gun in dogs yet. See why →

  17. 17
    choline chloride

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

16 of 17 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.