Adult Large Breed High Protein Chicken & Rice Dry Dog Food, 34-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Purina Pro Plan Adult Large Breed High Protein Chicken & Rice Dry Dog Food is a dry formula for adult large breed dogs, with chicken as its primary protein.
This food features chicken as a primary protein, which helps provide good amino acid coverage. It also includes quality carbohydrate sources with declared fiber, and its fat sources are good, with named fat and marine oil for EPA and DHA.
Nothing concerning in the deck.
Good fit for adult large breed dogs. Nothing serious working against it.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Strong fit for adult Golden Retrievers navigating diet-associated DCM concerns. Working in its favor: explicitly formulated for large-breed dogs. Chicken anchors position 1, with zero pulses in the top 15, plus fish meal at position 10. 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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.
Solid grade. 65/100 (B) reflects the structural fit of this formula against The Sniff System's eight scoring components. Protein quality did the heavy lifting (+14 points): Reasonable protein quality. chicken delivers solid amino acid coverage. The supporting beat: carbohydrate quality (+13 points). Quality carbohydrate sources with declared fiber. What's keeping it out of A-tier: protein quality (14 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").
Reasonable protein quality. chicken delivers solid amino acid coverage.
Quality carbohydrate sources with declared fiber.
Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source).
No negative drivers crossed our reporting threshold.
- Lowest DMB protein in Purina Pro Plan's lineup (29.5%)
- Bottom quartile for DMB fat in Purina Pro Plan's lineup (13.6%)
- Bottom quartile for protein quality in Purina Pro Plan's lineup (14.2/27)
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.
Purina Pro Plan Complete Essentials Adult 7+ Shredded Blend Chicken & Rice High Protein Formula with Probiotics Dry Dog Food, 34-lb bag
Scores 4 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Purina Pro Plan Sport Active All Life Stages High-Protein 27/17 Chicken & Rice Formula Dry Dog Food, 37.5-lb bag
$2.00/lb vs your seed's $2.28/lb (12% 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 animalchicken
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.
- 2grainrice
Generic rice. Could be white or brown, the label doesn't say. Brown rice would be specified if it were.
Position 2: major carbohydrate source.
- 3corn protein meal
Concentrated corn protein. Similar in role to corn gluten meal, pads the protein number on the label without matching meat amino acids.
Position 3: major carbohydrate source.
- 4grainwheat
Whole wheat. Fine for most dogs, though a portion are sensitive. Not a quality concern, just a fit-for-your-dog question.
Position 4: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 5protein animalpoultry by-product meal
Unnamed poultry. The mix can include any combination of chicken, turkey, or other birds, with no traceability. Named by-product meals are fine. This one isn't.
Position 5: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.
- 6grainwhole grain corn
Whole corn with the kernel intact. Decent fiber and B vitamins, though it can crowd out meat in cheaper recipes.
Position 6: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 7grainbarley
Whole grain with a low glycemic profile and some soluble fiber. Easy on blood sugar.
Position 7: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 8beef fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols
Real animal fat from a named species, with natural vitamin E doing the preservation. The clean version.
Position 8: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 9corn germ meal
Position 9: minor grain inclusion.
- 10protein animalfish meal
Concentrated fish protein, usually whitefish, herring, or mackerel. Strong amino acid profile. See why →
Position 10: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 11dried egg product
Whole eggs with the water removed. Same nutritional value as fresh eggs, just shelf-stable.
Position 11: trace protein. Likely there for amino-acid diversity or label appeal more than nutritional weight.
- 12othernatural flavor
Legal term for animal-derived flavoring, usually hydrolyzed liver or broth. Adds taste, says nothing about quality.
- 13fatfish oil
Concentrated omega-3s. The reason 'EPA' and 'DHA' get to show up on the bag.
Position 13. Trace marine oil. Contributes some omega-3 but well below the level that drives EPA/DHA totals.
- 14wheat bran
Position 14: minor grain inclusion.
- 15mineralcalcium carbonate
Source of calcium. Functional. Required in complete dog foods, especially those without bone-in meat meals.
- 16soybean oil
Plant oil. High in omega-6, which is required but commonly oversupplied. Fine in moderation.
- 17mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 18mono and dicalcium phosphate
Source of calcium and phosphorus. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 19mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 20potassium citrate
Source of potassium. Sometimes added in urinary-support formulas to help manage urine pH.
- 21supplementcholine chloride
Essential nutrient for liver and brain function. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 22mineralzinc sulfate
Inorganic zinc. Effective at AAFCO doses but less well-absorbed than chelated forms like zinc proteinate.
- 23mineralferrous sulfate
Inorganic iron. Standard mineral source. Iron proteinate is the gentler, better-absorbed premium form.
- 24mineralmanganese sulfate
Inorganic manganese. Functional but less well-absorbed than the chelated proteinate form.
- 25mineralcopper sulfate
Inorganic copper. Standard, effective at small doses. Premium formulas tend to use copper proteinate instead.
Showing first 25 of 31. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
23 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.