Development Sensitive Skin & Stomach Salmon & Rice Large Breed Dry Puppy Food, 24-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Purina Pro Plan Development Sensitive Skin & Stomach Salmon & Rice Large Breed Dry Puppy Food is a dry food for puppies, featuring salmon and fish as its main protein sources.
Salmon provides good protein quality with solid amino acid coverage. The fat sources are high quality, including named fats and marine oil, which is a good source of EPA and DHA. Carbohydrate sources are also good quality and include fermentable fiber.
Nothing concerning in the deck.
Good fit for large breed puppies, especially those with sensitive skin or stomachs. Nothing serious working against it.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Goldens appeared disproportionately in the FDA's DCM reports. Pulse-heavy grain-free formulas warrant extra caution; named animal protein with organ meat or marine sources is the safer fit. Strong fit for puppy Golden Retrievers navigating diet-associated DCM concerns. Salmon anchors position 1, with 2 pulse-family ingredients in the top 15 (pea protein at position 9, pea fiber at position 11).
Looking at this for puppy 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 2 cited studies relevant to its profile. Each link opens the original source.
- FDA, 2022epidemiology · breed predisposition· cited in 4 claims
- FDA, 2019diet composition· cited in 2 claims
Every claim on Sniff traces to a source. If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.
At 66/100, this formula lands in solid B territory. The lift comes from protein quality, worth 15 points to the final number: Reasonable protein quality. salmon delivers solid amino acid coverage. Secondary contribution comes from fat quality (+12 points). Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source). The 9-point gap to the A-tier line is concentrated in protein quality (15 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. salmon delivers solid amino acid coverage.
Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source).
Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.
No negative drivers crossed our reporting threshold.
- Top quartile for overall Sniff Score in Purina Pro Plan's lineup (66/100)
- Bottom quartile for carb quality in grain-inclusive dry kibbles (12/16)
- Top quartile for DMB protein in grain-inclusive dry kibbles (31.8%)
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.
Hill's Science Diet Puppy Sensitive Stomach & Sensitive Skin Salmon & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food, 13-lb bag
Scores 12 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Purina Pro Plan High Protein Chicken & Rice Formula Large Breed Dry Puppy Food, 34-lb bag
$2.21/lb vs your seed's $3.12/lb (29% 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 animalsalmon
Real fish meat. Natural source of omega-3s, which kibble usually has to add back from oil.
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.
- 3grainbarley
Whole grain with a low glycemic profile and some soluble fiber. Easy on blood sugar.
Position 3: major carbohydrate source.
- 4protein animalfish meal
Concentrated fish protein, usually whitefish, herring, or mackerel. Strong amino acid profile. See why →
Position 4: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.
- 5canola meal
- 6oat meal
Alternate spelling of oatmeal. Gentle whole grain, steady carb energy, soluble fiber.
- 7beef fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols
Real animal fat from a named species, with natural vitamin E doing the preservation. The clean version.
Position 7: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 8dried yeast
Natural source of B vitamins and trace minerals. Adds a savory flavor that dogs respond well to.
- 9protein plantpea protein
Concentrated plant protein. Inflates the protein number on the label without matching the amino acid quality of meat.
Position 9. Moderate inclusion. Contributes carbohydrate and some plant protein.
- 10protein animalsalmon meal
Salmon cooked into a dry concentrate. Carries both protein and natural omega-3s in one ingredient. See why →
Position 10: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 11fiberpea fiber
Insoluble fiber from peas. Doesn't carry the protein-inflation concern of pea protein. Mostly there for stool quality.
Position 11. Trace inclusion. Below the level associated with the FDA's DCM-pattern concerns.
- 12othernatural flavor
Legal term for animal-derived flavoring, usually hydrolyzed liver or broth. Adds taste, says nothing about quality.
- 13fatsunflower oil
Common plant oil. Useful in moderation for omega-6, though too much skews the omega ratio against the dog's favor.
Position 13: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 14fatfish oil
Concentrated omega-3s. The reason 'EPA' and 'DHA' get to show up on the bag.
Position 14. Trace marine oil. Contributes some omega-3 but well below the level that drives EPA/DHA totals.
- 15fiberdried chicory root
Natural prebiotic. Feeds beneficial gut bacteria. The same compound (inulin) used in human gut-health products.
Position 15: trace fiber inclusion.
- 16mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 17mono and dicalcium phosphate
Source of calcium and phosphorus. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 18mineralcalcium carbonate
Source of calcium. Functional. Required in complete dog foods, especially those without bone-in meat meals.
- 19potassium citrate
Source of potassium. Sometimes added in urinary-support formulas to help manage urine pH.
- 20l-lysine monohydrochloride
Stable form of L-lysine, an essential amino acid. Common in plant-heavy formulas to balance the amino acid profile.
- 21mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 22supplementdl-methionine
Essential amino acid. Often added when plant proteins dominate, since methionine is naturally lower in pulses than meat.
- 23supplementtaurine
Amino acid critical for heart health. Especially important in grain-free or pulse-heavy formulas where natural taurine precursors run thin.
- 24mineralzinc sulfate
Inorganic zinc. Effective at AAFCO doses but less well-absorbed than chelated forms like zinc proteinate.
- 25mineralferrous sulfate
Inorganic iron. Standard mineral source. Iron proteinate is the gentler, better-absorbed premium form.
Showing first 25 of 31. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
24 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.