High Protein Chicken & Rice Formula Large Breed Dry Puppy Food, 34-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Purina Pro Plan High Protein Chicken & Rice Formula Large Breed Dry Puppy Food is a dry food for puppies, featuring chicken as its primary protein.
This formula offers good protein quality, with chicken providing solid amino acid coverage. It also includes quality fat sources like named fat and fish oil, which is a source of EPA and DHA. Plus, it has AAFCO feeding trial substantiation for growth.
Nothing concerning in the deck.
Good fit for large breed puppies. 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 large sporting breeds, including the German Shorthaired Pointer, at the puppy life stage. Chicken leads the deck at position 1, 32% DMB protein, 419 kcal/cup. The German Shorthaired Pointer is a consistently popular breed in the United States, ranking as the 9th most popular out of 200 recognized breeds according to 2023 AKC registration statistics (AKC) .
Looking at this for puppy German Shorthaired Pointers ? 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.
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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.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 62/100, landing in B-tier territory. The biggest contributor was protein quality (+18 points): Reasonable protein quality. chicken delivers solid amino acid coverage. Also adding to the lift: fat quality (+12). Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source). The 13-point gap to A-tier sits mostly in carbohydrate quality (7 of 16 possible) and protein quality (18 of 27 possible). Full carbohydrate quality requires whole-grain or single-source carbohydrates with a declared fermentable fiber; 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 fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source).
AAFCO feeding trial substantiation for growth.
No negative drivers crossed our reporting threshold.
- Lowest carb quality in Purina Pro Plan's lineup (7/16)
- Top quartile for protein quality in Purina Pro Plan's lineup (18.1/27)
- 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.
Purina Pro Plan Complete Essentials Adult 7+ Shredded Blend Chicken & Rice High Protein Formula with Probiotics Dry Dog Food, 34-lb bag
Scores 7 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Purina Pro Plan Sport All Life Stages High-Protein Active 26/16 Formula Dry Dog Food, 37.5-lb bag
$1.60/lb vs your seed's $2.21/lb (27% 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.
- 3protein plantcorn gluten meal
Concentrated corn protein. Inflates the protein percent on the label without matching meat-quality amino acids.
Position 3: plant protein in the top 5. Stacked with animal protein, can inflate the crude protein number without matching the amino-acid quality of named animal sources.
- 4grainwhole grain corn
Whole corn with the kernel intact. Decent fiber and B vitamins, though it can crowd out meat in cheaper recipes.
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.
- 6grainwheat
Whole wheat. Fine for most dogs, though a portion are sensitive. Not a quality concern, just a fit-for-your-dog question.
Position 6: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 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.
- 8fiberpea fiber
Insoluble fiber from peas. Doesn't carry the protein-inflation concern of pea protein. Mostly there for stool quality.
Position 8. Moderate inclusion. Contributes carbohydrate and some plant protein.
- 9dried egg product
Whole eggs with the water removed. Same nutritional value as fresh eggs, just shelf-stable.
Position 9: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 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.
- 11othernatural flavor
Legal term for animal-derived flavoring, usually hydrolyzed liver or broth. Adds taste, says nothing about quality.
- 12fatfish oil
Concentrated omega-3s. The reason 'EPA' and 'DHA' get to show up on the bag.
Position 12. Moderate marine-oil inclusion. Supplements EPA/DHA without being the primary fat.
- 13soybean oil
Plant oil. High in omega-6, which is required but commonly oversupplied. Fine in moderation.
Position 13: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 14mono and dicalcium phosphate
Source of calcium and phosphorus. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 15mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 16mineralcalcium carbonate
Source of calcium. Functional. Required in complete dog foods, especially those without bone-in meat meals.
- 17mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 18potassium citrate
Source of potassium. Sometimes added in urinary-support formulas to help manage urine pH.
- 19supplementcholine chloride
Essential nutrient for liver and brain function. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 20l-lysine monohydrochloride
Stable form of L-lysine, an essential amino acid. Common in plant-heavy formulas to balance the amino acid profile.
- 21mineralzinc sulfate
Inorganic zinc. Effective at AAFCO doses but less well-absorbed than chelated forms like zinc proteinate.
- 22mineralferrous sulfate
Inorganic iron. Standard mineral source. Iron proteinate is the gentler, better-absorbed premium form.
- 23mineralmanganese sulfate
Inorganic manganese. Functional but less well-absorbed than the chelated proteinate form.
- 24mineralcopper sulfate
Inorganic copper. Standard, effective at small doses. Premium formulas tend to use copper proteinate instead.
- 25mineralcalcium iodate
Source of iodine for thyroid function. Functional, required in complete formulas.
Showing first 25 of 27. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
25 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.