Sport Puppy High Protein Chicken & Rice Wet Dog Food, 13-oz can, case of 12
Graded by The Sniff System
Purina Pro Plan Sport Puppy High Protein Chicken & Rice Wet Dog Food is a wet food for puppies, with chicken as its primary protein source.
This formula has a strong protein profile, with chicken as the primary ingredient, offering high biological value. It also includes liver and salmon for diverse, high-quality protein sources. The food has AAFCO feeding trial substantiation for growth.
Watch out for meat by-products, which are an unspecified species, making quality and consistency hard to audit. It also contains carrageenan, a thickener that some studies link to gastrointestinal inflammation. There's also no declared omega-3 source.
Good fit for puppies needing a high-protein diet for growth. Less ideal if your dog has IBD or you prefer fully auditable ingredient quality.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Strong fit for active large sporting breeds, including the Golden Retriever, navigating diet-associated DCM concerns. Chicken anchors position 1, with zero pulses in the top 15, plus liver at position 2 (a natural taurine precursor) and salmon at position 6. 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.
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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.
Middle-of-pack grade. 48/100 (C) reflects the structural fit of this formula against The Sniff System's eight scoring components. Protein quality did the heavy lifting (+21 points): Strong protein profile with chicken as the primary ingredient, delivering high biological value. What capped it: the score can't exceed 64 because three or more WATCH-tier ingredients appear in the deck. Removing the cap alone wouldn't change the band. Fat quality is the deeper issue.
Strong protein profile with chicken as the primary ingredient, delivering high biological value.
AAFCO feeding trial substantiation for growth.
Includes egg, named fish, or organ meat for diverse high-bioavailability protein.
No declared omega-3 source. Fish oil, salmon oil, and algae oil all absent.
Contains carrageenan. Plausible rodent colitis mechanism, no direct canine clinical evidence at food-grade levels. Concern elevated for dogs with IBD..
- Lowest fat quality in Purina Pro Plan's lineup (4/16)
- Top 4% for DMB fat in Purina Pro Plan's lineup (34.1%)
- Bottom 3% for carb quality in Purina Pro Plan's lineup (9/16)
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 Sport High Protein Beef & Bison Entrée Wet Dog Food, 13-oz can, case of 12
Scores 11 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Purina Pro Plan Development Puppy Chicken & Rice Entree Canned Dog Food, 13-oz, case of 12
$3.53/lb vs your seed's $4.26/lb (17% less) at a comparable score.
Surfaced from a vector similarity search across 3,491 scored dog foods. How this works.
Controversial ingredients · 2
- meat by-productsUnspecified species. AAFCO definition allows organs, blood, bone. but the lack of a named source means quality and consistency are not auditable.
- carrageenanSeaweed-derived thickener; some studies link it to gastrointestinal inflammation. Most common in wet foods but appears in some kibble gravies.
Every flagged ingredient has a published basis (confirmed harm / regulatory action / precautionary). See methodology →
Wet and fresh foods contain more water than kibble (typically 65-78%). On a dry-matter basis, this food's protein content is roughly 45%, comparable to premium kibble (typically 30-45% DMB protein).
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.
- 2liver
Generic liver, usually chicken or beef. Among the most nutrient-dense ingredients a dog can eat. Named species is more informative.
- 3protein animalmeat by-products Flagged
Unnamed organ meats and tissue. Could be nutritious, but no species is listed, so quality varies by batch.
Position 3: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.
- 4water
Just water. Counted on the label of any wet or fresh food. The number tells you the moisture content.
- 5grainrice
Generic rice. Could be white or brown, the label doesn't say. Brown rice would be specified if it were.
Position 5: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 6protein animalsalmon
Real fish meat. Natural source of omega-3s, which kibble usually has to add back from oil.
Position 6: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 7mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 8mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 9mineralzinc sulfate
Inorganic zinc. Effective at AAFCO doses but less well-absorbed than chelated forms like zinc proteinate.
- 10mineralferrous sulfate
Inorganic iron. Standard mineral source. Iron proteinate is the gentler, better-absorbed premium form.
- 11mineralcopper sulfate
Inorganic copper. Standard, effective at small doses. Premium formulas tend to use copper proteinate instead.
- 12mineralmanganese sulfate
Inorganic manganese. Functional but less well-absorbed than the chelated proteinate form.
- 13mineralpotassium iodide
Source of iodine, an essential trace mineral for thyroid function. Required for AAFCO-complete formulas.
- 14mineralsodium 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 →
- 15fiberguar gum
Thickener common in wet food. Emerging research on emulsifiers and the gut microbiome, but no smoking gun in dogs yet. See why →
Position 15: trace fiber inclusion.
- 16othercarrageenan Flagged
Seaweed-derived thickener. Some lab studies suggest gut inflammation, but the evidence in pets is mixed. See why →
- 17choline chloride. b312224
16 of 17 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.