El Elemental Dry Dog Food, 16.5-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets El Elemental is a dry dog food, a veterinary diet with a plant-protein-dominated formula.
This formula includes quality fat sources, like marine oil, which provides EPA and DHA. It also features quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber, which can be good for gut health. The diet has AAFCO feeding trial substantiation.
The formula is plant-protein-dominated, with corn starch as the first ingredient. It also contains tbhq, a preservative with emerging immunotoxicity signals, and menadione, a synthetic vitamin K3 banned in human supplements.
Good fit for dogs requiring a veterinary diet with specific dietary needs. Less ideal if you prefer animal-protein-first formulas or avoid synthetic preservatives.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Good fit for active large sporting breeds, including the Golden Retriever, navigating diet-associated DCM concerns. Working in its favor: taurine listed as added ingredient. Corn starch leads the deck, with zero pulses in the top 15. 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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.
Below-average grade. 36/100 (D) reflects the structural fit of this formula against The Sniff System's eight scoring components. Fat quality did the heavy lifting (+12 points): Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source). What we'd flag for vet discussion: protein quality (-25 points). Plant-protein-dominated formula. corn starch as the #1 ingredient. C-tier is 9 points up. Protein quality is where to find them.
Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source).
Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.
AAFCO feeding trial substantiation for not stated.
Plant-protein-dominated formula. corn starch as the #1 ingredient.
Contains tbhq. Prohibited in Japan. Less data than BHA/BHT; emerging immunotoxicity signals..
Contains menadione. Banned for human OTC use but tolerated at AAFCO-permitted levels in pet food. The only AAFCO-permitted vitamin K source..
- Lowest protein quality in Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets's lineup (0/27)
- Top quartile for caloric density in Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets's lineup (411 kcal/cup)
- Bottom 10% for DMB protein in grain-inclusive dry kibbles (22.5%)
Computed against the rest of our catalog. Percentiles refresh on each catalog update.
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$4.80/lb vs your seed's $8.18/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
- menadioneSynthetic vitamin K3. Banned in human supplements due to toxicity concerns at high doses. Permitted in pet food but premium brands use natural vitamin K alternatives.
Every flagged ingredient has a published basis (confirmed harm / regulatory action / precautionary). See methodology →
Read why each ingredient is good or bad for dogs.
- 1corn starch
Position 1 grain: primary carbohydrate base. This is a grain-inclusive formula with corn starch as the dominant carb.
- 2tapioca starch
Refined cassava starch, used as a binder. Easy to digest, low on nutrition.
- 3mineraldicalcium phosphate
Calcium and phosphorus combined. Required source of both minerals, especially in formulas without much bone content.
- 4glycine
- 5partially hydrogenated canola oil preserved with tbhq
Position 5: secondary fat. Often where marine oils sit when present alongside a primary land-animal fat.
- 6l-glutamic acid
- 7fatcoconut oil
Saturated fat with medium-chain triglycerides. Mostly marketing in the doses kibble uses, but harmless.
Position 7: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 8l-alanine
- 9l-aspartic acid
- 10l-lysine monohydrochloride
Stable form of L-lysine, an essential amino acid. Common in plant-heavy formulas to balance the amino acid profile.
- 11fiberpowdered cellulose
Plant fiber, often from wood pulp. Cheap bulk filler. Not harmful, but a tell that the recipe is reaching for inexpensive bulk.
Position 11: trace fiber inclusion.
- 12l-leucine
- 13supplementl-arginine
- 14l-valine
- 15sodium bicarbonate
- 16l-threonine
Essential amino acid. Sometimes added when plant proteins dominate, since threonine is naturally lower in plants than meat.
- 17l-proline
- 18l-serine
- 19supplementdl-methionine
Essential amino acid. Often added when plant proteins dominate, since methionine is naturally lower in pulses than meat.
- 20mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 21l-isoleucine
- 22corn oil
- 23l-histidine
- 24l-phenylalanine
- 25mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
Showing first 25 of 53. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
9 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.