Bison Recipe Freeze-Dried Dog Food, 14-oz bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Shepherd Boy Farms Bison Recipe Freeze-Dried Dog Food is a freeze-dried food featuring bison as its primary protein source.
This food has a strong protein profile, with bison as the main ingredient, offering high biological value. It also includes quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber. Plus, ingredients like bison kidneys, livers, and egg add diverse, highly bioavailable protein.
The main thing to note is the absence of an AAFCO statement, which means the nutritional completeness of this food is unverified. This lack of verification capped its overall score.
Good fit for adult dogs whose owners want a freeze-dried, novel protein option. Less ideal if AAFCO verification is a must-have for you.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Strong fit for active large sporting breeds like Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, and English Setters navigating weight management. At 251 kcal/cup this formula runs on the lean side, with crude fiber at 5% (above the catalog median, supports satiety). The landmark 14-year Purina Lifespan Study on 48 Labrador Retrievers demonstrated that dogs fed 25% fewer calories lived a median of 1.8 years longer and delayed the onset of chronic diseases. The 2014 AAHA Weight Management Guidelines define overweight as a Body Condition Score (BCS) of 6-7 on a 9-point scale. A score of 8 or 9 indicates obesity, representing 20-30% and >30% above ideal body weight, respectively (Brooks et al., 2014) .
Looking at this for adult Labrador Retrievers or Labrador Retrievers with weight management ? 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.
- Brooks et al., 2014diagnostic · protocol · satiety· cited in 5 claims
- APOP, 2023prevalence
- Raffan et al., 2016genetics
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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.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 59/100, landing in C-tier (acceptable-with-notes). The biggest contributor was protein quality (+21.5 points): Strong protein profile with bison as the primary ingredient, delivering high biological value. A hard cap of 59 also applied because the AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement isn't disclosed on the retailer page (so our methodology can't verify the formula meets adult, growth, or all-life-stages standards). If the brand publishing the AAFCO statement were on the label, the cap would lift and this formula could clear the B-band threshold (60).
Strong protein profile with bison as the primary ingredient, delivering high biological value.
Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.
Includes egg, named fish, or organ meat for diverse high-bioavailability protein.
No AAFCO statement. Nutritional completeness unverified.
- Lowest DMB protein in Shepherd Boy Farms's lineup (33.7%)
- Top 10% for DMB fat in grain-inclusive freeze-dried foods (40.0%)
- Lowest fat quality in Shepherd Boy Farms's lineup (6/16)
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.
Simple Food Project Bison Recipe Freeze-Dried Dog Food, 6-lb box
Scores 4 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Nature's Diet Fresh Beef Simply Raw Freeze-Dried Dog Food, 3-lb bag
$11.66/lb vs your seed's $47.94/lb (76% less) at a comparable score.
Simple Food Project Lamb Recipe Freeze-Dried Dog Food, 6-lb box
Lamb instead of bison, 3 points higher, different brand.
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 animalbison
Real meat, leaner than beef. Used as a novel protein, mostly in premium formulas.
Position 1: primary protein source. After cooking removes water, this may drop in proportional weight, but it anchors the recipe.
- 2bison kidneys
Position 2. Named organ meat this high is a strong build choice. Concentrated source of taurine, glutamine, and B-vitamins.
- 3bison livers
Position 3. Named organ meat this high is a strong build choice. Concentrated source of taurine, glutamine, and B-vitamins.
- 4egg
Whole eggs. The highest-quality protein on any ingredient label, by amino acid score.
Position 4: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.
- 5goat milk
Position 5: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.
- 6fatflaxseed
Plant source of omega-3. Helpful for skin and coat, though dogs absorb omega-3 from fish more efficiently.
Position 6: secondary fat. Often where marine oils sit when present alongside a primary land-animal fat.
- 7vegetablesweet potato
Complex carb with fiber and beta-carotene. Gentle on the stomach.
Position 7: meaningful whole-food inclusion. Source of vitamins, antioxidants, or natural fiber.
- 8supplementkelp
Seaweed source of iodine. Trace mineral support, common in better formulas.
- 9vegetablecarrots
Real vegetable. Fiber, beta-carotene, and a small amount of antioxidant value.
Position 9: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 10fruitapples
Real fruit, some fiber and antioxidants. The amount in kibble is too small to matter much.
Position 10: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 11fruitblueberries
Antioxidants, real. But the amount in any kibble is too small to do much. Mostly marketing.
Position 11: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 12cod liver oil
Position 12. Small organ inclusion. Functional but not a primary contributor to the protein profile.
- 13pumpkin seeds
- 14vegetablespinach
Leafy green. Some iron, vitamin K, and fiber. The dose in kibble is small but it's real food.
Position 14: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 15fiberchicory root
Prebiotic fiber that supports gut bacteria. A genuine functional ingredient, not marketing.
Position 15: trace fiber inclusion.
- 16fruitcranberries
Often added with a urinary-tract-support marketing angle. Real cranberry compounds help in concentrate form, but kibble doses are small.
- 17supplementginger
Real spice. Some anti-nausea evidence in humans, but the dose in kibble is small. Mostly for flavor.
- 18preservative naturalmixed tocopherols
Natural vitamin E used to keep fats from going rancid. The good kind of preservative. See why →
- 19probioticlactobacillus acidophilus
- 20lactobacillus casei
- 21bifidobacterium bifidum
13 of 21 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.