Chicken Recipe Freeze-Dried Dog Food, 48-oz bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Shepherd Boy Farms Chicken Recipe Freeze-Dried Dog Food is a freeze-dried food built around chicken and chicken liver.
This food has a strong protein profile, with chicken as the main ingredient, providing high biological value. It also includes quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber. The inclusion of chicken liver, chicken hearts, and egg adds diverse, high-bioavailability protein.
The main thing to note is the absence of an AAFCO statement, which means its nutritional completeness is unverified. This lack of verification capped its overall score.
Good fit for dogs who thrive on high-protein, organ-rich diets. Less ideal if you prefer AAFCO verification for nutritional completeness.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
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) . Good 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 chicken liver at position 2 (a natural taurine precursor).
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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.
At 59/100, this formula lands mid-pack. The lift comes from protein quality, worth 20.5 points to the final number: Strong protein profile with chicken as the primary ingredient, delivering high biological value. The ceiling on this score is 59, set 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). The fix path: the brand publishing the AAFCO statement. That would lift the cap and put this formula above the B-band line at 60.
Strong protein profile with chicken 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 crude fiber in Shepherd Boy Farms's lineup (4.2% DMB)
- Top quartile for DMB protein in grain-inclusive freeze-dried foods (47.4%)
- 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 Chicken & Turkey Recipe Freeze-Dried Dog Food, 6-lb box
Scores 9 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
A Better Treat Raw You Can See Chicken Recipe High-Protein Kibble & Raw Freeze-Dried Dog Food, 15-lb bag
$4.67/lb vs your seed's $34.98/lb (87% less) at a comparable score.
Simple Food Project Duck Recipe Freeze-Dried Dog Food, 6-lb box
Duck instead of chicken, 1 point lower, 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 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.
- 2protein animalchicken liver
Organ meat. Dense in protein, iron, vitamin A, and the B vitamins. Among the most nutrient-rich ingredients a dog can eat.
Position 2. Named organ meat this high is a strong build choice. Concentrated source of taurine, glutamine, and B-vitamins.
- 3chicken hearts
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
14 of 21 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.