Fish Medley Recipe Freeze-Dried Dog Food, 14-oz bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Shepherd Boy Farms Fish Medley Recipe is a freeze-dried dog food with tuna as its primary protein source.
This food features a strong protein profile, with tuna as the primary ingredient, offering high biological value. It also includes other named fish like salmon and pollock, plus egg, for diverse, high-quality protein sources. The carbohydrate sources provide fermentable fiber.
The main thing to note is the absence of an AAFCO statement, which means the nutritional completeness of this formula is unverified. This lack of verification capped its overall score.
Good fit for dogs who thrive on a high-protein, fish-based diet. Less ideal if AAFCO verification of nutritional completeness is a must-have.
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 179 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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.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 (+22.5 points): Strong protein profile with tuna 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 tuna 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 caloric density in Shepherd Boy Farms's lineup (179 kcal/cup)
- Top 5% for DMB fat in grain-inclusive freeze-dried foods (40.2%)
- Lowest carb quality in Shepherd Boy Farms's lineup (15/16)
Computed against the rest of our catalog. Percentiles refresh on each catalog update.
Similar dog foods worth considering
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Scores 7 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
A Better Treat Raw You Can See Salmon Recipe High-Protein Kibble & Raw Freeze-Dried Dog Food, 15-lb bag
$5.33/lb vs your seed's $47.94/lb (89% less) at a comparable score.
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Duck instead of salmon, 5 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.
- 1tuna
Position 1: primary protein source. After cooking removes water, this may drop in proportional weight, but it anchors the recipe.
- 2protein animalsalmon
Real fish meat. Natural source of omega-3s, which kibble usually has to add back from oil.
Position 2: co-primary protein. Two named animal proteins in the top 2 is a strong protein build.
- 3pollock
Position 3: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.
- 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 →
- 19fiberinulin
Prebiotic fiber that feeds beneficial gut bacteria. Same compound found in chicory root.
- 20probioticlactobacillus acidophilus
- 21lactobacillus casei
- 22bifidobacterium bifidum
14 of 22 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.