NutrientBoost Bison & Brown Rice Toy & Small Breed Gut Health Whole Grain Dry Dog Food, 11-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Solid Gold NutrientBoost Bison & Brown Rice Toy & Small Breed Gut Health is a dry food for toy and small breeds, featuring bison and ocean fish as its main protein sources.
This formula offers good protein quality, with bison providing solid amino acid coverage. It also includes quality fat sources like named chicken fat and marine oil for EPA and DHA. The carbohydrate sources are also considered good, providing fermentable fiber.
The biggest watch item here is the lack of an AAFCO statement, which means its nutritional completeness is unverified. There's also some legume stacking with peas and chickpeas appearing in the top 15 ingredients.
Good fit for toy and small breed dogs. Less ideal if you prefer foods with a verified AAFCO nutritional completeness statement.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
The FDA's 2019 investigation update on diet-associated DCM included 13 reported cases in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, making them one of the top 15 most frequently reported breeds at that time (FDA, 2019) . Good fit for adult Cavalier King Charles Spaniels navigating diet-associated DCM concerns. Bison anchors position 1, with 3 pulse-family ingredients in the top 15 (pea protein at position 6, peas at position 8, chickpeas at position 10), plus ocean fish meal at position 2.
Looking at this for adult Cavalier King Charles Spaniels or Cavalier King Charles Spaniels 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, 2022epidemiology · breed predisposition· cited in 4 claims
- FDA, 2019cardiac · diet composition· cited in 3 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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.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 58/100, this formula lands mid-pack. The lift comes from protein quality, worth 17.5 points to the final number: Reasonable protein quality. bison delivers solid amino acid coverage. 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.
Reasonable protein quality. bison delivers solid amino acid coverage.
Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source).
Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.
No AAFCO statement. Nutritional completeness unverified.
Contains high legume stacking. Multiple pulse-family ingredients in top 15. Mitigated by taurine supplementation or organ meat (natural taurine precursor) in top 10..
- Bottom 3% for crude fiber in Solid Gold's lineup (4.4% DMB)
- Top quartile for DMB fat in grain-inclusive dry kibbles (20.0%)
- Bottom quartile for carb quality in grain-inclusive dry kibbles (12/16)
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.
Blue Buffalo True Solutions Small Breed Care Formula Adult Dry Dog Food, 11-lb bag
Scores 22 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Solid Gold Real Lamb, Brown Rice & Pearled Barley Whole Grain Recipe Dry Dog Food for Medium & Large Dogs, 24-lb bag
$3.12/lb vs your seed's $4.82/lb (35% less) at a comparable score.
Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Beef & Brown Rice Small Breed Recipe Dry Dog Food, 12-lb bag
Beef instead of bison, 1 point 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.
- 2protein animalocean fish meal
Position 2: co-primary protein. Two named animal proteins in the top 2 is a strong protein build.
- 3grainbrown rice
Whole grain that's easy to digest. Steady carb energy plus a little fiber.
Position 3: major carbohydrate source.
- 4grainpearled barley
Barley with the outer hull removed. Easy to digest, steady carb release.
Position 4: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 5grainoatmeal
Gentle on the stomach. Slow-release carbs and soluble fiber that supports stool quality.
Position 5: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 6protein plantpea protein
Concentrated plant protein. Inflates the protein number on the label without matching the amino acid quality of meat.
Position 6. Moderate inclusion. Contributes carbohydrate and some plant protein.
- 7fatchicken fat
Despite the name, a high-quality energy source. Concentrated calories plus essential fatty acids like linoleic acid. See why →
Position 7: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 8legumepeas
Cheap protein bulk. Fine in small amounts, but when peas stack with lentils and chickpeas in the top ingredients, it's the pattern the FDA flagged in its heart-disease investigation. See why →
Position 8. Moderate inclusion. Contributes carbohydrate and some plant protein.
- 9protein animalsalmon meal
Salmon cooked into a dry concentrate. Carries both protein and natural omega-3s in one ingredient. See why →
Position 9: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 10legumechickpeas
Also called garbanzo beans. Affordable plant protein source, part of the legume stack the FDA examined in its heart-disease investigation. See why →
Position 10. Moderate inclusion. Contributes carbohydrate and some plant protein.
- 11animal plasma
- 12fatground flaxseed
Cracked flaxseed for better digestibility. Same plant omega-3s as whole flaxseed, just easier for the dog to extract.
Position 12: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 13othernatural flavor
Legal term for animal-derived flavoring, usually hydrolyzed liver or broth. Adds taste, says nothing about quality.
- 14spray dried animal blood cells
- 15mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 16mineraldicalcium phosphate
Calcium and phosphorus combined. Required source of both minerals, especially in formulas without much bone content.
- 17vegetablecarrots
Real vegetable. Fiber, beta-carotene, and a small amount of antioxidant value.
- 18vegetablepumpkin
Soluble fiber that supports stool quality. Mild and well-tolerated.
- 19l-threonine
Essential amino acid. Sometimes added when plant proteins dominate, since threonine is naturally lower in plants than meat.
- 20fruitblueberries
Antioxidants, real. But the amount in any kibble is too small to do much. Mostly marketing.
- 21fruitcranberries
Often added with a urinary-tract-support marketing angle. Real cranberry compounds help in concentrate form, but kibble doses are small.
- 22mineralzinc sulfate
Inorganic zinc. Effective at AAFCO doses but less well-absorbed than chelated forms like zinc proteinate.
- 23mineralferrous sulfate
Inorganic iron. Standard mineral source. Iron proteinate is the gentler, better-absorbed premium form.
- 24mineralcopper sulfate
Inorganic copper. Standard, effective at small doses. Premium formulas tend to use copper proteinate instead.
- 25mineralmanganese sulfate
Inorganic manganese. Functional but less well-absorbed than the chelated proteinate form.
Showing first 25 of 36. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
22 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.