NutrientBoost Medium & Large Breed Puppy, Chicken, Potato & Apple Puppy Gut Health Grain-Free Dry Dog Food, 22-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Solid Gold NutrientBoost Medium & Large Breed Puppy is a dry food for puppies, featuring chicken as its main protein.
Chicken provides good amino acid coverage, contributing to solid protein quality. The formula includes quality fat sources like named chicken fat and marine oil, which provides EPA and DHA. It also pairs fresh chicken with chicken meal, a strong approach for dry food production.
The ingredient list shows high legume stacking, with multiple pulse-family ingredients in the top 15. This is partially mitigated by the inclusion of animal plasma, which can be a natural taurine precursor.
Good fit for medium and large breed puppies. Less ideal if you prefer formulas with minimal legume content.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Strong fit for puppy Labrador Retrievers and similar active sporting breeds navigating weight management. At 400 kcal/cup this formula runs on the moderate side, with crude fiber at 5% (above the catalog median, supports satiety). Labs are the canonical food-motivated breed. Weight management is the dominant practical concern, even more than breed-specific health risks. 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 puppy 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 2 cited studies relevant to its profile. Each link opens the original source.
- Brooks et al., 2014diagnostic · protocol · satiety· cited in 3 claims
- 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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.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 67/100, landing in B-tier territory. The biggest contributor was protein quality (+18 points): Reasonable protein quality. chicken delivers solid amino acid coverage. The biggest detractor was controversial-ingredient penalty (-2 points): Contains high legume stacking. Multiple pulse-family ingredients in top 15. Mitigated by taurine supplementation or organ meat (natural taurine precursor) in top 10. To reach A-tier, this formula would need to gain about 8 points, most likely through controversial-ingredient penalty.
Reasonable protein quality. chicken delivers solid amino acid coverage.
Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source).
Named fresh meat paired with same-species meal, a strong extrusion architecture.
Contains high legume stacking. Multiple pulse-family ingredients in top 15. Mitigated by taurine supplementation or organ meat (natural taurine precursor) in top 10..
- Top 3% for overall Sniff Score in Solid Gold's lineup (67/100)
- Bottom quartile for carb quality in Solid Gold's lineup (11/16)
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.
ACANA Wholesome Grains Large Breed Puppy Dry Dog Food, 22.5-lb bag
Scores 13 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Nutro Natural Choice Puppy Large Breed Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food, 30-lb bag
$2.50/lb vs your seed's $3.32/lb (25% less) at a comparable score.
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 meal
Chicken with the water cooked out. Per pound, packs more protein than fresh chicken. See why →
Position 2: co-primary protein. Two named animal proteins in the top 2 is a strong protein build.
- 3vegetablesweet potato
Complex carb with fiber and beta-carotene. Gentle on the stomach.
Position 3: meaningful whole-food inclusion. Source of vitamins, antioxidants, or natural fiber.
- 4legumepeas
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 4. Within the FDA's top-5 DCM-pattern threshold. Especially notable if multiple pulses stack here.
- 5protein plantpea protein
Concentrated plant protein. Inflates the protein number on the label without matching the amino acid quality of meat.
Position 5. Within the FDA's top-5 DCM-pattern threshold. Especially notable if multiple pulses stack here.
- 6fatchicken fat
Despite the name, a high-quality energy source. Concentrated calories plus essential fatty acids like linoleic acid. See why →
Position 6: secondary fat. Often where marine oils sit when present alongside a primary land-animal fat.
- 7legumechickpeas
Also called garbanzo beans. Affordable plant protein source, part of the legume stack the FDA examined in its heart-disease investigation. See why →
Position 7. Moderate inclusion. Contributes carbohydrate and some plant protein.
- 8fiberpea fiber
Insoluble fiber from peas. Doesn't carry the protein-inflation concern of pea protein. Mostly there for stool quality.
Position 8. Moderate inclusion. Contributes carbohydrate and some plant protein.
- 9protein animalocean fish meal
Position 9: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 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.
- 11animal plasma
- 12othernatural flavor
Legal term for animal-derived flavoring, usually hydrolyzed liver or broth. Adds taste, says nothing about quality.
- 13spray dried animal blood cells
- 14fatsalmon oil
Pure omega-3s. The thing skin-and-coat formulas are usually built around.
Position 14. Trace marine oil. Contributes some omega-3 but well below the level that drives EPA/DHA totals.
- 15mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 16vegetablecarrots
Real vegetable. Fiber, beta-carotene, and a small amount of antioxidant value.
- 17mineraldicalcium phosphate
Calcium and phosphorus combined. Required source of both minerals, especially in formulas without much bone content.
- 18mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 19vegetablepumpkin
Soluble fiber that supports stool quality. Mild and well-tolerated.
- 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.
- 22supplementdl-methionine
Essential amino acid. Often added when plant proteins dominate, since methionine is naturally lower in pulses than meat.
- 23l-threonine
Essential amino acid. Sometimes added when plant proteins dominate, since threonine is naturally lower in plants than meat.
- 24supplementcholine chloride
Essential nutrient for liver and brain function. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 25mineralzinc sulfate
Inorganic zinc. Effective at AAFCO doses but less well-absorbed than chelated forms like zinc proteinate.
Showing first 25 of 37. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
22 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.