Weight Control Low-Fat & Low-Calorie Whole Grain Recipe Alaskan Pollock Dry Dog Food for Medium & Large Dogs, 24-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Solid Gold Weight Control Low-Fat & Low-Calorie Whole Grain Recipe is a dry food featuring Alaskan pollock, designed for weight management.
This formula has a strong protein profile, with pollock as the main ingredient, which means good biological value for your dog. It also includes quality fat sources, like marine oil, which provides beneficial EPA and DHA. The carbohydrate sources are also good, offering fermentable fiber.
The main thing to note is the absence of an AAFCO statement, which means its nutritional completeness hasn't been verified. This lack of verification capped its overall score.
Good fit for medium to large dogs needing weight management. Less ideal if you prefer a food with a verified AAFCO statement.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Strong fit for active large sporting breeds, including the Labrador Retriever, navigating weight management. At 330 kcal/cup this formula runs on the lean side, with crude fiber at 10% (above the catalog median, supports satiety), and the product name signals a weight-management design. 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. According to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention's 2023 survey, 59% of dogs in the United States were classified as overweight or obese by their veterinary healthcare professional, representing an estimated 55 million dogs (APOP, 2023) .
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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.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 pollock 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 pollock as the primary ingredient, delivering high biological value.
Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source).
Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.
No AAFCO statement. Nutritional completeness unverified.
- Bottom 3% for DMB fat in Solid Gold's lineup (7.2%)
- Top 10% for protein quality in Solid Gold's lineup (22.3/27)
- Bottom 10% for caloric density in Solid Gold's lineup (330 kcal/cup)
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.
Merrick Healthy Grains Healthy Weight Recipe Dry Dog Food, 25-lb bag
Scores 16 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Natural Balance Original Ultra Fat Dogs Chicken & Salmon Formula Low Calorie Dry Dog Food, 24-lb bag
$2.92/lb vs your seed's $3.12/lb (7% 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.
- 1pollock
Position 1: primary protein source. After cooking removes water, this may drop in proportional weight, but it anchors the recipe.
- 2pollock meal
Position 2: co-primary protein. Two named animal proteins in the top 2 is a strong protein build.
- 3fiberpea fiber
Insoluble fiber from peas. Doesn't carry the protein-inflation concern of pea protein. Mostly there for stool quality.
Position 3. Pulse-family ingredient this high in the deck is a notable build choice. When stacked with other pulses in the top 10, matches the formulation pattern the FDA flagged in its diet-associated DCM investigation.
- 4grainpearled barley
Barley with the outer hull removed. Easy to digest, steady carb release.
Position 4: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 5grainbrown rice
Whole grain that's easy to digest. Steady carb energy plus a little fiber.
Position 5: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 6legumepeas
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 6. Moderate inclusion. Contributes carbohydrate and some plant protein.
- 7grainoatmeal
Gentle on the stomach. Slow-release carbs and soluble fiber that supports stool quality.
Position 7: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 8protein animalocean fish meal
Position 8: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 9fatchicken fat
Despite the name, a high-quality energy source. Concentrated calories plus essential fatty acids like linoleic acid. See why →
Position 9: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 10othernatural flavor
Legal term for animal-derived flavoring, usually hydrolyzed liver or broth. Adds taste, says nothing about quality.
- 11dried eggs
Whole eggs. The highest-quality protein on any ingredient label by amino acid score.
Position 11: trace protein. Likely there for amino-acid diversity or label appeal more than nutritional weight.
- 12vegetablecarrots
Real vegetable. Fiber, beta-carotene, and a small amount of antioxidant value.
Position 12: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 13mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 14vegetablepumpkin
Soluble fiber that supports stool quality. Mild and well-tolerated.
Position 14: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 15fatground flaxseed
Cracked flaxseed for better digestibility. Same plant omega-3s as whole flaxseed, just easier for the dog to extract.
Position 15: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 16supplementdl-methionine
Essential amino acid. Often added when plant proteins dominate, since methionine is naturally lower in pulses than meat.
- 17mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 18fruitblueberries
Antioxidants, real. But the amount in any kibble is too small to do much. Mostly marketing.
- 19fruitcranberries
Often added with a urinary-tract-support marketing angle. Real cranberry compounds help in concentrate form, but kibble doses are small.
- 20fatsalmon oil
Pure omega-3s. The thing skin-and-coat formulas are usually built around.
- 21supplementcholine chloride
Essential nutrient for liver and brain function. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 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 34. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
22 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.