Field Master 26/18 Limited Ingredient Dry Dog Food, 40-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Sportsman's Pride Field Master 26/18 Limited Ingredient Dry Dog Food is a dry food with turkey as its primary protein.
This formula uses quality carbohydrate sources that provide fermentable fiber, which is good for gut health. It also includes quality fat sources, like named chicken fat and fish oil, which provides EPA and DHA.
The main thing to watch out for is the lack of an AAFCO statement, which means its nutritional completeness for any life stage is unverified. This is why the score is capped at 59.
Good fit for adult dogs who may benefit from a limited ingredient diet. Less ideal if you require AAFCO verification for nutritional completeness.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Good fit for active large sporting breeds, including the Golden Retriever, navigating diet-associated DCM concerns. Turkey meal anchors position 1, with one pulse (dried peas at position 4). 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) .
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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.
Middle-of-pack grade. 59/100 (C) reflects the structural fit of this formula against The Sniff System's eight scoring components. Carbohydrate quality did the heavy lifting (+13 points): Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber. What capped it: the score can't exceed 59 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). How it could climb: the brand publishing the AAFCO statement, which would lift the cap into B-band range.
Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.
Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source).
No AAFCO statement. Nutritional completeness unverified.
- Top 10% for DMB fat in grain-inclusive dry kibbles (20.5%)
- Bottom 10% for crude fiber in dry kibbles (3.4% DMB)
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.
Wellness Simple Limited Ingredient Adult Grain-Free Natural Turkey & Potato Dry Dog Food, 26-lb bag
Scores 7 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Nutrena True Active 26/18 Dry Dog Food, 50-lb bag
$0.94/lb vs your seed's $1.66/lb (44% less) at a comparable score.
Wholesomes High Energy 26/18 Dry Dog Food, 40-lb bag
Chicken instead of turkey, matched score, 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 animalturkey meal
Turkey with the water cooked out. Per pound, packs more protein than fresh turkey. See why →
Position 1: primary protein source. After cooking removes water, this may drop in proportional weight, but it anchors the recipe.
- 2grainbrown rice
Whole grain that's easy to digest. Steady carb energy plus a little fiber.
Position 2: major carbohydrate source.
- 3oat groats
Whole oats with only the inedible hull removed. The most intact form of oats available.
Position 3: major carbohydrate source.
- 4dried peas
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.
- 5fatchicken fat
Despite the name, a high-quality energy source. Concentrated calories plus essential fatty acids like linoleic acid. See why →
Position 5: secondary fat. Often where marine oils sit when present alongside a primary land-animal fat.
- 6dried plain beet pulp
Beet fiber, with the sugar removed. Long unfairly maligned. It's a real soluble fiber that supports stool quality. See why →
Position 6: functional fiber for digestion or satiety.
- 7othernatural flavor
Legal term for animal-derived flavoring, usually hydrolyzed liver or broth. Adds taste, says nothing about quality.
- 8mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 9fatfish oil
Concentrated omega-3s. The reason 'EPA' and 'DHA' get to show up on the bag.
Position 9. Moderate marine-oil inclusion. Supplements EPA/DHA without being the primary fat.
- 10mineralcopper sulfate
Inorganic copper. Standard, effective at small doses. Premium formulas tend to use copper proteinate instead.
- 11mineralmanganese sulfate
Inorganic manganese. Functional but less well-absorbed than the chelated proteinate form.
- 12mineralzinc sulfate
Inorganic zinc. Effective at AAFCO doses but less well-absorbed than chelated forms like zinc proteinate.
- 13mineraliron sulfate
- 14mineralcalcium iodate
Source of iodine for thyroid function. Functional, required in complete formulas.
- 15mineralsodium selenite Flagged
Inorganic selenium. Effective at AAFCO levels, no documented safety concern in dogs despite what some pet food blogs claim. Selenium yeast is a marginal upgrade, not a necessity. See why →
- 16probioticdried lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product
A probiotic strain. Whether the dose is high enough to actually colonize is debated, but it's a real beneficial bacterium.
- 17probioticdried lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product
- 18dried lactobacillus reuteri fermentation product
- 19dried bifidobacterium animalis fermentation product
- 20probioticdried enterococcus faecium fermentation product
15 of 20 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.