Beef Recipe Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food, 16-oz bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Sprankles Beef Recipe Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food is a freeze-dried raw food for all life stages, featuring beef with ground bone, beef liver, and beef heart.
This food offers good protein quality, with beef with ground bone providing solid amino acid coverage. It also includes quality fat sources, like salmon oil, which is a marine oil rich in EPA and DHA. The carbohydrate sources are also good, providing fermentable fiber.
Nothing concerning in the deck.
Good fit for dogs of all life stages, especially for owners looking for a freeze-dried raw diet.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Strong fit for adult Golden Retrievers and similar active sporting breeds navigating diet-associated DCM concerns. Beef with ground bone anchors position 1, with zero pulses in the top 15, plus added taurine at position 15, beef liver at position 2 (a natural taurine precursor), and salmon oil at position 6. 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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.
Solid grade. 68/100 (B) reflects the structural fit of this formula against The Sniff System's eight scoring components. Protein quality did the heavy lifting (+17 points): Reasonable protein quality. beef with ground bone delivers solid amino acid coverage. The supporting beat: fat quality (+12 points). Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source). What's keeping it out of A-tier: protein quality (17 of 27 possible). Full protein quality requires named-species named-cut proteins in the top of the deck (e.g., "deboned chicken" rather than "chicken meal" or "poultry meal").
Reasonable protein quality. beef with ground bone delivers solid amino acid coverage.
Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source).
Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.
No negative drivers crossed our reporting threshold.
- Bottom 2% for carb quality in grain-inclusive freeze-dried foods (12/16)
- Top quartile for DMB fat in grain-inclusive freeze-dried foods (34.2%)
- Bottom 10% for crude fiber in grain-inclusive freeze-dried foods (2.1% DMB)
Computed against the rest of our catalog. Percentiles refresh on each catalog update.
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Scores 7 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
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Chicken instead of beef, 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 animalbeef with ground bone
Position 1: primary protein source. After cooking removes water, this may drop in proportional weight, but it anchors the recipe.
- 2protein animalbeef liver
Organ meat. Among the most nutrient-dense ingredients available, rich in B vitamins, iron, and vitamin A.
Position 2. Named organ meat this high is a strong build choice. Concentrated source of taurine, glutamine, and B-vitamins.
- 3protein animalbeef heart
Position 3. Named organ meat this high is a strong build choice. Concentrated source of taurine, glutamine, and B-vitamins.
- 4beef tripe
Stomach lining. Strong-smelling but nutrient-dense, with natural digestive enzymes.
Position 4. Named organ meat this high is a strong build choice. Concentrated source of taurine, glutamine, and B-vitamins.
- 5dried goats milk
- 6fatsalmon oil
Pure omega-3s. The thing skin-and-coat formulas are usually built around.
Position 6. Moderate marine-oil inclusion. Supplements EPA/DHA without being the primary fat.
- 7flaxseed oil
Position 7: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 8mineraldicalcium phosphate
Calcium and phosphorus combined. Required source of both minerals, especially in formulas without much bone content.
- 9mineralcalcium carbonate
Source of calcium. Functional. Required in complete dog foods, especially those without bone-in meat meals.
- 10vegetablepumpkin
Soluble fiber that supports stool quality. Mild and well-tolerated.
Position 10: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 11mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 12mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 13dried coconut
- 14fatcoconut oil
Saturated fat with medium-chain triglycerides. Mostly marketing in the doses kibble uses, but harmless.
Position 14: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 15supplementtaurine
Amino acid critical for heart health. Especially important in grain-free or pulse-heavy formulas where natural taurine precursors run thin.
- 16mineralzinc amino acid complex
Zinc bound to amino acids for better absorption. Same idea as zinc proteinate, the premium form of the mineral.
- 17mineraliron amino acid complex
Iron bound to amino acids for better absorption. Premium form versus inorganic iron sulfate.
- 18mineralcopper amino acid complex
Copper bound to amino acids for better absorption. Premium form versus copper sulfate.
- 19mineralmanganese amino acid complex
Manganese bound to amino acids for better absorption. The chelated form most premium brands use.
- 20lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product
- 21lactobacillus delbrueckii fermentation product
- 22lactobacillus pantarum
- 23fermentation product
- 24bacillus subtillis fermentation product
- 25aspergillus oryzae fermentation product
Showing first 25 of 28. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
14 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.
Formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for all life stages including growth of large size dogs (70 lb. or more as an adult).