VFS Skin & Digestive Support Dry Dog Food, 22-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
SquarePet VFS Skin & Digestive Support Dry Dog Food is a dry formula featuring hydrolyzed pork, designed for dogs needing skin and digestive support.
This formula uses hydrolyzed pork, which provides good amino acid coverage for protein quality. It also includes quality carbohydrate sources with declared fiber, and premium micronutrient forms like chelated minerals.
The main thing to note is that there's no AAFCO statement, which means the nutritional completeness of this food is unverified. This lack of verification capped its overall score.
Good fit for dogs needing skin and digestive support. Less ideal if you require an AAFCO statement for nutritional assurance.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Good fit for adult Golden Retrievers and similar active sporting breeds navigating diet-associated DCM concerns. Working in its favor: taurine listed as added ingredient. Hydrolyzed pork anchors position 1, with zero pulses in the top 15. 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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.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. Protein quality did the heavy lifting (+18.5 points): Reasonable protein quality. hydrolyzed pork delivers solid amino acid coverage. 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.
Reasonable protein quality. hydrolyzed pork delivers solid amino acid coverage.
Quality carbohydrate sources with declared fiber.
Premium micronutrient forms such as chelated minerals or natural vitamin E.
No AAFCO statement. Nutritional completeness unverified.
- Lowest carb quality in SquarePet's lineup (13/16)
- Top quartile for caloric density in grain-inclusive dry kibbles (440 kcal/cup)
- Bottom 10% for DMB fat in dry kibbles (11.1%)
Computed against the rest of our catalog. Percentiles refresh on each catalog update.
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Three lenses on products with formulation profiles similar to this one.
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.
- 1hydrolyzed pork
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.
- 3grainwhite rice
Refined grain with the bran stripped off. Easy to digest, but not as nutrient-dense as brown rice.
Position 3: major carbohydrate source.
- 4fatsunflower oil
Common plant oil. Useful in moderation for omega-6, though too much skews the omega ratio against the dog's favor.
Position 4: secondary fat. Often where marine oils sit when present alongside a primary land-animal fat.
- 5pork fat
Real animal fat from a named species. Clean energy source.
Position 5: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.
- 6natural pork flavor
Position 6: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 7mineralcalcium carbonate
Source of calcium. Functional. Required in complete dog foods, especially those without bone-in meat meals.
- 8flaxseed oil
Position 8: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 9mineraltricalcium phosphate
Calcium and phosphorus source. Same role as dicalcium phosphate, slightly different ratio.
- 10mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 11supplementcholine chloride
Essential nutrient for liver and brain function. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 12vitaminvitamin a supplement
Vitamin A in stable, standardized form. Required for vision, immune function, and growth.
- 13vitaminvitamin d3 supplement
The active form of vitamin D dogs need. Required for calcium absorption and bone health.
- 14vitaminvitamin e supplement
Required nutrient and a natural antioxidant. Often pulls double duty as a preservative.
- 15vitaminniacin supplement
B vitamin (B3). Required in complete dog foods, added as a supplement to standardize the dose.
- 16vitamind-calcium pantothenate
B vitamin (B5). Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 17vitaminriboflavin supplement
B vitamin (B2). Required in complete dog foods. The standardized form ensures consistent dosing.
- 18vitaminthiamine mononitrate
B vitamin (B1). Essential for nervous system function. Cooked-in vitamin loss is why thiamine is always added back.
- 19vitaminpyridoxine hydrochloride
B vitamin (B6). Essential for protein metabolism. Standard inclusion in complete formulas.
- 20biotin vitamin b12 supplement
- 21vitaminfolic acid
B vitamin (B9), essential for cell function. Standard in complete dog foods.
- 22supplementdl-methionine
Essential amino acid. Often added when plant proteins dominate, since methionine is naturally lower in pulses than meat.
- 23marine microalgae
- 24mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 25nutritional yeast
Showing first 25 of 37. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
19 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.