Raw Naturals Chicken & Salmon Flavor Limited-Ingredient Freeze-Dried Dog Food, 8-oz pouch
Graded by The Sniff System
Stewart Raw Naturals Chicken & Salmon Flavor Limited-Ingredient Freeze-Dried Dog Food is a freeze-dried food featuring chicken, chicken liver, and salmon.
This food has a strong protein profile, with chicken as the first ingredient, which means good biological value. It also includes quality fat sources like salmon oil, providing beneficial EPA and DHA, and quality carbohydrates with fermentable fiber.
The main thing to note is the absence of an AAFCO statement, which means its nutritional completeness for any life stage is unverified. This lack of verification capped its overall score.
Good fit for owners seeking a freeze-dried food with a strong protein and fat profile. Less ideal if you require AAFCO verification.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Strong fit for active large sporting breeds like Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, and Irish Setters navigating diet-associated DCM concerns. Chicken anchors position 1, with zero pulses in the top 15, plus chicken liver at position 3 (a natural taurine precursor) and salmon 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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.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. Protein quality did the heavy lifting (+20 points): Strong protein profile with chicken as the primary ingredient, delivering high biological value. 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.
Strong protein profile with chicken 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.
- Top quartile for DMB protein in grain-free freeze-dried foods (48.9%)
- Bottom quartile for crude fiber in grain-free freeze-dried foods (3.3% DMB)
- Bottom quartile for caloric density in grain-free freeze-dried foods (209 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.
Stewart Raw Naturals Beef Limited-Ingredient Adult Freeze-Dried Dog Food, 8-oz bag
Scores 11 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
A Better Treat Raw You Can See Salmon Recipe High-Protein Kibble & Raw Freeze-Dried Dog Food, 15-lb bag
$5.33/lb vs your seed's $41.98/lb (87% less) at a comparable score.
K9 Natural Lamb & King Salmon Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Dog Food, 1.1-lb bag
Lamb instead of chicken, 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 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.
- 2ground chicken bones
Position 2: co-primary protein. Two named animal proteins in the top 2 is a strong protein build.
- 3protein animalchicken liver
Organ meat. Dense in protein, iron, vitamin A, and the B vitamins. Among the most nutrient-rich ingredients a dog can eat.
Position 3. Named organ meat this high is a strong build choice. Concentrated source of taurine, glutamine, and B-vitamins.
- 4protein animalsalmon
Real fish meat. Natural source of omega-3s, which kibble usually has to add back from oil.
Position 4: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.
- 5vegetablebroccoli
Real vegetable. Adds fiber and some antioxidants. Fine in the small amounts used in kibble.
Position 5: meaningful whole-food inclusion. Source of vitamins, antioxidants, or natural fiber.
- 6vegetablecarrots
Real vegetable. Fiber, beta-carotene, and a small amount of antioxidant value.
Position 6: meaningful whole-food inclusion. Source of vitamins, antioxidants, or natural fiber.
- 7cantaloupe
- 8lettuce
- 9eggs
Whole eggs. The highest-quality protein on any ingredient label by amino acid score.
Position 9: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 10fatsalmon oil
Pure omega-3s. The thing skin-and-coat formulas are usually built around.
Position 10. Moderate marine-oil inclusion. Supplements EPA/DHA without being the primary fat.
- 11fruitblueberries
Antioxidants, real. But the amount in any kibble is too small to do much. Mostly marketing.
Position 11: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 12fruitcranberries
Often added with a urinary-tract-support marketing angle. Real cranberry compounds help in concentrate form, but kibble doses are small.
Position 12: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 13supplementparsley
Real herb. Trace amount of vitamins K and C. The dose in kibble is small, mostly there for label appeal.
- 14fiberinulin
Prebiotic fiber that feeds beneficial gut bacteria. Same compound found in chicory root.
Position 14: trace fiber inclusion.
- 15ginger root
- 16preservative naturalmixed tocopherols
Natural vitamin E used to keep fats from going rancid. The good kind of preservative. See why →
- 17mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 18mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 19supplementdried kelp
Natural source of iodine and trace minerals. A common premium-brand inclusion.
- 20mineralzinc proteinate
Zinc bound to protein for better absorption. The premium form of the mineral, versus zinc oxide which sits cheaper on the label.
- 21mineraliron proteinate
Iron bound to protein for better absorption. The premium form versus inorganic iron sulfate.
- 22supplementtaurine
Amino acid critical for heart health. Especially important in grain-free or pulse-heavy formulas where natural taurine precursors run thin.
- 23vitaminvitamin e supplement
Required nutrient and a natural antioxidant. Often pulls double duty as a preservative.
- 24mineralcopper proteinate
Copper bound to protein for better absorption. Common in better-formulated diets.
- 25mineralmanganese proteinate
Manganese bound to protein for better absorption. The chelated form most premium brands use.
Showing first 25 of 33. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
21 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.