Wetlands Grain-Free Dry Dog Food, 28-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Taste of the Wild Wetlands Grain-Free Dry Dog Food is a grain-free dry formula that features duck and chicken as its primary proteins.
This food has a strong protein profile, with duck as the first ingredient, which means high biological value for your dog. It uses named fresh meat paired with same-species meal, which is a good sign for how the food is put together. Plus, ingredients like egg and named fish add even more diverse, high-quality protein.
Nothing concerning in the deck.
Good fit for adult dogs of any size. Nothing serious working against it.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Good fit for lower-energy small companion breeds, including the French Bulldog, navigating a sensitive stomach. Duck leads at position 1. Worth watching: multiple protein sources stacked (harder to isolate triggers). Frenchies have notoriously sensitive GI tracts plus a tendency toward obesity given their low activity needs. Limited-ingredient formulas with moderate calorie density tend to fit them well.
Looking at this for adult French Bulldogs or French Bulldogs with a sensitive stomach ? 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.
- NRC, 2006digestibility · fiber· cited in 2 claims
- AAFCO, 2024zinc
- Swanson et al., 2002prebiotics
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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.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 73/100, landing in B-tier territory. The biggest contributor was protein quality (+25.5 points): Strong protein profile with duck as the primary ingredient, delivering high biological value. Also adding to the lift: ingredient diversity (+5). Named fresh meat paired with same-species meal, a strong extrusion architecture. The 2-point gap to A-tier sits mostly in fat-quality declaration (8 of 16 possible). Full fat-quality declaration requires a named-species animal fat (e.g., chicken fat, salmon oil) plus a marine oil with declared EPA/DHA milligram content.
Strong protein profile with duck as the primary ingredient, delivering high biological value.
Named fresh meat paired with same-species meal, a strong extrusion architecture.
Includes egg, named fish, or organ meat for diverse high-bioavailability protein.
No negative drivers crossed our reporting threshold.
- Top 5% for protein quality in Taste of the Wild's lineup (25.3/27)
- Bottom quartile for crude fiber in Taste of the Wild's lineup (4.4% DMB)
- Top quartile for caloric density in Taste of the Wild's lineup (425 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.
Taste of the Wild Ancient Wetlands with Ancient Grains Dry Dog Food, 28-lb bag
Scores 9 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
ACANA Free Run Poultry Grain-Free Dry Dog Food, 25-lb bag
Chicken instead of duck, 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 animalduck
Real meat. Often used as a novel protein for dogs with sensitivities to chicken or beef.
Position 1: primary protein source. After cooking removes water, this may drop in proportional weight, but it anchors the recipe.
- 2protein animalduck meal
Duck cooked into a dry concentrate. Per pound, more protein than fresh duck.
Position 2: co-primary protein. Two named animal proteins in the top 2 is a strong protein build.
- 3protein animalchicken meal
Chicken with the water cooked out. Per pound, packs more protein than fresh chicken. See why →
Position 3: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.
- 4vegetablesweet potato
Complex carb with fiber and beta-carotene. Gentle on the stomach.
Position 4: meaningful whole-food inclusion. Source of vitamins, antioxidants, or natural fiber.
- 5legumepeas
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 5. Within the FDA's top-5 DCM-pattern threshold. Especially notable if multiple pulses stack here.
- 6legumepea flour
Powdered peas, usually used as a binder or filler. Counts toward the legume stack the FDA flagged.
Position 6. Moderate inclusion. Contributes carbohydrate and some plant protein.
- 7fatchicken fat
Despite the name, a high-quality energy source. Concentrated calories plus essential fatty acids like linoleic acid. See why →
Position 7: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 8protein animalegg product
Processed whole eggs. Same nutritional profile as fresh eggs, just shelf-stable.
Position 8: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 9othernatural flavor
Legal term for animal-derived flavoring, usually hydrolyzed liver or broth. Adds taste, says nothing about quality.
- 10protein animalfish meal
Concentrated fish protein, usually whitefish, herring, or mackerel. Strong amino acid profile. See why →
Position 10: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 11roasted quail
Position 11: trace protein. Likely there for amino-acid diversity or label appeal more than nutritional weight.
- 12roasted duck
Position 12: trace protein. Likely there for amino-acid diversity or label appeal more than nutritional weight.
- 13smoke-flavored turkey
Position 13: trace protein. Likely there for amino-acid diversity or label appeal more than nutritional weight.
- 14dried tomato pomace
The fiber-rich byproduct of tomato processing. Sometimes flagged unfairly. It's a real fiber source, not a filler shortcut.
Position 14: trace fiber inclusion.
- 15mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 16supplementcholine chloride
Essential nutrient for liver and brain function. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 17supplementtaurine
Amino acid critical for heart health. Especially important in grain-free or pulse-heavy formulas where natural taurine precursors run thin.
- 18fiberdried chicory root
Natural prebiotic. Feeds beneficial gut bacteria. The same compound (inulin) used in human gut-health products.
- 19tomatoes
Real fruit. Lycopene and trace antioxidants. Different from tomato pomace, which is the fiber byproduct.
- 20fruitblueberries
Antioxidants, real. But the amount in any kibble is too small to do much. Mostly marketing.
- 21fruitraspberries
- 22supplementyucca schidigera extract
Plant extract added to reduce stool odor. Functional, not nutritional. Fine in trace amounts.
- 23probioticdried lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product
- 24probioticdried bacillus subtilis fermentation product
- 25probioticdried 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.
Showing first 25 of 48. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
19 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.