Chicken Meal & Sweet Potato 26/20 Essential Blend Premium Dry Dog Food, 33-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
TEAM DOG Chicken Meal & Sweet Potato 26/20 Essential Blend Premium Dry Dog Food is a dry formula for all life stages, with chicken as its main protein source.
This food offers good protein quality, with chicken meal providing solid amino acid coverage. It also uses quality carbohydrate sources that include fermentable fiber, and the fat sources are good, featuring named fat and marine oil for EPA and DHA.
One thing to note is the inclusion of menadione, which is a synthetic vitamin K source. While AAFCO permits it in pet food, it's banned for human over-the-counter use.
Good fit for dogs of all ages and sizes. Less ideal if you prefer to avoid synthetic vitamin K sources.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Good fit for adult Saint Bernards and similar lower-energy working breeds navigating diet-associated DCM concerns. Chicken meal anchors position 1, with zero pulses in the top 15, plus chicken liver at position 12 (a natural taurine precursor) and herring meal at position 6. Worth watching: calorie density (528 kcal/cup) is rich for a lower-activity breed. As of the FDA's June 2019 update on diet-associated DCM, the Saint Bernard was one of the most reported breeds, with 10 cases submitted to the agency (FDA, 2019) .
Looking at this for adult Saint Bernards or Saint Bernards 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 4 cited studies relevant to its profile. Each link opens the original source.
- FDA, 2022epidemiology · breed predisposition· cited in 4 claims
- FDA, 2019cardiac concerns with named research if dcm predisposed · diet composition· cited in 3 claims
- NRC, 2006nutrient bioavailability
- OFAcardiac concerns with named research if dcm predisposed
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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.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 67/100, landing in B-tier territory. The biggest contributor was protein quality (+17 points): Reasonable protein quality. chicken meal delivers solid amino acid coverage. The biggest detractor was controversial-ingredient penalty (-5 points): Contains menadione. Banned for human OTC use but tolerated at AAFCO-permitted levels in pet food. The only AAFCO-permitted vitamin K source. To reach A-tier, this formula would need to gain about 8 points, most likely through controversial-ingredient penalty.
Reasonable protein quality. chicken meal delivers solid amino acid coverage.
Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.
Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source).
Contains menadione. Banned for human OTC use but tolerated at AAFCO-permitted levels in pet food. The only AAFCO-permitted vitamin K source..
- Top 5% for DMB fat in grain-inclusive dry kibbles (22.2%)
- Bottom 4% for crude fiber in grain-inclusive dry kibbles (3.3% DMB)
- Top 3% for caloric density in grain-inclusive dry kibbles (528 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.
American Journey Grain-Free Senior Chicken & Sweet Potato Recipe Dry Dog Food, 24-lb bag
Scores 6 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Diamond Naturals Grain-Free Chicken & Sweet Potato Formula Dry Dog Food, 28-lb bag
$1.86/lb vs your seed's $2.57/lb (28% less) at a comparable score.
Wellness Complete Health+ Adult Whitefish & Sweet Potato Dry Dog Food, 20-lb bag
Whitefish instead of chicken, 3 points lower, 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 meal
Chicken with the water cooked out. Per pound, packs more protein than fresh chicken. See why →
Position 1: primary protein source. After cooking removes water, this may drop in proportional weight, but it anchors the recipe.
- 2grainoats
Whole grain. Steady energy, soluble fiber, and well-tolerated by most dogs.
Position 2: major carbohydrate source.
- 3grainbrown rice
Whole grain that's easy to digest. Steady carb energy plus a little fiber.
Position 3: major carbohydrate source.
- 4fatchicken fat
Despite the name, a high-quality energy source. Concentrated calories plus essential fatty acids like linoleic acid. See why →
Position 4: secondary fat. Often where marine oils sit when present alongside a primary land-animal fat.
- 5vegetablesweet potato
Complex carb with fiber and beta-carotene. Gentle on the stomach.
Position 5: meaningful whole-food inclusion. Source of vitamins, antioxidants, or natural fiber.
- 6protein animalherring meal
Concentrated herring with the water removed. Carries protein and omega-3s in one ingredient.
Position 6: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 7grainmillet
Gluten-free whole grain. Fine for most dogs, often used as an alternative to rice.
Position 7: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 8fiberbeet pulp
Soluble fiber from sugar-beet processing. Sometimes treated as a filler, but it's actually one of the better fiber sources in kibble. See why →
Position 8: functional fiber for digestion or satiety.
- 9egg powder
Position 9: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 10brewer's dried yeast
- 11herring oil
Concentrated omega-3 from herring. Same role as salmon oil, skin and coat support.
Position 11: trace protein. Likely there for amino-acid diversity or label appeal more than nutritional weight.
- 12protein 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 12. Small organ inclusion. Functional but not a primary contributor to the protein profile.
- 13mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 14calcium propionate
- 15lecithin
Natural emulsifier, usually from soy or sunflower. Helps blend fats and water. Safe at typical inclusion.
- 16kelp meal
- 17mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 18supplementdl-methionine
Essential amino acid. Often added when plant proteins dominate, since methionine is naturally lower in pulses than meat.
- 19supplementtaurine
Amino acid critical for heart health. Especially important in grain-free or pulse-heavy formulas where natural taurine precursors run thin.
- 20bacillus licheniformis
- 21bacillus subtilis
- 22supplementyucca schidigera extract
Plant extract added to reduce stool odor. Functional, not nutritional. Fine in trace amounts.
- 23mineralcalcium carbonate
Source of calcium. Functional. Required in complete dog foods, especially those without bone-in meat meals.
- 24mineralselenium yeast
Organic selenium grown in yeast. The form premium brands use, gentler and more bioavailable than sodium selenite.
- 25mineraliron proteinate
Iron bound to protein for better absorption. The premium form versus inorganic iron sulfate.
Showing first 25 of 42. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
19 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.
This recipe is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for All Life Stages including the growth of large size dogs (70 pounds or more as an adult). The AAFCO does not regulate, test, approve, or certify pet food. It establishes a model language that states and other governing bodies may adopt into law.