Vegan Dry Dog Food, 33-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
The Green Dog Vegan Dry Dog Food is a dry food that uses soybean meal as its primary protein source.
Not much to highlight here. The formula does include quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber, which can be beneficial for digestive health. However, this is a minor positive in the context of the overall low score.
This product's score is capped due to BHA, a synthetic preservative, and the lack of an AAFCO statement. The formula is also heavily dominated by plant proteins, with soybean meal as the first ingredient.
Hard to recommend for any dog, especially given the significant concerns around BHA and the lack of an AAFCO statement.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Good fit for adult Golden Retrievers navigating diet-associated DCM concerns. Soybean meal leads the deck, 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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.
Sniff scored this formula 8/100, landing in F-tier (avoid). The biggest contributor was carbohydrate quality (+12 points): Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber. A hard cap of 49 also applied because one FLAG-tier ingredient is in the formula. Even without the cap, the base component scores sit below the next band. The structural fix would need to address protein quality as well.
- Bottom 4% for protein quality in grain-inclusive dry kibbles (3.4/27)
- Bottom 3% for overall Sniff Score in grain-inclusive dry kibbles (8/100)
- Bottom 10% for fat quality in grain-inclusive dry kibbles (6/16)
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.
The Honest Kitchen Human Grade Essential Clusters Whole Grain Chicken Dry Dog Food, 20-lb bag
Scores 50 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Big Red Complete Adult Meat Dry Dog Food, 50-lb bag
$0.56/lb vs your seed's $3.05/lb (82% less) at a comparable score.
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 plantsoybean meal
Concentrated soy protein. Cheap plant protein that pads the label number, common in budget formulas.
Position 1: plant protein in the top 5. Stacked with animal protein, can inflate the crude protein number without matching the amino-acid quality of named animal sources.
- 2peanuts
- 3grainrice
Generic rice. Could be white or brown, the label doesn't say. Brown rice would be specified if it were.
Position 3: major carbohydrate source.
- 4hominy feed
- 5oil and vegetable fat [soybean oil]
Position 5: secondary fat. Often where marine oils sit when present alongside a primary land-animal fat.
- 6maize
- 7black bean
- 8mineralcalcium carbonate
Source of calcium. Functional. Required in complete dog foods, especially those without bone-in meat meals.
- 9mineraldicalcium phosphate
Calcium and phosphorus combined. Required source of both minerals, especially in formulas without much bone content.
- 10fiberdried beet 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 10: functional fiber for digestion or satiety.
- 11brewer's dried yeast
- 12mineralsodium chloride
Same as salt. Required mineral, necessary at small doses.
- 13preservative naturalrosemary extract
Natural preservative. Replaces synthetic ones like BHA and BHT.
Natural preservative. Methodologically preferred over synthetic alternatives.
- 14fiberinulin
Prebiotic fiber that feeds beneficial gut bacteria. Same compound found in chicory root.
Position 14: trace fiber inclusion.
- 15yucca mohave
- 16chia seed
Plant source of omega-3 and fiber. Like flaxseed, useful in trace amounts.
- 17quinoa seed
- 18natural flavoring substances
- 19supplementcholine chloride
Essential nutrient for liver and brain function. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 20supplementdl-methionine
Essential amino acid. Often added when plant proteins dominate, since methionine is naturally lower in pulses than meat.
- 21supplementtaurine
Amino acid critical for heart health. Especially important in grain-free or pulse-heavy formulas where natural taurine precursors run thin.
- 22supplementl-carnitine
Amino acid derivative that helps the body convert fat into energy. Common in weight-management formulas.
- 23vitamins a
- 24d3
- 25e
Showing first 25 of 45. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
13 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.