Complete Health Small Breed Grain-Free Natural Turkey, Chicken, & Salmon Dry Dog Food, 11-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Wellness Complete Health Small Breed Grain-Free Natural Turkey, Chicken, & Salmon Dry Dog Food is a grain-free dry food for small breeds, primarily featuring turkey and chicken.
This formula has a strong protein profile, with turkey as the first ingredient, providing high biological value. It also includes quality fat sources like chicken fat and salmon oil, which offers EPA and DHA. The addition of salmon meal further contributes to a diverse and highly bioavailable protein content.
Lentils and peas appear relatively high on the ingredient list. This pattern of multiple legumes is what the FDA flagged in its investigation into dilated cardiomyopathy.
Good fit for small breed dogs who need a high-protein diet. 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. Working in its favor: explicitly formulated for small-breed dogs. Turkey leads at position 1, with dried plain beet pulp (prebiotic fiber) at position 8 on the deck. What we'd flag: calorie density (505 kcal/cup) is rich for a lower-activity breed. 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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.
Solid grade. 69/100 (B) reflects the structural fit of this formula against The Sniff System's eight scoring components. Protein quality did the heavy lifting (+20.5 points): Strong protein profile with turkey as the primary ingredient, delivering high biological value. The supporting beat: fat quality (+12 points). Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source). What's keeping it out of A-tier: carbohydrate quality (8 of 16 possible). Full carbohydrate quality requires whole-grain or single-source carbohydrates with a declared fermentable fiber.
Strong protein profile with turkey as the primary ingredient, delivering high biological value.
Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source).
Includes egg, named fish, or organ meat for diverse high-bioavailability protein.
No negative drivers crossed our reporting threshold.
- Top 2% for caloric density in Wellness's lineup (505 kcal/cup)
- Bottom 1% for carb quality in Wellness's lineup (8/16)
- Top quartile for overall Sniff Score in grain-free dry kibbles (69/100)
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.
Wellness CORE+ Small Breed Original Turkey & Chicken Recipe
Scores 13 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Wellness Complete Health Puppy Grain-Free Natural Chicken & Salmon Dry Dog Food, 22-lb bag
$2.73/lb vs your seed's $4.09/lb (33% 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 animalturkey
Real meat. Lean protein, good amino acid profile, often well-tolerated by dogs sensitive to chicken.
Position 1: primary protein source. After cooking removes water, this may drop in proportional weight, but it anchors the recipe.
- 2protein animalchicken meal
Chicken with the water cooked out. Per pound, packs more protein than fresh chicken. See why →
Position 2: co-primary protein. Two named animal proteins in the top 2 is a strong protein build.
- 3ground potatoes
White potato. Carb source, fine in moderation, but used heavily as a filler in some grain-free recipes.
- 4legumelentils
Same concern as peas. Affordable plant protein, but when they pile up in the top 5 ingredients, it's a flag. See why →
Position 4. Within the FDA's top-5 DCM-pattern threshold. Especially notable if multiple pulses stack here.
- 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.
- 6protein animalsalmon meal
Salmon cooked into a dry concentrate. Carries both protein and natural omega-3s in one ingredient. See why →
Position 6: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 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.
- 8dried plain beet pulp
Beet fiber, with the sugar removed. Long unfairly maligned. It's a real soluble fiber that supports stool quality. See why →
Position 8: functional fiber for digestion or satiety.
- 9fatflaxseed
Plant source of omega-3. Helpful for skin and coat, though dogs absorb omega-3 from fish more efficiently.
Position 9: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 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.
- 11othernatural flavor
Legal term for animal-derived flavoring, usually hydrolyzed liver or broth. Adds taste, says nothing about quality.
- 12fiberdried chicory root
Natural prebiotic. Feeds beneficial gut bacteria. The same compound (inulin) used in human gut-health products.
Position 12: trace fiber inclusion.
- 13supplementtaurine
Amino acid critical for heart health. Especially important in grain-free or pulse-heavy formulas where natural taurine precursors run thin.
- 14vegetablespinach
Leafy green. Some iron, vitamin K, and fiber. The dose in kibble is small but it's real food.
Position 14: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 15vegetablebroccoli
Real vegetable. Adds fiber and some antioxidants. Fine in the small amounts used in kibble.
Position 15: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 16vitaminvitamin e supplement
Required nutrient and a natural antioxidant. Often pulls double duty as a preservative.
- 17vegetablecarrots
Real vegetable. Fiber, beta-carotene, and a small amount of antioxidant value.
- 18supplementparsley
Real herb. Trace amount of vitamins K and C. The dose in kibble is small, mostly there for label appeal.
- 19fruitapples
Real fruit, some fiber and antioxidants. The amount in kibble is too small to matter much.
- 20fruitblueberries
Antioxidants, real. But the amount in any kibble is too small to do much. Mostly marketing.
- 21vegetablekale
Leafy green with antioxidants and fiber. Small dose in kibble, but it's not just for marketing.
- 22mixed tocopherols added to preserve freshness
Natural vitamin E used as a preservative. The good kind of antioxidant on a label. See why →
- 23vitaminniacin supplement
B vitamin (B3). Required in complete dog foods, added as a supplement to standardize the dose.
- 24mineralzinc proteinate
Zinc bound to protein for better absorption. The premium form of the mineral, versus zinc oxide which sits cheaper on the label.
- 25mineralferrous sulfate
Inorganic iron. Standard mineral source. Iron proteinate is the gentler, better-absorbed premium form.
Showing first 25 of 50. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
25 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.