Peak Chicken with Orchard Fruits Recipe Steam & Dried Dog Food, 28.8-oz bag
Graded by The Sniff System
ZIWI Peak Chicken with Orchard Fruits Recipe is a steam and dried dog food, featuring chicken and chicken liver as its main protein sources.
This food has a strong protein profile, with chicken as the primary ingredient, delivering high biological value. It also includes quality fat sources like named chicken fat and marine oil, which provide beneficial EPA and DHA. The carbohydrate sources offer fermentable fiber.
The main thing to note is the absence of an AAFCO statement, which means its nutritional completeness is unverified. This factor capped its overall score.
Good fit for owners who prioritize high-quality protein and fat sources. Less ideal if you require AAFCO verification for nutritional completeness.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
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) . Good fit for active large sporting breeds like Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, and Irish Setters navigating diet-associated DCM concerns. Chicken anchors position 1, with 2 pulse-family ingredients in the top 15 (dried green peas at position 6, dried green lentils at position 7), plus chicken liver at position 2 (a natural taurine precursor).
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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.
At 59/100, this formula lands mid-pack. The lift comes from protein quality, worth 23 points to the final number: Strong protein profile with chicken as the primary ingredient, delivering high biological value. The ceiling on this score is 59, set 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). The fix path: the brand publishing the AAFCO statement. That would lift the cap and put this formula above the B-band line at 60.
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 1% for DMB fat in grain-free dry kibbles (29.5%)
- Bottom quartile for overall Sniff Score in ZIWI's lineup (59/100)
- Top 4% for DMB protein in dry kibbles (40.9%)
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.
ORIJEN Original Grain-Free High-Protein Dry Dog Food, 4.5-lb bag
Scores 15 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Zignature Pork Limited Ingredient Formula Dry Dog Food, 25-lb bag
$2.72/lb vs your seed's $18.32/lb (85% less) at a comparable score.
Zignature Small Bites Trout & Salmon Meal Dry Dog Food, 12.5-lb bag
Salmon 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.
- 2protein 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 2. Named organ meat this high is a strong build choice. Concentrated source of taurine, glutamine, and B-vitamins.
- 3chicken necks
Position 3: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.
- 4dried egg white
Position 4: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.
- 5chicken bone
Position 5: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.
- 6dried green peas
Same as peas. Useful in small amounts. The concern is when pulses dominate the top of the ingredient list. See why →
Position 6. Moderate inclusion. Contributes carbohydrate and some plant protein.
- 7dried green lentils
Position 7. Moderate inclusion. Contributes carbohydrate and some plant protein.
- 8dried quinoa
Pseudo-grain with a complete amino acid profile. Rare in dog food because it's expensive.
Position 8: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 9fatchicken fat
Despite the name, a high-quality energy source. Concentrated calories plus essential fatty acids like linoleic acid. See why →
Position 9: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 10chicken cartilage
Position 10: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 11dried apple pomace
- 12natural flavour
- 13apple
Real fruit, some fiber and antioxidants. The amount in kibble is too small to matter much.
- 14pear
- 15kiwifruit
- 16fruitblueberries
Antioxidants, real. But the amount in any kibble is too small to do much. Mostly marketing.
- 17persimmons
- 18fatfish oil
Concentrated omega-3s. The reason 'EPA' and 'DHA' get to show up on the bag.
- 19protein animalchicken heart
Organ meat. Dense in taurine, B vitamins, and CoQ10. One of the best ingredients dogs can eat.
- 20dipotassium phosphate
- 21mineralmagnesium sulfate
Source of magnesium, a required mineral. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 22mineralzinc amino acid complex
Zinc bound to amino acids for better absorption. Same idea as zinc proteinate, the premium form of the mineral.
- 23mineraliron amino acid complex
Iron bound to amino acids for better absorption. Premium form versus inorganic iron sulfate.
- 24mineralcopper amino acid complex
Copper bound to amino acids for better absorption. Premium form versus copper sulfate.
- 25mineralselenium yeast
Organic selenium grown in yeast. The form premium brands use, gentler and more bioavailable than sodium selenite.
Showing first 25 of 40. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
14 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.