Wild-Caught Salmon & Ancient Grains Dog Kibble
Graded by The Sniff System
Open Farm Wild-Caught Salmon & Ancient Grains Dog Kibble is a dry food for all life stages, featuring salmon and whitefish as its main protein sources.
This food has a strong protein profile, with salmon as the first ingredient, providing high biological value. It also includes quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber and good fat sources, like named fats and marine oils for EPA and DHA.
Nothing concerning in the deck.
Good fit for dogs of all life stages, especially those who thrive on a fish-based diet. Nothing serious working against it.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Strong fit for active large sporting breeds, including the Golden Retriever, navigating diet-associated DCM concerns. Working in its favor: taurine listed as added ingredient. Salmon anchors position 1, 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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.
Strong grade. 80/100 (A) reflects the structural fit of this formula against The Sniff System's eight scoring components. Protein quality did the heavy lifting (+21 points): Strong protein profile with salmon as the primary ingredient, delivering high biological value. The supporting beat: carbohydrate quality (+16 points). Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.
Strong protein profile with salmon as the primary ingredient, delivering high biological value.
Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.
Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source).
No negative drivers crossed our reporting threshold.
- Lowest crude fiber in Open Farm's lineup (5.0% DMB)
- Top 5% for overall Sniff Score in grain-inclusive dry kibbles (80/100)
- Bottom quartile for DMB protein in Open Farm's lineup (28.9%)
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.
RawMix Large Breed Ancient Grains Dog Kibble
Scores 3 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Homestead Turkey & Ancient Grains Dog Kibble
$6.00/lb vs your seed's $7.50/lb (20% 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 animalsalmon
Real fish meat. Natural source of omega-3s, which kibble usually has to add back from oil.
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.
- 3protein animalwhitefish meal
Whitefish cooked into a dry concentrate. Strong protein source, common in premium formulas.
Position 3: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.
- 4grainsorghum
Whole grain with a low glycemic index. Gluten-free, well-tolerated, decent fiber content.
Position 4: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 5grainquinoa
Pseudo-grain with a complete amino acid profile. Rare in dog food because it's expensive.
Position 5: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 6fatcoconut oil
Saturated fat with medium-chain triglycerides. Mostly marketing in the doses kibble uses, but harmless.
Position 6: secondary fat. Often where marine oils sit when present alongside a primary land-animal fat.
- 7protein animalherring meal
Concentrated herring with the water removed. Carries protein and omega-3s in one ingredient.
Position 7: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 8vegetablepumpkin
Soluble fiber that supports stool quality. Mild and well-tolerated.
Position 8: meaningful whole-food inclusion. Source of vitamins, antioxidants, or natural fiber.
- 9othernatural flavor
Legal term for animal-derived flavoring, usually hydrolyzed liver or broth. Adds taste, says nothing about quality.
- 10grainmillet
Gluten-free whole grain. Fine for most dogs, often used as an alternative to rice.
Position 10: minor grain inclusion.
- 11vegetablecarrots
Real vegetable. Fiber, beta-carotene, and a small amount of antioxidant value.
Position 11: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 12fruitapples
Real fruit, some fiber and antioxidants. The amount in kibble is too small to matter much.
Position 12: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 13fruitcranberries
Often added with a urinary-tract-support marketing angle. Real cranberry compounds help in concentrate form, but kibble doses are small.
Position 13: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 14mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 15fatsalmon oil
Pure omega-3s. The thing skin-and-coat formulas are usually built around.
Position 15. Trace marine oil. Contributes some omega-3 but well below the level that drives EPA/DHA totals.
- 16mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 17vitaminvitamin e supplement
Required nutrient and a natural antioxidant. Often pulls double duty as a preservative.
- 18vitaminvitamin a supplement
Vitamin A in stable, standardized form. Required for vision, immune function, and growth.
- 19vitaminniacin supplement
B vitamin (B3). Required in complete dog foods, added as a supplement to standardize the dose.
- 20vitamind-calcium pantothenate
B vitamin (B5). Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 21vitaminriboflavin supplement
B vitamin (B2). Required in complete dog foods. The standardized form ensures consistent dosing.
- 22vitaminthiamine mononitrate
B vitamin (B1). Essential for nervous system function. Cooked-in vitamin loss is why thiamine is always added back.
- 23vitaminvitamin b12 supplement
Essential for red blood cell formation and neurological function. Plant ingredients lack B12, so it has to be added.
- 24vitaminpyridoxine hydrochloride
B vitamin (B6). Essential for protein metabolism. Standard inclusion in complete formulas.
- 25vitaminfolic acid
B vitamin (B9), essential for cell function. Standard in complete dog foods.
Showing first 25 of 38. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
25 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.
Nutrition & Benefits Guaranteed Analysis Calorie Content (calculated): 3745 kcal me/kg, 424 kcal me/cup Nutrient Percentage of Recipe Crude Protein (min) 26% Crude Fat (min) 15% Crude Fibre (max) 4.5% Moisture (max) 10% DHA (min) 0.11% Calcium (min) 1.2% Phosphorus (min) 1.0% Vitamin A (min) 5000 IU/kg Vitamin E (min) 50 IU/kg Omega-6* (min) 1.25% Omega-3* (min) 0.4% Taurine (min) 0.2% Open Farm Wild-Caught Salmon & Ancient Grains recipe is formulated to meet the nutritional levels estimated by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for all life stages except for the growth of large-size dogs (70 lbs or more as an adult). View Complete Nutritional Profile