Small Dog Food Roasted Chicken, Rice & Vegetables Flavor
Graded by The Sniff System
Pedigree Small Dog Food Roasted Chicken, Rice & Vegetables Flavor is a dry food primarily featuring chicken by-product.
There isn't much to highlight. The product lacks an AAFCO statement, which means its nutritional completeness is not guaranteed.
This formula contains four artificial colors: yellow 5, yellow 6, blue 2, and red 40, which offer no nutritional value. It's also a plant-protein dominated formula, with ground whole grain corn as the first ingredient.
Hard to recommend for any dog, especially given the lack of an AAFCO statement and the presence of multiple artificial colors.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Good fit for adult Golden Retrievers and similar active sporting breeds navigating diet-associated DCM concerns. Chicken by-product meal anchors position 2, with one pulse (dried peas at position 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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.
Concerning grade. 0/100 (F) reflects the structural fit of this formula against The Sniff System's eight scoring components. What capped it: the score can't exceed 39 because multiple FLAG-tier ingredients are stacked in the formula. Removing the cap alone wouldn't change the band. Protein quality is the deeper issue.
- Lowest fat quality in Pedigree's lineup (2/16)
- Lowest overall Sniff Score in Pedigree's lineup (0/100)
- Bottom 2% for carb quality in grain-inclusive dry kibbles (9/16)
Computed against the rest of our catalog. Percentiles refresh on each catalog update.
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Surfaced from a vector similarity search across 3,491 scored dog foods. How this works.
Controversial ingredients · 4
- yellow 5Artificial color with no nutritional value. Some dogs show allergic-type reactions.
- yellow 6Artificial color with no nutritional value.
- blue 2Artificial color. A 1990s industry-funded study reported brain tumors in male rats; subsequent reviews disputed methodology, but the additive provides no nutritional benefit.
- red 40Artificial color with no nutritional value. Linked to behavioral effects in children; relevance to dogs is unclear but the ingredient serves only marketing purposes.
Every flagged ingredient has a published basis (confirmed harm / regulatory action / precautionary). See methodology →
Read why each ingredient is good or bad for dogs.
- 1ground whole grain corn
Whole corn with the kernel intact. Decent fiber and B vitamins, though it can crowd out meat in cheaper recipes.
Position 1 grain: primary carbohydrate base. This is a grain-inclusive formula with ground whole grain corn as the dominant carb.
- 2protein animalchicken by-product meal
Ground organs, bone, and tissue. Nutritionally dense, especially the liver and gizzard fractions. Named species ('chicken') is what matters. Generic 'poultry by-product meal' is the one to worry about. See why →
Position 2: co-primary protein. Two named animal proteins in the top 2 is a strong protein build.
- 3protein plantcorn gluten meal
Concentrated corn protein. Inflates the protein percent on the label without matching meat-quality amino acids.
Position 3: 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.
- 4animal fat
Unnamed fat source. The species matters: 'chicken fat' or 'beef fat' is fine, but 'animal fat' tells you nothing about origin.
Position 4: secondary fat. Often where marine oils sit when present alongside a primary land-animal fat.
- 5meat and bone meal
Unnamed animal protein with bone included. Cheap, vague, and not traceable to a specific species.
- 6protein plantsoybean meal
Concentrated soy protein. Cheap plant protein that pads the label number, common in budget formulas.
Position 6: moderate plant-protein boost. Less likely to materially shift the protein profile.
- 7ground whole grain wheat
Position 7: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 8othernatural flavor
Legal term for animal-derived flavoring, usually hydrolyzed liver or broth. Adds taste, says nothing about quality.
- 9brewers rice
Broken rice kernels left over from milling, usually destined for human beer-making. Cheaper than whole or even white rice. Same carbs, less nutrition than the brown version. See why →
Position 9: minor grain inclusion.
- 10mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 11mineralcalcium carbonate
Source of calcium. Functional. Required in complete dog foods, especially those without bone-in meat meals.
- 12monocalcium phosphate
Source of calcium and phosphorus. Standard mineral inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 13mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 14supplementcholine chloride
Essential nutrient for liver and brain function. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 15dried peas
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 15. Trace inclusion. Below the level associated with the FDA's DCM-pattern concerns.
- 16supplementdl-methionine
Essential amino acid. Often added when plant proteins dominate, since methionine is naturally lower in pulses than meat.
- 17vitaminvitamin e supplement
Required nutrient and a natural antioxidant. Often pulls double duty as a preservative.
- 18mineralzinc sulfate
Inorganic zinc. Effective at AAFCO doses but less well-absorbed than chelated forms like zinc proteinate.
- 19supplementl-tryptophan
Essential amino acid. Sometimes added in calming or weight-management formulas.
- 20otheryellow 5 Flagged
Artificial coloring. Strictly cosmetic. Banned or restricted in several countries. See why →
- 21otheryellow 6 Flagged
Artificial coloring. No functional purpose. Banned or restricted in several countries. See why →
- 22vegetablecarrots
Real vegetable. Fiber, beta-carotene, and a small amount of antioxidant value.
- 23otherblue 2 Flagged
Artificial coloring. No nutritional or functional purpose. Banned or restricted in several countries. See why →
- 24vitaminniacin supplement
B vitamin (B3). Required in complete dog foods, added as a supplement to standardize the dose.
- 25otherred 40 Flagged
Artificial coloring. Dogs don't care about color. Banned in several countries over hyperactivity and allergic-reaction concerns. See why →
Showing first 25 of 36. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
24 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.