Turkey & Autumn Veggies Butcher Block Pâté
Graded by The Sniff System
The Honest Kitchen Turkey & Autumn Veggies Butcher Block Pâté is a wet food featuring turkey and turkey liver as its main protein sources.
This recipe uses quality carbohydrate sources like brown rice, pumpkin, and spinach, which also provide fermentable fiber. It also includes quality fat sources, with named fats and marine oil for EPA and DHA. Plus, turkey liver adds diverse, highly bioavailable protein.
Nothing concerning in the deck. However, the product does not provide an AAFCO statement or calorie content information, which are standard for commercial dog foods.
Good fit for dogs whose owners prioritize whole food ingredients in a wet format. Less ideal if you need an AAFCO statement or calorie content.
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. Turkey anchors position 1, with zero pulses in the top 15, plus turkey liver at position 3 (a natural taurine precursor). 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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.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 65/100, landing in B-tier territory. The biggest contributor was carbohydrate quality (+16 points): Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber. Also adding to the lift: fat quality (+12). Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source). The 10-point gap to A-tier sits mostly in protein quality (10 of 27 possible). Full protein quality requires named-species named-cut proteins in the top of the deck (e.g., "deboned chicken" rather than "chicken meal" or "poultry meal").
Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.
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.
- Bottom 2% for crude fiber in The Honest Kitchen's lineup (4.5% DMB)
- Top 4% for carb quality in wet foods (16/16)
- Bottom quartile for protein quality in The Honest Kitchen's lineup (10.1/27)
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.
Beef, Lamb & Spring Veggies Butcher Block Pâté
Scores 5 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Harvest Chicken Pâté for Dogs
Chicken instead of turkey, 3 points lower, different brand.
Surfaced from a vector similarity search across 3,491 scored dog foods. How this works.
Wet and fresh foods contain more water than kibble (typically 65-78%). On a dry-matter basis, this food's protein content is roughly 48%, comparable to premium kibble (typically 30-45% DMB protein).
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.
- 2turkey bone broth
Position 2: co-primary protein. Two named animal proteins in the top 2 is a strong protein build.
- 3protein animalturkey liver
Organ meat. Same nutrient-density story as chicken or beef liver: protein, iron, B vitamins, vitamin A.
Position 3. Named organ meat this high is a strong build choice. Concentrated source of taurine, glutamine, and B-vitamins.
- 4vegetablespinach
Leafy green. Some iron, vitamin K, and fiber. The dose in kibble is small but it's real food.
Position 4: meaningful whole-food inclusion. Source of vitamins, antioxidants, or natural fiber.
- 5fruitapples
Real fruit, some fiber and antioxidants. The amount in kibble is too small to matter much.
Position 5: meaningful whole-food inclusion. Source of vitamins, antioxidants, or natural fiber.
- 6vegetablecarrots
Real vegetable. Fiber, beta-carotene, and a small amount of antioxidant value.
Position 6: meaningful whole-food inclusion. Source of vitamins, antioxidants, or natural fiber.
- 7grainbrown rice
Whole grain that's easy to digest. Steady carb energy plus a little fiber.
Position 7: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 8vegetablepumpkin
Soluble fiber that supports stool quality. Mild and well-tolerated.
Position 8: meaningful whole-food inclusion. Source of vitamins, antioxidants, or natural fiber.
- 9agar-agar
Seaweed-derived gel used as a thickener. Functional alternative to carrageenan, generally well-tolerated.
- 10mineralcopper proteinate
Copper bound to protein for better absorption. Common in better-formulated diets.
- 11mineraliron proteinate
Iron bound to protein for better absorption. The premium form versus inorganic iron sulfate.
- 12mineralmanganese proteinate
Manganese bound to protein for better absorption. The chelated form most premium brands use.
- 13mineralsodium selenite Flagged
Inorganic selenium. Effective at AAFCO levels, no documented safety concern in dogs despite what some pet food blogs claim. Selenium yeast is a marginal upgrade, not a necessity. See why →
- 14mineralzinc proteinate
Zinc bound to protein for better absorption. The premium form of the mineral, versus zinc oxide which sits cheaper on the label.
- 15mineralsodium chloride
Same as salt. Required mineral, necessary at small doses.
- 16mineralcalcium carbonate
Source of calcium. Functional. Required in complete dog foods, especially those without bone-in meat meals.
- 17mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 18magnesium proteinate
Magnesium bound to protein for better absorption. The premium chelated form.
- 19mineraltricalcium phosphate
Calcium and phosphorus source. Same role as dicalcium phosphate, slightly different ratio.
- 20fatsalmon oil
Pure omega-3s. The thing skin-and-coat formulas are usually built around.
- 21supplementdried kelp
Natural source of iodine and trace minerals. A common premium-brand inclusion.
20 of 21 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.