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Blackwood Complete & Balanced Diet Lamb Meal & Chicken Meal with Ancient Grains Recipe All Life Stages Dry Dog Food, 24-lb bag
Blackwood

Complete & Balanced Diet Lamb Meal & Chicken Meal with Ancient Grains Recipe All Life Stages Dry Dog Food, 24-lb bag

Evidence Fair
dry $2.83/lb

Blackwood Complete & Balanced Diet Lamb Meal & Chicken Meal with Ancient Grains Recipe All Life Stages Dry Dog Food, 24-lb bag earns a Sniff Score of 69/100 (B) with Fair evidence. Zero controversial ingredients flagged. Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber..

Graded by The Sniff System

Why this score

Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.

CQI

Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source).

FQI

Premium micronutrient forms such as chelated minerals or natural vitamin E.

MNI

Controversial ingredients · 1

  • sodium selenite
    Synthetic selenium source. Selenium is essential, but sodium selenite has a narrower safety margin than organic alternatives like selenium yeast. Better-formulated foods use the organic form.

Every flagged ingredient has a published basis (confirmed harm / regulatory action / precautionary). See methodology →

Guaranteed analysis
Dry-matter protein: 27%
Protein
24%
min (as fed)
Fat
14%
min (as fed)
Fiber
4%
max (as fed)
Moisture
10%
max
Ingredients

Read why each ingredient is good or bad for dogs.

44 total
Good Neutral Watch Flagged
  1. 1
    lamb meal

    Lamb cooked down to a dry concentrate. Per pound, more protein than fresh lamb.

  2. 2
    chicken meal

    Chicken with the water cooked out. Per pound, packs more protein than fresh chicken.

  3. 3
    brown rice

    Whole grain that's easy to digest. Steady carb energy plus a little fiber.

  4. 4
    oat
  5. 5
    millet

    Gluten-free whole grain. Fine for most dogs, often used as an alternative to rice.

  6. 6
    sorghum

    Whole grain with a low glycemic index. Gluten-free, well-tolerated, decent fiber content.

  7. 7
    chicken fat

    Despite the name, a high-quality energy source. Concentrated calories plus essential fatty acids like linoleic acid.

  8. 8
    dried beet pulp

    Soluble fiber from sugar-beet processing. Sometimes treated as a filler, but it's actually one of the better fiber sources in kibble.

  9. 9
    brewers dried yeast

    Yeast left over from brewing. Rich in B vitamins and amino acids. A traditional and well-tolerated inclusion.

  10. 10
    menhaden fish oil

    Omega-3 from menhaden, a small oily fish. Same skin and coat support as salmon oil.

  11. 11
    monosodium phosphate

    Mineral source and preservative. Standard inclusion at small doses.

  12. 12
    potassium chloride

    Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.

  13. 13
    salt

    Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.

  14. 14
    l-threonine

    Essential amino acid. Sometimes added when plant proteins dominate, since threonine is naturally lower in plants than meat.

  15. 15
    inulin

    Prebiotic fiber that feeds beneficial gut bacteria. Same compound found in chicory root.

  16. 16
    choline chloride

    Essential nutrient for liver and brain function. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.

  17. 17
    l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate

    A stable form of vitamin C used in pet food. Provides antioxidant support and survives processing better than plain ascorbic acid.

  18. 18
    dl-methionine

    Essential amino acid. Often added when plant proteins dominate, since methionine is naturally lower in pulses than meat.

  19. 19
    l-lysine

    Essential amino acid. Plant-protein-heavy formulas sometimes add it to round out the amino acid profile.

  20. 20
    mixed tocopherols

    Natural vitamin E used to keep fats from going rancid. The good kind of preservative.

  21. 21
    yucca schidigera extract

    Plant extract added to reduce stool odor. Functional, not nutritional. Fine in trace amounts.

  22. 22
    calcium carbonate

    Source of calcium. Functional. Required in complete dog foods, especially those without bone-in meat meals.

  23. 23
    vitamin e supplement

    Required nutrient and a natural antioxidant. Often pulls double duty as a preservative.

  24. 24
    zinc amino acid complex

    Zinc bound to amino acids for better absorption. Same idea as zinc proteinate, the premium form of the mineral.

  25. 25
    iron amino acid complex

    Iron bound to amino acids for better absorption. Premium form versus inorganic iron sulfate.

Showing first 25 of 44. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.

24 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.

AAFCO statement

Nutritionally Complete & Balanced: Blackwood Large Breed Whitefish Meal with Ancient Grains Recipe dog food is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO dog food nutrient profiles for maintenance.