Skip to main content
Sniff
Horizon Pulsar Grain-Free Pork Recipe Dry Dog Food, 25-lb bag
Horizon

Pulsar Grain-Free Pork Recipe Dry Dog Food, 25-lb bag

Evidence Fair
dry $2.88/lb

Horizon Pulsar Grain-Free Pork Recipe Dry Dog Food, 25-lb bag earns a Sniff Score of 48/100 (C) with Fair evidence. 1 controversial ingredient flagged. Score capped at 59 due to no AAFCO statement.

Graded by The Sniff System

Why this score

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

MNI

Score capped at 59 due to no AAFCO statement.

CAP why?

No AAFCO statement. Nutritional completeness unverified.

ACF

Contains high legume stacking. Multiple pulse-family ingredients in top 15. Mitigated by taurine supplementation or organ meat (natural taurine precursor) in top 10..

CIP

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: 30% ⓘ
Protein
27%
min (as fed)
Fat
15.5%
min (as fed)
Fiber
4.2%
max (as fed)
Moisture
10%
max
Ingredients

Read why each ingredient is good or bad for dogs.

52 total
Good Neutral Watch Flagged
  1. 1
    pork meal

    Pork cooked into a dry concentrate. Per pound, more protein than fresh pork.

  2. 2
    red lentils

    Same concern as other lentils. Affordable plant protein, part of the legume stack the FDA examined. See why →

  3. 3
    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 →

  4. 4
    pea starch

    Refined starch from peas, mostly carbs after the protein is removed. Counts toward the legume stack the FDA examined.

  5. 5
    pork

    Real meat. Dense protein and fat, though less common in dog food than chicken or beef.

  6. 6
    canola oil

    Plant oil. Some omega-3 from the parent plant, though dogs absorb it less efficiently than fish-derived omega-3. Fine in moderation.

  7. 7
    flaxseed

    Plant source of omega-3. Helpful for skin and coat, though dogs absorb omega-3 from fish more efficiently.

  8. 8
    carrots

    Real vegetable. Fiber, beta-carotene, and a small amount of antioxidant value.

  9. 9
    apples

    Real fruit, some fiber and antioxidants. The amount in kibble is too small to matter much.

  10. 10
    broccoli

    Real vegetable. Adds fiber and some antioxidants. Fine in the small amounts used in kibble.

  11. 11
    bok choy
  12. 12
    cabbage
  13. 13
    blueberries

    Antioxidants, real. But the amount in any kibble is too small to do much. Mostly marketing.

  14. 14
    salt

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

  15. 15
    dl-methionine

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

  16. 16
    dicalcium phosphate

    Calcium and phosphorus combined. Required source of both minerals, especially in formulas without much bone content.

  17. 17
    fructooligosaccharides

    Prebiotic fiber, often called FOS. Feeds beneficial gut bacteria, similar in function to inulin.

  18. 18
    hydrolyzed yeast

    Yeast broken down with enzymes. Strong palatant plus a real source of B vitamins and amino acids.

  19. 19
    yucca schidigera extract

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

  20. 20
    taurine

    Amino acid critical for heart health. Especially important in grain-free or pulse-heavy formulas where natural taurine precursors run thin.

  21. 21
    dried aspergillus niger fermentation extract
  22. 22
    pineapple
  23. 23
    dried trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract
  24. 24
    dried rhizopus oryzae fermentation extract
  25. 25
    dried enterococcus faecium fermentation product

Showing first 25 of 52. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.

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