Skip to main content
Sniff
Merrick Lil' Plates Grain-Free Small Breed Dry Dog Food Puppy Real Chicken + Sweet Potato Recipe, 12-lb bag
Merrick

Lil' Plates Grain-Free Small Breed Dry Dog Food Puppy Real Chicken + Sweet Potato Recipe, 12-lb bag

Evidence Fair
AAFCO compliance inferred from product name
dry $4.17/lb

Merrick Lil' Plates Grain-Free Small Breed Dry Dog Food Puppy Real Chicken + Sweet Potato Recipe, 12-lb bag earns a Sniff Score of 71/100 (B) with Fair evidence. Zero controversial ingredients flagged. Strong protein profile with deboned chicken as the primary ingredient, delivering high biological value..

Graded by The Sniff System

Why this score

Strong protein profile with deboned chicken as the primary ingredient, delivering high biological value.

PQI

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

FQI

Named fresh meat paired with same-species meal, a strong extrusion architecture.

STACK

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: 34% ⓘ
Protein
30%
min (as fed)
Fat
18%
min (as fed)
Fiber
4.5%
max (as fed)
Moisture
11%
max
Ingredients

Read why each ingredient is good or bad for dogs.

32 total
Good Neutral Watch Flagged
  1. 1
    deboned chicken

    Real meat with the bones removed before grinding. The cleanest version of chicken on an ingredient label.

  2. 2
    chicken meal

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

  3. 3
    sweet potato

    Complex carb with fiber and beta-carotene. Gentle on the stomach.

  4. 4
    potato

    Standard white potato. Steady carb source, common starch in grain-free recipes.

  5. 5
    pea protein

    Concentrated plant protein. Inflates the protein number on the label without matching the amino acid quality of meat.

  6. 6
    chicken fat

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

  7. 7
    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 →

  8. 8
    salmon meal

    Salmon cooked into a dry concentrate. Carries both protein and natural omega-3s in one ingredient.

  9. 9
    dried egg product

    Whole eggs with the water removed. Same nutritional value as fresh eggs, just shelf-stable.

  10. 10
    potato protein

    Concentrated potato protein. Like pea protein, it inflates the protein number without matching meat-quality amino acids.

  11. 11
    natural flavor

    Legal term for animal-derived flavoring, usually hydrolyzed liver or broth. Adds taste, says nothing about quality.

  12. 12
    flaxseed

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

  13. 13
    miscanthus grass

    Perennial grass used as a fiber source. Replaces cellulose in some recipes. Functional but unremarkable.

  14. 14
    dried yeast

    Natural source of B vitamins and trace minerals. Adds a savory flavor that dogs respond well to.

  15. 15
    salmon oil

    Pure omega-3s. The thing skin-and-coat formulas are usually built around.

  16. 16
    potassium chloride

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

  17. 17
    salt

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

  18. 18
    choline chloride

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

  19. 19
    apples

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

  20. 20
    blueberries

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

  21. 21
    zinc amino acid complex

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

  22. 22
    iron amino acid complex

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

  23. 23
    sodium 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 →

  24. 24
    manganese amino acid complex

    Manganese bound to amino acids for better absorption. The chelated form most premium brands use.

  25. 25
    copper amino acid complex

    Copper bound to amino acids for better absorption. Premium form versus copper sulfate.

Showing first 25 of 32. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.

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