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Blackwood Sensitive Skin & Stomach Catfish Meal with Ancient Grains Recipe All Life Stages Dry Dog Food, 24-lb bag
Blackwood

Sensitive Skin & Stomach Catfish Meal with Ancient Grains Recipe All Life Stages Dry Dog Food, 24-lb bag

Evidence Fair
dry all life stages $2.62/lb

Blackwood Sensitive Skin & Stomach Catfish Meal with Ancient Grains Recipe All Life Stages Dry Dog Food, 24-lb bag earns a Sniff Score of 60/100 (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

Includes egg, named fish, or organ meat for diverse high-bioavailability protein.

STACK

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

MNI

Low protein quality. catfish meal delivers limited bioavailable amino acids.

PQI

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: 26%
Protein
23%
min (as fed)
Fat
12%
min (as fed)
Fiber
4%
max (as fed)
Moisture
10%
max
Ingredients

Read why each ingredient is good or bad for dogs.

45 total
Good Neutral Watch Flagged
  1. 1
    catfish meal
  2. 2
    barley

    Whole grain with a low glycemic profile and some soluble fiber. Easy on blood sugar.

  3. 3
    oat
  4. 4
    millet

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

  5. 5
    sorghum

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

  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
    whitefish meal

    Whitefish cooked into a dry concentrate. Strong protein source, common in premium formulas.

  8. 8
    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
    natural flavor

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

  10. 10
    dicalcium phosphate

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

  11. 11
    flaxseed

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

  12. 12
    salt

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

  13. 13
    potassium chloride

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

  14. 14
    inulin

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

  15. 15
    l-threonine

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

  16. 16
    cranberries

    Often added with a urinary-tract-support marketing angle. Real cranberry compounds help in concentrate form, but kibble doses are small.

  17. 17
    blueberries

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

  18. 18
    l-lysine

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

  19. 19
    dl-methionine

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

  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 45. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.

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

AAFCO statement

Nutritionally Complete & Balanced: Blackwood Catfish Meal with Ancient Grains Recipe dog food is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO dog food nutrient profiles for all life stages including growth of large size dogs (70 lb. or more as an adult).