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

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

Evidence Fair
dry $3.16/lb

Horizon Pulsar Grain-Free Salmon Recipe Dry Dog Food, 25-lb bag earns a Sniff Score of 57/100 (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

Reasonable protein quality. salmon meal delivers solid amino acid coverage.

PQI

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

FQI

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

STACK

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: 31% ⓘ
Protein
28%
min (as fed)
Fat
15%
min (as fed)
Fiber
5%
max (as fed)
Moisture
9%
max
Ingredients

Read why each ingredient is good or bad for dogs.

50 total
Good Neutral Watch Flagged
  1. 1
    salmon meal

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

  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
    salmon

    Real fish meat. Natural source of omega-3s, which kibble usually has to add back from oil.

  6. 6
    salmon oil

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

  7. 7
    flaxseed

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

  8. 8
    liquid egg product
  9. 9
    carrots

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

  10. 10
    apples

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

  11. 11
    broccoli

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

  12. 12
    bok choy
  13. 13
    cabbage
  14. 14
    blueberries

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

  15. 15
    fructooligosaccharides

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

  16. 16
    yucca schidigera extract

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

  17. 17
    dried aspergillus niger fermentation extract
  18. 18
    dried aspergillus oryzae fermentation extract
  19. 19
    pineapple
  20. 20
    dried trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract
  21. 21
    dried rhizopus oryzae fermentation extract
  22. 22
    dried enterococcus faecium fermentation product
  23. 23
    dried lactobacillus casei fermentation product
  24. 24
    driedlactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product
  25. 25
    driedbifidobacterium bifidum fermentation product

Showing first 25 of 50. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.

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