Breed Health Nutrition German Shepherd Puppy Dry Dog Food, 30-lb bag

1. 1

   brewers rice

   Broken rice kernels left over from milling, usually destined for human beer-making. Cheaper than whole or even white rice. Same carbs, less nutrition than the brown version.

2. 2

   chicken by-product meal

   Ground organs, bone, and tissue. Nutritionally dense, especially the liver and gizzard fractions. Named species ('chicken') is what matters. Generic 'poultry by-product meal' is the one to worry about.

   protein animal
3. 3

   chicken fat

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

   fat
4. 4

   brewers rice flour
5. 5

   chicken meal

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

   protein animal
6. 6

   corn

   Whole corn is more nutritious than it gets credit for, with decent amino acids and steady carbs. The bigger concern is when corn dominates the top of the ingredient list at the expense of named meat.

   grain
7. 7

   wheat gluten

   Concentrated wheat protein. Like other plant gluten meals, it pads the protein number on the label without contributing meat-quality amino acids.

   protein plant
8. 8

   brown rice

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

   grain
9. 9

   corn protein meal

   Concentrated corn protein. Similar in role to corn gluten meal, pads the protein number on the label without matching meat amino acids.

10. 10

    pea fiber

    Insoluble fiber from peas. Doesn't carry the protein-inflation concern of pea protein. Mostly there for stool quality.

    fiber
11. 11

    natural flavors

    Same as natural flavor. Usually hydrolyzed liver or broth, adds palatability.

    other
12. 12

    dried plain beet pulp

    Beet fiber, with the sugar removed. Long unfairly maligned. It's a real soluble fiber that supports stool quality.

13. 13

    monocalcium phosphate

    Source of calcium and phosphorus. Standard mineral inclusion in complete dog foods.

14. 14

    sodium aluminosilicate

    Anti-caking agent that keeps powder ingredients flowing. Functional, not nutritional.

15. 15

    vegetable oil

    Unnamed plant oil. Could be soy, canola, corn, or a blend. Named oils like sunflower or canola are more transparent.

16. 16

    salt

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

    mineral
17. 17

    potassium chloride

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

    mineral
18. 18

    powdered psyllium seed husk
19. 19

    calcium carbonate

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

    mineral
20. 20

    fructooligosaccharides

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

    fiber
21. 21

    marine microalgae oil

    Plant-source omega-3 from algae. Useful especially in vegetarian or limited-fish formulas.

22. 22

    yeast extract

    Yeast broken down to a paste. Strong palatant plus a real source of B vitamins.

23. 23

    dl-methionine

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

    supplement
24. 24

    fish oil

    Concentrated omega-3s. The reason 'EPA' and 'DHA' get to show up on the bag.

    fat
25. 25

    l-lysine

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

    supplement

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

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