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Royal Canin Size Health Nutrition Small Indoor Puppy Dry Dog Food, 2.5-lb bag
Royal Canin

Size Health Nutrition Small Indoor Puppy Dry Dog Food, 2.5-lb bag

Evidence Fair
AAFCO compliance inferred from product name
dry $8.80/lb

Royal Canin Size Health Nutrition Small Indoor Puppy Dry Dog Food, 2.5-lb bag earns a Sniff Score of 59/100 (C) with Fair evidence. Zero controversial ingredients flagged. Primary concern: plant-protein-dominated formula. brewers rice as the #1 ingredient..

Graded by The Sniff System

Why this score

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

FQI

Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.

CQI

AAFCO feeding trial substantiation for growth.

ACF

Plant-protein-dominated formula. brewers rice as the #1 ingredient.

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: 28% ⓘ
Protein
25%
min (as fed)
Fat
16%
min (as fed)
Fiber
3.8%
max (as fed)
Moisture
10.5%
max
Ingredients

Read why each ingredient is good or bad for dogs.

41 total
Good Neutral Watch Flagged
  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.

  3. 3
    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.

  4. 4
    chicken fat

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

  5. 5
    dried plain beet pulp

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

  6. 6
    wheat gluten

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

  7. 7
    natural flavors

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

  8. 8
    corn gluten meal

    Concentrated corn protein. Inflates the protein percent on the label without matching meat-quality amino acids.

  9. 9
    monocalcium phosphate

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

  10. 10
    vegetable oil

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

  11. 11
    sodium aluminosilicate

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

  12. 12
    potassium chloride

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

  13. 13
    pea fiber

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

  14. 14
    calcium carbonate

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

  15. 15
    taurine

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

  16. 16
    fish oil

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

  17. 17
    rice

    Generic rice. Could be white or brown, the label doesn't say. Brown rice would be specified if it were.

  18. 18
    fructooligosaccharides

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

  19. 19
    sodium tripolyphosphate

    Preservative and texture agent in wet food. Functional at small doses, not a major concern, but some brands avoid it.

  20. 20
    salt

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

  21. 21
    choline chloride

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

  22. 22
    hydrolyzed yeast

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

  23. 23
    l-lysine

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

  24. 24
    marine microalgae oil

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

  25. 25
    dl-methionine

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

Showing first 25 of 41. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.

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