Label analysisGrade DKibble (Extruded)

Solid Gold

Solid Gold Leaping Waters Salmon & Vegetable Grain-Free

Editor ingredient insight

Solid Gold Leaping Waters Salmon starts with salmon, ocean fish meal, chickpeas, sweet potatoes, peas, and chicken fat. I would use it for fish-tolerant adults, not for legume avoidance or strict chicken-component avoidance.

Logic-based verdict

This food can stay in comparison, but ingredient quality still needs a more conservative read.

Manufacturer-independentPublic-data basedIngredients · nutrition · safety

Protein source

Ingredient guide

Unclear animal protein source

Animal protein

Salmon (#1), Ocean Fish Meal (#2), Animal Plasma (#10), Salmon Meal (#11), Spray Dried Animal Blood Cells (#14)

Plant protein

Chickpeas (#3), Peas (#5), Lentils (#8)

Animal-based does not always mean clearly sourced.

Unspecified animal protein is read conservatively.

Included support ingredients

Nutrient guide

Cranberry

Urinary support ingredient

Salmon oil

Skin and joint support ingredient

Chicory

Gut support ingredient

Taurine

Heart support ingredient

Probiotics

Gut support ingredient

View full ingredients
Needs context

Ingredient grade

C

Grade C

Top ingredient profile

Salmon
Ocean Fish Meal
Chickpeas
Fresh-meat leadPlant booster present
Crude protein26%
Crude protein26%
Crude fat15%
Other 59%

Protein position, fat position, and calorie density position are relative to foods in the same processing type cohort.

biotechProtein position
Typical
query_statsFat position
Typical
local_fire_departmentCalorie density
Typical

There is enough public data to keep this food in comparison, but the top ingredient structure does not support a stronger positive claim yet.

Nutritional strengths

  • The first ingredient is a species-named fresh meat.
  • Crude protein does not drop into a clearly low band.

What still needs work

  • Fresh meat carries a moisture variable. When whole plant protein sources are also high in the list, part of the crude-protein number may come from those plant ingredients.
  • Plant proteins can lift crude protein on the label, but the real animal-protein share still needs a closer check.
  • Top ingredients include an FDA-investigated non-hereditary DCM ingredient profile, so this part deserves a more cautious read.

Alternative foods

Smart salmon alternatives

Exact protein-type matches come first, then close protein-family matches fill the comparison.

101 alternativesKibble (Extruded) · protein type/family cohort

Other recipes from the same brand

Other recipes from the same brand with a different purpose or feeding target.

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Plant-protein boosted

Label score

2.5/5

Grade C

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Label score

2.0/5

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Buck Wild Venison Grain-Free

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Label score

2.0/5

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Love At First Bark Chicken Grain-Free Puppy

Puppy · All sizes

Plant-protein boosted

Label score

2.0/5

Grade D

Brand context

Brand background availableRecall history confirmed

Founded in 1974 in the United States. This brand has a confirmed recall history, including the 2012 Diamond-manufactured recall.

Ingredient analysis

The top ingredients are still usable, but this is the part to inspect more carefully before calling the recipe a clear strength.

restaurantIngredient Quality Analysis

C3/6
Ingredient Grade
Mixed
1Salmon
Fresh Meat · Top
2Ocean Fish Meal
Family Meal · Mid
3Chickpeas
Whole Plant Protein · Lower

Ingredient Analysis Comments

  • •Salmon is a named fresh meat ingredient. The animal source is clearly identified. It reads as an top-tier protein source.
  • •Ocean Fish Meal is a family-level animal meal. Animal protein is present, but species transparency is one step lower. It reads as an mid-tier protein source.
  • •Chickpeas is a whole plant-protein ingredient. It is not a processed protein concentrate, but when it appears near the top it can still weaken the animal-protein-led structure. It reads as an lower-tier plant protein booster.
restaurantIngredient Grade CMixed

Full collected ingredient list

31 ingredients
SalmonOcean Fish MealChickpeasSweet PotatoesPeasChicken Fat (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols)TapiocaLentilsGround FlaxseedAnimal PlasmaSalmon MealPea FiberNatural FlavorSpray Dried Animal Blood CellsDicalcium PhosphateSaltCarrotsL-ThreoninePotassium ChloridePumpkinBlueberriesCranberriesVitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Source Of Vitamin C), Niacin Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Biotin, Folic Acid)DL-MethionineMinerals (Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate)Choline ChlorideSalmon Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols)Dried Chicory RootTaurineRosemary ExtractDried Bacillus Coagulans Fermentation Product.
Primary positive ingredients
Support positive ingredients
Alternative protein
Neutral ingredients
Caution ingredients
High-caution ingredients

Why did the base review land here?

Ingredient qualityNutrient disclosure levelManufacturing & trust

This review score combines ingredient composition, nutrient disclosure, manufacturing trust, and core nutrient caution signals.

Nutrient disclosure

Limited disclosure

This section is more about what is still undisclosed than about reading a complete nutrient story.

Safety verification

No fails

No major red flag jumps out first, though undisclosed rows still define the limits of this safety read.

Public data trust (ETF)

D tier

Only basic guaranteed analysis is visible, so deeper nutrition comparison stays hard to trust.

Final word

Treat this review as an early screen. If the food stays interesting, verify it again with your dog-specific context before acting.

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