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Ingredient file // Named animal protein

Salmon Meal

Salmon that has been cooked, dried and ground into a concentrated meal with most of the water removed.

Salmon Meal

Our read // In our catalog

In 1 of every 12 foods we track

Share of foods that list it

8%

212 of the 2,508 foods with an ingredient list on file, from 38 brands. All dry dog food.

Each square is 1% of the catalog

Where it sits on the label

Median position 5. In the top five of 116 foods, so it is usually a main ingredient.

Top five List position, heaviest first

Above the salt

100%

Almost always listed before the salt, so there is more of it than a pinch.

Price per lb

Foods with it $3.44
All foods $3.23

Median of the cheapest bag price across 178 priced foods, 7% above the catalog. The price is the food's, not the ingredient's.

Who leans on it

13%

of the foods that list it are from Merrick. 38 brands use it in total.

What it is

Why it turns up in dog food

  • Concentrated protein that keeps salmon's omega 3s, so more coat and joint benefit per mouthful.

Who uses it

Brands, best sellers and the company it keeps

Top brands, by foods that list it

  1. Merrick 28
  2. Wellness 16
  3. Nulo 16
  4. Blue 15
  5. Go! Solutions 14
  6. NutriSource 11
  7. Nutro 10
  8. Horizon 8
  9. Dr. Tim's 8
  10. Stella & Chewy's 7

Plus 28 more brands.

Amazon best sellers that list it

  1. #11 Purina Pro Plan Adult Sensitive Skin & Stomach Salmon & Rice Formula Dry Dog Food
  2. #22 Purina Pro Plan Adult Sensitive Skin & Stomach Small Breed Formula Dry Dog Food
  3. #71 Wellness Complete Health Small Breed Turkey & Oatmeal Dry Dog Food
  4. #87 Purina Pro Plan Adult Sensitive Skin & Stomach Large Breed Formula Dry Dog Food
  5. #91 Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin Stomach Puppy Dry Dog Food

Rank on Amazon's dog food best seller list, checked October 2026.

Usually listed with, share of the foods that list it

  1. Peas 46%
  2. Chicken Fat 42%
  3. Salmon 39%
  4. Chicken Meal 35%
  5. Natural Flavor 33%
  6. Flaxseed 31%
  7. Barley 26%
  8. Oatmeal 25%
  9. Sweet Potatoes 25%
  10. Potatoes 24%
  11. Canola Oil 23%
  12. Brown Rice 22%

On the shelf

Foods that list it

212 foods in our reviews list it. Here are some of them.

Abound Pro Vet Formulated Senior Salmon & Pea Dry Dog Food26.7% proteinAbound Pro Vet Formulated Skin & Coat Adult Salmon & Brown Rice Dry Dog Food26.7% proteinAcana Wholesome Grains Sea to Stream Fish & Grains Recipe Dry Dog Food35.2% proteinAnnamaet Aqualuk Formula Dry Dog Food33.3% proteinAnnamaet Option Medium & Large Breed Salmon Formula Dry Dog Food26.7% proteinAnnamaet Small Breed Salmon Dry Dog Food26.7% proteinArtemis Osopure Grain-Free Salmon & Garbanzo Bean Dry Dog Food26.7% proteinAvoDerm Advanced Sensitive Support Grain-Free Trout & Pea Formula Dry Dog Food31.1% protein
Show 55 more Go! Solutions Weight Management + Joint Care Salmon Grain-Free Dry Dog Food24.4% proteinZignature Original Trout & Salmon Formula with Probiotics Dry Dog Food34.4% proteinBlue True Solutions Small Breed Care Chicken & Oatmeal Recipe for Small Breed Adult Dogs Dry Dog Food31.1% proteinBlue True Solutions Large Breed Care Chicken & Oatmeal Recipe Dry Dog Food26.7% proteinBlue Wilderness Premier Blend Adult Chicken Tender Meaty Cuts Recipe Dry Dog Food36.7% proteinVictor Purpose Sensitive Skin & Stomach Beef Meal & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food26.7% proteinBlue Seal EnTrust Sensitive Stomach & Skin Formula Dry Dog Food27.0% proteinWellness Complete Health + Turkey & Oatmeal Recipe Dry Dog Food32.2% proteinBlue Baby Blue, High-Protein Chicken Puppy Dry Dog Food40.0% proteinGo! Solutions Skin + Coat Care Large Breed Puppy Salmon Dry Dog Food31.1% proteinHorizon Pulsar WG Salmon - Dry Dog Food26.7% proteinHorizon Pulsar Small Breed Weight Mgmt - Dry Dog Food31.1% proteinNutro Ultra Small Breed, Weight Management, The Superfood Plate with a Trio of Proteins from Chicken, Lamb and Salmon Dry Dog Food31.1% proteinGo! Solutions Skin + Coat Care Large Breed Salmon Dry Dog Food24.4% proteinHorizon Pulsar Small Breed ALS - Dry Dog Food33.3% proteinPure Balance Wild & Free Grain-Free Salmon & Pea Recipe Dry Dog Food26.7% proteinPinnacle dog recipes Salmon & Pumpkin Recipe Dry Dog Food32.2% proteinBlue Wilderness Adult Chicken-Free Lamb Recipe Dry Dog Food36.7% proteinNulo FreeStyle Senior Trout & Sweet Potato Recipe Dry Dog Food33.3% proteinNulo FreeStyle Small Breed Salmon & Lentils Recipe Dry Dog Food34.4% proteinNulo FreeStyle Adult Trim Cod & Lentils Recipe Dry Dog Food33.3% proteinAnnamaet Salcha Formula Dry Dog Food33.3% proteinSimply Nourish Adult Dry Dog Food27.8% proteinSimply Nourish Limited Ingredient Diet Adult Dry Dog Food31.1% proteinSimply Nourish Large Breed Adult Dry Dog Food30.0% proteinSimply Nourish Limited Ingredient Diet Senior Dry Dog Food28.9% proteinSimply Nourish Dry Puppy Dry Dog Food32.2% proteinVictor Purpose Sensitive Skin & Stomach Grain Free Lamb Meal & Sweet Potato Recipe Dry Dog Food27.8% proteinGo! Solutions Healthy Aging Salmon + Duck Dry Dog Food26.7% proteinGo! Solutions Digestion + Gut Health Salmon with Grains Dry Dog Food26.7% proteinCanidae Pure Farm to Bowl Wild-Caught Salmon & Barley Recipe Dry Dog Food28.9% proteinCanidae Pure Farm To Bowl Wild-Caught Salmon & Lentil, Small Breed Recipe Dry Dog Food27.8% proteinAbound Wild Beginnings All Life Stages Salmon, Whitefish & Trout Dry Dog Food37.8% proteinBlue Baby BLUE Chicken & Brown Rice Large-Breed Puppy Dry Dog Food28.9% proteinDr. Tim’s Glacier Athletic Blend Dry Dog Food36.1% proteinDr. Tim’s RPM Salmon & Pork Dry Dog Food35.6% proteinDr. Tim’s Pursuit Active Dry Dog Food33.3% proteinDr. Tim’s Metabolite Weight Management Dry Dog Food33.3% proteinDr. Tim’s Heirloom Ancient Fish & Grains Dry Dog Food35.6% proteinDr. Tim’s Kinesis Sensitive Dry Dog Food35.6% proteinDr. Tim’s Kinesis Senior Dry Dog Food31.1% proteinDr. Tim’s Kinesis All Life Stages Dry Dog Food28.9% proteinRachael Ray Nutrish Grain Free Chicken & Sweet Potato Recipe Dry Dog Food28.9% proteinSimply Nourish Limited Ingredient Diet Limited Ingredient Puppy Dry Dog Food32.2% proteinPurina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin Stomach Puppy Dry Dog Food31.8% proteinVictor Purpose Sensitive Skin & Stomach Salmon Meal & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food28.9% proteinNulo Challenger Organic Ancient Grains Haddock, Salmon & Acadian Redfish Recipe Dry Dog Food38.9% proteinHealth Extension Original Lamb & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food26.7% proteinNulo FreeStyle Small Breed Beef & Sweet Potato Recipe Dry Dog Food34.4% proteinNulo FreeStyle Large Breed Puppy Salmon & Turkey Recipe Dry Dog Food35.6% proteinNulo FreeStyle Turkey & Sweet Potato Recipe Dry Dog Food36.7% proteinNulo Challenger Large Breed Puppy Organic Ancient Grains Beef, Lamb & Pork Recipe Dry Dog Food35.6% proteinNulo MedalSeries Small Breed Turkey & Chickpeas Recipe Dry Dog Food35.0% proteinNulo Challenger Small Breed Organic Ancient Grains Haddock, Salmon & Acadian Redfish Recipe Dry Dog Food38.9% proteinNulo Challenger Organic Ancient Grains Beef, Lamb & Pork Recipe Dry Dog Food38.9% protein
An ingredient on its own tells you very little. What matters is how much of it there is and where it sits in the list. That is why we weigh the top five rather than reacting to any single name further down. Back to the wiki

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