Little Bites is an all kibble line of six recipes built around poultry: turkey appears in all six ingredient lists and chicken in four. Half the line includes grain, with three chicken, brown rice and oatmeal recipes (Original, Puppy and Lite). The other half is grain free, uses potatoes or sweet potatoes, and has peas or lentils in all three.
Protein runs from 24% to 27% as fed, averaging 24.8% against a catalog kibble average of 26.9%. Estimated starch runs from 34% to 48.5%, averaging 39.4% against 37.4% for kibble overall. Calories average 394 kcal per cup, close to the catalog's 395. Grain Free Chicken & Turkey sits at the high protein, low starch end, and Lite sits at the other end with 48.5% estimated starch.
The trade-offs: protein runs a little under the kibble average across the line, and Original and Puppy share identical figures and lead ingredients, so the only difference between them is the puppy label. Owners avoiding chicken have two choices, the venison and buffalo recipes, but both include pork and turkey.
| Recipe | Protein | Fat | Starch | Kcal / cup | First ingredients |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grain Free Little Bites Grain Free Chicken & Turkey Little Bites Recipe | 27% | 18% | 34% | 403 | Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Deboned Turkey |
| Grain Free Little Bites Grain Free Venison & Sweet Potato Little Bites Recipe | 25% | 15% | 39% | 431 | Deboned Venison, Venison meal, Whole Sweet Potatoes |
| Grain Free Buffalo, Whitefish & Sweet Potato Little Bites Recipe | 25% | 15% | 39% | 405 | Buffalo, Deboned Whitefish, Whitefish Meal (source of Omega 3 fatty acids) |
| Original Little Bites Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe | 24% | 18% | 38% | 418 | Deboned chicken, chicken meal, brown rice |
| Puppy Little Bites | 24% | 18% | 38% | 418 | Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Brown Rice |
| Lite Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe | 24% | 7.5% | 48.5% | 288 | Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Brown Rice |
| Line average | 24.8% | 15.3% | 39.4% | 394 |
All figures as fed, from the guaranteed analysis on each label. Starch is our estimate, since no bag prints it. Highest in the line is marked in bold, lowest in italics.
27% protein · 18% fat · 34% starch · 403 kcal/cup
With 27% protein and 34% estimated starch as fed, this chicken and turkey recipe has the most protein and least starch in Little Bites, with potatoes as its first plant ingredient. It suits owners who want grain free kibble with the line's highest protein.
Full review of Grain Free Little Bites Grain Free Chicken & Turkey Little Bites Recipe25% protein · 15% fat · 39% starch · 431 kcal/cup
The only venison recipe in the line pairs venison with sweet potatoes, pork meal and chickpeas, and lists no chicken. At 431 kcal per cup it has the most calories in Little Bites, suiting owners who want a grain free option without chicken.
Full review of Grain Free Little Bites Grain Free Venison & Sweet Potato Little Bites Recipe25% protein · 15% fat · 39% starch · 405 kcal/cup
This is the only recipe in the line with bison, listing buffalo first, then deboned whitefish, whitefish meal, sweet potatoes and pork meal. At 405 kcal per cup, it suits owners avoiding chicken who want fish in a grain free kibble.
Full review of Grain Free Buffalo, Whitefish & Sweet Potato Little Bites Recipe24% protein · 18% fat · 38% starch · 418 kcal/cup
This chicken, brown rice and oatmeal recipe matches Puppy on every figure, at 24% protein, 18% fat and 418 kcal per cup, but carries no life stage label. It suits owners who want the grain recipe at full fat rather than the Lite version's 7.5%.
Full review of Original Little Bites Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe24% protein · 18% fat · 38% starch · 418 kcal/cup · Puppy
This is the only Little Bites recipe sold for puppies, built on deboned chicken, chicken meal, brown rice and oatmeal with 24% protein and 18% fat. It suits owners of puppies who prefer a kibble with grain at 418 kcal per cup.
Full review of Puppy Little Bites24% protein · 7.5% fat · 48.5% starch · 288 kcal/cup
Lite keeps the chicken, brown rice and oatmeal base but has 7.5% fat and 288 kcal per cup, the lowest in the line. Its 48.5% estimated starch is the line's highest, so it suits owners after fewer calories who accept more starch.
Full review of Lite Chicken & Brown Rice RecipeHalf of it is. Grain Free Chicken & Turkey, Grain Free Venison & Sweet Potato and Grain Free Buffalo, Whitefish & Sweet Potato contain no grain, while Original, Puppy and Lite are made with brown rice and oatmeal.
Grain Free Chicken & Turkey has 27% protein as fed, the most in the line, along with the least estimated starch at 34%. The other five recipes range from 24% to 25% protein.
Yes. Grain Free Venison & Sweet Potato and Grain Free Buffalo, Whitefish & Sweet Potato list no chicken, though both include pork and turkey.
Protein runs lower than the average kibble we review (27.6% vs 30.1% on a dry matter basis).
Starch is higher than average, at 39% of the food as fed.
100% of recipes lead with a meat, fish or egg ingredient (89% across the site).
50% of recipes are grain-free.
this range, lowest to highest its average average of all 3,205 foods we review
Starch is our estimate from the guaranteed analysis, since no manufacturer prints it. How we work it out
Share of recipes that list each animal protein as an ingredient, not counting oils, fats or flavorings. Useful if your dog has a food sensitivity.
These are not unsafe. They are listed because readers ask about them.
MOST PROTEIN
Health Extension Grain Free Little Bites Grain Free Chicken & Turkey Little Bites Recipe Dry Dog Food
30.0% dry matter
LEAST STARCH
Health Extension Original Little Bites Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food
38% as fed
FEWEST CALORIES
Health Extension Little Bites Lite Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food
288 kcal per cup
Our log holds FDA dog food recall notices from 2012 on, so this is not a guarantee that Health Extension has never had one. See the recall log
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