Alpo Prime Cuts vs Pedigree With TENDER BITES™ for Small Dogs Complete Nutrition Adult Dry Dog Food Chicken & Steak Flavor
Order follows the Universal Score — the same deterministic engine, the same rules, for every product. Brands can't pay for placement.
The scores
Bowlmark scores are independent opinions based on published label information and cited references. They are educational, not veterinary advice, and no substitute for your vet — especially for medical conditions or prescription diets.
Pillar by pillar
Weighted pillar contributions from each product's stored score — nutritional adequacy, ingredient quality, additives & processing, transparency.
| Metric | Alpo | Pedigree |
|---|---|---|
| Nutritional adequacy | 35 | 35 |
| Ingredient quality | 11 | 8 |
| Additives & processing | 5 | 6 |
| Transparency | 6 | 7 |
Guaranteed analysis
As printed on each label; dry-matter protein removes the moisture so wet and dry read on the same basis.
| Metric | Alpo | Pedigree |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 18% | 21% |
| Fat | 8.5% | 11% |
| Fiber | 5.5% | 4% |
| Moisture | 12% | 12% |
| Protein (dry-matter) | 20.5% | 23.9% |
First five ingredients
Alpo
- Ground yellow corn
- meat and bone meal
- soybean meal
- beef fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols
- corn protein meal
Pedigree
- Ground Whole Grain Corn
- Chicken By-Product Meal (Source of Glucosamine & Chondroitin Sulfate)
- Corn Gluten Meal
- Animal Fat (Source of Omega 6 Fatty Acids) [Preserved with BHA/Citric Acid]
- Soybean Meal
Flags on the label
Alpo
- Unnamed animal ingredient ("meat and bone meal")
- corn is the 1st ingredient in a dry dog food
- Synthetic vitamin K3 — questioned safety margin vs natural K sources
- Azo/synthetic dyes — purely cosmetic in pet food; −12 per distinct dye, capped
Pedigree
- Unnamed animal ingredient ("animal fat")
- corn is the 1st ingredient in a dry dog food
- 2 distinct sugars/sweeteners in the list
- Synthetic preservatives with carcinogenicity signals in rodent studies — one deduction for the class
Cite this page
Bowlmark. "Alpo Prime Cuts vs Pedigree With TENDER BITES™ for Small Dogs Complete Nutrition Adult Dry Dog Food Chicken & Steak Flavor." https://www.bowlmark.com/compare/alpo-prime-cuts-vs-pedigree-with-tender-bitestm-for-small-dogs-complete-nutrition-adult-dry-dog-food-chicken-and-steak-flavor
- Engine
- Methodology engine v1.1.0 · config 13c99e2f
- Verified
- Last verified September 5, 2026
The engine and config above are the ones stamped on this page's score — the exact pair that produced the number shown.