Best-scoring dog foods

Best-scoring dog foods without beef on the label for a large adult dog, calm, building muscle

For a large adult dog, calm and building muscle, leaving out every food that names beef on its label, the best-scoring food among the 265 dog foods BowlWise scores, all sold in Canada, is Orijen Large Breed Adult Recipe, a kibble, at 99 out of 100. The best-scoring of each kind: kibble, Orijen Large Breed Adult Recipe at 99; gently cooked, Open Farm Gently Cooked Chicken & Brown Rice at 86.5; air-dried, Smack Prairie Harvest Pork at 85.5; freeze-dried, Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Venison Nuggets at 92. 152 of the 265 foods fit this dog. The scores are BowlWise’s own, worked out from each food’s label on October 13, 2026.

Orijen Large Breed Adult Recipe: On October 9, 2026 Pet Valu listed the 11.34 kg bag at $121.99 in Canadian dollars.

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Kibble

100 kibble foods fit this dog.

1st of 100
Orijen Large Breed Adult Recipe
99 of 100
- Premium protein content (38.0%) for this dog
- Excellent Omega-3 (0.8%) for this dog's joints and coat
- Good DHA for this dog's brain health
2nd of 100, level with another
Acana Adult Large Breed Recipe
96 of 100
- Premium protein content (31.0%) for this dog
- Excellent Omega-3 (0.8%) for this dog's joints and coat
- Balanced fat content (15.0%) for this dog
3 points under Orijen Large Breed Adult Recipe:
- Nutritional quality, 21 against 25. Premium protein content (31.0%) for this dog. Excellent Omega-3 (0.8%) for this dog's joints and coat. Balanced fat content (15.0%) for this dog. DHA is 0.1% as fed. Full points for DHA start at 0.3%. Calories are 3,835 kcal per kg of dry matter. For kibble, full points are given between 4,000 and 5,000.
2nd of 100, level with another
Open Farm RawMix Large Breed Grain-Free
96 of 100
- Premium protein content (30.0%) for this dog
- Excellent Omega-3 (1.0%) for this dog's joints and coat
- Optimal caloric density for this dog
4th of 100, level with two others
Orijen Original Adult Recipe
95 of 100
- Premium protein content (38.0%) for this dog
- Excellent Omega-3 (1.0%) for this dog's joints and coat
- Good DHA for this dog's brain health
1 point under Open Farm RawMix Large Breed Grain-Free:
- Format suitability, 6 against 10. Regular kibble — compatible with this dog's size. This is regular kibble. For a large dog, full points are given for large kibble.
4th of 100, level with two others
Acana Highest Protein Pacifica Recipe
95 of 100
- Premium protein content (35.0%) for this dog
- Excellent Omega-3 (1.5%) for this dog's joints and coat
- Good DHA for this dog's brain health
4th of 100, level with two others
Performatrin Ultra Grain-Free Ocean Recipe
95 of 100
- Premium protein content (32.0%) for this dog
- Excellent Omega-3 (1.2%) for this dog's joints and coat
- Optimal caloric density for this dog

Gently cooked

11 gently cooked foods fit this dog.

1st of 11
Open Farm Gently Cooked Chicken & Brown Rice
86.5 of 100
- Premium protein content (9.0%) for this dog
- Optimal caloric density for this dog
- Balanced fat content (4.0%) for this dog
2nd of 11
Performatrin Culinary Gently Cooked Turkey Dinner
84.5 of 100
- Premium protein content (8.0%) for this dog
- Balanced fat content (3.0%) for this dog
- Formulated for this dog's adult life stage
2 points under Open Farm Gently Cooked Chicken & Brown Rice:
- Nutritional quality, 18 against 20. Premium protein content (8.0%) for this dog. Balanced fat content (3.0%) for this dog. The label gives no omega-3 figure, so those points could not be given. The label gives no DHA figure, so those points could not be given. Calories are 4,340 kcal per kg of dry matter. For gently cooked food, full points are given between 4,500 and 5,800.
- Price value, 4 against 5. Good value for this dog. Price per kilogram is in the cheaper half of gently cooked foods, above the cheapest quarter. Full points are given for the cheapest quarter.
3rd of 11
Tom & Sawyer Turkey Gobbler Feast
84 of 100
- High protein content (7.0%) for this dog
- Optimal caloric density for this dog
- Balanced fat content (4.0%) for this dog
0.5 points under Performatrin Culinary Gently Cooked Turkey Dinner:
- Price value, 3.5 against 4. Price per kilogram is above the middle of gently cooked foods. Full points are given for the cheapest quarter.

Air-dried

8 air-dried foods fit this dog.

1st of 8
Smack Prairie Harvest Pork
85.5 of 100
- Premium protein content (48.0%) for this dog
- Optimal caloric density for this dog
- Formulated for this dog's adult life stage
2nd of 8
Smack Chunky Chicken
82.5 of 100
- Premium protein content (35.0%) for this dog
- Optimal caloric density for this dog
- Formulated for this dog's adult life stage
3 points under Smack Prairie Harvest Pork:
- Nutritional quality, 15 against 18. Premium protein content (35.0%) for this dog. Optimal caloric density for this dog. The label gives no omega-3 figure, so those points could not be given. The label gives no DHA figure, so those points could not be given. Fat is 25.8% of dry matter. Full points for fat are given between 13.3% and 22.5%.
3rd of 8, level with another
Open Farm Harvest Chicken Air-Dried Recipe
81.5 of 100
- Premium protein content (32.0%) for this dog
- Optimal caloric density for this dog
- Formulated for this dog's adult life stage
1 point under Smack Chunky Chicken:
- Price value, 4 against 5. Good value for this dog. Price per kilogram is in the cheaper half of air-dried foods, above the cheapest quarter. Full points are given for the cheapest quarter.
3rd of 8, level with another
Smack Lip Smacking Lamb
81.5 of 100
- Premium protein content (40.0%) for this dog
- Optimal caloric density for this dog
- Formulated for this dog's adult life stage

Freeze-dried

25 freeze-dried foods fit this dog.

1st of 25
Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Venison Nuggets
92 of 100
- Premium protein content (57.0%) for this dog
- Excellent Omega-3 (1.13%) for this dog's joints and coat
- Optimal caloric density for this dog
2nd of 25
K9 Natural Lamb & King Salmon Feast Freeze-Dried Dog Food
89 of 100
- Premium protein content (40.0%) for this dog
- Excellent Omega-3 (1.1%) for this dog's joints and coat
- Optimal caloric density for this dog
3 points under Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Venison Nuggets:
- Nutritional quality, 18 against 23. Premium protein content (40.0%) for this dog. Excellent Omega-3 (1.1%) for this dog's joints and coat. Optimal caloric density for this dog. The label gives no DHA figure, so those points could not be given. Fat is 41.3% of dry matter. Full points for fat are given between 13.3% and 22.5%.
3rd of 25, level with three others
Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Rabbit Nuggets
88 of 100
- Premium protein content (54.0%) for this dog
- Excellent Omega-3 (1.23%) for this dog's joints and coat
- Formulated for this dog's adult life stage
1 point under K9 Natural Lamb & King Salmon Feast Freeze-Dried Dog Food:
- Price value, 3 against 5. Price per kilogram is in the most expensive quarter of freeze-dried foods. Full points are given for the cheapest quarter.
3rd of 25, level with three others
Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Turkey & Sardine Nuggets
88 of 100
- Premium protein content (54.0%) for this dog
- Excellent Omega-3 (1.18%) for this dog's joints and coat
- Formulated for this dog's adult life stage
3rd of 25, level with three others
K9 Natural Chicken Feast Freeze-Dried Dog Food
88 of 100
- Premium protein content (48.0%) for this dog
- Optimal caloric density for this dog
- Formulated for this dog's adult life stage
3rd of 25, level with three others
K9 Natural Lamb Feast Freeze-Dried Dog Food
88 of 100
- Premium protein content (41.0%) for this dog
- Optimal caloric density for this dog
- Formulated for this dog's adult life stage

Toppers

A topper is added to a meal, not fed as one, and is scored on other parts than a meal. Each topper’s score here is for a dog whose food must not name beef. A topper earns more points for such a dog, so its score here can be higher than on its own page, which is worked out for a dog with no allergy. These are not ranked against the foods above. 8 toppers fit this dog; each number is a topper’s score out of 100:

Stella & Chewy's Chewy's Chicken Meal Mixers75.8
Stella & Chewy's Dandy Lamb Meal Mixers77.8
Stella & Chewy's Duck Duck Goose Meal Mixers84.8
Stella & Chewy's Tantalizing Turkey Meal Mixers77.8
Vital Essentials Chicken Entree Freeze-Dried Mini Nibs77.8
Vital Essentials Turkey Entree Freeze-Dried Mini Nibs79.8
Vital Essentials Duck Entree Freeze-Dried Mini Nibs82.8
Vital Essentials Rabbit Entree Freeze-Dried Mini Nibs84.8

Left out here because the label names beef

Performatrin Culinary Gently Cooked Beef Risotto2nd among gently cooked foods without the allergy, at 85.5. Its label names beef.
Performatrin Culinary Gently Cooked Bison & Beef Bowl3rd among gently cooked foods without the allergy, at 84.5. Its label names beef.
Open Farm Pollock & Lamb Air-Dried Recipe3rd among air-dried foods without the allergy, at 81.5. Its label names beef.
K9 Natural Beef Feast Freeze-Dried Dog Food3rd among freeze-dried foods without the allergy, at 88. Its label names beef.
K9 Natural Beef & Hoki Feast Freeze-Dried Dog Food3rd among freeze-dried foods without the allergy, at 88. Its label names beef.
Stella & Chewy's Stella's Super Beef Meal MixersA topper without the allergy, at 72.8 as a topper. Its label names beef.
Vital Essentials Beef Entree Freeze-Dried Crunchy Mini NibsA topper without the allergy, at 74.8 as a topper. Its label names beef.

What was left out, and why

152 of the 265 foods fit this dog. The others:

28 foodsMade for the puppy life stage, not adult.
11 foodsMade for the senior life stage, not adult.
15 foodsKibble too small for large breed.
2 foodsNot a complete diet.
5 foodsScored under 50, so it is not offered.
52 foodsName beef on their label.

BowlWise reads the ingredients printed on each label. It cannot see what a label does not say, such as traces from other foods made in the same place. Check the bag itself before you buy.

A dog a little different

The same dog with every food counted: a large adult dog, calm and building muscle.

How to read this

These scores are BowlWise’s own, worked out from each food’s label for one kind of dog at a time. They are not veterinary advice. How a score is worked out: How we score.

Worked out on October 13, 2026.

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