Best-scoring dog foods
Best-scoring dog foods for a large adult dog, calm, holding weight
For a large adult dog, calm and holding weight, 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 Chunky Chicken at 82.5; freeze-dried, Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Scoopable Pronto Beef at 83. 206 of the 265 foods fit this dog. The scores are BowlWise’s own, worked out from each food’s label on October 12, 2026.
Orijen Large Breed Adult Recipe: On October 9, 2026 Pet Valu listed the 11.34 kg bag at $121.99 in Canadian dollars.
Open the form with this dog filled inKibble
125 kibble foods fit this dog.
99 of 1001st of 125
Orijen Large Breed Adult Recipe
- Balanced protein (38.0%) for this dog's lower activity level
- Moderate fat (15.0%) prevents weight gain for this dog
- Premium protein content (38.0%) for this dog
96 of 1002nd of 125, level with another
Acana Adult Large Breed Recipe
- Balanced protein (31.0%) for this dog's lower activity level
- Moderate fat (15.0%) prevents weight gain for this dog
- Premium protein content (31.0%) 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.
96 of 1002nd of 125, level with another
Open Farm RawMix Large Breed Grain-Free
- Balanced protein (30.0%) for this dog's lower activity level
- Moderate fat (15.0%) prevents weight gain for this dog
- Premium protein content (30.0%) for this dog
95 of 1004th of 125, level with two others
Orijen Original Adult Recipe
- Balanced protein (38.0%) for this dog's lower activity level
- Moderate fat (18.0%) prevents weight gain for this dog
- Premium protein content (38.0%) for this dog
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.
95 of 1004th of 125, level with two others
Acana Highest Protein Pacifica Recipe
- Balanced protein (35.0%) for this dog's lower activity level
- Moderate fat (17.0%) prevents weight gain for this dog
- Premium protein content (35.0%) for this dog
95 of 1004th of 125, level with two others
Performatrin Ultra Grain-Free Ocean Recipe
- Balanced protein (32.0%) for this dog's lower activity level
- Moderate fat (15.0%) prevents weight gain for this dog
- Premium protein content (32.0%) for this dog
Gently cooked
22 gently cooked foods fit this dog.
86.5 of 100- Balanced protein (9.0%) for this dog's lower activity level
- Moderate fat (4.0%) prevents weight gain for this dog
- Premium protein content (9.0%) for this dog
85.5 of 100- Balanced protein (7.0%) for this dog's lower activity level
- Moderate fat (4.0%) prevents weight gain for this dog
- Premium protein content (7.0%) for this dog
1 point under Open Farm Gently Cooked Chicken & Brown Rice:
- 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.
84.5 of 1003rd of 22, level with another
Performatrin Culinary Gently Cooked Bison & Beef Bowl
- Balanced protein (8.0%) for this dog's lower activity level
- Moderate fat (5.0%) prevents weight gain for this dog
- High protein content (8.0%) for this dog
1 point under Performatrin Culinary Gently Cooked Beef Risotto:
- Nutritional quality, 18 against 20. High protein content (8.0%) for this dog. Optimal caloric density for this dog. Balanced fat content (5.0%) for this dog. Protein is 32.0% of dry matter. Full points for protein start at 33.3%. 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.
84.5 of 1003rd of 22, level with another
Performatrin Culinary Gently Cooked Turkey Dinner
- Balanced protein (8.0%) for this dog's lower activity level
- Moderate fat (3.0%) prevents weight gain for this dog
- Premium protein content (8.0%) for this dog
Air-dried
11 air-dried foods fit this dog.
82.5 of 1001st of 11
Smack Chunky Chicken
- Balanced protein (35.0%) for this dog's lower activity level
- Moderate fat (24.0%) prevents weight gain for this dog
- Premium protein content (35.0%) for this dog
81 of 100- Balanced protein (29.0%) for this dog's lower activity level
- Moderate fat (24.0%) prevents weight gain for this dog
- Premium protein content (29.0%) for this dog
1.5 points under Smack Chunky Chicken:
- Price value, 3.5 against 5. Price per kilogram is above the middle of air-dried foods. Full points are given for the cheapest quarter.
68 of 1003rd of 11
Smack Prairie Harvest Pork
- Moderate fat (22.0%) prevents weight gain for this dog
- Premium protein content (48.0%) for this dog
- Optimal caloric density for this dog
13 points under Open Farm Surf & Turf Air-Dried Recipe:
- Activity and goal, 17.5 against 35. Moderate fat (22.0%) prevents weight gain for this dog. Protein is 51.1% of dry matter. For this dog, a calm dog holding weight, full points are given between 22% and 45%.
Freeze-dried
38 freeze-dried foods fit this dog.
83 of 100- Balanced protein (39.0%) for this dog's lower activity level
- Moderate fat (21.0%) prevents weight gain for this dog
- Premium protein content (39.0%) for this dog
74.5 of 100- Moderate fat (19.0%) prevents weight gain for this dog
- Premium protein content (57.0%) for this dog
- Excellent Omega-3 (1.13%) for this dog's joints and coat
8.5 points under Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Scoopable Pronto Beef:
- Activity and goal, 17.5 against 35. Moderate fat (19.0%) prevents weight gain for this dog. Protein is 62.0% of dry matter. For this dog, a calm dog holding weight, full points are given between 22% and 45%.
- Price value, 3 against 4. Price per kilogram is in the most expensive quarter of freeze-dried foods. Full points are given for the cheapest quarter.
71.5 of 100- Balanced protein (40.0%) for this dog's lower activity level
- Premium protein content (40.0%) for this dog
- Excellent Omega-3 (1.1%) for this dog's joints and coat
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%.
Toppers
A topper is added to a meal, not fed as one, and is scored on other parts than a meal. These are not ranked against the foods above. 10 toppers fit this dog; each number is a topper’s score out of 100:
- Stella & Chewy's Stella's Super Beef Meal Mixers60.3
- Stella & Chewy's Chewy's Chicken Meal Mixers58.3
- Stella & Chewy's Dandy Lamb Meal Mixers60.3
- Stella & Chewy's Duck Duck Goose Meal Mixers62.3
- Stella & Chewy's Tantalizing Turkey Meal Mixers60.3
- Vital Essentials Chicken Entree Freeze-Dried Mini Nibs60.3
- Vital Essentials Turkey Entree Freeze-Dried Mini Nibs62.3
- Vital Essentials Duck Entree Freeze-Dried Mini Nibs60.3
- Vital Essentials Rabbit Entree Freeze-Dried Mini Nibs62.3
- Vital Essentials Beef Entree Freeze-Dried Crunchy Mini Nibs62.3
What was left out, and why
206 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.
- 16 foodsKibble too small for large breed.
- 2 foodsNot a complete diet.
- 2 foodsScored under 50, so it is not offered.
A dog a little different
- Another sizesmall, medium
- Another agea puppy, a senior dog
- More or less activemoderately active, very active
- Another goallosing weight, 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 12, 2026.
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