Score it for your dog

Best-scoring dog foods

Best-scoring dog foods without chicken on the label for a large adult dog, very active, losing weight

For a large adult dog, very active and losing weight, leaving out every food that names chicken on its label, the best-scoring food among the 265 dog foods BowlWise scores, all sold in Canada, is Performatrin Ultra Grain-Free Ocean Recipe, a kibble, at 86.2 out of 100. The best-scoring of each kind: kibble, Performatrin Ultra Grain-Free Ocean Recipe at 86.2; gently cooked, Tom & Sawyer Classic Pork Stew at 71.3; freeze-dried, Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Venison Nuggets at 74.5. 142 of the 265 foods fit this dog. The scores are BowlWise’s own, worked out from each food’s label on October 13, 2026.

Performatrin Ultra Grain-Free Ocean Recipe: On March 12, 2026 Pet Valu listed the 10.88 kg bag at $99.99 in Canadian dollars.

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Kibble

83 kibble foods fit this dog.

  1. 86.2 of 100
    • High protein (32.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (32.0%) for this dog
    • Excellent Omega-3 (1.2%) for this dog's joints and coat

  2. 2nd of 83, level with four others

    Open Farm RawMix Tide & Terrain Grain-Free

    83.2 of 100
    • High protein (30.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (30.0%) for this dog
    • Optimal caloric density for this dog

    3 points under Performatrin Ultra Grain-Free Ocean Recipe:

    • Nutritional quality, 23 against 24. Premium protein content (30.0%) for this dog. Optimal caloric density for this dog. Balanced fat content (15.0%) for this dog. Omega-3 is 0.5% as fed. Full points for omega-3 start at 0.8%. DHA is 0.2% as fed. Full points for DHA start at 0.3%.
    • Price value, 3 against 5. Price per kilogram is in the most expensive quarter of kibble foods. Full points are given for the cheapest quarter.

  3. 2nd of 83, level with four others

    Open Farm RawMix Tide & Terrain Ancient Grains

    83.2 of 100
    • High protein (30.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (30.0%) for this dog
    • Optimal caloric density for this dog

  4. 2nd of 83, level with four others

    Performatrin Ultra Grain-Free Foothills Recipe

    83.2 of 100
    • High protein (31.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (31.0%) for this dog
    • Excellent Omega-3 (1.0%) for this dog's joints and coat

  5. 2nd of 83, level with four others

    Performatrin Ultra Grain-Free Prairie Recipe

    83.2 of 100
    • High protein (32.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (32.0%) for this dog
    • Excellent Omega-3 (1.0%) for this dog's joints and coat

  6. 2nd of 83, level with four others

    Performatrin Ultra Wholesome Grains Stream Recipe

    83.2 of 100
    • High protein (28.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • High protein content (28.0%) for this dog
    • Excellent Omega-3 (0.8%) for this dog's joints and coat

Gently cooked

13 gently cooked foods fit this dog.

  1. 71.3 of 100
    • High protein (10.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (10.0%) for this dog
    • Balanced fat content (3.0%) for this dog
  2. 70.8 of 100
    • High protein (9.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (9.0%) for this dog
    • Optimal caloric density for this dog

    0.5 points under Tom & Sawyer Classic Pork Stew:

    • Price value, 3 against 3.5. Price per kilogram is in the most expensive quarter of gently cooked foods. Full points are given for the cheapest quarter.
  3. 70.3 of 100
    • High protein (7.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • High protein content (7.0%) for this dog
    • Balanced fat content (3.0%) for this dog

    0.5 points under Tom & Sawyer Beef & Broccoli:

    • Nutritional quality, 13 against 15. High protein content (7.0%) for this dog. Balanced fat content (3.0%) for this dog. Protein is 31.8% 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. Calories are 6,682 kcal per kg of dry matter. For gently cooked food, full points are given between 4,500 and 5,800.

Air-dried

7 air-dried foods fit this dog. No air-dried food scores 70 or more for this dog; the closest is Smack Prairie Harvest Pork at 68.

  1. 68 of 100
    • High protein (48.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (48.0%) for this dog
    • Optimal caloric density for this dog

  2. 2nd of 7, level with another

    Open Farm Pollock & Lamb Air-Dried Recipe

    64 of 100
    • High protein (40.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (40.0%) for this dog
    • Balanced fat content (15.0%) for this dog

    4 points under Smack Prairie Harvest Pork:

    • Nutritional quality, 15 against 18. Premium protein content (40.0%) for this dog. Balanced fat content (15.0%) 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 4,146 kcal per kg of dry matter. For air-dried food, full points are given between 4,700 and 5,800.
    • 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.

  3. 2nd of 7, level with another

    Smack Lip Smacking Lamb

    64 of 100
    • High protein (40.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (40.0%) for this dog
    • Optimal caloric density for this dog

Freeze-dried

31 freeze-dried foods fit this dog.

  1. 74.5 of 100
    • High protein (57.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (57.0%) for this dog
    • Excellent Omega-3 (1.13%) for this dog's joints and coat
  2. 71.8 of 100
    • High protein (55.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (55.0%) for this dog
    • Balanced fat content (15.0%) for this dog

    2.7 points under Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Venison Nuggets:

    • Nutritional quality, 15 against 23. Premium protein content (55.0%) for this dog. Balanced fat content (15.0%) 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 4,459 kcal per kg of dry matter. For freeze-dried food, full points are given between 5,000 and 6,200.
    • Life stage, 11.5 against 15. Formulated for this dog's adult life stage. The label gives no omega-3 figure, so those points could not be given.
  3. 71.8 of 100
    • High protein (45.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (45.0%) for this dog
    • Balanced fat content (15.0%) for this dog

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 chicken. 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:

Left out here because the label names chicken

What was left out, and why

142 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.
  • 8 foodsKibble too small for large breed.
  • 2 foodsNot a complete diet.
  • 4 foodsScored under 50, so it is not offered.
  • 70 foodsName chicken 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, very active and losing weight.

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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