Score it for your dog

Best-scoring dog foods

Best-scoring dog foods without chicken or beef 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 or beef 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. 92 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

61 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. 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

    3 points under Performatrin Ultra Grain-Free Ocean Recipe:

    • Nutritional quality, 21 against 24. Premium protein content (32.0%) for this dog. Excellent Omega-3 (1.0%) 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 3,926 kcal per kg of dry matter. For kibble, full points are given between 4,000 and 5,000.
  3. 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
  4. 82.8 of 100
    • High protein (27.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • High protein content (27.0%) for this dog
    • Balanced fat content (13.0%) for this dog

    0.4 points under Performatrin Ultra Wholesome Grains Stream Recipe:

    • Nutritional quality, 18 against 21. High protein content (27.0%) for this dog. Balanced fat content (13.0%) for this dog. Protein is 30.0% of dry matter. Full points for protein start at 33.3%. Omega-3 is 0.7% as fed. Full points for omega-3 start at 0.8%. The label gives no DHA figure, so those points could not be given. Calories are 3,970 kcal per kg of dry matter. For kibble, full points are given between 4,000 and 5,000.
    • Price value, 3.5 against 5. Price per kilogram is above the middle of kibble foods. Full points are given for the cheapest quarter.

  5. 5th of 61, level with three others

    Open Farm RawMix Wild Ocean Grain-Free

    82.2 of 100
    • High protein (31.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (31.0%) for this dog
    • Optimal caloric density for this dog

    0.6 points under Now Fresh Large Breed Adult Turkey, Salmon & Duck Grain-Free:

    • Activity and goal, 26.2 against 26.3. High protein (31.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss. Fat is 15.6% of dry matter and fibre is 4.5% as fed. For this dog, a very active dog losing weight, full points need fat under 13.5% with fibre of 5% or more.
    • 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.
    • Price value, 3 against 3.5. Price per kilogram is in the most expensive quarter of kibble foods. Full points are given for the cheapest quarter.

  6. 5th of 61, level with three others

    Open Farm RawMix Wild Ocean Ancient Grains

    82.2 of 100
    • High protein (31.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (31.0%) for this dog
    • Optimal caloric density for this dog

  7. 5th of 61, level with three others

    Performatrin Ultra Grain-Free Hillside Recipe

    82.2 of 100
    • High protein (35.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (35.0%) for this dog
    • Balanced fat content (15.0%) for this dog
  8. 82.2 of 100
    • High protein (27.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • High protein content (27.0%) for this dog
    • Excellent Omega-3 (1.0%) for this dog's joints and coat

Gently cooked

4 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. 66.3 of 100
    • High protein (10.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (10.0%) for this dog
    • Formulated for this dog's adult life stage

    5 points under Tom & Sawyer Classic Pork Stew:

    • Nutritional quality, 10 against 15. Premium protein content (10.0%) 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 3,832 kcal per kg of dry matter. For gently cooked food, full points are given between 4,500 and 5,800. Fat is 8.0% of dry matter. Full points for fat are given between 13.3% and 22.5%.
  3. 64 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

    2.3 points under Tom & Sawyer Kangaroo:

    • Activity and goal, 17.5 against 26.3. High protein (9.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss. Fat is 29.2% of dry matter and fibre is 2.0% as fed. For this dog, a very active dog losing weight, full points need fat under 13.5% with fibre of 5% or more.

Air-dried

4 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. 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

    4 points under Smack Prairie Harvest Pork:

    • Nutritional quality, 15 against 18. Premium protein content (40.0%) 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 30.2% of dry matter. Full points for fat are given between 13.3% and 22.5%.
    • 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. 3rd of 4, level with another

    Ziwi Peak Original Air-Dried Lamb Recipe

    63.5 of 100
    • High protein (38.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (38.0%) for this dog
    • Optimal caloric density for this dog

    0.5 points under Smack Lip Smacking Lamb:

    • Price value, 3.5 against 4. Price per kilogram is above the middle of air-dried foods. Full points are given for the cheapest quarter.
  4. 63.5 of 100
    • High protein (44.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (44.0%) for this dog
    • Optimal caloric density for this dog

Freeze-dried

17 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 or 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. 6 toppers fit this dog; each number is a topper’s score out of 100:

Left out here because the label names chicken or beef

What was left out, and why

92 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.
  • 7 foodsKibble too small for large breed.
  • 2 foodsNot a complete diet.
  • 4 foodsScored under 50, so it is not offered.
  • 121 foodsName chicken or 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, 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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