Best-scoring dog foods
Best-scoring dog foods for a large puppy, calm, holding weight
For a large puppy, calm and holding weight, the best-scoring food among the 265 dog foods BowlWise scores, all sold in Canada, is Orijen Puppy Large Recipe, a kibble, at 99 out of 100. The best-scoring of each kind: kibble, Orijen Puppy Large Recipe at 99; gently cooked, Open Farm Gently Cooked Chicken & Brown Rice at 84; air-dried, Smack Chunky Chicken at 81; freeze-dried, Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Scoopable Pronto Puppy at 80.5. 164 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 Puppy Large Recipe: On October 9, 2026 Pet Valu listed the 11.34 kg bag at $115.99 in Canadian dollars.
Open the form with this dog filled inKibble
102 kibble foods fit this dog.
99 of 1001st of 102
Orijen Puppy Large Recipe
- Balanced protein (38.0%) for this dog's lower activity level
- Moderate fat (16.0%) prevents weight gain for this dog
- Premium protein content (38.0%) for this dog
98 of 1002nd of 102, level with another
Acana Puppy Large Breed Recipe
- Balanced protein (33.0%) for this dog's lower activity level
- Moderate fat (15.0%) prevents weight gain for this dog
- Premium protein content (33.0%) for this dog
1 point under Orijen Puppy Large Recipe:
- Nutritional quality, 23 against 25. Premium protein content (33.0%) for this dog. Excellent Omega-3 (1.2%) for this dog's joints and coat. Good DHA for this dog's brain health. Balanced fat content (15.0%) for this dog. Calories are 3,835 kcal per kg of dry matter. For kibble, full points are given between 4,000 and 5,000.
98 of 1002nd of 102, level with another
Go! Solutions Skin + Coat Care Large Breed Puppy Salmon Dry with Grains
- Balanced protein (28.0%) for this dog's lower activity level
- Moderate fat (15.0%) prevents weight gain for this dog
- High protein content (28.0%) for this dog
96 of 100- Balanced protein (30.0%) for this dog's lower activity level
- Moderate fat (14.0%) prevents weight gain for this dog
- Premium protein content (30.0%) for this dog
2 points under Go! Solutions Skin + Coat Care Large Breed Puppy Salmon Dry with Grains:
- Nutritional quality, 21 against 23. Premium protein content (30.0%) for this dog. Excellent Omega-3 (0.85%) for this dog's joints and coat. Balanced fat content (14.0%) for this dog. DHA is 0.15% as fed. Full points for DHA start at 0.3%. Calories are 3,768 kcal per kg of dry matter. For kibble, full points are given between 4,000 and 5,000.
95 of 1005th of 102
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
1 point under Performatrin Ultra Grain-Free Original Recipe Large Breed Puppy:
- 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, 4 against 5. Good value for this dog. Price per kilogram is in the cheaper half of kibble foods, above the cheapest quarter. Full points are given for the cheapest quarter.
Gently cooked
4 gently cooked foods fit this dog.
84 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
77 of 100- Balanced protein (9.0%) for this dog's lower activity level
- Moderate fat (5.0%) prevents weight gain for this dog
- Premium protein content (9.0%) for this dog
7 points under Open Farm Gently Cooked Chicken & Brown Rice:
- Nutritional quality, 13 against 20. Premium protein content (9.0%) 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 6,455 kcal per kg of dry matter. For gently cooked food, full points are given between 4,500 and 5,800. Fat is 22.7% of dry matter. Full points for fat are given between 13.3% and 22.5%.
66 of 1003rd of 4
Open Farm Gently Cooked Puppy
- Balanced protein (10.0%) for this dog's lower activity level
- Premium protein content (10.0%) for this dog
- Optimal caloric density for this dog
11 points under Open Farm Gently Cooked Beef & Brown Rice:
- Activity and goal, 17.5 against 35. Balanced protein (10.0%) for this dog's lower activity level. Fat is 35.4% of dry matter. For this dog, a calm dog holding weight, full points are given between 10% and 30%.
Air-dried
10 air-dried foods fit this dog.
81 of 1001st of 10
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
66.5 of 1002nd of 10
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
14.5 points under Smack Chunky Chicken:
- 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%.
62.5 of 1003rd of 10, level with two others
Open Farm Harvest Chicken Air-Dried Recipe
- Balanced protein (32.0%) for this dog's lower activity level
- Premium protein content (32.0%) for this dog
- Optimal caloric density for this dog
4 points under Smack Prairie Harvest Pork:
- Nutritional quality, 15 against 18. Premium protein content (32.0%) 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 34.1% 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.
62.5 of 1003rd of 10, level with two others
Open Farm Pollock & Lamb Air-Dried Recipe
- Moderate fat (15.0%) prevents weight gain for this dog
- Premium protein content (40.0%) for this dog
- Balanced fat content (15.0%) for this dog
62.5 of 1003rd of 10, level with two others
Smack Lip Smacking Lamb
- Balanced protein (40.0%) for this dog's lower activity level
- Premium protein content (40.0%) for this dog
- Optimal caloric density for this dog
Freeze-dried
38 freeze-dried foods fit this dog.
80.5 of 100- Balanced protein (38.0%) for this dog's lower activity level
- Moderate fat (24.0%) prevents weight gain for this dog
- Premium protein content (38.0%) for this dog
78 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
2.5 points under Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Scoopable Pronto Puppy:
- Nutritional quality, 13 against 16. Premium protein content (39.0%) for this dog. Omega-3 is 0.49% 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 4,453 kcal per kg of dry matter. For freeze-dried food, full points are given between 5,000 and 6,200. Fat is 22.8% of dry matter. Full points for fat are given between 13.3% and 22.5%.
69.5 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.
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 Mixers58.8
- Stella & Chewy's Chewy's Chicken Meal Mixers56.8
- Stella & Chewy's Dandy Lamb Meal Mixers58.8
- Stella & Chewy's Duck Duck Goose Meal Mixers60.8
- Stella & Chewy's Tantalizing Turkey Meal Mixers58.8
- Vital Essentials Chicken Entree Freeze-Dried Mini Nibs58.8
- Vital Essentials Turkey Entree Freeze-Dried Mini Nibs60.8
- Vital Essentials Duck Entree Freeze-Dried Mini Nibs58.8
- Vital Essentials Rabbit Entree Freeze-Dried Mini Nibs60.8
- Vital Essentials Beef Entree Freeze-Dried Crunchy Mini Nibs60.8
What was left out, and why
164 of the 265 foods fit this dog. The others:
- 77 foodsMade for the adult life stage, not puppy.
- 11 foodsMade for the senior life stage, not puppy.
- 7 foodsKibble too small for large breed.
- 2 foodsNot a complete diet.
- 4 foodsScored under 50, so it is not offered.
A dog a little different
- Another sizesmall, medium
- Another agean adult dog, 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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