Score it for your dog

Best-scoring dog foods

Best-scoring dog foods without beef on the label for a large senior dog, calm, holding weight

For a large senior dog, calm and holding weight, 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 Senior Recipe, a kibble, at 96 out of 100. The best-scoring of each kind: kibble, Orijen Senior Recipe at 96; gently cooked, Open Farm Gently Cooked Chicken & Brown Rice at 78.5; air-dried, Smack Chunky Chicken at 74.5; freeze-dried, Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Venison Nuggets at 72.2. 111 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 Senior Recipe: On October 9, 2026 Pet Valu listed the 11.34 kg bag at $110.99 in Canadian dollars.

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Kibble

70 kibble foods fit this dog.

  1. 96 of 100
    • 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
  2. 95 of 100
    • 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

    1 point under Orijen Senior Recipe:

    • Nutritional quality, 24 against 25. 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. Balanced fat content (15.0%) for this dog. DHA is 0.2% as fed. Full points for DHA start at 0.3%.
  3. 94.2 of 100
    • 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

    0.8 points under Performatrin Ultra Grain-Free Ocean Recipe:

    • Nutritional quality, 23 against 24. 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. Balanced fat content (15.0%) for this dog. DHA is 0.05% as fed. Full points for DHA start at 0.3%.
    • Life stage, 12.7 against 15. Formulated for this dog's senior life stage. Excellent Omega-3 (1.0%) for this dog's aging joints. Fibre is 4.5% as fed. For a senior dog, full points start at 5%.
    • Price value, 3.5 against 5. Price per kilogram is above the middle of kibble foods. Full points are given for the cheapest quarter.
  4. 93.7 of 100
    • 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

    0.5 points 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.
  5. 92.7 of 100
    • 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 Acana Highest Protein Pacifica Recipe:

    • Nutritional quality, 24 against 25. Premium protein content (35.0%) for this dog. Excellent Omega-3 (0.9%) for this dog's joints and coat. Optimal caloric density for this dog. Balanced fat content (17.0%) for this dog. DHA is 0.2% as fed. Full points for DHA start at 0.3%.

Gently cooked

2 gently cooked foods fit this dog.

  1. 78.5 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
  2. 58.5 of 100
    • Moderate fat (5.0%) prevents weight gain for this dog
    • Premium protein content (10.0%) for this dog
    • Optimal caloric density for this dog

    20 points under Open Farm Gently Cooked Chicken & Brown Rice:

    • Activity and goal, 17.5 against 35. Moderate fat (5.0%) prevents weight gain for this dog. Protein is 45.5% of dry matter. For this dog, a calm dog holding weight, full points are given between 22% and 45%.
    • Nutritional quality, 18 against 20. Premium protein content (10.0%) for this dog. Optimal caloric density for this dog. Omega-3 is 0.2% as fed. Full points for omega-3 start at 0.8%. The label gives no DHA figure, so those points could not be given. Fat is 22.7% of dry matter. Full points for fat are given between 13.3% and 22.5%.
    • Price value, 3.5 against 5. 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.

  1. 74.5 of 100
    • 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
  2. 60 of 100
    • 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%.
  3. 59.4 of 100
    • 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

    0.6 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.

Freeze-dried

23 freeze-dried foods fit this dog.

  1. 72.2 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
  2. 68.2 of 100
    • Moderate fat (23.0%) prevents weight gain for this dog
    • Premium protein content (54.0%) for this dog
    • Excellent Omega-3 (1.18%) for this dog's joints and coat

    4 points under Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Venison Nuggets:

    • Nutritional quality, 19 against 23. Premium protein content (54.0%) for this dog. Excellent Omega-3 (1.18%) for this dog's joints and coat. The label gives no DHA figure, so those points could not be given. Calories are 4,891 kcal per kg of dry matter. For freeze-dried food, full points are given between 5,000 and 6,200. Fat is 25.0% of dry matter. Full points for fat are given between 13.3% and 22.5%.
  3. 67.2 of 100
    • Balanced protein (39.0%) for this dog's lower activity level
    • Premium protein content (39.0%) for this dog
    • Optimal caloric density for this dog

    1 point under Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Turkey & Sardine Nuggets:

    • Nutritional quality, 17 against 19. Premium protein content (39.0%) for this dog. Optimal caloric density for this dog. Omega-3 is 0.54% as fed. Full points for omega-3 start at 0.8%. The label gives no DHA figure, so those points could not be given. Fat is 38.0% 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. 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:

Left out here because the label names beef

What was left out, and why

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

  • 77 foodsMade for the adult life stage, not senior.
  • 28 foodsMade for the puppy life stage, not senior.
  • 6 foodsKibble too small for large breed.
  • 2 foodsNot a complete diet.
  • 2 foodsScored under 50, so it is not offered.
  • 39 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 senior dog, calm and holding 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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