Score it for your dog

Best-scoring dog foods

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

For a large senior dog, moderately active 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, Open Farm Harvest Chicken Air-Dried Recipe at 76.9; freeze-dried, Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Venison Nuggets at 85.3. 113 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 moderate activity
    • Balanced fat (15.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
    • Premium protein content (38.0%) for this dog
  2. 95 of 100
    • Balanced protein (32.0%) for this dog's moderate activity
    • Balanced fat (15.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
    • 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 moderate activity
    • Balanced fat (15.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
    • 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 moderate activity
    • Balanced fat (17.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
    • 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 moderate activity
    • Balanced fat (17.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
    • 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 moderate activity
    • Balanced fat (4.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
    • Premium protein content (9.0%) for this dog
  2. 76 of 100
    • Balanced protein (10.0%) for this dog's moderate activity
    • Balanced fat (5.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
    • Premium protein content (10.0%) for this dog

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

    • 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. 76.9 of 100
    • Balanced protein (32.0%) for this dog's moderate activity
    • Balanced fat (28.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
    • Premium protein content (32.0%) for this dog
  2. 74.5 of 100
    • Balanced protein (35.0%) for this dog's moderate activity
    • Balanced fat (24.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
    • Premium protein content (35.0%) for this dog

    2.4 points under Open Farm Harvest Chicken Air-Dried Recipe:

    • Life stage, 3.5 against 6.9. Formulated for this dog's senior life stage. Fibre is 2.5% as fed. For a senior dog, full points start at 5%. The label gives no omega-3 figure, so those points could not be given.
  3. 73.5 of 100
    • Balanced protein (40.0%) for this dog's moderate activity
    • Balanced fat (29.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
    • Premium protein content (40.0%) for this dog

    1 point under Smack Chunky Chicken:

    • 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

25 freeze-dried foods fit this dog.

  1. 85.3 of 100
    • Balanced fat (19.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
    • Premium protein content (57.0%) for this dog
    • Excellent Omega-3 (1.13%) for this dog's joints and coat
  2. 83.7 of 100
    • Balanced protein (39.0%) for this dog's moderate activity
    • Balanced fat (30.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
    • Premium protein content (39.0%) for this dog

    1.6 points under Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Venison Nuggets:

    • Nutritional quality, 16 against 23. Premium protein content (39.0%) for this dog. Excellent Omega-3 (0.93%) for this dog's joints and coat. The label gives no DHA figure, so those points could not be given. Calories are 4,985 kcal per kg of dry matter. For freeze-dried food, full points are given between 5,000 and 6,200. Fat is 32.6% of dry matter. Full points for fat are given between 13.3% and 22.5%.
  3. 81.3 of 100
    • Balanced fat (23.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
    • Premium protein content (54.0%) for this dog
    • Excellent Omega-3 (1.18%) for this dog's joints and coat

    2.4 points under Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Scoopable Pronto Chicken:

    • Activity and goal, 30.6 against 35. Balanced fat (23.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal. Protein is 58.7% of dry matter. For this dog, a moderately active dog holding weight, full points are given between 25% and 50%.
    • 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. 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

113 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.
  • 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, moderately active 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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