Score it for your dog

Best-scoring dog foods

Best-scoring dog foods for a large senior dog, very active, building muscle

For a large senior dog, very active and building muscle, 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 Prairie Harvest Pork at 77.5; freeze-dried, Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Venison Nuggets at 89.7. 144 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 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

82 kibble foods fit this dog.

  1. 96 of 100
    • High protein (38.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • High fat (15.0%) fuels this dog's active lifestyle
    • Premium protein content (38.0%) for this dog
  2. 95 of 100
    • High protein (32.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • High fat (15.0%) fuels this dog's active lifestyle
    • 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
    • High protein (30.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • High fat (15.0%) fuels this dog's active lifestyle
    • 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
    • High protein (35.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • High fat (17.0%) fuels this dog's active lifestyle
    • 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
    • High protein (35.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • High fat (17.0%) fuels this dog's active lifestyle
    • 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

3 gently cooked foods fit this dog.

  1. 78.5 of 100
    • High protein (9.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • High fat (4.0%) fuels this dog's active lifestyle
    • Premium protein content (9.0%) for this dog
  2. 76 of 100
    • High protein (10.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • High fat (5.0%) fuels this dog's active lifestyle
    • 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.
  3. 71.5 of 100
    • High protein (9.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • High fat (5.0%) fuels this dog's active lifestyle
    • Premium protein content (9.0%) for this dog

    4.5 points under Freshpet Vital Healthy Aging: Chicken & Salmon Recipe:

    • Nutritional quality, 13 against 18. 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%.
    • Formulation integrity, 9 against 10. Fresh meat as primary ingredient for this dog. No controversial ingredients — clean nutrition for this dog. The label names 1 main protein. Full points for variety are given for 3 or more. No formulator with a veterinary nutrition credential or a doctorate in nutrition is on file for this food. No feeding trial is on file for this food.

Air-dried

10 air-dried foods fit this dog.

  1. 77.5 of 100
    • High protein (48.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • High fat (22.0%) fuels this dog's active lifestyle
    • Premium protein content (48.0%) for this dog

  2. 2nd of 10, level with another

    Open Farm Harvest Chicken Air-Dried Recipe

    76.9 of 100
    • High protein (32.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • High fat (28.0%) fuels this dog's active lifestyle
    • Premium protein content (32.0%) 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.

  3. 2nd of 10, level with another

    Open Farm Pollock & Lamb Air-Dried Recipe

    76.9 of 100
    • High protein (40.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • High fat (15.0%) fuels this dog's active lifestyle
    • Premium protein content (40.0%) for this dog

Freeze-dried

39 freeze-dried foods fit this dog.

  1. 89.7 of 100
    • High protein (57.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • High fat (19.0%) fuels this dog's active lifestyle
    • Premium protein content (57.0%) for this dog
  2. 85.7 of 100
    • High protein (54.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • High fat (23.0%) fuels this dog's active lifestyle
    • Premium protein content (54.0%) for this dog

    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. 3rd of 39, level with another

    Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Chicken Nuggets

    84.7 of 100
    • High protein (45.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • High fat (33.0%) fuels this dog's active lifestyle
    • Premium protein content (45.0%) for this dog

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

    • Nutritional quality, 16 against 19. Premium protein content (45.0%) for this dog. Excellent Omega-3 (0.96%) for this dog's joints and coat. The label gives no DHA figure, so those points could not be given. Calories are 4,783 kcal per kg of dry matter. For freeze-dried food, full points are given between 5,000 and 6,200. Fat is 35.9% of dry matter. Full points for fat are given between 13.3% and 22.5%.

  4. 3rd of 39, level with another

    Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Lamb Nuggets

    84.7 of 100
    • High protein (39.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • High fat (35.0%) fuels this dog's active lifestyle
    • Premium protein content (39.0%) for this dog

Toppers

A topper is added to a meal, not fed as one, and is scored on other parts than a meal. These are not ranked against the foods above. 10 toppers fit this dog; each number is a topper’s score out of 100:

What was left out, and why

144 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.
  • 7 foodsKibble too small for large breed.
  • 2 foodsNot a complete diet.
  • 7 foodsScored under 50, so it is not offered.

A dog a little different

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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