Score it for your dog

Best-scoring dog foods

Best-scoring dog foods without chicken on the label for a large senior dog, very active, building muscle

For a large senior dog, very active and building muscle, leaving out every food that names chicken 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 95 out of 100. The best-scoring of each kind: kibble, Performatrin Ultra Grain-Free Ocean Recipe at 95; gently cooked, Open Farm Gently Cooked Beef & Brown Rice at 71.5; air-dried, Smack Prairie Harvest Pork at 77.5; freeze-dried, Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Venison Nuggets at 89.7. 104 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

58 kibble foods fit this dog.

  1. 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
  2. 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

    1.3 points under Performatrin Ultra Grain-Free Ocean Recipe:

    • Life stage, 12.7 against 15. Formulated for this dog's senior life stage. Excellent Omega-3 (1.5%) for this dog's aging joints. Fibre is 4.0% as fed. For a senior dog, full points start at 5%.
  3. 92 of 100
    • High protein (30.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • High fat (17.4%) fuels this dog's active lifestyle
    • Premium protein content (30.0%) for this dog

    1.7 points under Acana Highest Protein Pacifica Recipe:

    • Nutritional quality, 24 against 25. 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 (17.4%) for this dog. DHA is 0.25% as fed. Full points for DHA start at 0.3%.
    • 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.
    • Price value, 3 against 5. Price per kilogram is in the most expensive quarter of kibble foods. Full points are given for the cheapest quarter.
  4. 91.7 of 100
    • High protein (38.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • High fat (18.0%) fuels this dog's active lifestyle
    • Premium protein content (38.0%) for this dog

    0.3 points under Open Farm GoodGut Grass-Fed Beef:

    • 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 4.0% as fed. For a senior dog, full points start at 5%.

  5. 4th of 58, level with another

    Orijen Wild Reserve Wild-Caught Fish Recipe

    91.7 of 100
    • High protein (40.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • High fat (16.0%) fuels this dog's active lifestyle
    • Premium protein content (40.0%) for this dog

Gently cooked

1 gently cooked food fits this dog.

  1. 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

Air-dried

6 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. 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

    0.6 points under Smack Prairie Harvest Pork:

    • Nutritional quality, 15 against 18. Premium protein content (40.0%) 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 4,146 kcal per kg of dry matter. For air-dried food, full points are given between 4,700 and 5,800.
    • 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. 73.5 of 100
    • High protein (40.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • High fat (29.0%) fuels this dog's active lifestyle
    • Premium protein content (40.0%) for this dog

    3.4 points under Open Farm Pollock & Lamb Air-Dried Recipe:

    • Life stage, 3.5 against 6.9. Formulated for this dog's senior life stage. Fibre is 1.5% 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.

Freeze-dried

31 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. 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

    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 chicken. 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 chicken

What was left out, and why

104 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.
  • 3 foodsKibble too small for large breed.
  • 2 foodsNot a complete diet.
  • 6 foodsScored under 50, so it is not offered.
  • 45 foodsName chicken 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, very active and 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 13, 2026.

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