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, holding weight

For a large senior dog, very active and holding weight, 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. 110 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

64 kibble foods fit this dog.

  1. 95 of 100
    • Great protein (32.0%) for this dog's active lifestyle
    • Balanced fat (15.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
    • Premium protein content (32.0%) for this dog
  2. 93.7 of 100
    • Great protein (35.0%) for this dog's active lifestyle
    • Balanced fat (17.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
    • 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. 3rd of 64, level with another

    Acana Classics Wild Coast Recipe

    92 of 100
    • Great protein (27.0%) for this dog's active lifestyle
    • Balanced fat (16.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
    • High protein content (27.0%) for this dog

    1.7 points under Acana Highest Protein Pacifica Recipe:

    • Nutritional quality, 21 against 25. High protein content (27.0%) for this dog. Excellent Omega-3 (1.1%) for this dog's joints and coat. Good DHA for this dog's brain health. Balanced fat content (16.0%) for this dog. Protein is 30.7% of dry matter. Full points for protein start at 33.3%. Calories are 3,912 kcal per kg of dry matter. For kibble, full points are given between 4,000 and 5,000.

  4. 3rd of 64, level with another

    Open Farm GoodGut Grass-Fed Beef

    92 of 100
    • Great protein (30.0%) for this dog's active lifestyle
    • Balanced fat (17.4%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
    • Premium protein content (30.0%) for this dog
  5. 91.7 of 100
    • Great protein (38.0%) for this dog's active lifestyle
    • Balanced fat (18.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
    • 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%.

  6. 5th of 64, level with another

    Orijen Wild Reserve Wild-Caught Fish Recipe

    91.7 of 100
    • Great protein (40.0%) for this dog's active lifestyle
    • Balanced fat (16.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
    • Premium protein content (40.0%) for this dog

Gently cooked

1 gently cooked food fits this dog.

  1. 71.5 of 100
    • Great protein (9.0%) for this dog's active lifestyle
    • Balanced fat (5.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
    • Premium protein content (9.0%) for this dog

Air-dried

6 air-dried foods fit this dog.

  1. 77.5 of 100
    • Great protein (48.0%) for this dog's active lifestyle
    • Balanced fat (22.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
    • Premium protein content (48.0%) for this dog
  2. 76.9 of 100
    • Great protein (40.0%) for this dog's active lifestyle
    • Balanced fat (15.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
    • 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
    • Great protein (40.0%) for this dog's active lifestyle
    • Balanced fat (29.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
    • 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
    • Great protein (57.0%) for this dog's active lifestyle
    • Balanced fat (19.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
    • Premium protein content (57.0%) for this dog
  2. 85.7 of 100
    • Great protein (54.0%) for this dog's active lifestyle
    • Balanced fat (23.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
    • 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. 82.2 of 100
    • Great protein (54.0%) for this dog's active lifestyle
    • Balanced fat (22.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
    • Premium protein content (54.0%) for this dog

    3.5 points under Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Turkey & Sardine Nuggets:

    • Life stage, 9.2 against 12.7. Formulated for this dog's senior life stage. Excellent Omega-3 (1.23%) for this dog's aging joints. Fibre is 3.0% as fed. For a senior dog, full points start at 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

110 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.
  • 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 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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