Score it for your dog

Best-scoring dog foods

Best-scoring dog foods without chicken or beef on the label for a medium puppy, very active, building muscle

For a medium puppy, very active and building muscle, leaving out every food that names chicken or beef on its label, the best-scoring food among the 265 dog foods BowlWise scores, all sold in Canada, is Acana Highest Protein Pacifica Recipe, a kibble, at 99 out of 100. The best-scoring of each kind: kibble, Acana Highest Protein Pacifica Recipe at 99; air-dried, Smack Prairie Harvest Pork at 84; freeze-dried, Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Venison Nuggets at 87. 77 of the 265 foods fit this dog. The scores are BowlWise’s own, worked out from each food’s label on October 13, 2026.

Acana Highest Protein Pacifica Recipe: On October 9, 2026 Pet Valu listed the 11.34 kg bag at $110.99 in Canadian dollars.

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Kibble

50 kibble foods fit this dog.

  1. 99 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
  2. 98 of 100
    • High protein (31.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • High fat (20.0%) fuels this dog's active lifestyle
    • Premium protein content (31.0%) for this dog

    1 point under Acana Highest Protein Pacifica Recipe:

    • Nutritional quality, 23 against 25. Premium protein content (31.0%) for this dog. Excellent Omega-3 (0.8%) for this dog's joints and coat. Good DHA for this dog's brain health. Optimal caloric density for this dog. Fat is 22.7% of dry matter. Full points for fat are given between 13.3% and 22.5%.

  3. 2nd of 50, level with another

    Orijen Wild Reserve Wild-Caught Fish Recipe

    98 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
  4. 97 of 100
    • High protein (29.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • High fat (17.0%) fuels this dog's active lifestyle
    • High protein content (29.0%) for this dog

    1 point under Orijen Wild Reserve Wild-Caught Fish Recipe:

    • Nutritional quality, 22 against 25. High protein content (29.0%) for this dog. Excellent Omega-3 (1.0%) for this dog's joints and coat. Optimal caloric density for this dog. Balanced fat content (17.0%) for this dog. Protein is 33.0% of dry matter. Full points for protein start at 33.3%. DHA is 0.2% as fed. Full points for DHA start at 0.3%.
  5. 96.5 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

    0.5 points under Acana Coldwater Fish Recipe:

    • 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, 3.5 against 5. Price per kilogram is above the middle of kibble foods. Full points are given for the cheapest quarter.

Gently cooked

Every gently cooked food that fits this dog names chicken or beef on its label, so none is listed.

Air-dried

4 air-dried foods fit this dog.

  1. 84 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. 80 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

    4 points under Smack Prairie Harvest Pork:

    • Nutritional quality, 15 against 18. Premium protein content (40.0%) 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 30.2% 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. 3rd of 4, level with another

    Ziwi Peak Original Air-Dried Lamb Recipe

    76.5 of 100
    • High protein (38.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • High fat (30.0%) fuels this dog's active lifestyle
    • Premium protein content (38.0%) for this dog

    3.5 points under Smack Lip Smacking Lamb:

    • Life stage, 7 against 10. Formulated for this dog's puppy life stage. The label gives no calcium and phosphorus figures, so this part was given a middle score.
    • Price value, 3.5 against 4. Price per kilogram is above the middle of air-dried foods. Full points are given for the cheapest quarter.
  4. 76.5 of 100
    • High protein (44.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • High fat (24.0%) fuels this dog's active lifestyle
    • Premium protein content (44.0%) for this dog

Freeze-dried

17 freeze-dried foods fit this dog.

  1. 87 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. 84 of 100
    • High protein (40.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • High fat (38.0%) fuels this dog's active lifestyle
    • Premium protein content (40.0%) for this dog

    3 points under Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Venison Nuggets:

    • Nutritional quality, 18 against 23. Premium protein content (40.0%) for this dog. Excellent Omega-3 (1.1%) for this dog's joints and coat. Optimal caloric density for this dog. The label gives no DHA figure, so those points could not be given. Fat is 41.3% of dry matter. Full points for fat are given between 13.3% and 22.5%.

  3. 3rd of 17, level with three others

    Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Lamb Nuggets

    83 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 K9 Natural Lamb & King Salmon Feast Freeze-Dried Dog Food:

    • Nutritional quality, 17 against 18. 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%.

  4. 3rd of 17, level with three others

    Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Rabbit Nuggets

    83 of 100
    • High protein (54.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • High fat (22.0%) fuels this dog's active lifestyle
    • Premium protein content (54.0%) for this dog

  5. 3rd of 17, level with three others

    Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Turkey & Sardine Nuggets

    83 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

  6. 3rd of 17, level with three others

    K9 Natural Lamb Feast Freeze-Dried Dog Food

    83 of 100
    • High protein (41.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • High fat (34.0%) fuels this dog's active lifestyle
    • Premium protein content (41.0%) for this dog

Toppers

A topper is added to a meal, not fed as one, and is scored on other parts than a meal. Each topper’s score here is for a dog whose food must not name chicken or 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. 6 toppers fit this dog; each number is a topper’s score out of 100:

Left out here because the label names chicken or beef

What was left out, and why

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

  • 77 foodsMade for the adult life stage, not puppy.
  • 11 foodsMade for the senior life stage, not puppy.
  • 4 foodsKibble size not suitable for medium breed.
  • 2 foodsNot a complete diet.
  • 94 foodsName chicken or 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 medium puppy, 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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