Score it for your dog

Best-scoring dog foods

Best-scoring dog foods without chicken on the label for a small adult dog, moderately active, building muscle

For a small adult dog, moderately 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 Foothills Recipe Small Bite, a kibble, at 96.5 out of 100. The best-scoring of each kind: kibble, Performatrin Ultra Grain-Free Foothills Recipe Small Bite at 96.5; gently cooked, Performatrin Culinary Gently Cooked Beef Risotto at 85.5; air-dried, Smack Prairie Harvest Pork at 85.5; freeze-dried, Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Venison Nuggets at 92. 133 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 Foothills Recipe Small Bite: On March 12, 2026 Pet Valu listed the 5.44 kg bag at $63.99 in Canadian dollars.

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Kibble

74 kibble foods fit this dog.

  1. 96.5 of 100
    • High protein (31.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • Good fat (15.0%) provides energy for this dog
    • Premium protein content (31.0%) for this dog

  2. 2nd of 74, level with another

    Acana Highest Protein Pacifica Recipe

    95 of 100
    • High protein (35.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • Good fat (17.0%) provides energy for this dog
    • Premium protein content (35.0%) for this dog

    1.5 points under Performatrin Ultra Grain-Free Foothills Recipe Small Bite:

    • Format suitability, 6 against 10. Regular kibble — compatible with this dog's size. This is regular kibble. For a small dog, full points are given for small kibble.

  3. 2nd of 74, level with another

    Performatrin Ultra Grain-Free Ocean Recipe

    95 of 100
    • High protein (32.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • Good fat (15.0%) provides energy for this dog
    • Premium protein content (32.0%) for this dog

  4. 4th of 74, level with another

    Orijen Six Fish Adult Recipe

    94.5 of 100
    • High protein (38.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • Good fat (18.0%) provides energy for this dog
    • Premium protein content (38.0%) for this dog

    0.5 points under Performatrin Ultra Grain-Free Ocean Recipe:

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

  5. 4th of 74, level with another

    Orijen Regional Red Adult Recipe

    94.5 of 100
    • High protein (38.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • Good fat (18.0%) provides energy for this dog
    • Premium protein content (38.0%) for this dog

Gently cooked

13 gently cooked foods fit this dog.

  1. 85.5 of 100
    • High protein (7.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • Good fat (4.0%) provides energy for this dog
    • Premium protein content (7.0%) for this dog
  2. 84.5 of 100
    • High protein (8.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • Good fat (5.0%) provides energy for this dog
    • High protein content (8.0%) for this dog

    1 point under Performatrin Culinary Gently Cooked Beef Risotto:

    • Nutritional quality, 18 against 20. High protein content (8.0%) for this dog. Optimal caloric density for this dog. Balanced fat content (5.0%) for this dog. Protein is 32.0% of dry matter. Full points for protein start at 33.3%. 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.
  3. 84 of 100
    • High protein (8.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • Good fat (4.0%) provides energy for this dog
    • Premium protein content (8.0%) for this dog

    0.5 points under Performatrin Culinary Gently Cooked Bison & Beef Bowl:

    • Price value, 3.5 against 4. Price per kilogram is above the middle of gently cooked foods. Full points are given for the cheapest quarter.

Air-dried

7 air-dried foods fit this dog.

  1. 85.5 of 100
    • High protein (48.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • Good fat (22.0%) provides energy for this dog
    • Premium protein content (48.0%) for this dog

  2. 2nd of 7, level with another

    Open Farm Pollock & Lamb Air-Dried Recipe

    81.5 of 100
    • High protein (40.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • Good fat (15.0%) provides energy for this dog
    • 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. 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. 2nd of 7, level with another

    Smack Lip Smacking Lamb

    81.5 of 100
    • High protein (40.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • Good fat (29.0%) provides energy for this dog
    • Premium protein content (40.0%) for this dog

Freeze-dried

31 freeze-dried foods fit this dog.

  1. 92 of 100
    • High protein (57.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • Good fat (19.0%) provides energy for this dog
    • Premium protein content (57.0%) for this dog
  2. 89 of 100
    • High protein (40.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • Good fat (38.0%) provides energy for this dog
    • 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 31, level with four others

    Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Rabbit Nuggets

    88 of 100
    • High protein (54.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • Good fat (22.0%) provides energy for this dog
    • Premium protein content (54.0%) for this dog

    1 point under K9 Natural Lamb & King Salmon Feast Freeze-Dried Dog Food:

    • Price value, 3 against 5. Price per kilogram is in the most expensive quarter of freeze-dried foods. Full points are given for the cheapest quarter.

  4. 3rd of 31, level with four others

    Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Turkey & Sardine Nuggets

    88 of 100
    • High protein (54.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • Good fat (23.0%) provides energy for this dog
    • Premium protein content (54.0%) for this dog

  5. 3rd of 31, level with four others

    K9 Natural Beef Feast Freeze-Dried Dog Food

    88 of 100
    • High protein (40.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • Good fat (33.0%) provides energy for this dog
    • Premium protein content (40.0%) for this dog

  6. 3rd of 31, level with four others

    K9 Natural Lamb Feast Freeze-Dried Dog Food

    88 of 100
    • High protein (41.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • Good fat (34.0%) provides energy for this dog
    • Premium protein content (41.0%) for this dog
  7. 88 of 100
    • High protein (46.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • Good fat (32.0%) provides energy for this dog
    • Premium protein content (46.0%) 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. 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

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

  • 28 foodsMade for the puppy life stage, not adult.
  • 11 foodsMade for the senior life stage, not adult.
  • 2 foodsKibble too large for small breed.
  • 2 foodsNot a complete diet.
  • 19 foodsScored under 50, so it is not offered.
  • 70 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 small adult dog, moderately 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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