Score it for your dog

Best-scoring dog foods

Best-scoring dog foods for a small adult dog, very active, losing weight

For a small adult dog, very active and losing weight, 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 87.8 out of 100. The best-scoring of each kind: kibble, Performatrin Ultra Grain-Free Foothills Recipe Small Bite at 87.8; gently cooked, Performatrin Culinary Gently Cooked Turkey Dinner at 75.8; freeze-dried, Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Venison Nuggets at 74.5. 209 of the 265 foods fit this dog. The scores are BowlWise’s own, worked out from each food’s label on October 12, 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

129 kibble foods fit this dog.

  1. 87.8 of 100
    • High protein (31.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (31.0%) for this dog
    • Excellent Omega-3 (1.0%) for this dog's joints and coat
  2. 86.2 of 100
    • High protein (32.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (32.0%) for this dog
    • Excellent Omega-3 (1.2%) for this dog's joints and coat

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

    • Activity and goal, 26.2 against 26.3. High protein (32.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss. Fat is 16.7% of dry matter and fibre is 5.0% as fed. For this dog, a very active dog losing weight, full points need fat under 13.5% with fibre of 5% or more.
    • 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. 85.2 of 100
    • High protein (40.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (40.0%) for this dog
    • Excellent Omega-3 (0.9%) for this dog's joints and coat

    1 point under Performatrin Ultra Grain-Free Ocean Recipe:

    • Price value, 4 against 5. Good value for this dog. Price per kilogram is in the cheaper half of kibble foods, above the cheapest quarter. Full points are given for the cheapest quarter.
  4. 84 of 100
    • High protein (35.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Low fat (11.0%) + high fiber (8.0%) supports this dog's weight loss
    • Premium protein content (35.0%) for this dog

    1.2 points under Orijen Fit & Trim Adult Recipe:

    • Nutritional quality, 13 against 24. Premium protein content (35.0%) for this dog. Omega-3 is 0.4% as fed. Full points for omega-3 start at 0.8%. DHA is 0.1% as fed. Full points for DHA start at 0.3%. Calories are 3,489 kcal per kg of dry matter. For kibble, full points are given between 4,000 and 5,000. Fat is 12.5% of dry matter. Full points for fat are given between 13.3% and 22.5%.

  5. 5th of 129, level with four others

    Open Farm RawMix Tide & Terrain Grain-Free

    83.2 of 100
    • High protein (30.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (30.0%) for this dog
    • Optimal caloric density for this dog

    0.8 points under Acana Light & Fit Recipe:

    • Activity and goal, 26.2 against 35. High protein (30.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss. Fat is 16.7% of dry matter and fibre is 4.5% as fed. For this dog, a very active dog losing weight, full points need fat under 13.5% with fibre of 5% or more.
    • 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.

  6. 5th of 129, level with four others

    Open Farm RawMix Tide & Terrain Ancient Grains

    83.2 of 100
    • High protein (30.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (30.0%) for this dog
    • Optimal caloric density for this dog

  7. 5th of 129, level with four others

    Performatrin Ultra Grain-Free Foothills Recipe

    83.2 of 100
    • High protein (31.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (31.0%) for this dog
    • Excellent Omega-3 (1.0%) for this dog's joints and coat

  8. 5th of 129, level with four others

    Performatrin Ultra Grain-Free Prairie Recipe

    83.2 of 100
    • High protein (32.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (32.0%) for this dog
    • Excellent Omega-3 (1.0%) for this dog's joints and coat

And 1 more at the same score.

Gently cooked

20 gently cooked foods fit this dog.

  1. 75.8 of 100
    • High protein (8.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (8.0%) for this dog
    • Balanced fat content (3.0%) for this dog
  2. 71.3 of 100
    • High protein (10.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (10.0%) for this dog
    • Balanced fat content (3.0%) for this dog

    4.5 points under Performatrin Culinary Gently Cooked Turkey Dinner:

    • Nutritional quality, 15 against 18. Premium protein content (10.0%) for this dog. Balanced fat content (3.0%) 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. The label states 1,633 kcal per kg and moisture of 82% at most. Those two do not give a usable figure for calories in the dry matter, so those points could not be given.
    • 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 4. Price per kilogram is above the middle of gently cooked foods. Full points are given for the cheapest quarter.
  3. 70.8 of 100
    • High protein (9.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (9.0%) for this dog
    • Optimal caloric density for this dog

    0.5 points under Tom & Sawyer Classic Pork Stew:

    • Price value, 3 against 3.5. Price per kilogram is in the most expensive quarter of gently cooked foods. Full points are given for the cheapest quarter.

Air-dried

11 air-dried foods fit this dog. No air-dried food scores 70 or more for this dog; the closest is Smack Prairie Harvest Pork at 68.

  1. 68 of 100
    • High protein (48.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (48.0%) for this dog
    • Optimal caloric density for this dog
  2. 65 of 100
    • High protein (35.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (35.0%) for this dog
    • Optimal caloric density for this dog

    3 points under Smack Prairie Harvest Pork:

    • Nutritional quality, 15 against 18. Premium protein content (35.0%) 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 25.8% of dry matter. Full points for fat are given between 13.3% and 22.5%.

  3. 3rd of 11, level with two others

    Open Farm Harvest Chicken Air-Dried Recipe

    64 of 100
    • High protein (32.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (32.0%) for this dog
    • Optimal caloric density for this dog

    1 point under Smack Chunky Chicken:

    • 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.

  4. 3rd of 11, level with two others

    Open Farm Pollock & Lamb Air-Dried Recipe

    64 of 100
    • High protein (40.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (40.0%) for this dog
    • Balanced fat content (15.0%) for this dog

  5. 3rd of 11, level with two others

    Smack Lip Smacking Lamb

    64 of 100
    • High protein (40.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (40.0%) for this dog
    • Optimal caloric density for this dog

Freeze-dried

39 freeze-dried foods fit this dog.

  1. 74.5 of 100
    • High protein (57.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (57.0%) for this dog
    • Excellent Omega-3 (1.13%) for this dog's joints and coat
  2. 71.8 of 100
    • High protein (55.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (55.0%) for this dog
    • Balanced fat content (15.0%) for this dog

    2.7 points under Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Venison Nuggets:

    • Nutritional quality, 15 against 23. Premium protein content (55.0%) 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 4,459 kcal per kg of dry matter. For freeze-dried food, full points are given between 5,000 and 6,200.
    • Life stage, 11.5 against 15. Formulated for this dog's adult life stage. The label gives no omega-3 figure, so those points could not be given.
  3. 71.8 of 100
    • High protein (45.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (45.0%) for this dog
    • Balanced fat content (15.0%) 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

209 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.
  • 9 foodsKibble too large for small breed.
  • 2 foodsNot a complete diet.
  • 6 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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