Score it for your dog

Best-scoring dog foods

Best-scoring dog foods without chicken on the label for a small puppy, calm, holding weight

For a small puppy, calm 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 Acana Highest Protein Pacifica Recipe, a kibble, at 95 out of 100. The best-scoring of each kind: kibble, Acana Highest Protein Pacifica Recipe at 95; gently cooked, Open Farm Gently Cooked Beef & Brown Rice at 77; freeze-dried, Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Scoopable Pronto Beef at 78. 115 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.

Open the form with this dog filled in

Kibble

71 kibble foods fit this dog.

  1. 95 of 100
    • Balanced protein (35.0%) for this dog's lower activity level
    • Moderate fat (17.0%) prevents weight gain for this dog
    • Premium protein content (35.0%) for this dog

  2. 2nd of 71, level with two others

    Acana Healthy Grains Sea to Farm Puppy Recipe

    94 of 100
    • Balanced protein (31.0%) for this dog's lower activity level
    • Moderate fat (20.0%) prevents weight gain for this dog
    • 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. 94 of 100
    • Balanced protein (28.0%) for this dog's lower activity level
    • Moderate fat (18.0%) prevents weight gain for this dog
    • High protein content (28.0%) for this dog
  4. 94 of 100
    • Balanced protein (38.0%) for this dog's lower activity level
    • Moderate fat (18.0%) prevents weight gain for this dog
    • Premium protein content (38.0%) for this dog
  5. 93 of 100
    • Balanced protein (29.0%) for this dog's lower activity level
    • Moderate fat (17.0%) prevents weight gain for this dog
    • High protein content (29.0%) for this dog

    1 point under Orijen Wild Reserve Farm-Raised Beef & Lamb 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%.

Gently cooked

1 gently cooked food fits this dog.

  1. 77 of 100
    • Balanced protein (9.0%) for this dog's lower activity level
    • Moderate fat (5.0%) prevents weight gain for this dog
    • Premium protein content (9.0%) for this dog

Air-dried

6 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 66.5.

  1. 66.5 of 100
    • Moderate fat (22.0%) prevents weight gain for this dog
    • Premium protein content (48.0%) for this dog
    • Optimal caloric density for this dog

  2. 2nd of 6, level with another

    Open Farm Pollock & Lamb Air-Dried Recipe

    62.5 of 100
    • Moderate fat (15.0%) prevents weight gain for this dog
    • Premium protein content (40.0%) for this dog
    • Balanced fat content (15.0%) 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 6, level with another

    Smack Lip Smacking Lamb

    62.5 of 100
    • Balanced protein (40.0%) for this dog's lower activity level
    • Premium protein content (40.0%) for this dog
    • Optimal caloric density for this dog

Freeze-dried

29 freeze-dried foods fit this dog.

  1. 78 of 100
    • Balanced protein (39.0%) for this dog's lower activity level
    • Moderate fat (21.0%) prevents weight gain for this dog
    • Premium protein content (39.0%) for this dog
  2. 69.5 of 100
    • Moderate fat (19.0%) prevents weight gain for this dog
    • Premium protein content (57.0%) for this dog
    • Excellent Omega-3 (1.13%) for this dog's joints and coat

    8.5 points under Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Scoopable Pronto Beef:

    • Activity and goal, 17.5 against 35. Moderate fat (19.0%) prevents weight gain for this dog. Protein is 62.0% of dry matter. For this dog, a calm dog holding weight, full points are given between 22% and 45%.
    • Price value, 3 against 4. Price per kilogram is in the most expensive quarter of freeze-dried foods. Full points are given for the cheapest quarter.
  3. 66.5 of 100
    • Balanced protein (40.0%) for this dog's lower activity level
    • Premium protein content (40.0%) for this dog
    • Excellent Omega-3 (1.1%) for this dog's joints and coat

    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%.

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

115 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.
  • 2 foodsKibble too large for small breed.
  • 2 foodsNot a complete diet.
  • 2 foodsScored under 50, so it is not offered.
  • 56 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 puppy, calm 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.

Is your dog a little different?

Open the form with these answers and change what differs.

Open the form

Free. No account required. Takes about 30 seconds.