Best-scoring dog foods without beef on the label for a small puppy, moderately active, holding weight

Kibble

83 kibble foods fit this dog.

1. 

   1st of 83

   Acana Puppy Small Breed Recipe

   97 of 100
   • Balanced protein (33.0%) for this dog's moderate activity
   • Balanced fat (20.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
   • Premium protein content (33.0%) for this dog
2. 

   2nd of 83

   Open Farm Small Breed Grain-Free

   96.5 of 100
   • Balanced protein (34.0%) for this dog's moderate activity
   • Balanced fat (17.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
   • Premium protein content (34.0%) for this dog

   0.5 points under Acana Puppy Small Breed Recipe:

   • Price value, 3.5 against 4. Price per kilogram is above the middle of kibble foods. Full points are given for the cheapest quarter.
3. 

   3rd of 83

   Acana Highest Protein Pacifica Recipe

   95 of 100
   • Balanced protein (35.0%) for this dog's moderate activity
   • Balanced fat (17.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
   • Premium protein content (35.0%) for this dog

   1.5 points under Open Farm Small Breed Grain-Free:

   • 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.
4. 

   4th of 83

   Open Farm Small Breed Ancient Grains

   94.5 of 100
   • Balanced protein (27.5%) for this dog's moderate activity
   • Balanced fat (16.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
   • High protein content (27.5%) for this dog

   0.5 points under Acana Highest Protein Pacifica Recipe:

   • Nutritional quality, 21 against 25. High protein content (27.5%) for this dog. Excellent Omega-3 (1.2%) for this dog's joints and coat. Optimal caloric density for this dog. Balanced fat content (16.0%) for this dog. Protein is 30.6% of dry matter. Full points for protein start at 33.3%. DHA is 0.15% as fed. Full points for DHA start at 0.3%.
   • Price value, 3.5 against 4. Price per kilogram is above the middle of kibble foods. Full points are given for the cheapest quarter.
5. 

   5th of 83, level with six others

   Acana Highest Protein Wild Prairie Recipe

   94 of 100
   • Balanced protein (35.0%) for this dog's moderate activity
   • Balanced fat (17.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
   • Premium protein content (35.0%) for this dog

   0.5 points under Open Farm Small Breed Ancient Grains:

   • 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.
6. 

   5th of 83, level with six others

   Acana Healthy Grains Puppy Recipe

   94 of 100
   • Balanced protein (31.0%) for this dog's moderate activity
   • Balanced fat (20.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
   • Premium protein content (31.0%) for this dog
7. 

   5th of 83, level with six others

   Acana Healthy Grains Sea to Farm Puppy Recipe

   94 of 100
   • Balanced protein (31.0%) for this dog's moderate activity
   • Balanced fat (20.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
   • Premium protein content (31.0%) for this dog
8. 

   5th of 83, level with six others

   Acana Puppy Recipe

   94 of 100
   • Balanced protein (33.0%) for this dog's moderate activity
   • Balanced fat (20.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
   • Premium protein content (33.0%) for this dog

And 3 more at the same score.

Gently cooked

2 gently cooked foods fit this dog.

1. 

   1st of 2

   Open Farm Gently Cooked Chicken & Brown Rice

   84 of 100
   • Balanced protein (9.0%) for this dog's moderate activity
   • Balanced fat (4.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
   • Premium protein content (9.0%) for this dog
2. 

   2nd of 2

   Open Farm Gently Cooked Puppy

   66 of 100
   • Balanced protein (10.0%) for this dog's moderate activity
   • Premium protein content (10.0%) for this dog
   • Optimal caloric density for this dog

   18 points under Open Farm Gently Cooked Chicken & Brown Rice:

   • Activity and goal, 17.5 against 35. Balanced protein (10.0%) for this dog's moderate activity. Fat is 35.4% of dry matter. For this dog, a moderately active dog holding weight, full points are given between 12% and 35%.
   • Nutritional quality, 15 against 20. Premium protein content (10.0%) for this dog. Optimal caloric density for this dog. Omega-3 is 0.3% as fed. Full points for omega-3 start at 0.8%. DHA is 0.08% as fed. Full points for DHA start at 0.3%. Fat is 35.4% of dry matter. Full points for fat are given between 13.3% and 22.5%.

Air-dried

8 air-dried foods fit this dog.

1. 

   1st of 8

   Smack Chunky Chicken

   81 of 100
   • Balanced protein (35.0%) for this dog's moderate activity
   • Balanced fat (24.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
   • Premium protein content (35.0%) for this dog
2. 

   2nd of 8, level with another

   Open Farm Harvest Chicken Air-Dried Recipe

   80 of 100
   • Balanced protein (32.0%) for this dog's moderate activity
   • Balanced fat (28.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
   • Premium protein content (32.0%) 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.
3. 

   2nd of 8, level with another

   Smack Lip Smacking Lamb

   80 of 100
   • Balanced protein (40.0%) for this dog's moderate activity
   • Balanced fat (29.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
   • Premium protein content (40.0%) for this dog

Freeze-dried

27 freeze-dried foods fit this dog.

1. 

   1st of 27

   Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Venison Nuggets

   82.6 of 100
   • Balanced fat (19.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
   • Premium protein content (57.0%) for this dog
   • Excellent Omega-3 (1.13%) for this dog's joints and coat
2. 

   2nd of 27

   Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Scoopable Pronto Chicken

   81 of 100
   • Balanced protein (39.0%) for this dog's moderate activity
   • Balanced fat (30.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
   • Premium protein content (39.0%) for this dog

   1.6 points under Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Venison Nuggets:

   • Nutritional quality, 16 against 23. Premium protein content (39.0%) for this dog. Excellent Omega-3 (0.93%) for this dog's joints and coat. The label gives no DHA figure, so those points could not be given. Calories are 4,985 kcal per kg of dry matter. For freeze-dried food, full points are given between 5,000 and 6,200. Fat is 32.6% of dry matter. Full points for fat are given between 13.3% and 22.5%.
3. 

   3rd of 27

   Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Pork Nuggets

   79 of 100
   • Balanced protein (46.0%) for this dog's moderate activity
   • Balanced fat (26.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
   • Premium protein content (46.0%) for this dog

   2 points under Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Scoopable Pronto Chicken:

   • Nutritional quality, 13 against 16. Premium protein content (46.0%) for this dog. Omega-3 is 0.39% as fed. Full points for omega-3 start at 0.8%. 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 28.3% 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 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. 8 toppers fit this dog; each number is a topper’s score out of 100:

• Stella & Chewy's Chewy's Chicken Meal Mixers67.5
• Stella & Chewy's Dandy Lamb Meal Mixers63.8
• Stella & Chewy's Duck Duck Goose Meal Mixers70.8
• Stella & Chewy's Tantalizing Turkey Meal Mixers63.8
• Vital Essentials Chicken Entree Freeze-Dried Mini Nibs69.5
• Vital Essentials Turkey Entree Freeze-Dried Mini Nibs71.5
• Vital Essentials Duck Entree Freeze-Dried Mini Nibs76.3
• Vital Essentials Rabbit Entree Freeze-Dried Mini Nibs76.5

Left out here because the label names beef

• Open Farm Gently Cooked Beef & Brown Rice2nd among gently cooked foods without the allergy, at 77. Its label names beef.
• Freshpet Vital Puppy: Chicken, Beef & Salmon Recipe3rd among gently cooked foods without the allergy, at 76. Its label names beef.
• Open Farm Pollock & Lamb Air-Dried Recipe2nd among air-dried foods without the allergy, at 80. Its label names beef.
• K9 Natural Beef & Hoki Feast Freeze-Dried Dog Food1st among freeze-dried foods without the allergy, at 83. Its label names beef.
• Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Beef Nuggets3rd among freeze-dried foods without the allergy, at 81. Its label names beef.
• Stella & Chewy's Stella's Super Beef Meal MixersA topper without the allergy, at 58.8 as a topper. Its label names beef.
• Vital Essentials Beef Entree Freeze-Dried Crunchy Mini NibsA topper without the allergy, at 68.3 as a topper. Its label names beef.

What was left out, and why

128 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.
• 7 foodsKibble too large for small breed.
• 2 foodsNot a complete diet.
• 40 foodsName 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 small puppy, moderately 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.