Score it for your dog

Best-scoring dog foods

Best-scoring dog foods for a small puppy, very active, holding weight

For a small puppy, very active and holding weight, the best-scoring food among the 265 dog foods BowlWise scores, all sold in Canada, is Acana Puppy Small Breed Recipe, a kibble, at 97 out of 100. The best-scoring of each kind: kibble, Acana Puppy Small Breed Recipe at 97; gently cooked, Open Farm Gently Cooked Chicken & Brown Rice at 84; air-dried, Smack Prairie Harvest Pork at 84; freeze-dried, Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Venison Nuggets at 87. 168 of the 265 foods fit this dog. The scores are BowlWise’s own, worked out from each food’s label on October 12, 2026.

Acana Puppy Small Breed Recipe: On March 3, 2026 Pet Valu listed the 5.99 kg bag at $58.99 in Canadian dollars.

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Kibble

102 kibble foods fit this dog.

  1. 97 of 100
    • Great protein (33.0%) for this dog's active lifestyle
    • Balanced fat (20.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
    • Premium protein content (33.0%) for this dog
  2. 96.5 of 100
    • Great protein (34.0%) for this dog's active lifestyle
    • 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. 95 of 100
    • Great protein (35.0%) for this dog's active lifestyle
    • 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. 94.5 of 100
    • Great protein (27.5%) for this dog's active lifestyle
    • 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 102, level with seven others

    Acana Highest Protein Wild Prairie Recipe

    94 of 100
    • Great protein (35.0%) for this dog's active lifestyle
    • 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 102, level with seven others

    Acana Healthy Grains Puppy Recipe

    94 of 100
    • Great protein (31.0%) for this dog's active lifestyle
    • Balanced fat (20.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
    • Premium protein content (31.0%) for this dog

  7. 5th of 102, level with seven others

    Acana Healthy Grains Sea to Farm Puppy Recipe

    94 of 100
    • Great protein (31.0%) for this dog's active lifestyle
    • Balanced fat (20.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
    • Premium protein content (31.0%) for this dog

  8. 5th of 102, level with seven others

    Acana Puppy Recipe

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

And 4 more at the same score.

Gently cooked

4 gently cooked foods fit this dog.

  1. 84 of 100
    • Great protein (9.0%) for this dog's active lifestyle
    • Balanced fat (4.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
    • Premium protein content (9.0%) for this dog
  2. 79.1 of 100
    • Great protein (10.0%) for this dog's active lifestyle
    • Premium protein content (10.0%) for this dog
    • Optimal caloric density for this dog

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

    • Activity and goal, 30.6 against 35. Great protein (10.0%) for this dog's active lifestyle. Fat is 35.4% of dry matter. For this dog, a very active dog holding weight, full points are given between 12% and 32%.
    • 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%.
  3. 77 of 100
    • Great protein (9.0%) for this dog's active lifestyle
    • Balanced fat (5.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
    • Premium protein content (9.0%) for this dog

    2.1 points under Open Farm Gently Cooked Puppy:

    • Nutritional quality, 13 against 15. Premium protein content (9.0%) 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 6,455 kcal per kg of dry matter. For gently cooked food, full points are given between 4,500 and 5,800. Fat is 22.7% of dry matter. Full points for fat are given between 13.3% and 22.5%.
    • Life stage, 10 against 12.5. Formulated for this dog's puppy life stage. Optimal calcium-phosphorus ratio for this dog's growing bones. The label gives no DHA figure, 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, 4 against 5. Good value for this dog. Price per kilogram is in the cheaper half of gently cooked foods, above the cheapest quarter. Full points are given for the cheapest quarter.

Air-dried

10 air-dried foods fit this dog.

  1. 84 of 100
    • Great protein (48.0%) for this dog's active lifestyle
    • Balanced fat (22.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
    • Premium protein content (48.0%) for this dog
  2. 81 of 100
    • Great protein (35.0%) for this dog's active lifestyle
    • Balanced fat (24.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
    • Premium protein content (35.0%) 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 10, level with another

    Open Farm Pollock & Lamb Air-Dried Recipe

    80 of 100
    • Great protein (40.0%) for this dog's active lifestyle
    • Balanced fat (15.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
    • Premium protein content (40.0%) 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.

  4. 3rd of 10, level with another

    Smack Lip Smacking Lamb

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

Freeze-dried

42 freeze-dried foods fit this dog.

  1. 87 of 100
    • Great protein (57.0%) for this dog's active lifestyle
    • Balanced fat (19.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
    • Premium protein content (57.0%) for this dog

  2. 2nd of 42, level with two others

    Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Rabbit Nuggets

    83 of 100
    • Great protein (54.0%) for this dog's active lifestyle
    • Balanced fat (22.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
    • Premium protein content (54.0%) for this dog

    4 points under Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Venison Nuggets:

    • Nutritional quality, 19 against 23. Premium protein content (54.0%) for this dog. Excellent Omega-3 (1.23%) for this dog's joints and coat. 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 23.9% of dry matter. Full points for fat are given between 13.3% and 22.5%.

  3. 2nd of 42, level with two others

    Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Turkey & Sardine Nuggets

    83 of 100
    • Great protein (54.0%) for this dog's active lifestyle
    • Balanced fat (23.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
    • Premium protein content (54.0%) for this dog

  4. 2nd of 42, level with two others

    K9 Natural Chicken Feast Freeze-Dried Dog Food

    83 of 100
    • Great protein (48.0%) for this dog's active lifestyle
    • Balanced fat (27.0%) supports this dog's maintenance goal
    • Premium protein content (48.0%) 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

168 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.

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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