Score it for your dog

Best-scoring dog foods

Best-scoring dog foods for a small senior dog, calm, building muscle

For a small senior dog, calm and building muscle, the best-scoring food among the 265 dog foods BowlWise scores, all sold in Canada, is Open Farm Small Breed Grain-Free, a kibble, at 96.5 out of 100. The best-scoring of each kind: kibble, Open Farm Small Breed Grain-Free at 96.5; gently cooked, Open Farm Gently Cooked Chicken & Brown Rice at 78.5; air-dried, Smack Prairie Harvest Pork at 77.5; freeze-dried, Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Venison Nuggets at 89.7. 154 of the 265 foods fit this dog. The scores are BowlWise’s own, worked out from each food’s label on October 12, 2026.

Open Farm Small Breed Grain-Free: On March 3, 2026 Pet Valu listed the 4.99 kg bag at $64.99 in Canadian dollars.

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Kibble

92 kibble foods fit this dog.

  1. 96.5 of 100
    • Premium protein content (34.0%) for this dog
    • Excellent Omega-3 (1.2%) for this dog's joints and coat
    • Optimal caloric density for this dog
  2. 96 of 100
    • Premium protein content (38.0%) for this dog
    • Excellent Omega-3 (0.9%) for this dog's joints and coat
    • Good DHA for this dog's brain health

    0.5 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.
  3. 95 of 100
    • Premium protein content (32.0%) for this dog
    • Excellent Omega-3 (1.2%) for this dog's joints and coat
    • Optimal caloric density for this dog

    1 point under Orijen Senior Recipe:

    • Nutritional quality, 24 against 25. Premium protein content (32.0%) for this dog. Excellent Omega-3 (1.2%) for this dog's joints and coat. Optimal caloric density for this dog. Balanced fat content (15.0%) for this dog. DHA is 0.2% as fed. Full points for DHA start at 0.3%.
  4. 94.5 of 100
    • 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

    0.5 points under Performatrin Ultra Grain-Free Ocean Recipe:

    • Nutritional quality, 21 against 24. 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 5. Price per kilogram is above the middle of kibble foods. Full points are given for the cheapest quarter.
  5. 94.2 of 100
    • Premium protein content (31.0%) for this dog
    • Excellent Omega-3 (1.0%) for this dog's joints and coat
    • Optimal caloric density for this dog

    0.3 points under Open Farm Small Breed Ancient Grains:

    • Life stage, 12.7 against 15. Formulated for this dog's senior life stage. Excellent Omega-3 (1.0%) for this dog's aging joints. Fibre is 4.0% as fed. For a senior dog, full points start at 5%.

Gently cooked

3 gently cooked foods fit this dog.

  1. 78.5 of 100
    • Premium protein content (9.0%) for this dog
    • Optimal caloric density for this dog
    • Balanced fat content (4.0%) for this dog
  2. 76 of 100
    • Premium protein content (10.0%) for this dog
    • Optimal caloric density for this dog
    • Formulated for this dog's senior life stage

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

    • Nutritional quality, 18 against 20. Premium protein content (10.0%) for this dog. Optimal caloric density for this dog. Omega-3 is 0.2% as fed. Full points for omega-3 start at 0.8%. The label gives no DHA figure, so those points could not be given. Fat is 22.7% of dry matter. Full points for fat are given between 13.3% and 22.5%.
    • Price value, 3.5 against 5. Price per kilogram is above the middle of gently cooked foods. Full points are given for the cheapest quarter.
  3. 71.5 of 100
    • Premium protein content (9.0%) for this dog
    • Formulated for this dog's senior life stage
    • Fresh meat as primary ingredient for this dog

    4.5 points under Freshpet Vital Healthy Aging: Chicken & Salmon Recipe:

    • Nutritional quality, 13 against 18. 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%.
    • 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.

Air-dried

10 air-dried foods fit this dog.

  1. 77.5 of 100
    • Premium protein content (48.0%) for this dog
    • Optimal caloric density for this dog
    • Formulated for this dog's senior life stage

  2. 2nd of 10, level with another

    Open Farm Harvest Chicken Air-Dried Recipe

    76.9 of 100
    • Premium protein content (32.0%) for this dog
    • Optimal caloric density for this dog
    • Formulated for this dog's senior life stage

    0.6 points under Smack Prairie Harvest Pork:

    • Nutritional quality, 15 against 18. Premium protein content (32.0%) 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 34.1% of dry matter. Full points for fat are given between 13.3% and 22.5%.
    • 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 10, level with another

    Open Farm Pollock & Lamb Air-Dried Recipe

    76.9 of 100
    • Premium protein content (40.0%) for this dog
    • Balanced fat content (15.0%) for this dog
    • Formulated for this dog's senior life stage

Freeze-dried

39 freeze-dried foods fit this dog.

  1. 89.7 of 100
    • Premium protein content (57.0%) for this dog
    • Excellent Omega-3 (1.13%) for this dog's joints and coat
    • Optimal caloric density for this dog
  2. 85.7 of 100
    • Premium protein content (54.0%) for this dog
    • Excellent Omega-3 (1.18%) for this dog's joints and coat
    • Formulated for this dog's senior life stage

    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 (1.18%) 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 25.0% of dry matter. Full points for fat are given between 13.3% and 22.5%.

  3. 3rd of 39, level with another

    Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Chicken Nuggets

    84.7 of 100
    • Premium protein content (45.0%) for this dog
    • Excellent Omega-3 (0.96%) for this dog's joints and coat
    • Formulated for this dog's senior life stage

    1 point under Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Turkey & Sardine Nuggets:

    • Nutritional quality, 16 against 19. Premium protein content (45.0%) for this dog. Excellent Omega-3 (0.96%) for this dog's joints and coat. The label gives no DHA figure, so those points could not be given. Calories are 4,783 kcal per kg of dry matter. For freeze-dried food, full points are given between 5,000 and 6,200. Fat is 35.9% of dry matter. Full points for fat are given between 13.3% and 22.5%.

  4. 3rd of 39, level with another

    Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Lamb Nuggets

    84.7 of 100
    • Premium protein content (39.0%) for this dog
    • Optimal caloric density for this dog
    • Formulated for this dog's senior life stage

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

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

  • 77 foodsMade for the adult life stage, not senior.
  • 28 foodsMade for the puppy life stage, not senior.
  • 3 foodsKibble too large for small breed.
  • 2 foodsNot a complete diet.
  • 1 foodScored 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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