Score it for your dog

Best-scoring dog foods

Best-scoring dog foods without chicken on the label for a small senior dog, moderately active, building muscle

For a small senior dog, moderately active and building muscle, 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 Performatrin Ultra Grain-Free Ocean Recipe, a kibble, at 95 out of 100. The best-scoring of each kind: kibble, Performatrin Ultra Grain-Free Ocean Recipe at 95; gently cooked, Open Farm Gently Cooked Beef & Brown Rice at 71.5; air-dried, Smack Prairie Harvest Pork at 77.5; freeze-dried, Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Venison Nuggets at 89.7. 99 of the 265 foods fit this dog. The scores are BowlWise’s own, worked out from each food’s label on October 13, 2026.

Performatrin Ultra Grain-Free Ocean Recipe: On March 12, 2026 Pet Valu listed the 10.88 kg bag at $99.99 in Canadian dollars.

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Kibble

53 kibble foods fit this dog.

  1. 95 of 100
    • High protein (32.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • Good fat (15.0%) provides energy for this dog
    • Premium protein content (32.0%) for this dog
  2. 94.2 of 100
    • High protein (31.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • Good fat (15.0%) provides energy for this dog
    • Premium protein content (31.0%) for this dog

    0.8 points under Performatrin Ultra Grain-Free Ocean Recipe:

    • Nutritional quality, 23 against 24. 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. Balanced fat content (15.0%) for this dog. DHA is 0.1% as fed. Full points for DHA start at 0.3%.
    • 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%.
    • Price value, 3.5 against 5. Price per kilogram is above the middle of kibble foods. Full points are given for the cheapest quarter.
  3. 93.7 of 100
    • High protein (35.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • Good fat (17.0%) provides energy for this dog
    • Premium protein content (35.0%) for this dog

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

    • 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 53, level with another

    Acana Classics Wild Coast Recipe

    92 of 100
    • High protein (27.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • Good fat (16.0%) provides energy for this dog
    • High protein content (27.0%) for this dog

    1.7 points under Acana Highest Protein Pacifica Recipe:

    • Nutritional quality, 21 against 25. High protein content (27.0%) for this dog. Excellent Omega-3 (1.1%) for this dog's joints and coat. Good DHA for this dog's brain health. Balanced fat content (16.0%) for this dog. Protein is 30.7% of dry matter. Full points for protein start at 33.3%. Calories are 3,912 kcal per kg of dry matter. For kibble, full points are given between 4,000 and 5,000.

  5. 4th of 53, level with another

    Open Farm GoodGut Grass-Fed Beef

    92 of 100
    • High protein (30.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • Good fat (17.4%) provides energy for this dog
    • Premium protein content (30.0%) for this dog

Gently cooked

1 gently cooked food fits this dog.

  1. 71.5 of 100
    • High protein (9.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • Good fat (5.0%) provides energy for this dog
    • Premium protein content (9.0%) for this dog

Air-dried

6 air-dried foods fit this dog.

  1. 77.5 of 100
    • High protein (48.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • Good fat (22.0%) provides energy for this dog
    • Premium protein content (48.0%) for this dog
  2. 76.9 of 100
    • High protein (40.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • Good fat (15.0%) provides energy for this dog
    • Premium protein content (40.0%) for this dog

    0.6 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. 73.5 of 100
    • High protein (40.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • Good fat (29.0%) provides energy for this dog
    • Premium protein content (40.0%) for this dog

    3.4 points under Open Farm Pollock & Lamb Air-Dried Recipe:

    • Life stage, 3.5 against 6.9. Formulated for this dog's senior life stage. Fibre is 1.5% as fed. For a senior dog, full points start at 5%. The label gives no omega-3 figure, so those points could not be given.

Freeze-dried

31 freeze-dried foods fit this dog.

  1. 89.7 of 100
    • High protein (57.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • Good fat (19.0%) provides energy for this dog
    • Premium protein content (57.0%) for this dog
  2. 85.7 of 100
    • High protein (54.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • Good fat (23.0%) provides energy for this dog
    • 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 (1.18%) 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. 84.7 of 100
    • High protein (39.0%) supports this dog's muscle building goal
    • Good fat (35.0%) provides energy for this dog
    • Premium protein content (39.0%) for this dog

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

    • Nutritional quality, 17 against 19. Premium protein content (39.0%) for this dog. Optimal caloric density for this dog. Omega-3 is 0.54% 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 38.0% 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

99 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.
  • 1 foodKibble too large for small breed.
  • 2 foodsNot a complete diet.
  • 13 foodsScored under 50, so it is not offered.
  • 45 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 senior dog, moderately active and building muscle.

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.

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