Score it for your dog

Best-scoring dog foods

Best-scoring dog foods without beef on the label for a small senior dog, very active, losing weight

For a small senior dog, very active and losing weight, leaving out every food that names beef 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 86.2 out of 100. The best-scoring of each kind: kibble, Performatrin Ultra Grain-Free Ocean Recipe at 86.2; freeze-dried, Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Venison Nuggets at 72.2. 100 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

57 kibble foods fit this dog.

  1. 86.2 of 100
    • High protein (32.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (32.0%) for this dog
    • Excellent Omega-3 (1.2%) for this dog's joints and coat
  2. 83.2 of 100
    • High protein (33.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (33.0%) for this dog
    • Excellent Omega-3 (0.8%) for this dog's joints and coat

    3 points under Performatrin Ultra Grain-Free Ocean Recipe:

    • Nutritional quality, 21 against 24. Premium protein content (33.0%) for this dog. Excellent Omega-3 (0.8%) for this dog's joints and coat. Balanced fat content (14.0%) for this dog. DHA is 0.15% as fed. Full points for DHA start at 0.3%. Calories are 3,778 kcal per kg of dry matter. For kibble, full points are given between 4,000 and 5,000.
  3. 81.2 of 100
    • High protein (30.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (30.0%) for this dog
    • Excellent Omega-3 (1.0%) for this dog's joints and coat

    2 points under Acana Senior Dog Recipe:

    • 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, 3 against 5. Price per kilogram is in the most expensive quarter of kibble foods. Full points are given for the cheapest quarter.
  4. 80.9 of 100
    • High protein (32.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (32.0%) for this dog
    • Excellent Omega-3 (1.0%) for this dog's joints and coat

    0.3 points under Open Farm GoodGut Wild-Caught Salmon:

    • Nutritional quality, 21 against 22. Premium protein content (32.0%) for this dog. Excellent Omega-3 (1.0%) for this dog's joints and coat. Balanced fat content (15.0%) for this dog. DHA is 0.1% as fed. Full points for DHA start at 0.3%. Calories are 3,926 kcal per kg of dry matter. For kibble, full points are given between 4,000 and 5,000.
    • 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 4.5% as fed. For a senior dog, full points start at 5%.
  5. 80.9 of 100
    • High protein (28.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • High protein content (28.0%) for this dog
    • Excellent Omega-3 (0.8%) for this dog's joints and coat

Gently cooked

2 gently cooked foods fit this dog. No gently cooked food scores 70 or more for this dog; the closest is Open Farm Gently Cooked Chicken & Brown Rice at 61.

  1. 61 of 100
    • High protein (9.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (9.0%) for this dog
    • Optimal caloric density for this dog
  2. 58.5 of 100
    • High protein (10.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (10.0%) for this dog
    • Optimal caloric density for this dog

    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.

Air-dried

8 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 60.

  1. 60 of 100
    • High protein (48.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (48.0%) for this dog
    • Optimal caloric density for this dog
  2. 59.4 of 100
    • High protein (32.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (32.0%) for this dog
    • Optimal caloric density for this dog

    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. 57 of 100
    • High protein (35.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (35.0%) for this dog
    • Optimal caloric density for this dog

    2.4 points under Open Farm Harvest Chicken Air-Dried Recipe:

    • Life stage, 3.5 against 6.9. Formulated for this dog's senior life stage. Fibre is 2.5% 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

25 freeze-dried foods fit this dog.

  1. 72.2 of 100
    • High protein (57.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (57.0%) for this dog
    • Excellent Omega-3 (1.13%) for this dog's joints and coat
  2. 69.5 of 100
    • High protein (55.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (55.0%) for this dog
    • Balanced fat content (15.0%) for this dog

    2.7 points under Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Venison Nuggets:

    • Nutritional quality, 15 against 23. Premium protein content (55.0%) 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 4,459 kcal per kg of dry matter. For freeze-dried food, full points are given between 5,000 and 6,200.
    • Life stage, 9.2 against 12.7. Formulated for this dog's senior life stage. High fiber (5.0%) supports this dog's senior digestion. The label gives no omega-3 figure, so those points could not be given.
  3. 69.5 of 100
    • High protein (45.0%) preserves this dog's muscle during weight loss
    • Premium protein content (45.0%) for this dog
    • Balanced fat content (15.0%) for this dog

Toppers

A topper is added to a meal, not fed as one, and is scored on other parts than a meal. 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:

Left out here because the label names beef

What was left out, and why

100 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.
  • 16 foodsScored under 50, so it is not offered.
  • 39 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 senior dog, very active and losing 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.

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