what is the best dog food ingredients

The best dog food brands to consider for a healthy and balanced diet

Being a pet parent comes with its fair share of responsibilities, including providing a comfy dog bed (that is, if you dont let them sleep in your own), entertaining them with toys and, most importantly, feeding them a nutritious diet. Ensuring your dog has the right food can offer multiple health benefits, including helping them maintain a healthy weight, according to experts.

Commercially processed canned or kibble foods are formulated to meet dogs nutritional needs for proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals theyre convenient, consistent and readily available, and they undergo a process of quality control and inspection that is meant to catch any contaminants or pathogens before they affect pets or people, says Dr. Lori Teller, a board-certified veterinarian and immediate past president of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

To help you in your search, we consulted veterinarians and animal nutrition experts on what to keep in mind when shopping for the best dog food. Below, we compiled expert-recommended dog food brands to consider, as well as options NBC Select staffers feed their own pets.

SKIP AHEAD Best dog food | How to determine the best food for your dog

How we picked the best dog food

When choosing the right food for your dog, our experts recommend considering the following factors:

• AAFCO nutrition standards: Ensure the dog food meets AAFCO nutrition standards, which you can determine by looking at the nutritional adequacy statement on the label that will note the food is complete and balanced. All of the dog foods we list including dry kibble and canned wet food meet or exceed the Association of Animal Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) nutritional standards.
• Ingredients and palatability: All of the following dog foods come from brands with a team of veterinary nutritionists on staff to regulate the use of high-quality ingredients (more on specific ingredients and formulas below). The ingredient list on the packaging displays all ingredients from highest to least amount by weight, which means the first three listed are the most crucial to consider, according to AAFCO.
• Nutritional value and proportions: Make sure brands provide a feeding guide on its packaging to help you determine the appropriate portions for your dogs weight and size.
• Your dogs size, weight and life stage: For example, you should feed your puppy food thats specifically labeled for puppies until they reach their adult body weight. Some dog foods are labeled by size, like small, medium and large breeds, which means the size of the kibble is easier for them to ingest. Some brands like Royal Canin also offer breed-specific formulas, which can help address common needs and concerns for certain dog breeds. All of the following brands offer high-calorie options for puppies and easily digestible kibble sizes for dogs of various sizes.

Best dog food in April 2024

We compiled the best dog foods to consider that are in line with our experts guidance. We also listed options that NBC Select staffers feed their own dogs.

Royal Canin offers some of the most diverse dog food options on the market the brand makes both dry and wet food for a variety of dog sizes, breeds and dietary restrictions, including food sensitivities and gastrointestinal issues. I feed my 6-year-old havachon, Bella, Royal Canins small-breed kibble after my veterinarian recommended it. The small-breed kibble is made for small dogs 10 months to 8 years old that weigh between nine pounds and 22 pounds.

NBC Select manager of editorial operations Shari Uyehara also feeds her dog Loki, a 2-year-old cavalier King Charles spaniel, the same formula after it was recommended by Lokis breeder. Ive noticed that Bella prefers this brand over others, which she would often leave half-eaten. Royal Canin also offers its dry food formula for medium and large breeds, as well as a puppy formula.

The Farmers Dog is a subscription plan that delivers fresh human-grade dog food to your door. You can store the food packets in your fridge or freezer, and each package lasts up to four days in the fridge after being thawed, according to the brand. NBC Select social editor Sadhana Daruvuri feeds The Farmers Dog to her 2-year-old Maltipoo, Bandit: I knew friends who tried it, and their dogs were all big fans, so I did a trial with Bandit and it was obvious he liked it way more than his kibble, she says. Subscription prices start at $2 per day and delivery options range from one week to two months of food (plan pricing varies based on your dogs weight, breed, activity level and more).

Hills Science Diets puppy food is made for dogs up to 1 year old and comes in small, easy-to-digest kibble, according to the brand. The formula has natural omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil that work to support healthy brain and eye development, as well as a vitamin E and vitamin C blend that helps support a healthy immune system in puppies, according to Hills. The food comes in a 4.5- or 12.5-pound bag, and the brand also offers a canned puppy formula, which our experts say can be great to mix into your dogs kibble.

Purina employs several veterinary nutritionists to help determine healthy formulations and ingredients. The brands highly rated Pro Plan dog food is geared toward dogs of different sizes and in all stages of life, including large-breed adults and puppies, according to the brand. The Purina Pro Plan formula has natural prebiotic fiber for digestive health, and omega-6 fatty acids and vitamin A for skin and coat health, according to the brand. NBC Select associate updates editor Zoe Malin says her large 100-pound yellow lab Chance eats the weight-management dry kibble from the brand, which has a more optimized protein-to-fat ratio, because hes 10 years old and less active.

Just Food For Dogs is designed to be high in protein and low in calorie count, so it can be beneficial for dogs who may be overweight or dont get regular exercise, according to the brand. It offers a variety of meal options that are made up of locally sourced produce and only one source of protein for a limited ingredients diet.

This sweet potato and fish option provides a balanced diet for dogs with sensitive stomachs or those in need of a novel protein due to allergies, according to the brand. Just Food for Dogs offers two types of food: Fresh Frozen, which has no preservatives and can be thawed and served, and Pantry Fresh, which is shelf-stable for up to two years and doesnt require refrigeration, according to the brand.

Some dogs are sensitive to certain food ingredients, which can cause excessive itching, loose stools, occasional vomiting and other symptoms. Investing in a dog food formulated for dogs with sensitive stomachs and skin can help minimize these issues. This option from Purina is crafted without corn, wheat or soy to make it more easily digestible for dogs with an intolerance to these ingredients. However, these types of ingredients should only be avoided if your dog has an intolerance because they are full of healthy vitamins, minerals and carbohydrates, experts told us. To help your dog maintain a complete and balanced diet, the formula contains high-protein salmon, probiotics and prebiotic fiber for digestive and immune health and omega-6 fatty acids to help support a healthy skin and coat, according to the brand.

This salmon and sweet potato formula is great for dogs with sensitive stomachs or those who experience allergies to certain common proteins. In fact, studies show that proteins like beef and chicken are among the most reported causes of allergies in dogs, so its important to look out for common signs of allergies like excessive itching and vomiting to figure out what works best for them, says Dr. Joe Wakshlag, professor of clinical nutrition and sports medicine and rehabilitation at Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine. However, most dogs dont usually experience these types of allergies, so you dont need to avoid chicken and turkey unless you think your dog may have an allergy or intolerance, says Wakshlag.

NBC Select commerce analytics manager Amanda Smith feeds this Purina Pro Plan formula to her 3-year-old rat terrier Mac, who is a picky eater and found this option more palatable than others. Specifically made for active adult dogs, this dry food has glucosamine and omega-3 fatty acids to help maintain joint health and mobility, according to the brand. It also has a ratio of 30% protein and 20% fat to keep their energy up, according to Purina. This food is available in several flavor combinations to fit your dogs preferences, including turkey, duck and quail, salmon and cod, and beef and bison formulas.

NBC Select associate reporter Bianca Alvarez feeds her 8-year-old pitbull Baylor this Kirkland Signature kibble, which has chicken, rice and vegetables. Baylor has a really sensitive stomach and this dry food is one of the only ones we found that she can tolerate, says Alvarez. Weve been feeding her this one for years and when weve tried to switch it up in the past, she either doesnt like it or her stomach gets really upset. The food has probiotics to maintain digestive health, and glucosamine and chondroitin to help support healthy joints, according to the brand.

If you prefer to incorporate canned food into your dogs meals, Royal Canin offers a variety of wet food options tested by veterinary nutritionists that can help you provide them with a little more diversity at dinnertime. Though its on the pricier side, this low-fat option can be good for adult dogs with gastrointestinal issues or digestive sensitivities, according to the brand. The formula has prebiotics to help maintain good bacteria in the gut, a blend of dietary fibers that can promote healthy digestion and omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil to help soothe the GI tract, according to Royal Canin.

I typically mix my dog Bellas dry food with canned food to add some moisture and texture to her nightly meal. However, since she has a very sensitive stomach, her veterinarian recommended this wet food, and so far its one of the only canned foods that hasnt caused any discomfort or side effects. The turkey and rice stew is Bellas favorite, but the brand also offers salmon and chicken entrees.

As a treat, Smith mixes a scoop of this prepared meal with Macs dry food about once a week. The stew comes with chunks of beef and chicken mixed with veggies and wild rice. Its also a fully balanced meal, so you can serve it on its own as long as you follow your dogs recommended portion size (you can calculate portions on the brands website), or sprinkle it on top of your dogs favorite kibble.

How to determine the best food for your dog

The two biggest factors that determine whether your dogs food is good for their health is whether its nutritionally complete and balanced and whether youre giving your dog the right portions based on their size and weight. When selecting your pets food, it is important to consider the information on the label and beyond the label.

On the label, the nutrition adequacy or the AAFCO statement indicates the species and life stage the food is formulated for and how its substantiated, either by formulation or feeding tests. But what isnt on the label can be equally as important. The Global Nutrition Guidelines set by the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) recommend investigating the brand to determine the people involved in the products formulation and manufacturing and whether the company routinely analyzes its finished products for nutrient content, pathogens and other items that dont belong in dog food.

Do they have veterinarians on staff or, more specifically, do they have veterinary nutritionists who are board-certified in that field? Brands that provide the best diets also invest in research, says Dr. Brian Roberts, a board-certified veterinarian and regional medical director in the Mid-Atlantic region with VCA Animal Hospitals.

Below, we highlight some key considerations experts suggest when shopping for high-quality dog food.

Meets AAFCO nutrition standards

Any good dog food will meet the AAFCO nutrition standards, our experts say. You can determine if a pet food meets your pets nutritional needs by looking at the nutritional adequacy statement on the label if this statement includes the phrase complete and balanced, then the product is intended to be fed as a pets sole diet and should be nutritionally balanced, says Roberts.

We have the AAFCO to make sure that everything you feed [your dog] is nutritionally complete, says Wakshlag. You should be able to find the statement, which the FDA considers one of the most important aspects of a dog or cat food label, on the back label (in small font).

While AAFCO has feed control officials that develop standards, definitions and policies for the sale and distribution of pet food, among other animal feeds, the voluntary membership association doesnt regulate, test, approve or certify pet food, so theres no such thing as an AAFCO approved brand or product.

Ingredients and palatability

Finding the best food for your dog is much less about the specific ingredients than you may think. Dog owners should focus on the nutrients their companion is getting from those ingredients instead, says Dr. Richard Hill, a board-certified veterinary nutritionist and associate professor at the University of Florida Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences.

However, the ingredient list can give you an idea of what nutrients your dog can get from their meal. The AAFCO states that an ingredient list is required to display all ingredients from highest amount to least amount by weight, which means the first three listed are the most critical this will help you determine if the formula is vegetable-based with things like corn and rice or meat-based with chicken, fish or lamb, experts say.

AAFCO has developed several safety standards for ingredients used in pet food, and it goes in depth about common pet food labels.

• Organic food needs to follow production and handling requirements set by the USDAs National Organic Program, which regulates all organic crops, livestock and agricultural products, to be recognized by the association.
• Human-grade has no real definition in any animal feed regulations because very few pet food products can be officially considered edible by humans, AAFCO says.
• Natural food has to be derived solely from plant, animal or mined sources and cannot be produced by a chemically synthetic process (although ingredients can have trace amounts of chemically synthetic compounds and still be considered natural).

Some say natural ingredients like whole chicken are better than something processed like chicken meal; however, both are from the same source chicken meal is just dehydrated chicken, says Roberts.

Nutritional value and proportions

To make sure youre giving your dog the appropriate nutrients and proportions, check the foods energy density which is shown as kcal (calories) per cup, can or ounce, similar to the nutritional facts on human foods and its feeding guidelines.

Generally speaking, commercially prepared brands of dog food have all the essential nutrients that a dog needs for healthy life function, says Dr. Kristin Michael, a board-certified veterinarian and medical director at VCA Liberty Animal Hospital. Each specific brand and type of dog food should have clearly labeled feeding amounts for your dogs ideal weight.

Once you determine feeding guidelines, you should keep an eye on your pets weight with the Body Condition Score, which is a visual scale that evaluates the amount of fat on key parts of the dogs body (a 4 or 5 score is ideal). Vets use this scale to help gauge a pets body condition at each medical appointment and monitor it over the lifespan of a pet, says Michael. A dog outside of [a healthy] range in either direction could be struggling with a medical issue that needs to be addressed, she says.

Unfortunately, the top nutritional disease in dogs is obesity and, in some breeds, this can take as much as two years off their lifespan, according to Hill. A lot of obesity problems in dogs come down to the owners inability to understand their dogs calorie intake: We often pay attention to whats on the side of the bag, and those recommendations are for the normal, active dog a lot of dogs arent normal and active, says Wakshlag. (More on dogs and obesity below.)

Your dogs size, weight and life stage

Generally, your dogs food should match their life stage. For example, you should feed your puppy food thats specifically labeled for puppies until they reach their adult body weight small breeds can switch to adult food at seven to nine months, while bigger breeds typically switch at 12 to 14 months, according to the American Kennel Club. Giant breed dogs can remain on a puppy diet until 1.5 years since they continue to grow for longer than standard sized dogs, says Michael.

When it comes to the later stages of your dogs life, if your senior dog is healthy and eating a nutritionally balanced diet, there is no need to change their food, according to Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine.

Youll often see certain dog foods labeled for small, medium and large breeds these labels mostly deal with the size of the kibble and whether its easy for them to ingest. Some brands like Royal Canin offer breed-specific formulas, which can help certain breeds needs.

Manufacturers that follow nutritional science have developed diets with ingredient content for specific classes of breeds who are predisposed to certain problems, says Roberts. Many large and giant breeds can develop joint problems in life some of which are linked to certain ingredients and diets labeled giant breed take this into consideration.

Be mindful of whether the formulas are actually beneficial or just marketing tactics, and you should double-check the ingredients list and nutritional content to make sure the food is actually serving its purpose for your breed, says Wakshlag.

Frequently asked questions

The main difference between dry food and canned dog food is its water content. Kibble is 10% water, [while] canned food is upwards of 70% water, says Roberts. If both products have the same ingredients and only the water content differs, he noted its okay to mix the wet food with your dogs dry kibble, especially if they often get picky about their food or need an extra boost of hydration. You can also add fresh dog-safe vegetables and fruits to their meals (or as treats) to add nutritional value without adding the calories (as long as theyre still getting their normal kibble), says Wakshlag.

Dry food is also more economical and typically much more stable if its stored in its original container in a dry location compared to wet food, which perishes at room temperature after opening, according to our experts. (For food safety purposes, Hill recommends storing your dogs kibble in a cool, dry environment to prevent it from going bad and completely cleaning out the bag or reusable container before putting new kibble on top.)

A sole wet food diet can be helpful for dogs who can no longer chew kibble due to dental disease or dogs who may benefit from a higher moisture diet due to health conditions, like chronic recurrent urinary issues, experts say.

The main ingredient you should avoid thats commonly seen in commercial pet food is garlic powder. Garlic is a palatant, which means its designed to make the food taste better, but it can have health risks, says Michael. Onions, raisins, grapes and sugar-free additives are also toxic to dogs, though most commercially prepared food wont contain these ingredients. You should also avoid dog foods that are heavily ladened with dyes, which often give the food a more consistent and visually appealing color, says Michael.

A grain-free formula is made without wheat, barley, rye and corn, and its commonly fed to dogs with a gluten intolerance. However, a grain-free diet isnt better for your dog and feeding them grain-free kibble can sometimes prevent them from getting their appropriate daily nutritional intake.

Although often seen in humans, actual cases of true gluten intolerance in dogs and cats are quite rare, says Roberts, adding that the aforementioned ingredients arent just filler ingredients. Carbohydrates and corn especially provide calories, extra fiber for better digestion, important vitamins and minerals and antioxidants, he says.

Hill echoes the importance of carbs in your dogs diet: Theres no reason why animals shouldnt consume a reasonable amount of carbohydrates [theyre] okay in moderation. Plus, grain-free foods will usually use other sources of carbohydrates in place of grain including potatoes and legumes so the formula will very rarely be low in carbs despite the brands marketing, says Hill.

Research has found an association between some grain-free diets and dilated cardiomyopathy in some dogs, but the cause for the association is still under investigation by the FDA. The vets we spoke to dont know if there are ingredients to avoid or if it is due to an overall quality control issue. It may not be the grain-free foods that are causing these issues, but rather the dogs themselves may be predisposed, according to Wakshlag.

Typical dog food, whether its basic dry kibble or a combination of kibble with wet food, is specifically designed to meet your dogs nutritional needs. Some dog owners will feed their dogs a raw food diet which can be homemade, freeze-dried and dehydrated and this typically consists of everything from raw meat and eggs to dog-safe fruits and vegetables.

But our experts advise against a raw diet: The AVMA discourages feeding dogs any animal-source protein that has not first been subjected to a process to eliminate pathogens because of the risk of illness to cats and dogs as well as humans, says Teller. If your pet is eating a complete and balanced commercially available pet food, supplements are not recommended unless specifically prescribed by your veterinarian, says Teller.

Raw meat-based diets can produce a higher risk of microbial pathogens, antibiotic resistance genes and other anti-nutritional factors, experts say. There are many harmful parasites and bacteria that can contaminate raw diets, which may not only harm your dog, but may be transmitted or shed by your dog and cause harm to you and your family, says Michael. This also goes for freeze-dried meat products that typically get mixed in with kibble as boosters. Hard bones can also get mixed in with raw diets, which can cause an obstruction in the gut or splinter and lead to a serious medical emergency, says Michael.

The first thing to address if you notice your dog is gaining weight or shifting out of an ideal Body Condition Score range is the type and amount of foods theyre getting on a daily basis, says Michael. That includes whether your dog is getting table scraps or other treats, if theyre being fed by more than one member of the household, and if theyre sneaking into a housemates food in addition to their own food.

The next step is to discuss the weight gain with your dogs veterinarian. They may want to look at diagnostic tests to determine if an underlying disease process could be contributing to the issue, or if perhaps a weight management food is a better food option for the pet, says Michael.

Meet our experts

At NBC Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also take steps to ensure that all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and with no undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.

• Dr. Lori Teller is a board-certified veterinarian and the former president of the American Veterinary Medical Association.
• Dr. Joe Wakshlag is a professor of clinical nutrition and sports medicine and rehabilitation at Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine.
• Dr. Brian Roberts is a board-certified veterinarian and regional medical director in the Mid-Atlantic region with VCA Animal Hospitals.
• Dr. Richard Hill is a board-certified veterinary nutritionist and associate professor at the University of Florida Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences
• Dr. Kristin Michael is a board-certified veterinarian and medical director at VCA Liberty Animal Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama.

Why trust NBC Select?

Mili Godio is an updates editor at NBC Select who has written a variety of dog-related stories, including treats, toys, travel carriers and car safety. For this article, Godio spoke to six veterinarians and veterinary nutritionists about how to shop for dog food and researched dozens of options on the market to recommend the best ones to shop.

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