After reviewing thousands of dog foods, we’ve come to realize that dog owners should add to the age old question of “What is the best dog food brand?” to ultimately ask “What is the best dog food brand for my dog?”

Dogs are starting to live longer and longer. Why? It’s due to the fact that pet owners are becoming more educated on what they feed their pets. In this post we are going to look at what we believe are the ten best dog food brands you can buy. We would like to mention that these are our recommendations and views and by no means the standard for all dogs, we would encourage you to browse our site and read through our various dog food reviews before making a decision.

Depending on your dog’s needs, age, lifestyle, allergies and other factors, the best food for your dog may be very different that the best brand for other dogs. At Dog Food Chat we strive to provide you with our recommendation, ratings and advice on finding right food to meet your dog’s needs. For please visit these pages to see a complete list of all our dog food reviews and dog food ratings .

The lists below are the brands that we feel consistently produce dog foods that contain the highest quality ingredients, in appropriate proportions. These dog food brands are also the ones that avoid preservatives and contain lower amounts of “filler ingredients”.  The following list of the top 10 dog food brands and the “next best bunch of brands” are the dog foods that we have the most confidence in recommending and the foods that we most strongly consider when feeding our own dogs.

While doing research on the best brands of dog food, it is also important to remember to research and test what specific formula fits your dog the best. Each brand produces a wide variety of formulas based on age (puppy, adult and senior), dietary restrictions (grain free, low protein, weight loss, check out our hypoallergenic dog foods article) and preferences (type of meat, dry dog food or wet dog food). If your dog has special needs, it is even more important to factor in their restrictions and requirements when choosing the “best dog food for your dog”.

Lastly, we’d like to proactively address the comment we’ve received from many of our fans – “My dog has been on brand X for x number of years now and has been healthy and loves it, brand X isn’t on your list but I think it’s the best dog food out there!” We want to make clear that we are not trying to persuade anyone to switch out of a brand that works great for their dog if it’s not listed here. Every dog is different and will respond differently to each brand, there really is no one, two or 10 best universal brands and formulas. If you already have a brand that works wonders, that’s great news!

Without further ado, please see below for Dog Food Chat’s editor’s list of top ten best dog food brands. We encourage your comments, questions and feedback and hope that this site and our reviews are helpful to you and your dogs!
10 Best Dog Food Brands

1. Orijen Dog Food
2. Horizon Legacy Dog Food
3. Acana Dog Food
4. Artemis Dog Food
5. Merrick Dog Food
6. Taste of the Wild Dog Food
7. Wellness Core Dog Food
8. Instinct Dog Food
9. GO Dog Food
10. Fromm Dog Food

The Next Bunch of Best Dog Food Brands

1. Timberwolf Dog Food
2. Evangers Dog Food
3. NOW Dog Food
4. Precise Holistic Dog Food
5. Nature's Logic Dog Food
6. ORGANIX Dog Food - Castor and Pollux Dog Food
7. Solid Gold Dog Food
8. Blue Buffalo Wilderness Dog Food
9. Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul Dog Food
10. Kirkland Dog Food (honorable mention due to good value)

 

Orijen is the best dry food kibble out there!

 

I own a pet store in jakarta city, indonesia. we sell orijen and acana as well. These are two best brand that i have ever sale. mostly the pet owner agree with good things in the ingredients and happy forthe result.

 

I like the ingredients in Orijen however in their puppy food the protein level is over 40% which is extremely high, more like a cat food protein level. This is considered by many sources to be dangerous for large breeds expecially, for whom a fast rate of growth is detrimental to the puppy's development over time.

 

For erwin manurung, can i order acana from ur store?where is ur petshop location and tlp no?
thanks

 

Ziwipeak is by far the best dog food.

 

My little 2 yr. old maltese has been on Natural Balance for two years. Today, I gave her Ilnova and she loved it and she's picky and spoiled, but she's my precious baby, Does anyone know about the Natural Balance?
Thanks,
Joyce in Florida

 

I feed my dogs the store brand. I really dont think theres any value in spending obscene amounts of money on dog food. They really dont care and chow it down

 

In response to Sondra3,

With high quality grain free foods, you will feed as much as 50% less than woth grain-inclusive foods, so even though the protein content is higher, you are feeding less, so the actual amount of protein that the puppy is consuming is still at a safe level. The biggest thing about feeding grain-free is that you have to be careful not to overfeed, especially with puppies.

 

Yes Orijen is a excellent food, It's carb levels are higher than Evo's by about 5%. All of these ingredients past the first 5 are in minute levels and offer minimal to the diet. Dog food is all about how much good quality meat there is in the food. In response to the person who asked about Natural Balance, in my years in the pet food industry tell me to stay away from foods that do not manufacture their own product. Natural balance was also part of recall a few years back.


Food for thought
S

 

IMO, Taste of The Wild is the best grain free food, and Wellness Super5Mix is the best food that is not grain free.

But I totally agree- Orijen *is* a great food, as are the rest of your foods listed!!!!

 

@PALMMER...it's not about THEM not caring. Moreso, the fact that you don't.

It is OUR job to care for our dogs properly...since they can't speak up for themselves. And our job to ensure that they get everything they need.
By that logic I guess you don't take them to the vet...b/c they don't like to go, anyhow.
I guess you don't bathe them...b/c they hate baths.
I suppose you don't clip their nails or take them to the groomers...b/c they hate being manhandled.

Now, I don't particularly care what other folks feed their dogs but your rationale was worth a comment or two. To 'blame it on the dog' is ridiculous.
To say there's a no diff between store and premium brand is just idiotic and ignorant. Did those words actually flow from your fingers to the keyboard?
We ALL know that dogs can't digest corn...that byproducts aren't exactly good meats...that fillers take away from the nutritional value...that harmful/questionable additives are in these foods.
You're on this board too, so I assume you're knowledgeable as well.

...this isn't about 'beliefs'.
Keep it real: You simply don't want to pay the money to give your dogs QUALITY food.
*shrug*

 

I yanked my 3 pups (a long and short haired Chi...and maltese) off Nutro not too long ago.
They're on Innova.
I really like the ingredients. They're doing quite well...

My biggest gripe is that the food is so hard to find. *laugh*
I notice that MOST items that are of a higher quality usually are.
I was shooting for Orijen but that would be another goose chase.
I get my Innova at the pet boutique, for now.
Wish the company would sell their own food instead of relying distributors.
Either that or offer it at Petsmart or Petco...

 

I just started feeding my small dog the regular Innova. I noticed that the Evo formula is on the list but the regular Innova isn't. Just wanted to know what others thought of the regular Innova. She seems to love this new food more than anything else she has ever tried.

 

I've had a puppy (Golden) on Innova Lg Breed puppy...had to get it approved via the breeder...their concern was protein/fat. Better than the Purina crap he was sent home on, yuck!! Am now searching for adult food as he is nearly 1 yr old. I'm torn between EVO and Wellness Core. Orijen and some others preserve with citric acid, a no-no for dogs prone to bloat (I do moisten food slightly). However, he is not a huge "runner", mostly gets exercise via walks or back yard play at this time. Concerned about huge amts of protein. Any suggestions?

 

Blue Wilderness is a good dog food i have started on it and noticed a difference instantly i breed bandogge and american bulldogs

 

All of those are pretty good, but I also think Taste of the Wild should be up there. I love it, my GSD loves it and he's never looked better which is big because he has huge skin issues.

 

Kelleh, you are 100% correct, but I don't know which one you would take out, so I would have to say the top 11. These two (below) get as good as it gets and now they have the roasted formula which I believe is in the top 5 best. They are getting higher in the meat area, which is what you want. They are also priced a lot lower than all the rest, with the exception of California Natural. Sure wish they made a puppy Formula.

TOTW High Prairie Canine Formula

TOTW Wetlands Canine Formula

 

Although we've moved to feeding raw, we fed Taste of the Wild Wetlands for years with great results. Our dogs did best on this kibble, and we'd tried Origen, Evo, and several others. I'd like to see Taste of the Wild included in the list of dog food ratings. I was suprised it didn't appear at all.

 

Most people don't realize that TOTW IS GRAIN FREE and it now has a lot more meat in it. It is quickly becomming one of the three elete dog foods. OK, here is who I would drop in order to add TOTW and in order. And I am gonna start feeding this to my dog and am going to drop California Natural in his diet.

Merrick, I believe it is just a better dog food than this brand, This is
a very good brand.
Innova, But EVO is the second best food on the market.
Why isn't Califonia Natural incuded with INNOVA same people
make all three.
Solid Gold, Great food but TOTW is better.

California Natural. Good food only has 3 ingredients, lots of grain.

Acana, This is an outstanding food but TOTW has just stepped it up.

Artemis, another great food, but I give TOTW the nod.

 

HEY ADMIN, you better get on the stick and review TOTW. It really is one of the 3 or 4 best foods on the market today. I really love the rosted parts in this food and my dog goes crazy for it.

 

I'm soglad I found this page, I have 2 fairl,y young chihuahua's (a 3 yo girl & a 2 y o boy) and tho I read lables when buying their food, there are so many brands, and all of them have SOMETHING in them that I've heard they shouldnt have. So thank you for this list, from the bottom of my little dogs hearts, but I do have one question, where can I get any of these brands and which one do you think would be best for chihuahua's?

 

I have been looking at Gentle Giants Canine Cuisine food. They say it is good for all breed, puppies and small breeds..My concern for my 4 month old puppy is that the fat content and protein content may be too low for a puppy..Can you share information about this please?

 

To bad Taste Of The Wild is made by Diamond Pet Foods....the makers of low grade pet foods.

I'm sure the ingredients in TOTW are fine, but unfortunately it is being handled the same by the same people and same practices of the lower grade foods.

Again, it's a great food based on ingredients and nutrient breakdown...I just have a problem with any "premium" food being made in these huge pet food factories. The pet food factories are always the ones with the recalls.

Orijen/Acana (Champion Pet Foods own facility)
Merrick/Before Grain/Whole Earth Farms (Merricks own facility)
Evo/Innova/California Natural/Karma (Naturas own facility)
Fromm (Fromm Family's own facility)

 

I would take California Naturals off of that list, personally. It has so few ingrediants that it would have to be supplemented for any additional health benefits. Its basically just chicken or lamb and rice. I'm certainly not a vet, but in my own search for the best fit for my pup, I found that fruits, eggs, vegetables, herbs, etc. are so helpful that they at least should be added to a rotational diet, and a formula as simple as this is best when your dog is recovering from some sort of stomach upset. My friend has been feeding his mutt this food for 8 years, and he just developed cancer. I wonder if the lack of antoxidants attributed to it at all...just a thought.
I wonder what everyone's thought is on Pinnacle? Its not grain free, but uses organic quinoa, potato, and skips any rice. My pup is doing very well on the duck and chicken formulas. I really like Taste of the Wild too, and do use it occasionally, but I am suspicious of the fact that it is so affordable. Not to complain, but you get what you pay for....It gets such good reviews though, its hard to argue that it is great for so many dogs....