The best dry dog foods strike a balance between premium ingredients and pour-in-the-bowl convenience. Plus, compared to raw food, they’re less messy, have longer shelf lives and are often gentler on the wallet (many kibbles also offer delivery options). The challenge? Deciphering nutrition labels and weeding out the abundance of subpar options in the market. To find the best dry dog foods for your pets, we turned to holistic veterinarians and chose sustainable pet food company Open Farm as our top choice overall. That said, there’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to dog food, so we assembled an expert-approved list tailored to pups of various needs and preferences.
We named Open Farm the best dry food overall thanks to its sustainable, high-quality ingredients.
ILLUSTRATION: FORBES / PHOTO: CORY BALDWIN FOR FORBES
Dr. Tina Aiken, DVM, a holistic veterinarian in New York, stresses that dogs’ nutritional requirements vary based on factors like age, size and health conditions. That said, there are certain factors to keep in mind when searching for quality dry dog foods.
Firstly, Dr. Ray Spragley, DVM, CVA, CCRT, an integrative vet in New York, advises checking for the AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) sticker on the label, to ensure the kibble is nutritionally complete and balanced. Dr. Candice Akers, DVM, a holistic veterinarian in Colorado, highlights the importance of animal-based protein sources and recommends avoiding grains like wheat and soy, as well as legumes as primary protein sources.
Additionally, it’s essential to steer clear of byproducts, artificial additives and preservatives like BHA, according to Spragley. Consulting with your veterinarian is key to find the best dry dog food tailored to your pet’s needs. To simplify your search, we asked experts and dog parents on staff, to share the best dry dog food options.
Open Farm
Open Farm Grass-Fed Beef & Ancient Grains
Rarely do the words “ethically sourced” and “dog food” appear in the same sentence, but Open Farm changes that. The Canadian-based company is committed to sourcing ethical, sustainable and traceable ingredients (including humanely raised meat, fish and poultry), which has two major benefits: It ensures that pups are getting the best nutrition and lessens negative impacts on the environment. Open Farm kibbles are also free of chemicals, artificial preservatives and cheap fillers. Akers also likes the brand’s easy-to-digest carbohydrates, which she says are ideal for dogs with sensitive stomachs or who are senior. The brand also has grain-free recipes and a wholesome puppy formula for new four-legged additions.
What our editors say: Karen Tietjen, senior updates editor for Forbes Vetted, shares, “We’ve been feeding my dog Open Farm for years and we’ve stuck with this brand because company uses quality, traceable ingredients (and low-quality ingredients is a huge problem in the pet food industry). She is nine years old and quite healthy, and while we supplement her diet with real foods, I feel good knowing she’s eating nutritious kibble—I always recommend it to friends, too! Overall, I think it’s a great option for those who don’t have the time or budget to feed their dogs raw.”
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Amazon
Merrick Limited Ingredient Recipe
Dr. Nick Horniman, MRCVS, a veterinary surgeon based in the U.K. and the founder of online pet pharmacy My Pet’s Vet, explains, “A lot of pups are allergic or intolerant to poultry such as chicken and turkey.” For this reason, he recommends Merrick’s Grain-Free Salmon and Sweet Potato recipe, adding, “It is perfect for dogs with sensitive stomachs.” Real deboned salmon tops the natural ingredients list, which is also free from soy, corn, wheat, dairy, eggs and any artificial additives. Plus, it’s suitable for adult dogs of all sizes, but make sure to consult the feeding chart for the best proportions.
Amazon
Merrick Classic Healthy Grains Recipe
Merrick’s Healthy Grains Real Beef And Brown Rice Recipe is one of Spragley’s top recommendations for healthy kibble, pointing out that its first ingredient is real deboned beef. The grains are high-quality (as opposed to fillers like corn and soy) and include brown rice, barley and oatmeal. “It also contains glucosamine and chondroitin for joint health, as well as omega-3 and -6 fatty acids, which are great for skin health,” he adds. Plus, if your dog is allergic or picky to certain foods, this one excludes peas, beans, lentils and poultry. “My patients tend to find it very palatable,” Spragley adds.
Chewy
Stella & Chewy’s Stella’s Super Beef Dinner Patties
Both Aiken and Akers say that freeze-dried raw foods, which are much less processed than kibbles, can be very beneficial to a dog’s diet. One of Akers’ favorites is Stella & Chewy’s Super Beef Dinner Patties. “This recipe includes multiple organ meats such as the liver, kidney, heart, tripe and bone. These are important nutrient-dense ingredients full of vitamin A, magnesium and the whole B-vitamin complex,” she says. Plus, Akers says this pick is suitable for pups with food sensitivities: “The brand is also great at separating proteins. This means they don’t mix chicken livers into their beef recipes and vice versa,” she explains.
What our editors say: Brinda Ayers, Forbes Vetted’s executive managing editor and mom to a boxer mix, shares, “I like to mix up our dog’s dinner from time to time with the Stella & Chewy Super Beef Dinner Patties. I take about half of a patty and crumble it up over George’s kibble and he goes absolutely wild. The first five ingredients of these medallions are pure beef meat and organs, then assorted produce like pumpkin, broccoli, beets and blueberries, so I know George is getting a full slate of nutrition without any weird stuff.” Ayers also offers a helpful pro tip if you’re traveling with your pup: The pucks, which are very lightweight, can be crumbled up to use as “higher-value” treats in between meals.
Amazon
Badlands Ranch Superfood Complete Lamb & Venison Formula
Founded in 2022 by actress Katherine Heigl, Badlands Ranch offers high-quality protein-packed food free from preservatives and fillers. For instance, the lamb and venison formula is made using grass-fed lamb and venison, nutrient-dense organ meats, heart-healthy salmon and a variety of gut-healthy fruits and vegetables. These ingredients are slowly cooked on a low flame to avoid the harmful by-products that can result from high-heat cooking. The food is then air-dried, making it easy to serve like kibble without preserving nutritional values. There’s also a chicken and beef formula to choose from.
What our editors say: “While it’s pricey, if you have the budget for it, I find Badlands Ranch is an excellent alternative to raw food for those who don’t want to deal with the mess, maintenance or expiration dates,” says Tietjen. The ingredients are super clean and air-dried raw (almost jerky-like), so it’s as easy to serve as kibble without the prep and cleanup. And, for the record, my 9-year-old dog—who can be quite a picky eater—loved it.”
Chewy
Stella & Chewy’s Raw-Coated Grain-Free Kibble
Combining the convenience of kibble with the taste of raw freeze-dried meat, Akers shares that Stella & Chewy’s Raw Coated Kibble is one she recommends for her four-legged patients. This high-protein formula is packed with beef, pork, lamb, bison, venison and goat. What’s more, the brand only uses responsibly sourced ingredients and never adds harmful chemicals, hormones, antibiotics or anything artificial. The brand offers this kibble in both grain-inclusive and grain- and legume-free varieties, like this Red Meat Recipe. Akers adds, however, that you shouldn’t transition to this pick immediately if your dog is used to a diet of corn- or rice-heavy kibble. “I have heard some instances of certain batches of food that had palatability issues. Pet parents may have a harder time transitioning from ‘’junk food’ directly to ‘more healthy food,” she explains.
Chewy
Nulo Freestyle Puppy Grain-Free Recipe
Horniman recommends Nulo’s puppy formula, which includes at least 80% animal-based protein from real salmon or turkey. “The formula includes fruits and vegetables such as carrots, blueberries and apples, which can make a huge difference when it comes to supporting your puppy’s growth and development,” he says. The formula also contains several key fatty acids that help support the development of your puppy’s brain and eyes. In addition to being grain-free, the Freestyle Puppy formula is also free from poultry and egg in case your pup has sensitivities or allergies.
Open Farm
Open Farm Grain-Free Senior Dry Dog Food
“For senior dogs, I look for a kibble that is a bit easier to digest. Older dogs don’t make as many digestive enzymes as younger dogs,” Akers shares. One brand that fits her criteria is Open Farm, whose formulas (like this grain-free one formulated especially for seniors) contains easy-to-digest carbohydrates balanced with a variety of animal proteins. It’s also full of two types of fatty acids that help with senior dogs’ mobility and joint health, as well as several vitamins that support digestion.
Amazon
Orijen Small Breed Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
Akers offers Orijen brand as an example of high-quality kibble and specifically points to the small breed formula for pint-sized companions. To understand why, one only has to look at the ingredient list: “Here we see: lots of whole-prey animal proteins, dehydrated (not rendered) muscle meats, lots of nutrient-dense organ meats, a few whole legumes, superfoods, antioxidants and herbs,” Akers explains. Plus, the formula, which contains a high percentage of animal-based protein (85%), is designed to both support the high-energy needs of small dogs as well as help them maintain a healthy weight, according to the brand.
Why Trust Forbes Vetted
Our team of remote editors and writers have spent years conducting lengthy research, interviewing experts and testing dozens of pet products to find the best ones—including the ones that help make sure our dogs are living healthy and happy lives. Our canine-related articles include the best dog beds, best dog crates and the best large breed puppy foods.
For this article, we tapped three holistic veterinarians and one veterinary surgeon to help us find the healthiest and highest-quality dry dog food options: Dr. Tina Aiken, DVM; Dr. Candice Akers, DVM; Dr. Nick Horniman, MRCVS; and Dr. Ray Spragley, DVM.
We also quizzed Forbes employees who are proud pup parents for their pets’ favorite dry chow (the favorites they called out include Stella & Chewy’s Super Beef Patties and Open Farm’s recipes).
We regularly refresh this story to make sure we’re still recommending the best dry dog foods on the market. In our most recent May 2023 update, all the products were re-evaluated for quality and many were changed based on new advice from our experts.
