Vet‑Approved Guide to the Healthiest Dog Foods for Your Pup

Your pup deserves the best, so you probably want to make sure he’s eating the healthiest dog food possible.

We reached out to Dr. Hilary Jones, chief veterinary officer of DodoVet, and Dr. Antje Joslin, a veterinarian for Dogtopia, to find out what makes the best dog foods healthy.

Plus, here are some of our top picks for healthy dog food:

• Best dry dog food: Purina Pro Plan High Protein Dog Food With Probiotics for Dogs, Shredded Blend Chicken & Rice Formula
• Best wet dog food: Purina Pro Plan Savor Adult Chicken & Vegetables Entree
• Best puppy food: Purina Pro Plan High Protein Dry Puppy Food, Chicken and Rice Formula
• Best senior dog food: Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Adult Mature Consult Medium Breed Dry Dog Food
• Best dog food for small breeds: Hill's Science Diet Adult Small Paws Chicken Meal & Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food
• Best dog food for large breeds: Purina Pro Plan Adult Large Breed Chicken & Rice Formula Dry Dog Food
• Best dog food for sensitive stomachs: Hill's Prescription Diet i/d Digestive Care Chicken Flavor Dry Dog Food
• Best limited-ingredient dog food: ACANA Singles + Wholesome Grains Limited Ingredient Diet Duck & Pumpkin Recipe Dry Dog Food
• Best hydrolyzed protein dog food: Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Adult Hydrolyzed Protein HP Dry Dog Food
• Best raw dog food: Instinct Raw Boost Whole Grain Real Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Natural Dry Dog Food
• Best fresh dog food: The Farmer’s Dog
• Best budget-friendly dog food: Wag Wholesome Grains Dry Dog Food

Key features of healthy dog food

When trying to find the healthiest food for your pup, you should look for a few things: food that’s complete and balanced, contains plenty of quality ingredients, and is appropriate for your dog’s age, size and health conditions.

Complete and balanced

It’s super important for you to make sure that your pup’s dog food is complete and balanced.

“[The food] should meet minimum Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) standards for a complete and balanced diet,” Dr. Joslin told The Dodo.

Check out the label on your dog’s food to make sure it says “complete and balanced” or that the guaranteed analysis percentages meet the AAFCO recommendations.

Another good thing to look for is the nutritional adequacy statement on the packaging. It’s usually in small print, so you may have to do some searching to find it.

“There are many reputable companies that have done the research and tested the food and its nutritional value,” Dr. Jones told The Dodo. “The quickest way to find out a particular food’s adequacy is by looking for the nutritional adequacy statement.”

The statement should say something like, “Animal feeding tests using AAFCO procedures substantiate that [brand] provides complete and balanced nutrition for [certain life stage].”

According to Dr. Jones, all of your dog’s dietary needs should be met if he’s eating a complete and balanced food. “Unless there are specific conditions that your dog may suffer from, they [typically] won’t need additional supplements to meet their daily dietary needs because it is included in the food.”

High-quality ingredients

According to Dr. Joslin, check for ingredients you recognize, like chicken and rice. Your dog’s food should also contain fruits, vegetables, grains, vitamins and minerals to round out his nutritional requirements.

“Vitamins and minerals are also necessary when looking for a high-quality dog food,” Dr. Jones said. “Your dog’s food should include fat-soluble vitamins and water-soluble vitamins.”

These are some important vitamins to look out for in your dog’s food.

Fat-soluble vitamins include:

• Vitamin A
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin E
• Vitamin K

Water-soluble vitamins include:

• Vitamin B12
• Riboflavin
• Niacin
• Choline

Essential minerals that your dog’s food should contain include:

• Calcium
• Phosphorus
• Potassium
• Magnesium
• Sodium
• Iron
• Copper
• Zinc

Unless your pup has a grain allergy, be sure to choose food that includes grains. Feeding grain-free food to a dog who doesn’t need it can lead to a heart condition called dilated cardiomyopathy, or DCM, Dr. Jones said.

Formulated for your dog’s health conditions, size and age

Some pups will need special food for allergies, food sensitivities or medical conditions.

You should also feed your dog food that’s appropriate for his age and size. There are foods formulated for small- or large-breed dogs, and you can buy different foods for puppies and senior dogs.

Our top healthiest dog food picks

We’ve found some of the healthiest dog food options you can buy that have high-quality ingredients and meet the AAFCO guidelines.