When you go out to eat with your friends, you want everything to be great – yummy food, good wine, and amazing dessert.
You do this because you care about them.
Now, think about your pet dog at home.
If you do so much for your friends, you should do the same for your loyal dog.
Your dog is always happy to see you, comforts you when you’re sad, and is just a real treasure.
We should thank them for all the love they give us by making sure they eat really good food.
Eating well helps them stay healthy, energetic, and with us for a long time.
But finding the right dog food can be tough because there are so many options out there.
We get how hard it can be.
That’s why we want to help you figure out the best dry dog foods you can buy.
Let’s help each other out as dog owners, sharing tips on the best food for our furry friends.
1. Taste of the Wild High Praire
Taste of the Wild pushes the limits of exotic flavors with their High Prairie Grain-Free Dry Dog Food.
The brand combines roasted bison and roasted venison to create a unique taste that your furry buddy would only find in the wild.
This dog recipe consists of 32% protein, the nutrient they need to produce strong muscles and remain active.
Included in the formula is Taste of the Wild’s proprietary K9 Strain of probiotics to support a healthy digestive system and immune health.
Here’s why we’re fans of this recipe:
- It’s packed with high-quality protein from genuine bison and venison.
- The high protein content of 32% aids in muscle building and encourages an active lifestyle.
- Its grain-free composition is ideal for dogs with dietary sensitivities.
- Enriched with vitamins for bolstered immune system health.
- Includes a mix of legumes, veggies, and fruits, rich in antioxidants to support overall well-being.
The recipe also includes legumes, vegetables, and fruits, which are excellent sources of antioxidants that further support your canine buddy’s overall health.
The High Prairie formula has vitamins and minerals, such as zinc, selenium, and vitamin E, which are all critical in maintaining the immune health of dogs.
Finally, the recipe contains healthy amounts of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids that help our best buddies maintain healthy skin and that shiny coat we all love.
2. Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula
Our next entry comes from Blue Buffalo in the form of their Life Protection Formula natural adult dry dog food.
Blue Buffalo’s comes in a variety of flavors to ensure that you can find the right recipe for even the pickiest eater in your litter.
Flavors include lamb and brown rice, fish and brown rice, and chicken and brown rice.
You can also choose from the small breed and large breed formulas.
The selection ensures that your best buddies receive optimal nutrition according to their breed’s needs.
What makes Blue Buffalo dry dog food unique is the inclusion of their proprietary Blue LifeSource Bits.
Here’s what makes this recipe stand out:
- It’s packed with premium protein from lamb, chicken, and fish, varying by recipe.
- It’s enriched with calcium, phosphorus, and vital vitamins, all contributing to strong bones and teeth.
- Glucosamine is included to aid in joint health.
- It also features crucial vitamins, chelated minerals, and antioxidants, all supporting a robust immune system.
This brand is a precisely crafted blend of vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals selected by veterinarians and animal nutritionists to support the life stage requirements and immune system health of our beloved pups.
It also promotes a healthy oxidative balance in dogs to prevent diseases.
3. American Journey Salmon & Sweet Potato
Who said cats are the only ones who like fish?
Canines love fish too, especially with all those healthy Omega fatty acids in there.
With that in mind, American Journey created the Salmon and Sweet Potato Recipe Grain-Free dry dog food.
The recipe is made from real deboned salmon that contains all the proteins and amino acids that our canine buddies need to build and maintain lean muscles.
The recipe has an incredible flavor that your dog won’t be able to resist.
What we appreciate about this recipe:
- It’s grain-free and without fillers, perfect for dogs with allergies or sensitive digestions.
- Boasts a high protein content of 32%, supporting muscle health.
- Enriched with natural vitamins and minerals sourced from fresh vegetables and fruits.
- Includes omega fatty acids, crucial for the health of your dog’s eyes, brain, skin, and coat.
We’ve added this formula to the best dog food list because of the sheer number of wholesome fruit and vegetable ingredients included.
Foods such as carrots, blueberries, and dried kelp provide our dogs with the fiber they need to maintain a healthy digestive system.
The chickpeas and sweet potatoes also provide the carbohydrates necessary to fuel their active lifestyle.
The recipe has omega fatty acids, such as omega-3 and DHA, which keep your dogs’ eyes and brain sharp!
4. Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream
As one of the best dog food brands in the market today, Taste of the Wild lands another entry on our list with their Pacific Stream Grain-Free Dry Dog food.
Pacific stream features unique proteins such as ocean fish and smoked salmon.
Pacific stream provides a balanced diet, which nature intended for our furry friends.
Taste of the Wild prides itself on the fact that their salmon is sustainably sourced using a mix of both farmed and wild-caught fish.
What stands out about this recipe:
- It utilizes high-quality protein from both wild-caught and farmed salmon.
- Suitable for dogs with food sensitivities, being grain-free and egg-free.
- Offers a balanced nutritional profile with 25% crude protein and 15% crude fat.
- Rich in Omega fatty acids to support a healthy immune system.
- Features prebiotic dried chicory root and tailored probiotic bacteria, fostering a robust digestive system.
Like all their formulas, Pacific Stream contains species-specific probiotics that promote healthy digestive and immune systems for our canine best friends.
Among the unique ingredients in this recipe is chicory root, which is a prebiotic fiber that supports the probiotic bacteria that comes with the formula.
The formula is not only grain-free; it is also egg-free to ensure that even the most food sensitive pups do not have to worry about allergies.
5. Purina Pro Plan Focus Adult Sensitive Skin & Stomach
Pet food manufacturing giant Purina makes it to our best dry foods list with their Pro Plan Focus Adult Sensitive Skin, Stomach Salmon and Rice Formula.
By now you’ve probably figured out that salmon is one of the best sources of protein.
It also comes with fish oils that contain healthy helpings of omega fatty acids.
For the latter reason, Purina formulated their Pro Plan focus with salmon as the number one ingredient to supply your best buddy with all their muscle-building needs.
What makes this recipe appealing:
- Crafted with premium salmon protein.
- Enriched with both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
- Includes prebiotic fiber to support the health of the digestive tract.
Purina uses oatmeal as their primary source of carbohydrates in this recipe as it is easily digestible, making it great for canines with sensitive digestion.
Omega-3 fatty acids in the formula promote healthy joints to keep our buddies’ mobile, ensuring that they can always go on their doggy adventures without problems.
Omega-6 fatty acids and zinc are also included in the recipe to keep your pal’s skin and coat looking good.
6. Instinct Original Dry Dog Food
We consider Instinct as one of the top-tier dog food brands today because of their philosophy and their Raw-inspired nutrition.
By freeze-drying minimally processed raw food, they lock in all the flavor and nutrients of food.
This process ensures that our dogs enjoy the food the way nature intended them to, raw and packed with all their natural vitamins and minerals.
The Instinct Original Dry Dog Food formula is kibble, consists of 70% real animal ingredients, and 30% vegetables, fruits, and other wholesome ingredients.
The Raw Nutrition is evidenced by the fact that their recipes have higher than normal protein and fat content and caloric content compared to another kibble in the market.
What impresses us about this recipe:
- It’s composed of 70% genuine animal meat and 30% nutritious vegetables and fruits.
- Features a high level of crude protein (36%) and fat (20.5%).
- Fortified with essential vitamins, minerals, and omega fatty acids.
- Offers a substantial caloric intake per cup (508 kcal/cup).
Instinct Original comes in multiple flavors, including beef, chicken, duck, rabbit, and salmon.
The variety ensures that our dogs can enjoy their nutritious formula whatever their preference might be.
7. Iams Proactive Health Adult MiniChunks
Iams designed their ProActive Health Adult MiniChunks Dry Dog food for dogs ages one and up.
They combined proteins from chicken and eggs to help our furry buddies build strong and lean muscles.
The recipe includes seven essential nutrients that nourish the heart of dogs to keep them healthy and active throughout their adult life.
Iams’ formula is also enriched with antioxidants to boost our pups’ immune system and help them combat diseases.
Despite being “MiniChunks,” the kibbles are crunchy to help with our dogs’ dental health.
The kibbles scrub their teeth with every bite, helping to reduce any tartar or plaque build-up that leads to stinky breath.
One of the unique ingredients in the ProActive Health formula is L-carnitine, which helps burn fat and turn it into energy.
What we appreciate about this recipe:
- It includes L-Carnitine.
- The crunchy texture of the kibble helps maintain dental hygiene.
- Packed with nutrients that support heart health.
This formula is especially helpful for furry buddies who have gotten a bit overweight.
L-carnitine not only burns excess fat, but it also gives dogs the power they need to promote an active lifestyle.
8. Hill’s Science Diet, Adult, Sensitive Stomach & Skin
The worst feelings in the world for fur parents is when our dogs don’t eat, or they look miserable because of skin allergies with their fur falling out.
Dog food manufacturer Hill’s decided that they don’t want any dog owner to go through that.
Thus, the Science Diet Adult Sensitive Stomach & Skin Chicken Recipe dog food came into being.
What makes this recipe a favorite:
- Tailored for dogs with sensitive skin and stomachs.
- Includes prebiotics to enhance digestive well-being.
- Completely free from artificial flavoring, colors, or preservatives.
The Science Diet is specially formulated with prebiotic fiber to fuel the beneficial gut bacteria of our dogs.
Prebiotics promote better digestion while also maintaining a balanced gut microbiome.
The unique blend ensures optimal digestibility and easy stool cleanup.
Hill’s also assures us that it does not contain any artificial flavoring, colors, or preservatives that could trigger allergies.
The formula won’t cause any unhealthy effects on our canine friends.
