The Best Dog Food Brands for Strong and Healthy Pets, According to Veterinarians

Danielle Bernal, DVM, is an on-staff veterinarian for Wellness Natural Pet Food, but even if she wasn’t, she would be feeding it to her 16-year-old Border Collie, Megs. Dr. Bernal credits Wellness CORE with significantly improving Megs’s canine atopic dermatitis, a dog illness that made her skin so red and itchy that she needed daily meds to control it. “The Wellness CORE Ocean formula helps her avoid key allergens like grains and allergenic proteins. But most important—because it provides rich sources of natural omega fatty acids from increased amounts of salmon—it helps her skin inflammation,” says Dr. Bernal. In just three months, Megs regained her soft coat and color and now only needs meds once a month for the occasional flare-up.

To note, the FDA is investigating the potential link between certain grain-free dog food and the canine heart disease called canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). According to Lindsay Butzer, DVM, a small-animal veterinarian and PetMeds partner, “more research is needed to fully understand this potential link and its implications,” making it important to work with your veterinarian to find the right diet for your individual dog’s needs. “If your dog is currently on a grain-free diet and has no history of heart issues, your veterinarian may recommend monitoring your dog’s heart health closely and considering a diet change if any concerns arise,” Dr. Butzer says. “If your dog has already been diagnosed with DCM or another heart condition, your veterinarian will likely recommend a diet change and appropriate treatment.”

Pros

• Contains prebiotics and probiotics to support healthy digestion
• Contains omega fatty acids to promote healthy skin and coat
• Good for all sizes and breeds
• Promotes whole-body health
• Available at Chewy, Amazon and Petsmart

Cons

• Hard food can be difficult for older dogs to chew
• Some dogs may be advised to not omit grains from diet (always consult with your veterinarian)

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Whether your pup is on an all-wet diet or you mix dry with wet, Royal Canin canned dog food is a solid brand trusted by vets. The wet mixture keeps dogs hydrated and boosts their meals’ flavor. Wet food could also help a dog that’s constipated or an older dog that can’t chew hard kibble as well as they used to. Even if you don’t have one of the healthiest dog breeds, wet food is a good way to boost its nutrition, and can also be used to entice a finicky eater.

Royal Canin even has specialty dog foods for a wide variety of gastrointestinal issues (that require authorization from a vet to place an order online). Some dogs are sensitive to diet changes or face food sensitivity, so fruits and vegetables may not cut it. It’s best to consult with your vet on transitioning any animal from dry to wet food. Your dog will thank you for the extra care!

Pros

• Adds hydration to a dog’s diet
• Easily digestible recipe
• The brand closely collaborates with veterinarians for top-notch pet care
• Best for dogs with short- and long-term digestive sensitivity
• Available on Chewy, Petsmart and Amazon

Con

• Cans are usually a single serving, so stocking up can get expensive

Sarah Wallace, DVM, a veterinarian and nutrition expert for Fuzzy Pet Health, adopted Birdie, a rat terrier mix, from a shelter. She was found half-starved, but luckily Birdie eats a high-quality diet now. Dr. Wallace feeds her The Honest Kitchen because it is lightly cooked food. “I would never feed a raw food because I know how bad it feels to have food poisoning from bacterial contamination in my food; I want to minimize my dog’s chance of getting food poisoning by feeding her cooked food.”

According to Dr. Wallace, The Honest Kitchen is more digestible than kibble, meaning your pup absorbs more vitamins, minerals, essential fats, proteins and carbohydrates. A 10-pound box from this brand makes 40 pounds of dog food when it’s rehydrated! Just mix with warm water, stir and serve.

Pros

• Gently dehydrated dog food that maximizes flavor and nutrients
• Makes four times the volume in rehydrated dog food (easy to store and travel with!)
• Finely diced recipe is easy to digest
• No rendered meat meals, GMO ingredients, byproducts, fillers, corn, wheat or soy
• Available on Chewy, The Honest Kitchen and Amazon

Cons

• Takes more time to prepare
• Can take time to perfect the food-to-water ratio

Katharine Kancer, DVM, has a big mouth to feed. Her Bernese mountain dog, Ella, chows down on Hill’s Science Diet Large Breed. “This specific food is complete and balanced with the nutrients she needs at this point in her life stage and is formulated for large-breed dogs, which have slightly different nutrient requirements,” she says.

Dr. Kancer adds that adult dogs and large- and giant-breed dogs benefit from having more glucosamine, chondroitin and omega-3 fatty acids in their diets to help their joints.

Pros

• Recipe formulated for large breeds
• Promotes hip and joint health
• Large kibble size
• Available on Chewy, Amazon and Petsmart

Cons

• May be difficult for older dogs to chew

Los Angeles–based veterinarian Jeff Werber, DVM, has a pack of four dogs with varying dietary needs, so he feeds them Nutro Natural Choice. “I like the brand because its varieties contain quality, real, recognizable ingredients that serve a purpose and meet my dogs’ nutritional needs,” says Dr. Werber. You might also consider these probiotic dog foods.

More important, Nutro satisfies all his dogs’ taste buds—not an easy feat when you have four pups to please. He uses the senior variety formula for Herbie and Pierce, Tommy eats the adult formula and Denzel dines on the limited-ingredient variety because he has a chicken sensitivity.

Pros

• Easily digestible recipe for sensitive stomachs
• No. 1 ingredient is real chicken
• No GMO ingredients, chicken byproduct meal, corn, wheat or soy
• Natural antioxidants and fiber support digestion
• Good for all size breeds
• Available on Chewy and Walmart

Cons

• Reviewers say the price has increased in the past few years

Jennifer Adolphe, who has a doctorate in companion animal nutrition from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan, helped create Gather Endless Valley with premium, certified ingredients designed for vegan consumers. “People are not only interested in what they can personally do to promote more sustainable practices, but are actively seeking ways to get their dog involved too,” Adolphe says. It could also help an overweight pup lose a few pounds.

Her 8-year-old Australian shepherd, Chip, eats up the protein-rich blend of peas, organic barley, organic oats and lentils. “Additionally, Endless Valley provides another dietary option for people who have dogs that experience adverse food reactions and may benefit from a diet without meat,” she notes. Even if you’re feeding your dog the best dog food brands, you still want to avoid these foods that could give your dog heart disease.

Pros

• Plant-based recipe
• No GMOs or artificial flavors, colors or preservatives
• Good for all size breeds
• Packaging uses 20% plant-based material
• Available on Chewy, Amazon, Walmart and PetCareRx

Con

• Pricier per pound than other dog food brands

Michael J. Anacker, DVM, a veterinarian at the Hodes Veterinary Group in Mine Hill, New Jersey, currently feeds Beneful to his two labs, Munch and Chewi. But he’s not loyal to just one brand. If there’s a good deal on a brand or a patient returns food to the clinic because the pet didn’t like it, then he’ll use that too—as long as the food is from a trusted dog food company. Purina Beneful is a well-known dog food brand with dozens of different recipes for different needs.

“My philosophy is that all the major pet foods are good-quality foods with only subtle differences,” Dr. Anacker says. “The larger companies are forever improving their foods and trying to beat their competitors. Therefore, if there is something wrong with a competitors’ food, they would call them out on it ASAP.”

Pros

• Well-known brand at an affordable price point
• Found at most big-box stores
• No. 1 ingredient is farm-raised beef
• Antioxidant-rich, high-protein formula without fillers or artificial ingredients
• Multiple recipes for different breeds and diets
• Available at Walmart, Chewy, Amazon and Petsmart

Cons

• Some ingredients may cause sensitivity in some dogs

If your dog has joint problems, Hills J/D Mobility is one of the best dog food brands for them. With a master’s degree in animal science with an emphasis on animal nutrition, Andrea Antonelli, DVM—another veterinarian at Hodes Veterinary Group—has specific criteria when it comes to feeding her dogs. Some breeds are prone to joint problems, and this formula fits the bill for her three German shepherds, Thor, Blitz and Boris, along with her pit bull, Sylvia.

“I will only feed my dogs food from companies that will give me a fed and dry matter percentage,” she says (with “fed” referring to the moisture content and “dry” referring to the amount of nutrients minus moisture). “I want to know exactly what is going in my dog’s mouth.” We can all agree with the importance of that!

Pros

• Aids in joint health and mobility
• Helps improve running, walking and jumping ability within 21 days
• Excellent source of omega fatty acids and EPAs
• Good for all size breeds
• Available on Chewy, Amazon and Petsmart

Cons

• Requires authorization from a veterinarian