13 Best Dog Food Brands in Canada and Why You Should Buy Them

According to a recent survey, approximately 35% of Canadians have a dog in their home. Over 50% of those dogs have no health issues whatsoever. That’s a high percentage considering the fact that the survey included dogs of all ages. The reason for the good health of these dogs might be due to the food they’re eating. Canada is raising the bar year after year with their dog food manufacturing techniques.

The best dog food manufacturers in Canada are producing high-quality, human-grade dog food while prioritizing the following factors, to name a few:

• Where their ingredients are sourced
• The quality and freshness of ingredients
• The absence of hormones, antibiotics and GMOs
• Safe and ethical manufacturing processes
• Sustainability

Considering all those factors, here are 13 of the best food brands in Canada.

Carna4

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If synthetics are a top concern for you as a dog owner, Carna4 is hard to beat. It was created in 2010 by a team of food scientists, engineers and nutritionists who came together to create a kibble that was completely free of synthetics. And they achieved this goal by combining organic sprouted seeds with fresh human-grade meats and produce. Those seeds are great sources of probiotics, antioxidants and enzymes that support a healthy digestive and immune system. Additionally, every Carna4 formula is free of GMOs, antibiotics and hormones. They also take sustainability into account when sourcing their ingredients.

As for variety and type of food, Carna4 offers gently baked kibble in three varieties: chicken, fish and duck. There is no separate formula for a dog’s age or size, so it makes it easier to shop for your pet knowing every type you choose is suitable. Additionally, they send every batch of dog food to a third-party testing firm for quality control.

Carna4 dog food is made in Quebec. Size options range from 1kg to 22lbs.

Zeal

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Zeal manufactures raw, air-dried dog food that is slowly air-dried to reduce the volume size of the bag but keep all the healthy, tasty stuff intact. This food is small but mighty, and you don’t have to food your dog much of it in order to ensure they’re getting a complete meal. Their recipes include 96% pure human-grade organ meat. There are also unique ingredients like hemp seeds to ensure dogs get all the protein, vitamins and minerals they need.

After air-drying the food, it ends up being a similar texture to beef jerky. There are no artificial fillers, preservatives or dyes.

Zeal offers two main types of dog food: gently air-dried and a combination of air-dried and freeze-dried. Within those two options, the flavours consist of beef, salmon, turkey, salmon and pumpkin, and beef with hemp. Zeal is based out of British Columbia and offers bags in sizes that range from 1lb to 8.8lbs.

Smack

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Another brand making high-quality dehydrated dog food is Smack. The company is devoted to making the healthiest and most convenient dog food on the market. They do this by combining their love of dogs with smart food engineering, holistic medicine and biochemistry. The result is a raw food that is dehydrated for portability but still full of all of its natural nutrients.

Smack’s recipes are primarily certified organic. They include human-grade meat and organic produce. The high meat content of this raw food makes it a great choice for picky dogs. Plus, they’re free of synthetics. Smack offers five different formulas: Caribbean-Salmon Fusion, Prairie Harvest Pork, Rockin’ Rockfish, Very Berry Chicken and Chunky Chicken.

Smack makes their dehydrated raw dog food in Winnepeg. Their bag sizes are available in 250g or 2.5kg options.

Gutsy

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Gutsy, by Crumps’, is a family-owned brand based out of Caledon, Ontario. This dehydrated raw dog food is similar in texture to Zeal and other raw dehydrated foods that are of a jerky texture. Gutsy bases its formulas on the use of probiotics, prebiotics and low-glycemic carbs. They’re easy to digest and are great for a dog’s gut health, hence the name Gutsy. Besides using high-quality proteins, Gutsy also adds plant-based ingredients like lentils, sweet potatoes, chickpeas, organic broccoli, chia seeds and more.

The Global Food Safety Initiative has been certifying Crumps’ Naturals since 2014. That means it recognizes that Crumps’ and its brands like Gutsy promotes the continuous improvement of food safety. Their ingredients and packaging are fully traceable. Since 2014, Crumps’ Naturals has been granted certification by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), which promotes the continuous improvement of food safety to consumers. All ingredients, packaging, and finished products are fully traceable, among other quality-control standards.

Gutsy is sold in bags of either 1.5lbs or 6.6lbs. There are two formulas to choose from: Salmon and Trout, or Chicken Dinner.

Orijen

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Orijen is manufactured by Champion Pet Foods and has a strong international reputation for its sourcing and manufacturing practices. Due to the fact that those local farms are within 100km of the facility where the dog food is made, Champion has won more awards than any other pet food manufacturer. As one of Champion’s brands, Orijen bases its formulas on what a prey animal would eat. It is high in protein and has other nutrient-dense ingredients to help dogs get all the nutrients they need for a healthy, active lifestyle.

Orijen makes a variety of different grain-free formulas available in either kibble or dehydrated raw formulas. Kibble is sold in packages of 2kg, 6kg or 11.4kg. Dehydrated raw dog food is sold in packages of 170g or 454g. The brand is self-manufactured in Alberta.

Acana

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Acana is also made by Champion Pet Foods and is Orijen’s sister brand. The difference between the two brands is that Acana has less meat inclusion. Orijen’s meat content is about 85%, while Acana’s is 70%. They also have many more formulas to choose from. For example, dogs who need a limited-protein diet are best suited for the Acana Singles line, which offers single-protein foods for dogs of all stages of life. Those options are duck, lamb, pork and pilchard. Acana also offers an Acana Regionals line that offers multi-protein options. Those include blends of red meat, fish and poultry. Regardless of which you choose for your dog, every option has a variety of fruits and vegetables included.

Due to the different formulas available, Acana is popular for dogs that get picky with their food and prefer variety. The brand is self-manufactured in Alberta with fresh ingredients from local farms. The dry kibble is available in grain-free and grain-friendly options, in sizes that range from 2kg to 17kg.

v-Planet

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A newer type of dog food, v-Planet, is unique because it is completely vegan. It is completely plant-based, with no meat and no animal products whatsoever in their formulas. That means no eggs and dairy either. Instead, they use the most nutritious plant-based ingredients around, like brown rice, quinoa, peas and whole oats.

Vegan dog foods are popular choices for dogs that have allergies to meat proteins. They’re also popular due to the move toward cruelty-free and eco-friendly products. Their formulas are available in regular-sized kibble and mini bites, and are suitable for dogs of all sizes. It is made in Ontario and sold in sizes of either 4.4lbs or 15lbs.

FirstMate

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FirstMate has a rich history in British Columbia. It is family-owned and operated with an offering of eight grain-free formulas suitable for dogs at all stages of life. Formulas include Chicken with Blueberries (regular or small bites), Pacific Ocean Fish (large breed, original, puppy, small bites or weight control), and Australian Lamb (original or small bites). They only use wild-caught fish in their dog food. And there are never antibiotics, hormones or GMOs.

FirstMate also offers a less expensive option of the same high quality. This is through their grain-inclusive line of lamb, chicken or fish. Each uses whole oats in addition to the protein. FirstMate dog food is offered either as dry kibble or wet food (cans). Kibble bags are sold in options of 2.3kg, 6.6kg or 13kg.

Kasiks

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Kasiks is another family-owned dog food brand made by Taplow Ventures. It is the sister brand of FirstMate and is self-manufactured in the same production plant in British Columbia. Kasiks dog food is a good choice for dogs with sensitive digestive systems, since they’re highly digestible due to their high dietary fibre content.

The Kasiks dog food line offers three grain-free formulas that use single-meat proteins. They’re also potato-free and gluten-free. Options include Free-Run Chicken, Wild Pacific Ocean Fish and Free-range Lamb.

Kasiks is also more affordable than many other grain-free options. The dry kibble is offered in size options of 5lbs or 25lbs.

GO! Solutions

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GO! Solutions is one of three brands that are made by Petcurean, which is based out of British Columbia. Pet owners can feel good about buying dog food from Petcurean, since it is such an environmentally progressive company.

Go! Solutions’ meat inclusion is high compared to other brands. Their formulas are grain-free and potato-free. They also make their dog food without antibiotics, hormones and artificial preservatives. They’re popular choices for dogs with food sensitivities and allergies.

Go! Solutions offers the following lines of dog food, all with different recipes:

• Carnivore – Salmon & Cod, Lamb & Wild Boar, Turkey & Duck (puppy, adult or senior)
• Sensitivities – Duck, Salmon, Turkey, Venison, Lamb or Pollock
• Skin + Coat Care – Salmon, Chicken or Lamb
• Sensitivity + Shine – Duck

Go! Solutions is sold in the following size options: 3.5lbs, 12lbs and 22lbs.

Now Fresh

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Now Fresh is also made by Petcurean, but is less expensive than Go! Solutions since it has less meat. Each formula uses high-quality, fresh ingredients. They’re also gluten-free and grain-free.

Now Fresh is self-manufactured in British Columbia and has 13 different grain-free formulas: adult chicken, puppy chicken, senior chicken, adult red meat, adult fish, small breed fish, small breed senior, large breed adult, large breed puppy and large breed senior.

Now Fresh Dog food is available as kibble or wet food (cans). Kibble is offered in size options of 6lbs, 12 lbs and 25lbs.

PetKind

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PetKind is a Canadian dog food brand known for its use of tripe in dog food. The brand is based out of Surrey, British Columbia and promotes the nutritional benefits of tripe for dogs.  Other than tripe, Petkind uses high-quality, human-grade ingredients that are locally sourced within Canada, with some exceptions. For optimal quality, they get their lamb tripe from New Zealand, Quinoa from Peru, and fruits and vegetables from the United States.

PetKind’s dog food offerings include four grain-free formulas and three poultry-free formulas. The grain-free formulas are Green Tripe & Wild Salmon, Green Beef Tripe, Green Lamb Tripe, and Green Tripe & Bison. The poultry-free formulas for dogs with allergies are Venison Tripe, Green Tripe & Red Meat, and Lamb & Lamb Tripe.

PetKind dog food is offered as kibble or wet food (cans). Kibble is offered in sizes of 6lbs, 14lbs and 25lbs.

Horizon

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Horizon dog food is family-owned and self-manufactured in Saskatchewan. Their mantra is “Authentic, regional and affordable.” The brand prides itself on being transparent in regard to where its ingredients come from and how it is manufactured. Their formulas are made with human-grade, locally sourced proteins. They do not use hormones, GMOs, by-products, steroids or artificial preservatives.

Horizon offers five different formulas:

• Taiga: Chicken and pork
• Amicus: Chicken, lamb, salmon and a and tri-protein mix (turkey, chicken, salmon)
• Complete: All-life-stage chicken, large breed adult, large breed puppy, and senior/weight management
• Legacy: Puppy, adult chicken and turkey, and fish
• Pulsar: Chicken, turkey, fish, lamb and pork

Bags of Horizon dog food come in sizes of 4kg or 11.4kg.

Conclusion

If you’re considering any of these Canadian dog food brands for your four-legged friend, you should feel confident knowing that these are some of the best on the market. Keep in mind that your dog’s needs will change as they age as well, so what works for your dog one year might not be the best option the next year. It is always a good idea to discuss any dietary changes with your veterinarian.

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