Best Canned Dog Food | Dog Food Review

Canned food isn’t as popular as kibble, but there are lots of good reasons to feed wet food to your dog:

• Canned dog food is high in moisture, which more closely resembles a natural diet for dogs.
• It’s also either much lower in carbohydrates than dry food, or contains no carbohydrates. (You are aware that dogs have zero nutritional requirement for carbs, yes? They can obtain all of their nutritional needs from protein and fat sources.)
• The vast majority of canned foods are made with fresh (or fresh-frozen) meats instead of meat meal, which has been highly processed before its potential inclusion into a secondary food-production process. Overall, the ingredients in canned foods are subjected to much less processing than those in dry foods.
• Canned foods are shelf-stable at a wider range of temperature than dry foods. They retain their full nutritive value far longer than dry foods, too.

For all of the reasons above, canned dog food tends to be highly palatable to most dogs. That, and its physical properties (spoonable, spreadable, freezable), makes it highly convenient for use in behavior-change or -maintenance applications (filling Kong or Toppl toys, lick mats, and other time-consuming food puzzles).

We used our usual canned food selection criteria to make our top picks for canned foods in eight different categories.

Best Canned Foods for Adult Dog Maintenance

Foods that are formulated for adult dog maintenance usually (but not always) contain lower levels of protein, fat, and many minerals, including calcium, phosphorus, sodium, and iron than the amounts of those nutrients in foods that are formulated for “all life stages” (which includes pregnant or nursing females and puppies). That’s because the minimum requirement for each of these nutrients is lower in foods that are formulated for adult dogs only.

WDJ’s Top Pick: Fromm Family Adult Turkey & Rice Pâté

Things we like:

• Single source of animal protein
• Moderate protein and fat levels for less-active adult dogs
• Manufactured in Fromm’s own family-owned canning facility

First 10 ingredients: Turkey, turkey broth, white rice, turkey liver, potatoes, carrots, dried beet pulp, dried yeast, salmon oil, dried egg product

Protein: Min 6.5%
Fat: 4%
Calories: 363 Kcal/can
Cost: $0.19/oz

Runners up:

Best Canned Foods for Puppies

The minimum levels of protein, fat, and many minerals (including calcium and phosphorus) in canned dog foods that are formulated for “growth” –puppy food – are higher than the amounts of those nutrients in foods that are formulated for adult dogs only. However, when buying canned food for a puppy, check the nutritional adequacy statement (a.k.a. the AAFCO statement) to see whether the food is appropriate for large-breed puppies (those expected to grow to 70 pounds or larger as adults). The amounts of protein, fat, calcium, and phosphorus that should be fed to large-breed puppies are higher than those for adult dogs, but lower than those for puppies of smaller breeds. When feeding a large-breed puppy, make sure you see this statement on the food label: “(Name of food) is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for growth/all life stages including growth of large-size dogs (70 lbs or more as an adult).”

WDJ’s Top Pick: Instinct Real Chicken Recipe for Puppies

Things we like:

• Three meats in the top four ingredients
• Amount of DHA (important for puppy development) as well as omega 3 and 6 levels on the guaranteed analysis
• Loaf style food means pups won’t “eat around” the carrots and peas

First 10 ingredients: Chicken, chicken broth, beef liver, salmon, carrots, peas, flaxseed, egg product, salt, potassium chloride

Protein: Min 10%
Fat: 6%
Calories: 468 Kcal/can
Cost: $0.31/oz

Runners up:

Best Limited Ingredient Canned Dog Foods

Dogs who have food allergies or are intolerant of a variety of food ingredients can often benefit from eating only limited-ingredient foods. These products can also be helpful in determining which specific ingredient may be triggering a sensitive dog’s symptoms. Most pet food makers call foods that contain only one species of animal as a protein source and one carbohydrate source a limited-ingredient food, but be aware that there isn’t a legal definition for this appellation; some so-called limited-ingredient foods may contain more than one animal species or carbohydrate source.  We favor those with a truly very short ingredient list.

WDJ’s Top Pick: Inception Chicken Recipe

Things we like:

• Super simple formula: one animal species, one carb source
• “All life stage” food but with moderate protein and fat
• Moderately priced

First 10 ingredients: Chicken, chicken broth, oats, natural chicken flavor, agar-agar, potassium chloride, vitamins

Protein: Min 8%
Fat: 3.5%
Calories: 363 Kcal/can
Cost: $0.25/oz

Runners up:

Best Budget Canned Dog Foods

When compared to kibble, canned dog foods are expensive. Containing a lot of moisture, they are heavy, making them expensive to ship. The ingredients used in canned foods are often more costly than those used in the production of dry food, too. The lowest-cost canned foods usually contain unnamed animal proteins and fats, animal by-products, and by-products of human food processing. When choosing our favorite budget canned dog foods, we did not consider any products with those traits; that would go against our usual food-selection criteria. Our choices still meet that criteria, but may contain more carbohydrates than most canned foods.

WDJ’s Top Pick: Purina Beyond Organic Chicken & Sweet Potato

Things we like:

• Use of organic ingredients
• Very simple formula
• Non-GMO Project Verified

First 10 ingredients: Organic chicken, organic chicken broth, organic chicken liver, organic sweet potatoes, minerals

Protein: Min 7%
Fat: 6%
Calories: 449 Kcal/can
Cost: $0.19/oz

Runners up:

Best Lower-Fat Canned Dog Foods

Canned dog foods tend to be high in fat – often, far too high in fat for overweight or sedentary dogs, or those who are prone to pancreatitis. You may have to look harder, but you can find good-quality canned dog foods with lower fat levels.

WDJ’s Top Pick: Stella & Chewy’s Cage Free Chicken Stew

Things we like:

• Made with human-grade ingredients in a human-food facility
• Inclusion of bone broth
• Simple, meat-rich formula, no legumes

First 10 ingredients: Cage-free chicken, chicken bone broth, organic carrots, tapioca starch, organic kale, tricalcium phosphate, sunflower oil, calcium carbonate, potato starch, salt

Protein: Min 9%
Fat: 2%
Calories: 243 Kcal/box
Cost: $0.36/oz

Runners up:

Best High Protein Canned Dog Foods

Meat-rich canned foods are a good medium for delivering a relatively high-protein diet to dogs – and the best foods use very high-quality sources of protein, too.

WDJ’s Top Pick: Rawz 96% Chicken & Chicken Liver Dog Food

Things we like:

• Clean, simple recipe; just a lot of meat included, with liver to boost the protein
• Expanded nutrient analysis available on company website
• Fenugreek seeds used as thickener instead of gums

First 10 ingredients: Chicken, chicken liver, chicken broth, fenugreek seeds, potassium chloride, calcium carbonate, tricalcium phosphate, choline chloride, salt, taurine

Protein: Min 11%
Fat: 9%
Calories: 446 Kcal/can
Cost: $0.34/oz

Runners up:

Best Grain-Free Canned Dog Foods

There are more grain-free canned dog foods than grain-free dry dog foods, but this makes sense when you consider that meat is the featured ingredient in canned dog foods – meat is mostly what you are paying for! However, lower-cost and lower-quality canned dog foods often contain grain, as it’s less expensive than meat. When looking for a grain-free canned dog food, avoid those with legumes used as alternative sources of carbohydrates – or perhaps avoid foods with any source of carbs whatsoever (remember, dogs don’t require carbs in their diets!).

WDJ’s Top Pick: The Honest Kitchen’s Turkey, Duck, & Root Vegetables Butcher Block Pâté

Things we like:

• No reliance on (and typical over-representation of) legumes to replace grain
• Amount of taurine on the guaranteed analysis
• Complete nutrient analysis on website, including calorie distribution for protein, fat, carbs

First 10 ingredients: Turkey, turkey bone broth, turkey liver, duck, sweet potatoes, carrots, cranberries, agar-agar, minerals

Protein: Min 10.5%
Fat: 5%
Calories: 343 Kcal/box
Cost: $0.40/oz

Runners up:

Best Canned Dog Foods Containing Alternative Protein

The major advantage of canned dog food is its ability to provide a diet with a high meat inclusion in a long-lasting, shelf-stable container. But this is a highly specialized category for what is likely to be very few dogs: those who are allergic to or intolerant of most animal proteins, but who would benefit from a high-moisture food.

WDJ’s Top Pick: Health Extension Vegetarian Entrée

We prefer non-legume carbohydrate sources. Our top pick is the only one we found that lacks legumes.

First 10 ingredients: Sweet potatoes, butternut squash, water sufficient for processing, brown rice, carrots, olive oil, peas, blueberries, cranberries, kale

Protein: Min 7%
Fat: 2%
Calories: 276 Kcal/can
Cost: $0.30/oz

Runners up:

Choosing the Best Wet Dog Food for Your Dog

Perhaps you are now convinced that you should give canned food a try – or at least add some to your dog’s diet. We’ve told you what to look for in a wet food and shared our favorites. So which should you choose?

You should take into account all of your dog’s individual needs, as well as your own needs:

• Dog’s age (puppies need products that are formulated for puppies or “dogs of all life stages”). Protein and fat levels are usually lower in foods that are formulated for “adult maintenance.” Most adult dogs have their nutritional needs met by foods formulated for adult maintenance only. The exceptions would include very active or working dogs.
• Dog’s size (small dogs require more daily calories per pound of their body weight than larger dogs).
• Dog’s fitness and activity level (overweight and inactive dogs need lower-fat foods; dogs who are highly active or too thin need more fat and more protein).
• Dog’s ability to tolerate and digest ingredients (careful label review is needed for dogs who are allergic to or intolerant of certain ingredients).
• Your ability to find the food locally (or receive shipments) and to afford the food and/or the cost of its shipping.

Any time you make changes to your dog’s diet, we recommend that you keep these things in mind:

• Unless your dog has very special needs, don’t pick one food and feed only that food forever. Switch often for nutritional “balance over time.”
• You have to pay attention to your dog’s response to any food change. Keep track of any adverse reactions, and write down the details (maker, protein and fat levels, ingredients). Let your dog’s response guide your future purchases.
• Unless your dog has a specific requirement necessitating it, avoid “extreme” foods, such as those with the highest or lowest levels of protein or fat, six different legumes or grains, novel proteins (alligator, brushtail, kangaroo?!), or 10 different animal species. Most dogs’ needs fall in the middle ground.

Use Our Canned Dog Food Search Tools

With your dog’s specific needs in mind, we recommend searching among the pet food companies on our list of “Approved Canned Foods” (available to WDJ subscribers only). We’d also like to recommend using the tool to search our list of more than 800 individual foods and add as many filters as you want to find the most appropriate candidates for your dog. Looking for a higher-protein, lower-fat food without chicken or peas? Add the filters and search!

And don’t forget: One-size-fits-all recommendations don’t work when it comes to diet. Feed each of your dogs what works best for him. It’s great when you have more than one dog and they can thrive on the same variety of food, but don’t take this for granted.

(Note: Affiliate links are offered for your convenience. Whole Dog Journal is reader-supported. If you purchase food through links on our site we may earn a commission. Whole Dog Journal does not accept money for its food and product reviews.)