Best Dry Dog Food Brands For Small Dogs
Searching for a healthy and also risk-free dry pet dog food can be a difficulty! Pet dog food labels are confusing and leave essential information out. So we did the research for you and compiled our listing of Best Dry Dog Foods For 2022.
DOG FOOD REVIEW CRITERIA
Each food in this list has been reviewed based on the ingredient high quality as well as ingredient safety and security by DogFoodReviews.com. It’s great to check out just how much healthy protein as well as fat remains in a food, however at the end of the day, the food requires to be risk-free for your pet to consume ( as well as lots of foods include ingredients that are quite harmful). So each food’s score is an average of the active ingredient high quality and also the ingredient safety and security.
Below are some of the requirements we search for:
DOG FOOD INGREDIENT QUALITY
- Does the food consist of too much carbohydrate?
- Are plant resources utilized to increase protein material?
- Does it have unrevealed pet protein?
- Are there too much nutrients included?
- Are cost-free amino acids included in stabilize low quality proteins?
- Does it contain processed or seed oils?
PET FOOD INGREDIENT SAFETY
- How much handling is associated with making the food?
- Does the food have rice?
- Does the food consist of known genetically changed foods?
- Does the food consist of foods known to be high in pesticides?
- Does the food contain natural taste?
Each food is fairly evaluated using these requirements. You can view the complete Evaluation Criteria made use of to assess the dog foods.
This is NOT a paid list and there are no associate links. We’ve partnered with Dog Food Reviews to ensure pet dog proprietors have objective, unbiased criteria to help them pick the best dry pet dog food on the marketplace.
Since you know how we review the foods, allow’s discover the best completely dry canine food for 2022. The foods examined include air-dried, baked and cold-pressed foods, in addition to even more conventional kibbles.
# 1: THE NEW ZEALAND NATURAL PET FOOD CO.
BARK AIR-DRIED best dry canine
food WILD VENISON RECIPE INGREDIENTS: Venison, Lamb, Lamb Green Tripe, Lamb Heart, Lamb Liver, Lamb Kidney, Ground Lamb Bone, Bok Choy, Carrot, Blueberries, Cranberries, Kelp, New Zealand Green Mussel, Honey, Rosemary, Coconut Oil, Hoki Oil, Vitamin D3, Salt, Choline Chloride, Zinc Amino Acid Complex, Iron Amino Acid Complex, Vitamin E Supplement, Copper Amino Acid Complex The New Zealand Natural Pet Food Co. provides 3 air-dried pet food recipes with an average score of 9/10. The Wild Venison and Beef rating 9.5/ 10, while the Chicken weighs in at 9/10. Each food loses an ingredient security factor for moderate handling, but this puts on all air-dried foods. Overall, air-dried and baked foods might be much less refined than kibble, which is considered an ultra-processed food.
Better Bones HOMEMADE DIETS MADE EASY Better Bones is normally air dried bones from grass-fed Australian livestock. It’s the all-natural and also risk-free means to balance your pet dog’s raw or home cooked dishes.
The New Zealand Natural Pet Food Co. Air-Dried food line averages 47% protein as well as 11% carb, as calculated. Foods which contain less than 15% carbohydrate will not shed factors for too much carbohydrate material. Many kibbles feature a minimum of 30% starchy carbohydrate. The Air-Dried line standards 25% fat, which is rather high for a food of this kind.
When it comes to component top quality, the resource of carbohydrate comes from foods like bok choy and also carrots, which are reduced in starch and also are not high-pesticide or GMO crops. The food additionally has a variety of meats and body organ meats, which provide normally happening vitamins and minerals . There are some added minerals, however they are high top quality and also there are fewer than 5 included, offering this food a excellent score for active ingredient top quality.
Although there are no lost factors for this, coconut oil is included in this food. It’s worth keeping in mind that coconut oil has been connected to boosted intestine leaks in the structure and swelling in dogs in some research studies.
The New Zealand Natural Pet Food Co. is a tiny firm that makes use of components that are locally sourced from New Zealand. The firm also deals with and also offers freeze-dried foods .
At the time of composing, The New Zealand Natural Pet Food Co. has actually not been remembered.
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# 2: ZIWI PEAK ORIGINAL AIR-DRIED
ziwipeak canine food testimonial HEN RECIPE INGREDIENTS: Chicken, Chicken Liver, Chicken Heart, New Zealand Green Mussel, Chicken Bone, Lecithin, Inulin from Chicory, Dried Kelp, Minerals (Dipotassium Phosphate, Magnesium Sulfate, Zinc Amino Acid Complex, Copper Amino Acid Complex, Iron Amino Acid Complex, Manganese Amino Acid Complex, Selenium Yeast), Salt, Parsley, Preservative (Citric Acid, Mixed Tocopherols), Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid).
Ziwi Peak offers 6 air-dried canine food dishes in their Original line, with an average rating of 9/10. Each food sheds an active ingredient safety and security point for modest processing, however this applies to all air-dried foods. Overall, baked as well as air-dried foods may be much less refined than kibble, which is thought about an ultra-processed food
. Ziwi Peak’s Provenance Air-Dried food line standards 33% healthy protein and 4% carb, as determined. Foods which contain less than 15% carbohydrate will not shed factors for excessive carbohydrate content and also this food certainly is reduced in carbohydrates. Nevertheless, the Original line is rather high in fat with an average of 24%, and also it’s a bit reduced in protein than some contending brands.
The carbohydrate resource comes from high and low-starch high quality components like inulin from chicory and also kelp when it comes to ingredient high quality. Both are reduced in starch and are not high pesticide or GMO plants. Both are healthy enhancements. The food additionally has a variety of meats and also organ meats, which offers normally taking place vitamins and minerals . With that said claimed, there are a handful of added vitamins and a number of added minerals, which sets you back the food an active ingredient top quality point. The included minerals are high quality as well as natural.
Ziwi Peak came from as a smaller brand name however has actually been obtained by FountainVest Partners, a big private equity company based in China. Although this is not straight pertaining to product quality, larger companies often tend to have even more of an obligation to their financiers and also product quality tends to decrease in bigger companies.
Ziwi Peak has not been remembered at the time of writing.
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# 3: ZIWI PEAK PROVENANCE AIR-DRIED.
best dry pet food.
HEN RECIPE INGREDIENTS: Chicken, Whole Kahawai, Duck, Chicken Heart, Turkey, Chicken Necks, Chicken Liver, Whole Eggs, New Zealand Green Mussel, Chicken Bone, Lecithin, Duck Bone, Inulin from Chicory, Dried Kelp, Dried Apple Pomace, Minerals (Dipotassium Phosphate, Magnesium Sulfate, Zinc Amino Acid Complex, Iron Amino Acid, Copper Amino Acid Complex, Complex, Manganese Amino Acid Complex, Selenium Yeast), Turkey Gizzard, Turkey Liver, Turkey Bone, Salt, Parsley, Preservative (Citric Acid, Mixed Tocopherols), Turkey heart, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid).
Ziwi Peak provides 3 air-dried canine food dishes in their Provenance line, with an ordinary score of 8/10. The Provenance line averages 38% protein and also 1% carb, as determined. The fat content averages 32%, which is on the high-end. Preferably, there should be twice as much healthy protein as fat however there are no factors lost right here.
When it concerns ingredient quality, Provenance loses points for a lot of included minerals and vitamins , which are inferior to food-based trace elements and could indicate reduced top quality active ingredients. With that said stated, the added minerals are are natural and also high high quality.
When it involves ingredient security, air-dried foods are moderately processed, so there will certainly be a little fine there. Some recognized high-pesticide plant ingredients like apples additionally make an appearance, yet better down the ingredient panel so they’re much less of a concern.
Generally, this is a high fat/low carb food with high quality components.
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# 4: ZEAL CANADA AIR-DRIED.
best completely dry pet food.
HEN RECIPE INGREDIENTS: Chicken, Chicken tender, Chicken liver, Bamboo fiber, Dicalcium phosphate, Pumpkin Powder, Salt, Coconut oil, Yeast extract, Yucca Schidigera essence, Parsley, Calcium Carbonate, Green lipped mussel, Magnesium Sulphate, Rosemary extract, Choline, Zinc proteinate, Riboflavin, Selenium yeast, Manganese Proteinate, Copper proteinate, Potassium chloride, Vitamin E, Vitamin D, Vitamin A, Thiamine, Pantothenic acid, Niacin, Folic acid, Vitamin B12, Pyridoxine, Calcium iodate.
Zeal Canada uses 5 air-dried canine food dishes, with an ordinary rating of 7.8/ 10. Like all air-dried foods, each food loses an ingredient safety point for modest handling. While air-dried as well as baked foods may be much less processed than kibble, which is taken into consideration an ultra-processed food, there is still processing and a possible subsequent loss of phytonutrients.
Passion Canada’s Air-Dried food line averages 38% protein and 12% carb, as computed. Foods that consist of much less than 15% carbohydrate will not shed points for extreme carbohydrate content.
When it comes to active ingredient quality, the carb resource is low in starches like legumes, grains and potatoes , which is preferable. This food does have bamboo fiber, which is likely a lower high quality resource of fiber. The foods additionally consist of lecithin from sunflower, which is a high-pesticide crop– yet keeping that said, it totals up to a small percentage of the food. Some foods also include a selection of body organ meats, which offers normally happening minerals and also vitamins . With that said, there are numerous included nutrients , which costs the food ingredient quality points. Nevertheless, the included minerals are premium quality as well as natural.
Passion is a relative newbie to the pet grocery store and also claims their foods are in your area sourced. The food is manufactured in Canada.
Passion has actually not been recalled at the time of creating.
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# 5: SUNDAYS FOR DOGS.
best dry pet dog food.
HEN RECIPE INGREDIENTS: Chicken, Chicken Liver, Eggs, Millet, Oat, Pumpkin, Kale, Ground Bone, Fish Oil, Sea Salt, Flaxseed, Parsley, Turmeric, Chicory Root, Kelp, Mixed Tocopherols, Ginger, Blueberries, Carrots, Apples, Tomatoes, Shiitake Mushrooms, Broccoli, Oranges, Cranberries, Spinach, Beets, Tart Cherries, Strawberries.
Sundays provides 2 air-dried pet dog food recipes: poultry and also beef. The brand name provides an ordinary rating of 7.5/ 10. The Sundays foods average 36% healthy protein and also 22% carbohydrate, as calculated. Foods that contain greater than 15% carbohydrate yet less than 30% are thought about reasonably high in carbohydrate material and also will shed a factor. The food standards 17% fat, that makes it reduced in fat compared to various other air-dried foods.
The carbohydrate resource for the Beef Recipe is quinoa when it comes to ingredient quality. This is not a high pesticide crop, although it is high in starch and also protein. However, the Chicken Recipe features two well-known high-pesticide foods in the top 5 components: millet and oats. Both of these plants are typically spray-dried with Roundup right prior to harvest, that makes the chemical material of the food possibly extremely high. Significant active ingredient safety factors will certainly be shed for the top 5 active ingredients in the Chicken Recipe.
Rounding out active ingredient high quality, the Beef Recipe consists of fish oil however the type and species of fish is not named– and this will certainly cost a factor. Healthy protein resources must always be named and not generic, otherwise it can be presumed the active ingredient is reduced high quality.
What we simulate is that the food consists of no included vitamins or minerals , which implies the ingredients are otherwise excellent quality.
Aside from the high-pesticide foods in the Chicken Recipe, there are no additional points shed, except for the moderate amount of processing for air-dried foods.
There are no shed points for this, it needs to be noted that Sundays contains glam ingredients. While it’s desirable to have included foods like blueberries, broccoli and also mushrooms, these ingredients all show up after salt on the tag, which makes it very likely that they are only present in trace quantities.
Sundays is a little, shop brand name that’s owned and also formulated by vet Tory Waxman. The food is made in a USDA kept an eye on kitchen area in Ohio.
Sundays has not been recalled at the time of composing.
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# 6: CARNA4 BAKED AIR-DRIED.
best completely dry pet food.
Carna4 provides 6 foods in their Baked Air-Dried line. The line supplies an average rating of 7.3/ 10.
Carna4 averages 28% protein and also 35% carb, which is thought about fairly high in carbohydrate web content and sets you back the food some component top quality points. The food standards 15% fat.
The carbohydrate source for Carna4 originates from natural sprouted barley seed. While barley is a high pesticide plant, the barley is sprouted and organic so it will certainly not be spray-dried with Roundup like a lot of barley crops are. Sprouted grains are likewise more digestible for canines and probably a higher quality active ingredient. A few of the dishes do consist of organic rice, which can be high in arsenic. Non-organic potatoes likewise make an appearance and are a high-pesticide, genetically changed plant. Non-organic, high-pesticide apples likewise show up in several of the foods. Nevertheless, both of these foods are additionally down the component list and there are no genetically customized or high-pesticide foods in the top 5 ingredients.
Carna4 is one of a handful of dry foods that does not include any included minerals or vitamins , which shows better ingredients and much less processing.
There are no extra factors lost, besides the modest quantity of processing for air-dried foods.
Carna4 is one more tiny, shop brand name and also it’s the 2nd Canadian company on our listing. Carna4 is produced in an EU accredited human bakeshop in Quebec.
Carna4 has not been remembered at the time of composing.
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# 7: NATURE’S LOGIC DISTINCTION GRAIN-FREE.
best dry dog food.
BEEF RECIPE INGREDIENTS: Beef, Beef Meal, Millet, Pork Fat ( protected with Mixed Tocopherols), Menhaden Fish Meal, Spray Dried Pork Liver, Pumpkin Seeds, Yeast Culture, Montmorillonite Clay, Dried Kale, Dried Kelp, Spray Dried Porcine Plasma, Dried Tomato, Dried Chicory Root, Dried Apple, Dried Carrot, Dried Pumpkin, Dried Blueberry, Dried Apricot, Dried Spinach, Dried Broccoli, Dried Parsley, Dried Cranberry, Dried Artichoke, Dried Mushrooms, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus casei Fermentation Product, Dried Bifidobacterium bifidum Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus coagulans Fermentation Product, Dried Pineapple Extract, Dried Aspergillus niger Fermentation Extract, Dried Aspergillus oryzae Fermentation Extract, Dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum Fermentation Extract.
Nature’s Logic is the highest ranked kibble n our Top Dry Dog Food listing. Their Distinction Grain-Free line supplies 3 foods with an ordinary rating of 7.3/ 10.
Nature’s Logic Distinction Grain-Free averages 32% protein and 29% carb, which is considered higher in carbohydrate content and costs the food an component top quality point. The food standards 15% fat.
When it concerns active ingredient top quality, the carbohydrate resource is pudding root, which is not a high-pesticide crop. Nature’s Logic is special for a kibble in that it has no included vitamins or minerals , which keeps its active ingredient high quality rating quite high. It must also be kept in mind that it is developed using feeding trials and also not formulated to fulfill AAFCO minimum needs.
When it pertains to active ingredient security, this is a kibble and also contains dishes, making it an ultra-processed food. Extruded foods are heated 4 different times throughout manufacturing, which will cause major losses in some energetic enzymes, vitamins, amino acids as well as phytonutrients. Research studies also reveal that ultra-processed foods are linked to a greater rate of all-cause mortality in human beings, so the food does lose some safety factors here.
There are likewise some high-pesticide components in the food (kale as well as spinach), yet they show up further down the tag and also are not in the leading 5 components.
In general, this is our greatest ranking kibble as well as the just absolutely ultra-processed kibble that’s free of included vitamins and minerals .
Nature’s Logic started as a little firm win Lincoln, Nebraska and was obtained in 2021 by Mid America Pet Food, which manufactures Victor, Wayne Feeds and also Eagle Mountain. MAPF makes their item in Mt. Pleasant, Texas as well as it’s assumed Nature’s Logic is currently manufactured because plant.
Nature’s Logic has not been remembered at the time of composing.
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# 8: NATURE’S LOGIC DISTINCTION.
best dry dog food.
BEEF RECIPE INGREDIENTS: Beef, Beef Meal, Millet, Pork Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Menhaden Fish Meal, Spray Dried Pork Liver, Pumpkin Seeds, Yeast Culture, Montmorillonite Clay, Dried Kale, Dried Kelp, Spray Dried Porcine Plasma, Dried Tomato, Dried Chicory Root, Dried Apple, Dried Carrot, Dried Pumpkin, Dried Blueberry, Dried Apricot, Dried Spinach, Dried Broccoli, Dried Parsley, Dried Cranberry, Dried Artichoke, Dried Mushrooms, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus casei Fermentation Product, Dried Bifidobacterium bifidum Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus coagulans Fermentation Product, Dried Pineapple Extract, Dried Aspergillus niger Fermentation Extract, Dried Aspergillus oryzae Fermentation Extract, Dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum Fermentation Extract.
With 4 dry foods, Nature’s Logic’s Distinction line has an typical rating of 6.9. The foods in this line resemble the Distinction Grain-Free line, with an average of 32% healthy protein, 30% carb and also 13% fat.
The food is greater in carb than we want to see, however still lower than numerous comparable kibbles. Like all Nature’s Logic foods, this line sports whole food nutrition with no included vitamins or minerals .
Like the Distinction Grain-Free Line, Distinction is a kibble as well as is ultra-processed. It’s likewise worth keeping in mind that it contains dish as its 2nd component, which is an additional ultra-processed ingredient. For kibble consumers that can’t pay for air-dried, Nature’s Logic is at the top of our listing.
Besides the processing, the food safety score is dramatically impacted by the inclusion of millet as the carbohydrate source. Like many grains, millet is generally spray-dried with Roundup before harvest, making this a extremely high pesticide (herbicide) food. Organic millet would considerably improve the score of this food.
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# 9: ORIJEN ORIGINAL DRY DOG FOOD.
best dry pet dog food.
REGIONAL RED INGREDIENTS: Beef, Wild Boar, Goat, Lamb, Lamb Liver, Beef Liver, Beef Tripe, Wild Boar Liver, Mutton, Whole Mackerel, Pork, Goat Meal, Beef Meal, Lamb Meal, Mackerel Meal, Whole Red Lentils, Whole Pinto Beans, Beef Kidney, Pork Liver, Herring Meal, Mutton Meal, Whole Green Peas, Whole Green Lentils, Whole Navy Beans, Whole Chickpeas, Natural Pork Flavor, Beef Fat, Pollock Oil, Pork Kidney, Lentil Fiber, Pea Starch, Whole Yellow Peas, Lamb Tripe, Wild Boar Heart, Dried Kelp, Whole Pumpkin, Whole Butternut Squash, Collard Greens, Whole Apples, Whole Pears, Zinc Proteinate, Mixed Tocopherols (Preservative), Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Dried Chicory Root, Turmeric, Sarsaparilla Root, Althea Root, Rosehips, Juniper Berries, Citric Acid (Preservative), Rosemary Extract, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Bifidobacterium Animalis Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Casei Fermentation Product.
Orijen offers 9 completely dry foods in their original line. The line has an ordinary score of 6.9 and also averages 38% protein, 20% carbohydrate and also 17% fat.
When it involves active ingredient quality, this food scores fairly high as a result of its reduced carbohydrate web content. There are a SMALL number of included minerals and vitamins , but the minerals are high quality and natural. The food likewise features a great variety of proteins and also liver.
Like every kibble, Orijen is ultra-processed. Extruded kibbles are warmed four different times throughout production, which will trigger significant losses in some energetic enzymes, vitamins, amino acids and phytonutrients. Researches additionally show that ultra-processed foods are linked to a greater rate of all-cause mortality in people, so the food does lose some security points here.
There are several high-pesticide active ingredients in the food, consisting of lentils, peas, apples as well as chickpeas and also this lowers the active ingredient safety rating. The food also has natural taste, which is often animal digest or MSG. All-natural taste is a low quality component with minimal safety studies.
Although Orijen has the exact same average score as Nature’s Logic Distinction, it’s encountered 9th location as a result of the all-natural taste. This is unfortunate since the food is lower in carbohydrate as well as higher in protein. Both are reasonable options for a kibble.
Orijen is produced by Canadian business, Champion Petfoods. It’s produced internal in both Canada as well as the United States. It supplies generally ultra-processed kibble, but additionally has a freeze-dried and also canned line.
To date, Orijen dog food has not been remembered in Canada or the United States.
It is worth nothing that their parent firm, Champion Petfoods had actually two suits submitted against it.
In 2020, Animal Equality doubted Champion’s insurance claim that the trout in the ACANA line was wild caught when it was recognized by the AE company as farmed fish. The match was solved with Champion Petfoods transforming their advertising and marketing insurance claims as well as encouraging much better openness in its fish sourcing.
Likewise in 2020, the Organic Consumers Association filed a claim against Champion Petfoods for misleading advertising under both the ACANA and Orijen trademark name. The organization affirmed that declarations such as “free-run” chicken were misleading. This situation has actually additionally been fixed with Champion Petfoods making changes to their packaging and advertising and marketing.
It’s great to look at just how much protein and fat is in a food, however at the end of the day, the food requires to be secure for your pet dog to consume ( as well as numerous foods have active ingredients that are fairly harmful). Like all air-dried foods, each food sheds an active ingredient security point for moderate processing. The foods additionally consist of lecithin from sunflower, which is a high-pesticide plant– yet with that said, it amounts to a little percent of the food. Research studies additionally show that ultra-processed foods are connected to a higher price of all-cause death in humans, so the food does lose some safety points right here.
Research studies additionally show that ultra-processed foods are connected to a higher price of all-cause death in humans, so the food does lose some safety and security factors right here.