Top Recommended Brands of 5 Star Dog Food: 2023 Update

Dog nutrition has a direct impact on your dog’s health. A dog’s food must contain quality ingredients, follow AAFCO nutritional standards, and be in line with all of your dog’s specific dietary restrictions (if any) for your pup to maximize the benefits he can get from his food.

But when many dog food labels look the same, it can be hard to choose. That’s why it’s important to always check dog food reviews too. Feedback from fellow pet owners is essential when selecting the right food for your pup.

A 5-star dog food rating is usually representative of a high-quality dog food product that yields excellent results that you can see through a pet’s renewed energy and vigor, healthy skin and fur, and good appetite. And of course, pet owners will always know best when it comes to their pups.

OUR TOP 3 PICKS FOR THE BEST 5-STAR DOG FOOD BRANDS

What Goes Into a 5 Star Dog Food Brand?

Many dog owners assume that you can tell a high-quality brand of dog food from a low-quality brand simply by glancing at the packaging.

While it is true that the information you need to determine the quality of a product is in fact on the dog food label, you won’t find it in the pretty pictures and wordy descriptions of the product—you’ll find it in the small print.

The best way to determine the quality of a commercial pet food product is to review the ingredients list and guaranteed analysis, and listen to other pet owners who have tried the product. 

Ingredients List

Like its name indicates, the ingredients list shows you a breakdown of all of the ingredients that make up the food in order of predominance. This means that the ingredient which has the greatest amount is listed first, and the rest of the ingredients follow in descending order. 

A premium dog food will always start with meat first, unless it’s a special diet. (Some medical conditions require very little animal protein or none at all.) There should also be more meat ingredients in the food than vegetables or any other ingredient. 

A 5-star dog food also normally has a shorter list filled with quality ingredients. It is also important to note that the majority of the ingredients included in the dog food come from animal-based sources.

Because dogs are carnivores, their bodies are better adapted to digesting animal products than plant products. Some plant products are okay because they provide fiber and other nutrients, but they should not be the focus of the recipe.

A 5-star dog food will list at least one high-quality source of animal protein at the top of the list—some kind of meat, poultry, or fish. Do not be thrown off if you see the word “meal” here, either.

Meat meals are simply fresh meat that has been cooked to remove moisture and this process actually results in a highly concentrated form of animal protein. The more animal-based protein sources included, the better, and you also want to see quality sources of animal fat like chicken fat or salmon oil.

A high-quality dog food will also not have an ingredients list a mile long—products that include a lot of artificial additives (like colors, flavors, and preservatives) tend to have a very long ingredients list. In fact, the shorter the list of ingredients, the better quality it is. The shorter list also favors you because you can easily track each and every ingredient in that dish.

Notable Ingredients in 5-Star Dog Foods

• Fat. Plant oils can be used as supplementary fats to help balance the omega oil ratio in the product but animal fats are more biologically valuable for dogs.

• Quality proteins. For one thing, a 5-star dog food will not list anything other than a quality source of animal protein as the first ingredient and any carbohydrates included in the recipe will be highly digestible for dogs.
• No additives. No 5-star dog food will contain any artificial additives including flavors, colors, and preservatives plus they will be free from low-quality fillers like corn, wheat, and soy ingredients.
• Supplements. Synthetic supplements are not bad, but natural sources for key nutrients (like fresh fruits, vegetables, and botanicals) are more biologically valuable for your dog. That said, you will usually find added vitamins and minerals, probiotics, prebiotics, and other nutritional supplementation in most premium pet foods.

Guaranteed Analysis

The guaranteed analysis merely lists down how much protein, fat, and fiber is in the recipe. Some also contain percentages of natural and synthetic supplements that can be found in the food, like omega fatty acids, probiotics, vitamins, and minerals.

When reviewing the analysis for a commercial dog food product, you want to make sure that the product delivers more than the bare minimum nutritional requirements needed—that is a sign of a 5 star dog food.

The Merck Veterinary Manual suggests a minimum protein content for dry dog food of 18% for adult dogs and 22% for puppies with a minimum fat content of 5% for adults and 8% for puppies.

A 5-star dog food will go above and beyond these minimums, offering protein content up to 34% in some cases with 18% or even 20% fat. Canned food or wet food will usually have a listed crude protein content that is around 10-11%, but calculated on a dry matter basis, the protein percentage is usually higher than that offered by dry dog foods.

These products will also show a low crude fiber content (no more than 5%) to ensure that your dog gets enough fiber to regulate his digestion but not so much fiber that it causes digestive issues.

Top Recommended Brands of 5 Star Dog Food

1. Ollie Pet Food Turkey
2. Nom Nom Fresh Beef Mash
3. Solid Gold Hund-n-Flocken Recipe
4. Lotus Rabbit Loaf
5. Halo Holistic Garden of Vegan Recipe
6. Acana Red Meat Recipe
7. Castor & Pollux ORGANIX Organic Chicken & Sweet Potato Recipe
8. I and Love and You Naked Essentials Lamb & Bison Recipe
9. Bravo! Homestyle Complete Beef Dinner
10. The Honest Kitchen Limited Ingredient Diet Fish Recipe
11. Stella & Chewy's Surf ‘N Turf Dinner Patties

If you are serious about making sure that your dog receives the highest quality diet available, be sure to choose dog foods with high customer ratings. Dog owners who have tried and tested these products on their pooches can give you a good idea on how these dog foods can help your pup. 

There are a wide variety of pet food brands out there, but they are not all created equal. Fortunately, finding a wholesome and nutritious diet for your dog is as simple as picking a product from our list of premium dog food brands and their recipes listed below.

Continue reading below _______________________

 

Fresh Dog Food Products

1. Ollie Pet Food Turkey

First 5 Ingredients: Turkey Breast, Kale, Lentils, Carrots, Coconut Oil

Ollie Pet Food is one of the best wet dog food brands out there. Known for its restaurant-grade pet foods, Ollie boasts of crafting high-quality meals customized precisely for your dog’s life stage, your dog’s breed, and his activity level. 

This gently-cooked wet food turkey recipe contains fresh, organic ingredients that rely on turkey to deliver a high amount of protein (11%). It has three types of fat (coconut oil, liver, and cod liver oil) to supply all the energy and omega fatty acids that your dog’s body requires. 

Customer reviews:

Ollie has garnered many 5-star ratings from verified customers and veterinarians for helping make pets healthier. Because the meals are personalized, each dog can get the specific result he needs (lose weight, gain weight, calm down digestive issues) with a healthy diet that provides all the nutrition he requires.

2. Nom Nom Fresh Beef Mash

First 5 Ingredients: Ground Beef, Russet Potatoes, Eggs, Carrots, Peas

Nom Nom Fresh Pet Food is a pet food company that proudly boasts that its top chefs are top doctors. There are fewer than a hundred Board Certified Veterinary Nutritionists in the whole of the USA, and the brand has two of them in its corner, creating quality food that are good enough for people to eat.

While we listed the top five ingredients, there are really only two more main ingredients in this wet dog food—fish oil and sunflower oil.

The rest are supplements, natural flavor, and natural preservatives to make your pet’s fresh food last longer. It’s a pretty solid and clean offering that you’d be proud to feed your pet.

Customer reviews: 

The brand calls customer reviews “success stories.” And of the stories, the brand has plenty. What’s even better, the success stories of purchasers and their dogs have been so good that these and the brand have been featured on Business Insider, NBC News, and other notable news outlets.

Wet Dog Food Products

1. Solid Gold Hund-n-Flocken Lamb

First 5 Ingredients: Lamb, Water Sufficient For Processing, Lamb Liver, Ocean Whitefish, Ground Brown Rice

Solid Gold crafts some of the best dog foods out in the market today. It formulates its holistic and all-natural dog food recipes around premium proteins, such as farm-raised duck, free-range venison, and Alaskan pollock, and easily digestible carbohydrates.

Tender and delicious grass-fed lamb leads this wet dog food for a high-density protein amount. Additional protein is contributed by the presence of lamb liver and ocean whitefish, while the brown rice keeps the food balanced. No worries for sensitive pets as this food is crafted for puppies to senior dogs of all breeds and sizes. 

Customer reviews:

95% of 63 reviewers recommend this 5-star dog food diet to fellow dog parents. It is excellent for pups who have trouble digesting dry food, helps dogs stay healthy, and supports maintaining a good weight. The consistency is also perfect, according to some purchasers, as well as the look and smell of the food.

2. Lotus Rabbit Loaf

First 5 Ingredients: Rabbit, Rabbit Broth, Pea Flour, Sweet Potatoes, Whole Ground Flaxseed

“Natural food for pets” is the tagline that Lotus follows and provides. Known for its quirky labels, special oil blend, and holistic way of crafting foods, Lotus excels in creating dog food that is packed with natural flavor and plenty of nutrition.

This 5-star dog food recipe uses the novel protein rabbit to deliver high-density protein for developing and maintaining muscles.

Because it has a single animal protein source and no harmful ingredients like carrageenan, it is excellent for pups who have sensitive tummies, food allergies, or IBS.

Customer reviews:

80% of reviewers love this Lotus recipe. According to many, the food smells good, there are no questionable fillers, and it is easy to digest. The flavor is also quite enticing to dogs, and the formula does not trigger sensitive skin or allergies.

3. Halo Holistic Garden of Vegan

First 5 Ingredients: Vegetable Broth, Chickpeas, Potatoes, Pea Protein, Carrots

Halo is a pet food company whose mission is to provide a wide variety of holistic foods that range from grain-inclusive to grain-free diets and dry to wet foods for all life stages and breeds.

Instead of factory farms, Halo focuses on sourcing ingredients from sustainable and humane sources in keeping with its natural living philosophy.

This specific vegan recipe by Halo gives adult canine sidekicks complete nutrition with a plant-based diet that helps dogs maintain their usual energy level.

It’s not only targeted towards vegan dog owners but also for pooches who may be extra sensitive to any kind of animal protein. The fruits and veggies are all non-GMO and taken from sustainable farms.

Customer reviews:

90% of 123 consumers are happy with this 5-star dog food recipe for giving pet owners an excellent alternative to meat-based diets that severely sensitive pups cannot enjoy. Although it is plant-based, it has all the components and nutrients that help dogs thrive and flourish. The quality is consistent, according to them, and dogs love the taste.

Dry Dog Food Products

1. Acana Red Meat Recipe

First 5 Ingredients: Beef, Deboned Pork, Beef Meal, Whole Red Lentils, Whole Pinto Beans

Acana is a manufacturer of biologically-appropriate dog foods made from natural ingredients. Its dog food formulations are often a mixture of fresh and raw ingredients balanced together by the inclusion of whole vegetables and fruit.

The dog food brand offers a wide range of grain-inclusive and grain-free food for small to large breed pups of all life stages.

This grain-free dog food recipe offers up a meaty blend of different animal proteins that make up 60% of the entire formulation.

The beef and pork are either raw or fresh, preserved at the peak of freshness, and a freeze-dried coating of raw meat further adds a lip-smacking flavor that adult dogs will love.

Customer reviews:

This grain-free diet is made by one of the best dog food brands out there, and its superiority is shown by how many people ranked this food 5 stars (84% of total dog owner ratings). The ingredients are minimal, but they’re all good. Coats are looking better and upset tummies are almost non-existent when this Acana recipe was fed over a period of time.

2. Castor & Pollux ORGANIX Organic Chicken & Sweet Potato Recipe

First 5 ingredients: Organic Chicken, Organic Chicken Meal, Organic Sweet Potatoes, Organic Potatoes, Organic Peas

Castor and Pollux used to be a homemade dog food business that has gradually evolved to be the best dog food brand when it comes to using organically certified ingredients.

The company carefully blends extraordinary taste with safe ingredients to deliver a 100% complete and balanced meal.

This grain-free dry dog food uses organic chicken and chicken meal to supply a high protein level of 26%. The chicken is accompanied by organic sweet potatoes to provide the carbohydrates and fiber, while superfoods like organic flaxseed and blueberries bring in the antioxidants and omega fatty acids.

Customer reviews:

This organic dry dog food is made without GMO ingredients and its makeup is of the highest-quality, which is why 97% of 144 reviewers highly recommend it to other dog owners. Dogs gobble the food down, which is a plus when you think of how healthy this dog food is for them.

3. I and Love and You Naked Essentials Lamb & Bison Recipe

First 5 Ingredients: Lamb, Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Garbanzo Beans, Ground Peas

Made up of a team of animal nutrition experts and holistic veterinarians, I and Love You is a brand that strives to provide the most complete whole-food products in the market.

Each recipe it crafts uses real meat, healthy fats, digestible carbohydrates, and fresh produce. There are never any fillers, corn, wheat, or soy.

This lamb and bison recipe contains all the proteins needed to fuel your dog’s daily activities. Although the label says lamb and bison, the formula also contains chicken and turkey to keep the protein level up (30%).

Instead of grains, the food has garbanzo beans, peas, and sweet potatoes to provide the carbohydrates and fiber for better digestion.

Customer reviews:

95% of 169 reviewers think this food needs to be recommended to others. According to several, it’s a kibble that does not upset stomachs, reduces flatulence, and helps resolve consistent diarrhea. The probiotics and prebiotics in it helps sensitive digestive tracts massively, and picky eaters love the meaty taste.

Dehydrated, Raw, And Freeze-Dried Dog Food Products

1. Bravo! Homestyle Complete Beef Dinner

First 5 ingredients: Beef, Beef Liver, Sweet Potatoes, Chickpeas, Beef Hearts

Bravo is a family-owned pet food manufacturer that operates with a mission of “make good happen.”

The brand grew out of a company that sold high-quality meats to fine-dining establishments, and it carries this tradition of only providing the best with its offerings of premium dog foods. Currently, Bravo! crafts raw diets of frozen foods and freeze-dried meals and treats.

There is only a single animal protein source in this recipe, and it is beef. And because there is so much of it in this grain-free dog food, the minimum crude protein level is a very high 38%. It provides complete nutrition for small to large breed pups, from puppies to senior dogs.

Customer reviews:

91% of customers recommend this grain-free dog food because it is “real food that you can see.” It is picky-eater approved and is great for pups who are allergic to almost everything.  The raw diet is also quite convenient to feed (less messy), and it smells good unlike many other types of dog food.

2. The Honest Kitchen Limited Ingredient Diet Fish Recipe 

First 5 ingredients: White Fish, Dried Organic Coconut, Dried Chickpeas, Dehydrated Pumpkin, Dehydrated Celery

One of the best dog food brands when it comes to dehydrated foods, The Honest Kitchen is known for delivering real and noticeable results in pets that range from healthier skin and higher energy levels to improved digestion and body weight through its feed grade food offerings.

This limited ingredient dog food diet by The Honest Kitchen takes into consideration the sensitivities your furry sidekick may have.

It uses wild-caught fish as the only source of animal protein and features only six whole food ingredients to deliver complete nutrition. While the ingredients may be limited, the nutrition isn’t. Protein is 36% and fat is at 8%. 

Customer reviews:

88% of reviewers highly recommend this formulation by The Honest Kitchen because of its simplicity and effectiveness in dealing with food allergy issues. The dry food is easy on the digestive system and has helped clear up hotspots and itching. One big plus is that the food doesn’t smell bad at all.

3. Stella & Chewy's Surf ‘N Turf Dinner Patties 

First 5 Ingredients: Beef, Whole Ground Salmon, Beef Heart, Beef Liver, Beef Bone

Stella & Chewy’s is a pet food company whose products are exclusively sold by Chewy.com. Its philosophy is to provide your pup with a convenient form of raw food that’s heavy on animal proteins and nutrition. The brand believes that a dog’s diet in the wild is more viable, and it crafts its formulas around this belief.

These dinner patties are distinctly meat-based because it’s made up of 95% grass-fed beef, bone, and organs. Wild-caught salmon adds further protein and flavor, while 100% certified organic fruits and vegetables nicely balance out the freeze-dried formulation.

The ingredients are ethically sourced then prepared here in the USA, and there are never any fillers, gluten, or artificial preservatives.

Customer reviews:

308 reviewers who gave this formulation a 96% recommended rating couldn’t all be wrong. Dogs are said to be very attentive when a pouch is opened for feeding. A few owners have said that they feel good when feeding their pets with this dish because of all the great ingredients inside. And because of the careful formulation of the food, dog coats are looking glossier and more healthy.

Other 5-Star Dog Food Brands You Should Look At

Here are some other well-known brands that continuously offer food that merits 5 stars from consumers. 

• Evangers Dog Food Review – made by Evanger’s Dog & Cat Food Company
• Go! Dog Food Review – made by Petcurean Pet Nutrition company
• Merrick Dog Food Review – made by Nestle Purina PetCare company
• Natures Variety Dog Food Review – Privately Held Company
• Orijen Dog Food Review – made by Champion PetFoods
• Timberwolf Dog Food Review – private and independently owned
• Wellness Dog Food Review – made by WellPet
• Weruva Dog Food Review – The Weruva Company
• Wysong

Remember, feeding your dog a high-quality pet food product is the best way to ensure that he stays in good health for a long time. If your dog eats well, he will be well—it is as simple as that.

Do not be tempted by a lower price tag into purchasing a lesser quality dog food. Cheaper products often contain unnecessary ingredients, like artificial colors or flavors, that not only do nothing for your pup but could also trigger any sensitivities he may have.

Choosing to go with cheaper product could end up costing you more in the long run because your dog could develop serious health problems related to poor nutrition. In the end, it is always worth it to feed your dog the best food you can afford.