Our quick take: Start with the label. Look for a “complete and balanced” statement for your dog’s life stage, a named animal protein (such as chicken, beef or salmon) near the top of the ingredient list, and no artificial colors. Then check the brand’s recall history and how your own dog does on the food: a healthy weight, a good coat and firm stools matter more than marketing words like “premium” or “holistic”.
A great start
Be honest, do you know what to look for in dog food?
Great dog food starts with species-appropriate ingredients that won’t hurt your pet. (For brands that get this right, see our healthiest dog food picks.)
Whether dry, canned, raw, dehydrated, or homemade, the quality of any dog food rests on the excellence of its ingredients. These are often difficult to find, first because quality ingredients often increase the cost of the dog food, and secondly because dog food packaging is notoriously confusing.
Besides that, there are several ongoing debates in the world of canine nutrition, making it challenging to identify which ingredients are a healthy part of your dog’s diet and which ones could harm them.
Let’s try to make this a little bit easier by pointing out which ingredients do and don’t belong in your dog’s food, decoding the language of the label, and discussing which types of dog food are best for your pet.
Which ingredients don’t belong anywhere near your dog’s bowl?
Artificial Colors
A common offender in dog food is artificial colors. These ingredients are used solely to make the food more appealing for humans and add nothing for your dog. Some artificial dyes, including Yellow 5 and Red 40, have been linked to hyperactivity in children; in the European Union, human foods that contain them must carry a warning that they “may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.”
Artificial Preservatives
Artificial preservatives such as ethoxyquin, BHA, and BHT are still allowed in pet food, but they have raised safety questions for years. The U.S. National Toxicology Program lists BHA as “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen” based on animal studies, and in 2026 the FDA began a new safety review of BHA in human food. Many good brands now use natural preservatives such as mixed tocopherols (vitamin E) and rosemary extract instead.
Artificial flavors
Commonly added to dry dog food, artificial flavors are made from enzymatically liquefied or hydrolyzed animal tissue that’s sprayed on the food to give it more appetite appeal. Because this spray is made from by-products, this artificial ingredient could add any number of unknown meats into your dog’s food. For conscientious dog guardians who want to know what’s going into their pet’s body, this is unacceptable.
Corn, Soy, and Wheat
While it’s unclear whether or not these ingredients are consistently harmful, the general consensus is that they’re not the best choice for dogs, who are often sensitive to these ingredients and regularly exhibit allergic reactions to them.
While dogs can and do process grains and other carbohydrates, these ingredients are often hard on their digestive tracts, causing bloating, gas, and even an increased amount of smelly stool. Wheat is one of the most common allergens affecting dogs. Additionally, these high-carbohydrate foods are an especially poor choice for dogs who have or are at risk of developing diabetes.
Corn, soy, and wheat are often used as cheap fillers or binders and add minimal nutritional value to the food. Higher-quality dry dog foods use more nutritious binders like potatoes or chickpeas to hold the kibble together.
One caution about peas, lentils and other legumes: since 2018 the FDA has looked into reports of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a heart disease, in dogs eating foods with these ingredients high on the ingredient list, many of them grain-free. The FDA says it does not have enough data to show that the foods cause DCM, and in December 2022 it said it would only post new updates when there is meaningful new science. If you feed a food built on peas or lentils, it’s worth mentioning it to your vet, especially for breeds prone to heart disease.
Here’s an example of the ingredient list of a dry dog food that’s packed with fillers:
Corn, soybean meal, beef and bone meal, ground wheat flour, animal fat – bha used as preservative, corn syrup, wheat middlings
Aside from the other flaws of this formula (sweetening, an artificial preservative, unspecified animal fat), four of the first six ingredients are nutritionally devoid fillers.
The first six ingredients of a high-quality dry dog food look more like this:
Deboned beef, deboned pork, beef meal, whole green peas, red lentils, pinto beans
Sweeteners
Some dog foods contain sweeteners that make the food taste better for your dog. These sweeteners are unnecessary and high-glycemic, making them a particularly poor choice for dogs with diabetes. A high-quality dog food doesn’t require corn syrup or other sweeteners to make it palatable.
Carageenan
This thickening agent, which is extracted from red algae or seaweed, is allowed in human and pet food, but it is controversial: some laboratory and animal studies have linked it to gut inflammation, and much of the cancer concern comes from a degraded form that is not used in food. You’ll often find carrageenan as a gravy thickener in canned dog foods, and many premium brands now leave it out.
Recall History and Regulation
Remember the 2007 pet food recalls?
In March of that year, veterinary organizations reported over 100 deaths associated with contaminated food. The discovery of melamine, a chemical used to manufacture plastic products, in China-sourced pet food ingredients, led to the recall of over 5,300 pet food products from multiple major companies.
Following the import alert on these Chinese products, the FDA revealed for the first time that they had received at least 2,200 reports of dogs dying after consuming contaminated food, although only 14 of those reports had been confirmed.
With this incident fresh in our memories, it’s obvious how important it is to ensure that our dogs’ food is properly inspected and regulated according to stringent standards. While products made in the USA do come under closer inspection than those in some other countries, US-sourced products are not guaranteed to be safe.
It’s important to know the history of the brand from which you’re buying. A history of repeated recalls, a bad reputation with customers, or a record of false labeling indicates that the company isn’t the best source of food for your dog. See our best and worst dog food brands for examples of both.
Decoding the Labels
Knowing what makes a great dog food doesn’t serve much of a purpose if you can’t identify that food in the store.
Learning to decode labeling is half the challenge of finding a great dog food. Labels often intentionally obfuscate the truth about the integrity of the ingredients behind the package.
“Chunky dog food with beef. Filet mignon flavor. Chicken & sweet potato”
On the surface, the above dog food names look like little more than appetizing labels – but in reality, each title reveals a lot about the ingredients and quality of the food within.
While marketing has a lot to do with how these products are labeled, packaging requirements also play a major role. These rules necessitate such specific names as “beef flavor” and “chicken dinner”.
Let’s see what these names really mean:
- Foods named simply “beef”, “chicken”, or “pork”, for example, must be at least 95% of that meat, not counting water added for processing (at least 70% when the added water is counted).
- If that meat title is followed up with something like “entree”, “dinner”, or “platter”, that meat only has to make up at least 25% of the product, not counting added water (10% when the water is counted).
- Foods that claim to be made “with” the meat, like our “chunky dog food with beef” mentioned above, are only required to contain at least 3% of the specified meat.
- And foods with names like “filet mignon flavor” only have to have enough of the named meat (or a flavoring made from it) to be detected. There’s no required minimum percentage associated with this name.
What is “meat” and “animal”?
Some ingredient lists don’t call the meat by name. Instead, you’ll see ingredients like “meat”, “poultry meal”, and “animal by-products”. As you can imagine, these generic labels could refer to any number of different types of meat ingredients.
These ingredients have sometimes gotten a worse reputation than necessary. They are regulated and won’t include things like hooves, fecal matter, or hair. They include beneficial organ meat that may look and sound disgusting to humans but is ultimately a healthy choice for your dog.
That said, non-specific meats could come from any number of different animals. Non-specific protein sources are a risky choice, especially for dogs with sensitivities to certain meats.
Ideally, look for dog food with named proteins. Some examples of these specifically named proteins are: “beef”, “chicken meal”, “turkey”, “turkey liver”, and “eggs”.
Complete and Balanced
Here’s another phrase on dog food packaging that tells a story about the food within: “complete and balanced”. AAFCO (the Association of American Feed Control Officials) does not approve or certify individual foods. Instead, this statement means the company has shown that the food meets one of AAFCO’s nutrient profiles, either by formulating it to the profile or by passing an AAFCO feeding trial, for a stated life stage such as “adult maintenance” or “all life stages”. Many vets also suggest checking whether the company follows the WSAVA guidelines on nutritionists, research and quality control. A food with this statement can be fed as your dog’s only diet; a food labeled “for intermittent or supplemental feeding only” cannot.
Premium, Organic, and Natural
Foods labeled as premium, gourmet, or ultra-premium may be a perfectly good choice for your dog, but the label doesn’t mean anything other than that the manufacturer wants you purchase their product. There’s no official regulation on the use of this word on dog food packaging.
Products labeled as “natural” must, according to AAFCO’s definition, be made only from plant, animal or mined sources and must not be produced by a chemically synthetic process or contain chemically synthetic additives. The one exception is added synthetic vitamins, minerals and trace nutrients, in which case the label should say something like “natural with added vitamins, minerals and trace nutrients”.
The organic label is more meaningful. According to the USDA’s National Organic Program, any product labeled as organic must be “produced through approved methods that integrate cultural, biological and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance and conserve biodiversity. Synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, irradiation and genetic engineering may not be used.”
Organic, natural, premium, and holistic foods all vary in quality, so the ingredient list is always the most important indicator of how healthy a dog food actually is.
What is the best type of dog food?
Great dog food comes in many different forms. Here are some of the pros and cons of each type of dog food available.
Dry Kibble
This type of food is popular for a reason: it’s cheap, convenient, and dogs tend to love it. You can easily find low-quality dry dog food that’s packed with artificial dyes, preservatives, sweeteners, and fillers, but kibble can also be nutrient-rich and filler-free.
Pros
- Super convenient – it’s easy to store and serve
- Doesn’t spoil easily and requires no refrigeration
- Often more affordable than other types of dog food
- Comes ready to eat
Cons
- More processed than other types of dog food
- Typically contains fillers
- Low in moisture
- High carbohydrate content can be bad for your dog’s teeth
Wet/Canned
Water is an important part of your dog’s diet, and wet food delivers high moisture content that helps to keep them healthy. Because it doesn’t require binders, wet dog food can offer lower carbohydrate content than dry food, which is good for dogs with diabetes or who are sensitive to plant matter like potatoes, corn, and rice.
Pros
- High in moisture
- Easy to eat – especially important for dogs with bad teeth
- Comes ready to eat and requires minimal preparation
Cons
- Requires refrigeration
- Demands specific feeding times and can’t be left out all day
Dehydrated
Gentle drying keeps more of the ingredients’ natural character than high-heat cooking, while giving the food a longer shelf life and making it more convenient to serve. Drying alone does not reliably kill bacteria such as Salmonella, though, and dehydrated raw foods have been recalled for it, so check whether the brand cooks or otherwise treats its ingredients and wash your hands after handling it.
Pros
- A minimally processed form of dog food
- Offers maximum nutrition from food with integrity
- More convenient than raw or homemade food
Cons
- Rehydration can take several minutes
- You can’t leave this food out all day
Raw
Raw food approximates your dog’s natural ancestral diet by allowing them to eat nutritionally complete food of the kind they might find in nature, including muscle and organ meat, bones, and fresh fruit and vegetables.
Pros
- Many dogs find it very appealing
- A close approximation of your dog’s ancestral diet
- Raw food retains its nutritional integrity
Cons
- Requires careful preparation to avoid illness for dogs and humans: raw meat can carry Salmonella, Listeria and E. coli, and the AVMA advises against feeding raw or undercooked animal protein to dogs
- Bones can break teeth, cause choking or block the intestines
- Not convenient for those who aren’t at home with their dog at mealtimes
Homemade
Whether raw or cooked, a homemade diet allows you to choose exactly which ingredients you’d like to go into your dog’s meals. It’s great for those who are very well-read on canine nutrition or who have expert-recommended recipes. If you don’t know what you’re doing, it’s easy to give your dog an imbalanced diet.
Pros
- Allows you to choose exactly what goes into your dog’s body
- You can use whole, minimally-processed ingredients
- Preparing food for your dog can be a bonding experience
Cons
- Requires serious research to get it right
- Time-consuming – typically not a good choice for people on the go
- A high risk of offering your dog an improperly balanced diet
Can dogs eat table scraps?
The first commercial dog food wasn’t introduced until around 1860, when James Spratt brought the first dog biscuit to England. Prior to that time, most dogs shared food with their people, subsisting on table scraps and anything else they could scavenge.
The commercialization of dog food provided incentive for the de-popularization of feeding scraps whatsoever. In reality, however, feeding your dog “people food” is a nuanced issue. It can be either good or bad, depending on what you feed your dog.
Many human foods are toxic to dogs and a diet comprised entirely of scraps probably won’t offer complete and balanced nutrition. That said, occasional scraps and other human food, when properly selected, can make a healthy addition to your dog’s diet.
Healthy “people foods” include:
- Unseasoned meats (no cooked bones) – chicken, beef, pork, duck, and other meat
- Cooked eggs
- Plain, unsweetened yogurt (if your dog handles dairy well)
- Honey, a small amount only (it is mostly sugar)
- Peanut butter without xylitol
- Fish, cooked and boneless
Foods that you shouldn’t let your dog eat:
This is a short list. See our full list of foods dogs should never eat.
- Avocados (especially the pit and skin)
- Chocolate
- Alcohol
- Any sugar-free food – xylitol is highly toxic to dogs
- Grapes and raisins
- Onions and garlic
- Macadamia nuts and almonds
The Characteristics of a Great Dog Food
Regardless of which type of dog food you choose, the first several ingredients should be real meat from named sources. After that, any plant material should be nutritionally-packed and appropriate for your dog.
The food should be free of anything artificial and any unspecified meats.
Since you’ll typically feed your dog only one food for all of their meals, it’s important that the food you buy is a complete and balanced source of nutrition. Check the labeling to ensure that the food is a nutritionally-comprehensive diet.
Finding the Right Food for Your Dog
Depending on your dog’s size, age, and any medical conditions, their dietary needs may vary. Besides that, it’s important to find a food that your dog loves to eat. Finding the right food for your dog is a matter of experimentation, close monitoring, and an understanding of your dog’s unique needs.
