11 of The Best Dog Food Toppers That Are Healthy For Your Pup

Our quick take: A dog food topper is optional. It can tempt a picky eater, add moisture or help hide a pill, but most toppers are made for supplemental feeding only, so they don’t replace a complete and balanced dog food. Count toppers as treats: the common guideline is to keep treats to no more than 10% of your dog’s daily calories, and to feed a little less of the main meal if your dog starts gaining weight. Our top picks below are a single-ingredient freeze-dried beef liver, a broth-based pour-over and a freeze-dried raw meal mixer.

You’re in the pet store and shopping for your pet. Doggy accessories. Check. Dog food. Check. Dog food toppers. Um, what? It’s overwhelming enough selecting the best dog food for your canine, but add dog food toppers to that list and total confusion.

How do you select the best dog food toppers to give? What should be in them? And do dogs really need food toppers? 

Let’s run through the ins and outs of this tasty type of doggy treat and discuss some of the best you can give your pup today.

Is Giving A Dog Food Topper Necessary?

No, dog food toppers are not strictly necessary. Not in most scenarios, anyway. But they do have a lot of upsides that can benefit your pet. Like these below:

1. They add variety. Dogs love their kibbles and wet food, but just like their humans, they enjoy variety too. And unlike us, they really can’t keep changing their food. So if you’ve found the best dog food that works well with your pet’s tastes and/or sensitivities, it would be hard to switch to another. 

Dog food toppers provide an extra layer of taste to the usual dog’s meal. These encourage your dog to eat his regular food by giving him something a little different so he won’t get bored and turn his nose up at his dinner.

2. They entice picky eaters. Dog food toppers are crafted to be extra palatable and aromatic to entice picky pups to quit snubbing their meals. They’re also quite helpful in encouraging recovering or sick dogs to eat up.

3. They provide extra nutritional value. Some dog food mixers are filled with extra nutrition designed specifically to boost certain areas of your pup’s health.

For example, you’ve got healthy dog food toppers that contain supplemental nutrition for joint health, some have extra protein, some are crafted with omega fatty acids for shiny hair and coats, and so on. 

4. They’re quite handy when giving medication. Food toppers are a sneaky but great way to hide your pup’s medication. No more struggling to feed your sick dog what his doctor ordered. 

5. They’re good for hydrating pets. Food toppers (wet ones) are excellent for adding extra moisture into your pet’s diet, particularly if your dog does not drink enough water. Bone broths can be poured over your dog’s kibble to make his food more hydrating and palatable.

Types of Toppers in a Dog’s Food

There are many kinds of dog food toppers but the main categories are wet and dry. A wet dog food topper may have gravy or water, or be made entirely of broth. A dry food topper can be made of kibbles, or can be found in powder, air-dried, dehydrated, or freeze-dried forms. Freeze-dried raw toppers are uncooked, so handle them like raw meat and wash your hands and your dog’s bowl after serving. The AVMA discourages feeding raw animal protein to dogs because it can carry germs such as Salmonella and Listeria, which can make both pets and people sick.

Usually, the dry forms keep better than the wet kind of food topper, whose leftovers may need to be refrigerated. Choose which works best or is most convenient to prepare for you. 

 

The Best Dog Food Toppers

1. Stewart Pro-Treat Beef Liver

This is a grain free, freeze-dried raw dog treat made from 100% raw liver. The savory morsels are freeze-dried so your pup gets to enjoy the natural aroma of the food and the full nutritional value of the meat.

We chose this dog food topper because it’s ideal for most dogs, even for ones with sensitivities. There’s only one ingredient so you don’t have to look long to check if there are troublesome ingredients in it that may affect your pup. If you feed your dog a raw food diet, this will perfectly complement it too.

The food is high in protein, low in fat, and since it’s easily crumbled, is great as a food topper for your pet’s meals (aside from being an excellent training treat).

Dogs simply love liver. There are only a very few who don’t. So it ticks all of the things in our list of what makes a good topper. Plus, it’s got the taste down pat too. 

Not only do we approve of the ingredients, but with a ton of reviews and most of them good, we’d have to say this is the best dog food topper to give your finicky canine. Who else knows best but pet parents like you?

This training treat/dog food topper from Stewart is a hit with most pooches and their owners based on an 83% 5-star rating from 2,878 purchasers. Dogs love the liver taste and are willing to go through hoops for a taste of this.

The topper affords dogs with more energy, gives them gleaming coats, and motivates them to learn (for training). And they come in tubs, which last a long time — a big plus for buyers. 

The negative reviews mostly complain about the non-standardized sizes of the chunks or how big most of the chunks seem to be. But these can be easily cut up to the size you wish or crumbled into dust to sprinkle onto your dog’s meal.

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2. The Honest Kitchen Functional Pour Overs Heart Health

This tasty food topper by Honest Kitchen makes every meal extra special for your furry friend! Formulated by a Veterinary Nutritionist, this pourable stew features wild-caught salmon simmered in a rich turkey bone broth reduction.

It’s packed with balanced omega fatty acids, taurine, and L-carnitine to help support your pet’s heart health.

Made with human-grade ingredients, it contains no undesirable additives like gums, carrageenan, feed-grade ingredients, meat meals, fillers, GMOs, or artificial flavors and preservatives.

Conveniently packaged for easy use, simply pour this delicious stew over each meal to encourage your pet to enjoy every bite!

Majority of reviewers recommend this one to other pet owners. According to them, the pour over smell fresh and their dogs love the taste. It’s also a big deal that the food is made up of human grade ingredients and manufactured in a human grade factory. 

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3. Stella & Chewy’s Duck Duck Goose Meal Mixers

These are grain free toppers that complement a well balanced diet, raw or otherwise.

Stella & Chewy’s says the recipe is 95% duck, organs and bone (the duck is cage-free), and the ingredient list also includes turkey and goose. The raw diet makes use of all parts of the poultry, including organ meat and bones (finely grounded) to provide a nutritious and tasty treat for your pup.

With a score of 4.7 out of 5 stars and 92% recommended rating, we expected a lot from this food topper product by Stella & Chewy. And it didn’t disappoint.

Many of the reviewers were impressed with the quality of the food, and it works even on picky dogs as several have attested. It’s a good supplement for all types of diets but especially one that relies on raw nutrition.

The critical reviews are mainly due to a shipping problem and not an issue with the food itself. A few did say that their fur babies turned their noses up at the food toppers, but they only make up a little percentage of the total reviews.

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4. Greenies Smart Topper Beef, Peas & Carrots 

Make mealtime more exciting or treat your pup to an irresistible snack with this scrumptious topper. This grain-free, high-protein meal enhancer features VitaBroth—a nourishing blend of bone broth enriched with vitamins E and B1—along with real, recognizable ingredients like beef, peas and carrots.

It’s crafted with natural ingredients, plus essential vitamins, and is free from corn, wheat, soy, and chicken by-product meal. You also won’t find any artificial flavors or preservatives.

Designed with your pet’s health in mind, this topper includes antioxidants to help support a strong immune system. It’s the perfect way to add variety, flavor, and excitement to your dog’s diet, ensuring every meal is tail-waggingly delicious!

This food topper product has garnered a rating of 4.8 stars out of 5 from 158 Chewy reviewers. Many of the purchasers are happy with the result of adding this to their dog’s food — solid stools, less gas, and shinier coats. The product also smells fresh and sweet, according to some.

The downside to this product aside from its price is that it caused stomach upset in some dogs.

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5. The Missing Link Ultimate Canine Hip & Joint Formula

This formula is a powder blend of omega fatty acids, glucosamine, and whole foods that provide joint support and a big nutritional boost to regular dog food.

Although it is formulated for all dogs, it is best for older ones who suffer from stiffness or pain in their joints. 

93% of 705 reviewers found this topper is just what is needed to bring the spark back to elderly dogs.

Dull coats became shinier and softer to the touch, older pups had more energy, and most mobility issues were gone. Senior canines became more like younger pups once this topper was added to their food intake.

The critical reviews are from customers whose dogs did not like the taste. Those who gave one to three star ratings comprised 5% of the total number of reviewers.

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6. Instinct Freeze Dried Raw Boost Mixers Gut Health Recipe

Instinct Raw Boost Mixers is a grain free dog food topper with fiber and live and natural probiotics to boost your pup’s digestive health. It is made with cage-free chicken that has been freeze dried to supplement your dog’s diet with much flavor and nutrition.

A total of 1860 reviewers rated this dog food mixer with 4.7 stars out of 5. Not only does the topper assist with digestion and the elimination of loose stools, but it also turns dogs into little beggars who lick their bowl clean and ask for more. Since the mixer is in dry form, the probiotics in it (meant for dogs with easily upset stomachs) are easily dispensed. 

The less-than-stellar ratings come from a few customers whose picky dogs won’t touch their toppers. It’s also mentioned as being too expensive to be used as regular toppers.

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7. Wellness CORE Simply Shreds Chicken, Beef & Carrots