WDJ’s 2024 Approved Dry Dog Foods: Search Over 1,000 Varieties

Check out Whole Dog Journal's 2024 list of approved dry dog foods, with more than 1,000 varieties! Did your dog's food make the list?

By
Nancy Kerns
-
Published:
34
dry dog food
We’re excited about the possibilities of Whole Dog Journal's searchable database of dry dog foods, and hope you find it to be helpful for finding good foods for your dogs.
We’re excited to now present information about every single one of the dry dog foods made by the companies on our “Approved Foods” list, including their complete ingredients lists. Even more exciting: This is a searchable database. You can use filters to find foods that meet many specific needs for different dogs.
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34 COMMENTS

  2. Chicken is the number one allergen in pet foods.
    If you can start with excluding that from the diet, see if it helps.
    I have two mixes with full on poultry issues.
    Lamb is often used in sensitive stomach formulations. However you must read the full list of ingredients in any food you buy. Chicken fat or chicken protein can appear way down on the list of ingredients. Again, exclude this from your dogs diet. It’s a sensible place to start.

  3. I just tried that search and did not get any of those in the results. To be clear, you have to add a separate filter for each, so you have four total filters: Ingredients does not contain chicken, ingredients does not contain peas, ingredients does not contain lentils, grain-free or inclusive is inclusive. Did you do that?

  5. There is a printable version in the print magazine that lists a summary of information about each company on the list, including how many foods they make,how many grain-free, how many include meat,meal,or both,etc. … but, no, printing out the entire 1,200-food list is not something we imagined anyone would want to do. What, exactly, do you want to print?

  7. You haven’t considered Grand Cru, is this because it is manufactured solely in Quebec, Canada and may not be available in US? It is one of my favourite dry foods and my dogs have loved it, so I’m interested in your opinion.

  8. I’m wondering why you’ve categorized many products as ALS (all life stages) when they are clearly labeled/marketed by the manufacturer as either Puppy or Adult and some even more specifically labeled as Large Breed Adult or Large Breed Puppy. So are you saying, for instance, that Fromm Gold Large Breed Adult food is fine for puppies?

    • I know it’s confusing. — especially when companies name and label their foods with contradictory clues, like your example.

      There are two sets of nutritional standards: Adult maintenance and growth/reproduction. Foods that are formulated for “adult maintenance” meet one set of nutritional requirements. They are not suitable for puppies, or pregnant or nursing mothers. Products that meet the requirements for “growth/reproduction” may be labeled as “Puppy food” but it’s the AAFCO statement on the bag that matters. The statement on products that meet the AAFCO standards for “growth/reproduction” may say that they are formulated to meet the nutrient requirements for “growth” or “all life stages” (meaning they meet the standards for nutrition for adults AND puppies AND nursing or pregnant mothers).

      In our table, we included which set of AAFCO nutrient standards were met, according to the AAFCO statement on the label. The food you reference says this on the label: “Fromm Family Large Breed Adult Gold Food for Dogs is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for growth and maintenance, including growth of large size dogs (70 lb. or more as an adult).”

      Its name includes “Adult” — but it meets the nutritional standards for large breed puppies AND adults. Hope this helps!

  9. I’m very disappointed to see numerous foods on here I would never feed to a dog of mine for reasons including multiple dogs have developed diet-related dilated cardiomyopathy while eating them (see info on the FDA looking into this) . I have friends whose dogs were affected. Some survived by changing diet as prescribed by board certified veterinary cardiologists. I have used some of these very same brands but won’t ever again. Another brand on this list has failed plant inspections (and I’ve used this brand as well–has very appealing advertising–unfortunately the food is not the quality represented). Some of the reports of what was found was really disgusting. I suggest that Whole Dog Journal move to only recommending specific formulas from brands that have conducted feeding trials. What the labels say is in these foods and how well dogs actually do on them (stay healthy as verified by blood and other diagnostic tests) can be very different.

  10. On past approved lists, Blue Buffalo Life Extension and Purina Bright Mind were highly rated. This list they are not mentioned at all. Why are they no longer recommended or even included? Or am I mistaken?

  11. Unfortunately I see there are many brands listed that may or do source ingredients (usually vitamin/mineral mixes) from China. With all of the issues and recalls due to ingredients from China, I find that piece of information to be very important when choosing a food for my dogs. It would be helpful for that information to be noted on the list.

  12. I’m concerned because I just re subscribed. I had stopped before for the reasons stated above. I worked in veterinary medicine for 40 years before retiring. I saw all the fad diets come and go. I went to a lecture recently by a veterinary geneticist who stresses that today’s dogs are NOT wolves. Our pet dogs have evolved and need healthy grains in their diets.

    If the product package has a wolf I run the other way. I am looking for a dry dog food made of ingredients from the US and made in the US. No fly by night brands. I want to know the number of recalls the plant has had. And no raw food. Is anyone else looking for something like this? Or has found it?

  14. I too, am curious about Blue Buffalo. It was, at one time, on the WDJ list of approved foods but has been absent in recent editions of this list. Way back when, we made the switch to Blue Buffalo based on the WDJ recommendation. Is Blue Buffalo the company that Melissa Paul is referring (in terms of good advertising0? Now we are simply confused. This list of “approved” foods could be more concise. And what about hydrolized foods for dogs with allergies?

  16. Would someone please investigate appropriate protein levels for healthy adult dogs? My veterinarian and my dog’s breeder both said 22% -26%, with a stretch to 28%. Even some trainers will tell you that high protein levels can affect a dog’s behavior. Why then are there so many approved foods well over 30%? Two dogs ago, I fed a food whose protein levels have skyrocketed to 32% – 36%. For now, I’m following the vet’s and breeder’s advice, feeding a food with a 24% protein level. But I’d like to have a definitive answer.

  21. I, too, am curious about why the various Blue Buffalo foods are no longer on the list. There have been many people asking. Are you able to give any answer at all? I’m sure that we all want to feed a quality food and thought that we were… Thanks.

  22. I’m curious why Purina Pro Plan never makes your list. Many of my vet friends, who are also involved in dog sports and confirmation recommend this food due to the high number of vets on staff at Purina and the multitude of tests they perform to come up with formulas.

  29. Two year old Beagle female (Myka). Allergic to chicken, corn, oat, pea, peanut, rice, tomato and white potato based on nextmune allergy test. Having a real hard time finding kibble. Right now, feeding Earthborn Holistic – Venture Turkey Meal & Pumpkin. In addition, allergic to various grasses, weeds and tree pollen. Can anybody offer a suggestion for a kibble?