Below, we’ve listed more than 1,100 foods that meet our selection criteria for a high-quality food. They range from moderately priced to expensive foods (super cheap foods don’t meet our selection criteria). You’ll notice that certain store brands, with ingredients that meet our criteria for quality foods, do not appear on our list of “Approved Foods.”
Approved Dry Dog Foods
On this page, we have provided the following information about every individual product made by each of the companies on our Approved Foods list:
- Company information (city, state, phone, website)
- Line (if the company identifies a product as part of a certain product line)
- Name of the product
- Its complete ingredients list
- Whether the product is grain-free or grain-inclusive
- Whether the product is made with a named meat, a named meat meal, both, or none (in the case of vegetarian foods)
- Whether the product is formulated for adult maintenance or dogs of all life stages
- The minimum % of protein
- The minimum % of fat
- The price per pound (we used the largest size available of each product to calculate this; per-pound prices are higher for smaller bags)
- A link for purchasing the product. (Note: If you buy a product using the link, we may earn a commission. Whole Dog Journal is reader-supported and does not accept money for its food and product reviews.)
Note that if you don’t see the name of a company or product you were expecting to see, try the product name (or, conversely, the name of the company who makes it). We’ve listed each company’s products under the best-known name. So, for example, the foods made by Champion Pet Foods are listed under “Acana” and “Orijen.” But “Gather” and “Now Fresh” are listed under their maker’s name, Petcurean.
We’re excited to be able to use this online platform to present information about every single one of the dry dog foods made by the companies on our “Approved Foods” list in the form of a searchable database. You can use filters on the page below to find foods that meet the specific needs of any dog.
You can as many more filters as you need to further refine your list of candidate dog foods. For example, you can use the filters to find a grain-free food that contains no peas and is made with meat meal only. (Note: If you are trying to avoid a certain ingredient, add every iteration of that ingredient you can find. For example, if your dog can’t tolerate peas, look for a food with no peas, pea starch, pea fiber, or pea protein.) 
Or, you can find grain-inclusive foods that contain beef, have less than 15% fat, and are formulated dogs of all life stages. Use as many filters as you like! 
You can also have fun with ordering the data by clicking on the top of any of the columns. What are the most expensive foods on our list? Click the top of the “average price per pound” column! Click on it again to see the least expensive foods. Looking for especially high-protein or low-fat foods? Click on the top of those columns to order the 1,100-plus foods by the amount of these nutrients.
We’re excited about the possibilities of this searchable database, and hope you find it to be helpful for finding good foods for your dogs. Keeping your dog’s individual needs in mind, try some new products, switch frequently – and always watch your dog! Note the date that you start feeding any new food on a calendar and record your dog’s physical responses to the switch, good and bad. If you pay attention, he’ll let you know what works for him (and what doesn’t) with his appetite, energy, skin and coat, stool, and weight.
Click here to read more about our favorite dry dog foods in a number of different categories.
Searchable Dry Dog Food Database
Whole Dog Journal is reader-supported. If you purchase food through links on our site we may earn a commission. Whole Dog Journal does not accept money for its food and product reviews.
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?
Looking for Royal Canin and it is not on the list. Is it under a different company?
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.
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!
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.
I agree, unfortunate it’s so hard to be able to read this list. It needs to be more viewer friendly. Not worth the subscription.
i agree, it is complicated to read. first a person needs to study it.
Agree
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?
Please contact customer service with any access issues you are having. There is a “customer service” button at the top of the screen.
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?
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.
You should receive it very soon; it’s the February issue and it’s been mailed. You can also register for online access; click on “Activate my Web Access” at the top of the screen.