Below, we’ve listed 265 freeze-dried, air-dried, or dehydrated dog foods that meet our selection criteria for a high-quality food. They appear in a searchable database that includes every bit of information you might need to know—and can search on or filter—about each product:
- Company name
- Product name
- Formulation type (which dogs the product is formulated for: adults only or “all life stages”)
- Growth of large-breed puppies (whether the product is appropriate for large-breed puppies or not)
- Nutrient profile (how the nutritional adequacy of the product was determined: by virtue of meeting AAFCO’s nutritional requirements or by feeding trials)
- Grain inclusivity (whether the product is grain-inclusive or grain-free)
- Drying method (freeze-dried, dehydrated, or a combination of the two)
- Guaranteed minimum amount of protein
- Guaranteed minimum amount of fat
- Ingredients (a list of all of each product’s ingredients)
- Price per ounce (calculated using the smallest price we found for the largest size of the product)
- A link for buying 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.)
The products in this database can be sorted by clicking on the top of each column, enabling you to find the products alphabetically by company, by their amounts of protein and fat, life stage or suitability for large-breed puppies, or price per ounce. Click on the top of the column a second time to see them in the opposite order (low to high, or high to low, for example).
You can also use filters to find or eliminate products based on their ingredients or protein or fat levels. Say you are looking for a food that contains beef, does not contain chicken, and has less than 25% fat. Just apply the appropriate filters and voila!
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.
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Why is TRUDOG freeze dried raw food not included in the recommended list? Thank you.
Hi Nancy,
I see a few questions in the comments and would love to know your response…your opinion of Dr. Marty’s is one of the main ones.
My own question: I haven’t read the whole list yet but it appears to be alphabetical. Do you have, or plan to create, a Best to Worst list, or even just the Top Ten?
I’ve been feeding plain raw for 20+ years….human grade, straight from the supermarket, or from a meat processor who delivers throughout California. Also a really good source of ground green tripe, organ meat and trachea. I’m looking for a good dry food to keep in my stash of emergency supplies, since raw wouldn’t last very long. I use Honest Kitchen and Vital Essentials for training and treats and would like to expand my choices.
Thanks!
Dr. Marty’s is on the list. We don’t “rank order” the products, as what is most appropriate for your dog may be quite unsuitable for others. We encourage readers to look for appropriate products for their own dogs, checking (in particular) fat and protein levels and ingredients.
Be aware that the list can be re-ordered by clicking on the top of the columns. You can also set up a search query by adding filters, to find products that are above or below certain levels of fat or protein, for example, or that include or omit certain ingredients. Finally, please note that there are 9 pages of results, but to go from page to page, you have to scroll back to the top of the list. We’ll try to get the button for navigating from page to page at the bottom of each page, too.
Is there printed list of these foods or just the photos?
Not sure what you are not seeing….there is a list of foods, with descriptions of the offerings from each company.
We have been feeding Dr Marty Nature’s Blend for about 6 months for their morning meal and a vet recommended kibble for their evening meal. They love the morning meal but are not so crazy about the kibble. Our vet recommended Hills Kidney Care for our 12 year old Cairn Terrier with liver issues and another Hills product for our Wire Chiwoxie. They both prefer the freeze dried food. I noticed Dr. Marty’s food was not mentioned in your article. We also supplement the food with boiled chicken breast treats. We would like to feed our dogs the best available diet available. Any comments anyone?
A bit late in answering, but of course your vet recommends kibble–that’s what they learn in vet school and Hill’s is how they make money. Kibble is not part of a dog’s natural diet, raw is. Raw will most likely help the kidney and liver issues, too. And btw, vaccines cause a lot of these issues. Few vets will tell you that, few vets have any knowledge of vaccines except what they’ve been taught in one or two classes in vet school–all sponsored by pharmaceutical companies.
Great article – can you tell me if Open Farm uses the kill switch? My Lagotto Romagnolo absolutely loves this food and is doing really well on it. Thank you for all your research!
Great article! I just wish the pricing had been standardized – $ per oz, for example. I know that nutrition and weight aren’t going to be equivalent, but it’s a good start…
I am interested.
Did WDJ have a look at the dehydrated food, Hurraw from Quebec Canada? I have fed it to my dogs and was curious if this food was included in your review.
I’m a member and am logged in yet it says “this article is only available to members”