The 8 Best Natural Dog Foods, According To More Than 400 Discerning Dogs

Best Overall

FreshPet Vital Balanced Nutrition Dog Food

$48 At Chewy View On PETCO View On PetSmart

Developed by veterinarians, FreshPet's Vital Balanced Nutrition dog food is made animal-source protein, fruits, and vegetables, and stored in a refrigerator to keep the natural attributes of the ingredients used intact. The lightly cooked food has a soft texture that appeals to picky eaters, and FreshPet's quality ingredients received the highest marks among our 400+ group of home testers.

The dog food is suitable for all life stages and breed sizes, and is always free of preservatives, by-product meals, and genetically modified organisms. Within the Vital line of dog food from FreshPet there are recipes made with chicken or beef as the lead protein and first ingredient. For dogs with food sensitivities and health conditions, there are recipes formulated to address joint health & mobility, digestive health, and grain allergies.

The food is packaged in resealable bags containing one to five pounds of food, and in sausage shaped rolls that are easy to slice and come in three sizes, one, two, or five-pounds. Due to the fresh nature of the food, this recommendation is for readily purchased in person, but some retailers (like the ones we've listed above) offer shipping and pick-up options. Note that some flavors are more readily available than others, and this food is on the pricier side so can be costly if you're feeding a larger dog.

Additionally, Freshpet's kitchens are verified annually as non-GMO facilities by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) including the ingredients that are used to make their non-GMO dog and cat foods. But refrigerated dog food might not work for everyone, so we've identified dry and wet food options that might work better for your dog.

_{Certifications: Non-GMO verified by FDA | Life Stage: Puppy, adult | Food Type: Refrigerated | Breed Size: Small, medium, large}

Best Kibble

Fromm Family Pet Food

$36 At Amazon View On Petflow.com View On Petsuppliesplus.com

Among the 407 dog parents we polled, Fromm received top marks for reliable use of quality ingredients along with overall satisfaction, engagement, and enjoyment experienced by their dog.

Fromm Family Pet Food has been making food for dogs using human-grade ingredients for over a century, and the business continues to be family owned and operated from Wisconsin. They offer a variety of pet food recipes for all life stages, puppies, adults, and seniors, all which are made with ingredients—including meat, fish, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables—sourced from fully vetted farms and manufactured in their owned facilities.

Throughout the year, Fromm's facilities are inspected by outside agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Plus, every product Fromm's sells has a unique batch code which allows the company to trace each product through processing and formulation, including each ingredients' supplier.

Fromm also offers wet and dry dog foods formulated to address the needs of small breeds and large breeds along with weight management, food sensitivities, and protein preferences. Fromm dog food is typically carried by speciality pet food stores, so for some it might be more difficult to find, but it's readily available online.

_{Certifications: USDA ingredients | Type: Dry | Life Stage: Adult, senior | Breed Sizes: Small, medium, large}

Best Budget

Purina Beneful Originals Dog Food

$28 At Amazon $32 At Chewy $33 At Walmart

Beneful Original Dry Dog Food from Purina is widely available at big box stores, grocery stores, and online retailers.

The kibble offers balanced nutrition with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, and is beef, chicken, or salmon as the lead source of protein and the first ingredient. All three recipes are made without artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives, but they do incorporate natural food coloring.

The chicken and beef recipes boast farm-raised sourcing from farms in the United States, but farm-raised is not the same as farm-finished (USDA approved term of animals who spend full lifecycle within a farm), and does not indicate the type of feed the animals were given (e.g. grass-fed). All Beneful pet foods are manufactured within Purina's owned and operated facilities within the United States. And the salmon recipe has less transparency with the sourcing of the fish protein, but is unlikely to be wild caught. Additional ingredients include whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. This dog food lacks independent verifications and certifications that other brands on our list do have.

_{Certifications: None | Type: Dry | Life Stage: Adult, senior | Breed Sizes: Small, medium, large}

Best Subscription

The Farmer’s Dog Fresh Dog Food

View On Thefarmersdog.com

The Farmer's Dog food is lightly cooked and delivered to your door as a custom diet designed specifically for your dog’s age, weight, breed, and health condition. They currently offer four recipes (Chicken, Beef, Pork, and Turkey) all made with USDA-certified human-grade ingredients.

When it comes to getting this dog food, customer service is stellar. To get started, you fill out a short questionnaire online and then they package and ship four or six weeks' worth (you select the amount that works) of frozen dog food made with animal-source protein, vegetables, legumes, starches, and healthy fats (like fish oil and sunflower seeds). It is pre-portioned for easy feeding and instructions specific to your dog are included in each delivery. The ingredient list for each recipe is straightforward, and each serving provides vitamins, antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, and nutrients that have been shown to help prevent cognitive decline as dogs age.

The food is always made without by-product meals or artificial preservatives, and each order can be customized so you can tailor it to your dog's needs as they grow up, or pause when you are traveling. The food is shipped in recyclable cardboard boxes, and each food pack is made from BPA-free plastics that is non-toxic.

_{Certifications: USDA ingredients | Type: Frozen | Life Stage: Puppy, adult, senior | Breed Sizes: Small, medium, large}

Best for Big Dogs

Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Dry Dog Food

$100 At Amazon $73 At Chewy $103 At Walmart

For large breeds, which tend to have large appetites, the Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Adult Dog Food is sold in 13, 30, and 40 pound bags that are generally easy to come by at big box stores and online retailers. There are two recipes for large breeds, Lamb & Brown Rice and Chicken & Brown Rice, both of which provide omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids, and are made without by-product meals, corn, wheat, or soy protein. And, the Chicken & Brown Rice is made with farm-raised chicken. Plus, the brand is very transparent on the packaging and their website about the possibility for contamination with trace amounts of these items during the manufacturing process.

Of the 400+ dog parents who participated in our testing panel that feed their dog a food from Nutro, the human-grade ingredients and their dog's enjoyment of the food were the top reasons for their choice. But some feel the food is too crunchy for their dog so they mix the kibble with water to soften the pieces at mealtime.

Nutro Natural Choice Dog Food is manufactured within the company's own facilities in Canada and the United States, sourcing non-GMO ingredients from around the world. As a company, Nutro has committed itself to manufacturing all of its pet foods (for dogs and cats!) using non-GMO ingredients. They independently test all their ingredients (some of which may contain trace amounts of GMOs) and are able to connect each ingredient to its supplier.

Nutro Natural Choice Dog Food is also formulated for small breeds, seniors, and for dogs who need to lose a few pounds.

_{Certifications: Third-party testing of ingredients for GMOs | Type: Dry | Life Stage: Adult, senior | Breed Sizes: Small, medium, large}

Best Wet

ZIWI Peak Canned Wet Dog Food

$93 At Amazon $58 At Chewy

Ziwi Peak's Original Series Canned Wet Dog Food is formulated to promote vitality and health for dogs of all ages, and the six hydrating recipes within this collection of wet dog food are all made with free-range and wild-caught animal proteins that have been raised without added hormones or antibiotics. The New Zealand-based brand strives to promote and engage in ethical partnerships with farmers and fisheries to create their nutrient-rich dog food recipes.

There are four single protein source recipes, beef, chicken, lamb, and venison, which are highly advantageous for dogs with food sensitivities, along with two additional mixed protein recipes, mackerel & lamb and tripe & lamb. All of the Original Series wet dog food recipes are made with green mussels and kelp source from the sea in New Zealand which provide natural vitamins and minerals, such as fiber, amino acids, iron, and calcium.

The wet food is packaged in pull-top cans that come in two sizes, 6- and 13.75-ounces, and once a can is open it can be refrigerated for up to seven days. The smaller containers of wet food make it easier to keep the food fresh, but all varieties are suitable for dogs of any size and convenient for travel. The food is manufactured in New Zealand, and available for purchase online in the United States. And while you won't see glucosamine and chondroitin listed as ingredients, Ziwi Peak dog food does provide these building block nutrients as part of the animal-protein in the food where both glucosamine and chondroitin are found naturally.

^{Certifications: None | Type: Wet | Life Stage: Puppy, adult, senior | Breed Sizes: Small, medium, large}

Best Certified Organic

Tender & True Organic Dry Dog Food

$21 At Amazon $21 At Chewy $25 At Walmart

Tender & True uses USDA-certified organic ingredients to create kibble and canned wet food for dogs of all sizes and life stages, Organic Chicken & Liver and Organic Turkey & Liver. If you have a small breed dog, there are also two recipes that offer smaller kibble pieces, Organic Turkey & Oats and Organic Chicken.

These dog foods from Tender & True have USDA organic and Good Agricultural Practices certification, which is a voluntary USDA audit to verify safe food practices. The brand partners with third-party certification experts to guarantee the sourcing of ingredients from farms and fisheries that raise animals humanely and without the use antibiotics, hormones, or GMOs. Plus, it's grain-free and never made with fillers (corn, soy, wheat) or artificial flavors.

Tender & True also offers additional recipes for dogs, but not all made with certified organic ingredients.

^{Certifications: USDA organic, G.A.P. certified | Food Type: Dry, wet | Life Stage: Puppy, adult, senior | Breed Size: Small, medium, large}

Best Sustainable

Open Farm Dry Dog Food

$53 At Amazon View On 1-800-PetMeds View On Openfarmpet.com

Open Farm provides tracing and transparency into all of the ingredients used to create their foods for dogs, and all ingredients are free of GMOs. The brand is G.A.P certified (Good Agricultural Practices) and the farms and fisheries they partner with never use hormones, antibiotics, or steroids.

Open Farm offers eight recipes of their grain-free Dry Dog Food all made with humanely-raised and sustainably sourced proteins, including lamb, turkey, chicken, venison, whitefish, pork, beef, and salmon, paired with fruits and vegetables, like sweet potatoes, peas, chickpeas, pumpkin, carrots, and more. Each morsel of kibble is small and nutritionally suitable for breeds of all sizes and ages, but there are variations made for small breeds, seniors, and puppies to choose from as well.

The nutrient-dense dry foods are sold as 4 or 22 pounds bags, but a select few recipes are also available as 11-pound packages.

^{Certifications: G.A.P. certified | Food Type: Dry | Life Stage: Puppy, adult, senior | Breed Size: Small, medium, large}