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.
I’m a member and am logged in yet it says “this article is only available to members”
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 am interested.
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…
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!
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?
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.
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.
Why is TRUDOG freeze dried raw food not included in the recommended list? Thank you.
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No review of Vital Essentyials?
I need to find an air dried dog food that is a bit less expensive than Kiwi Peak (which we love). I do not want raw because I need the strep to be killed. I would appreciate any help you can give me. Thank you.
Love your Journal – would it be possible for you to do an approval rating on “Badlands Ranch” Superfoods Complete Dog Food?
Thank you.
I love that you did this. However, it’s nearly impossible to read on an iPad. I’ll try it on my computer and see if it is easier.
What is it that you did not find acceptable about Kiwi Kitchens. I’ve been feeding it regularly for the last two years and find it is brilliant food.
I loved Kiwi, but just discovered they were purchased by a Chinese company. I am now skeptical, thinking regulations may have changed even if still made in New Zealand. Would appreciate any help.
This is unreadable on my iPad & I have the biggest iPad available. (12.9” iPad Pro). Please fix this issue!
You left out some good foods and more concerned about the referral links being your decision on which foods to list.
Agree with Lisa G—chart is unreadable on large iPad. Please test your pages on commonly used devices prior to publishing! Your web developer should know this.
Can’t read on my iPad Pro. Need fix!
Would appreciate additional insights from author as to why one product is over $3.00 an ounce yet another is just $0.54. Are some just toppers and others whole meals? Such a huge difference is meaningful for folks on a budget but who want to give their pooch the best possible. Protein content ranges from 24% to 55%! Realizing each dog is different, what range of % of protein is best to start with. In a month I’m bringing home a 10 week pup who’s being fed raw. I plan to transition to a high quality kibble (Fromm for pups) and supplement with freeze dried raw. Help!! Give us newbies a place to start.
I’ve been feeding a combination of Vital Essentials (a.m.) and Honest Kitchen (p.m.) for quite some time now. My dogs are 8 and 11 and see vet only for annual checkups, titer. (Dachshund and Beagle mix) NEVER had any digestive issues with either one of them. If one considers the amount one has to feed, it’s well worth investing in some food which is a bit pricier, but better quality. You have to feed less. 😉
Wondering why Nutra Complete is not on the list
Hello, I am a new subscriber and for 12 years we fed Honest Kitchen Chicken (with oatmeal) dehydrated along with a grain-free Wellness Core kibble to our sweet girl Kiki, who we lost in February 2023 (at 15.5 years old). I hope that you will see my comment here, and let us know why Honest Kitchen did not make the cut in your list here. This is very timely for us, as tomorrow we are bringing home a 5.5 month old rescue pup. We want to make the best food choices (that we can *afford*) for her. Thank you.
Christina, I had to hunt for The Honest Kitchen but found it. They only included the grain-free formulas (that I found). We’re feeding the Chicken with oatmeal with good results so far.
Christina, and Teresa I see Honest Kitchen Chicken and oatmeal both with and without grain whole food clusters gently dehydrated and baked
why is Carna4 no longer on the list?
Unable to read on my iPad. I’m am disappointed text is too wide for viewing to review it. So far very disappointing to try reading anything.
How has the criteria in 2023 changed from 2022? I couldn’t find any changes. What am I missing?
My girls (10 & 13 yo Labs) have been eating The Honest Kitchen Beef , grain free for years and am very happy with it…and so are they!
Difficult for those of us who live in Canada as most of these brands are unavailable. Please could you review some Canadian brands? e.g., Grand Cru, manufactured in Quebec by CaniSource? Low temp dehydrated raw food. Crude minimum values: protein 28%, fat 16%, fibre 3%, moisture 8%. Several different protein source varieties and available in both grain and grain free formulas. ‘canisource.com/grandcru’
Has anyone researched the Air Dried dog food?
Can you include Smack next time? Canadian dehydrated raw that is now available in the US.
Looking for “Badlands Ranch”. Am I missing something?
Dr. Marty is NOT on the list as you indicated. The database does not fit on my laptop screen. Company names are almost unreadable.
We feed our two spaniels 1/2 cup of freeze dried and 1/4 cup raw 80/20 ground beef at each meal (2Xday). I may have missed any mention of including raw meat with the freeze dried in the listing of approved food–will you please address that method of feeding? Thank you.
After using Kiwi and Ziwi air-dried foods for years in combo with Darwin frozen raw, I realized my dog’s itching may have been due to those brands’ use of green mussel. Ziwi’s steamed and dry foods don’t include that ingredient, and his itching has subsided.