Best dog food brands according to veterinary experts and owners

There are thousands of dog foods on the market, from grain-free to dry kibble. But which brands do dogs prefer?

To find out, we surveyed more than 1,400 real owners about the foods their dogs like best. The results cover everything from veterinary brands to supermarket options and boutique, luxury foods. 

We' also spoke to three veterinary nutrition experts to find out how to feed your pet the healthiest diet. 

Dog food brand ratings

Our dog owners rated their brand of dog food – our results apply to dry food, wet food and specialist ranges from every brand.

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Our top-rated dog food brand achieved an impressive customer score of 82%, while six brands at the bottom of the table scored less than 60%.

Some brands received just one-star ratings for value for money; other brands were given two stars for dog's reaction to the food.

Other dog food brand ratings 

As well as asking our readers to rate the different brands, we also asked them to tell us which brands they've tried but no longer feed to their dogs – and why. 

The most common reasons why people stopped using a brand of food were: the dog wouldn't eat it, it was too expensive, or it made the dog unwell and/or upset their stomach (even though they don't have any allergies or intolerances). 

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Which? overall verdict

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How to choose the best dog food

To help you interpret our dog food ratings and find the best food for your pet, we've spoken to three veterinary nutrition experts to find out what really matters. 

 Good news: finding the best food for your dog isn’t as complicated as it seems. 

‘The most important part of choosing a food is actually monitoring your pet,’ says Dr Teresa Hollands.

'If you are feeding your pet a particular brand of food, and they have plenty of energy and seem well in themselves, then you are on the right track.'

Dr Nigel Kendall agrees: ‘If your pet is on completely the wrong diet, then there will be physical signs.’ 

Signs that your pet is eating a nutritious diet and the right food for their needs include: 

• good overall health 
• plenty of energy 
• good sleeping habits
• regularly passing firm stools 
• maintaining a healthy weight.

How to feed your dog

As well as choosing the right food, you can also maximise the nutritional value of your pet’s diet by feeding them in the right way. 

We spoke with Dr David Gardner to find out more.

Choose a complete dog food

‘Start by making sure you are feeding your pet a complete food,’ he says. ‘That’s really important, but it isn’t always clearly labelled.’ 

Complete foods are designed to provide all the nutrients your pet needs, so you can feed them the same thing every day without causing a nutritional imbalance or deficit. 

Weigh out your dog food

Dr Gardner also highlighted the importance of keeping an eye on how much you feed your pet. 

You don't need to weigh out every meal, but ensure you're aware of the brand's (or your vet's) recommended intake.

Remember, you may not notice you're overfeeding your pet if you accidentally increase their portion size by a very slight amount each day.

Vary what you feed your dog

If you want to take extra steps to ensure your pet is getting the best nutrition, Dr Gardner also suggests varying the food you give them (provided that this doesn’t upset their stomach).

These changes could be as small as switching the flavour of the food you give your pet.

‘If you buy a bag of lamb dog food one month, try the chicken next time,’ he suggests. 

If you do want to try changing the type or brand of your pet's food, do so gradually. Your pet's meal should be no more than 25% new food for the first couple of days, increasing over the course of a week. 

Dogs can be fussy, so know that different pet foods aren't essential. The main thing is that they eat and enjoy their food, and that it's nutritionally complete.

What is the healthiest food for dogs?

The healthiest food for your dog is a complete food – this means it contains all the nutrients your pet needs to thrive. 

If you have a working dog, a senior dog or a puppy, you should opt for a food tailored to this life stage, as the nutrients required by these animals differ from those of an average dog. 

If your vet has told you that your dog has a food intolerance or allergy, you'll need to feed a diet that doesn't contain these foods. 

Other than that, you can generally feed your pet whatever food you prefer. 

Are you also a cat owner? See our guide to the best and worst cat food brands

Is wet or dry dog food better?

Dr Gardner recommends feeding your pet a mixture of wet and dry food. 

‘Evidence suggests that there are slight differences in the nutritional composition of wet and dry food. That means you are going to cover more nutrients if you mix them together.’ 

If you want to feed your dog exclusively one type of food, wet food tends to be more appealing. However, it's often more expensive, and it can predispose pets to dental disease. 

In contrast, dry food is beneficial for dogs’ teeth and gums, and it's usually easier and cheaper to use and store. Just make sure your dog has access to plenty of fresh, clean water, as they won't get hydration from their food.

How much should I feed my dog? 

Most dogs do best when they're fed twice a day, but you can feed them more frequently if preferred. 

The most important thing is to ensure you're feeding them the recommended amount.

According to UK Pet Food, 50% of dogs are overweight or obese. 

Your pet's weight can significantly affect its quality of life, including limiting its ability to exercise or sleep properly. According to the RSPCA, it also predisposes pets to illnesses, including: 

• diabetes
• heart disease
• cancer.

Is my dog overweight?

Dr Teresa Hollands recommends an easy way to check that your pet is getting the right amount of calories.

'Create a fist with your hand and feel your knuckles with your fingers,’ she said. ‘If your pet’s ribs feel like that, they are not eating enough calories.

'Then lay your hand flat and feel your knuckles again. If their ribs feel like that, their calorie intake is ideal. 

'Finally, keep your hand flat, turn your hand over and run your fingers over the pads on your palm at the base of your fingers. If their ribs feel like that, they are eating too many calories.'

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Specialist diets and dog health

There's a lot of information online regarding dog food. You may have seen certain pet food brands, or social media users, suggest that your dog needs a specific type of diet – such as a grain-free, raw or ancestral diet. 

However, there's currently no body of independent, peer-reviewed research to suggest that these diets are healthier than or superior to traditional pet foods. 

Giving your dog a complete food is the most important thing. If they enjoy their food and are healthy, regardless of whether the diet is a specific type or just a standard food, then you're on the right track. 

If your dog seems unwell, you should speak to your vet to rule out other issues and to get their recommendations on the best food for your pet. 

Raw food diets

One particularly popular diet is raw food, but it does carry significant risks and experts don't generally recommend it.

‘I wouldn't recommend a raw food diet due to the risk to human health,’ says Dr Kendall. 

Harmful bacteria present in raw meat can include salmonella, listeria, campylobacter and E coli. These can be spread around the home during food preparation and eating. They can also be passed to humans if your pet licks your face after eating. 

All these bacteria are destroyed when meat is cooked correctly.

If you want to feed your dogs raw food, a commercial option is much safer than using meat from the supermarket – this meat is designed to be cooked, so it typically contains higher levels of bacteria than is safe for dogs.

If you want to know more about specialist diets, see why your dog probably doesn't need grain-free food

How we calculated dog food ratings

In October 2025, we surveyed 1,447 Which? Connect members who had bought dog food in the past two years. 

We asked them which brands they had fed their dog. We then asked which of these brands they had stopped feeding their dog, and why. 

Total sample sizes for each brand were: Arden Grange (82), Autarky (32), AVA (Pets at Home own brand) (46), Bakers (160), Barking Heads (46), Burns (129), Butcher’s (236), Butternut Box (107), Canagan (42), Cesar (58), Chappie (85), Earls (Aldi own brand) (95), Eukanuba (50), Forthglade (144), Harringtons (217), Hill’s (87), Iams (65), James Wellbeloved (162), Lily’s Kitchen (189), Millies Wolfheart (33), Natures Menu (71), Naturo (54), Orlando (Lidl own brand) (42), Pedigree (139), Pooch & Mutt (55), Royal Canin (250), Sainsbury’s own brand (58), Skinner’s (57), Tails.com (71), Tesco own brand (74), Wagg (60), Wainwright's (Pets at Home own brand) (99), Winalot (90). 

We also asked survey respondents to rate up to three brands on various attributes, including value for money and how their dog responded to the food. To create our customer scores, we asked customers to rate their overall satisfaction with the brand and how likely they'd be to recommend it to a friend.

The reason we asked respondents to rate up to three brands, rather than all the brands they'd tried, is because it would take a long time to complete the survey if they'd tried many brands and had to rate them all. Respondents may give less well-considered answers when completing a very long survey.

Sample sizes for customer score and star ratings were: Arden Grange (71), Autarky (32), AVA (Pets at Home own brand) (43), Bakers (101), Barking Heads (42), Burns (107), Butcher’s (120), Butternut Box (88), Canagan (40), Cesar (49), Chappie (69), Earls (Aldi own brand) (73), Eukanuba (44), Forthglade (89), Harringtons (110), Hill’s (74), Iams (54), James Wellbeloved (111), Lily’s Kitchen (115), Millies Wolfheart (32), Morrisons own brand (32), Natures Menu (58), Naturo (46), Orlando (Lidl own brand) (38), Pedigree (100), Pooch & Mutt (46), Royal Canin (174), Sainsbury’s own brand (46), Skinner’s (54), Tails.com (63), Tesco own brand (60), Wagg (49), Wainwright's (Pets at Home own brand) (83), Winalot (64).