Importance of Good Dog Food
Some dogs have special dietary needs and need the best grain free dog food you can give them. Nutrition is one of the most important aspects of a dog’s health. Your dog’s food fuels their daily energy needs while also helping them grow and develop in a healthy way.
However, if you don’t provide a good dog food for your pet, it is not uncommon for their health to suffer. Allergies, deficiencies, and a variety of other health concerns face dogs with improper nutrition.
When you are searching for the best grain free dog food, you want to ensure your dog receives high levels of protein, all of their necessary micronutrients, and healthy ingredients. For best results, I choose dog foods with only real protein as the first (and preferably second) ingredient.
Five Best Grain Free Foods
As a certified dog trainer, I’m quite picky about what I feed my pets and my dogs have sampled a wide variety of dog foods over the years. I’ve also heard from numerous pet owners about what foods their dogs love, and which ones they despise. I’ve used that experience to provide you with an all-encompassing guide to the best grain free dog foods on the market.
Each of these foods has a certain scenario or feature that sets it apart from the rest: taste, all-around use, value, etc. It is difficult to provide an all-encompassing choice of which is the best grain free dog food, but we have ranked them in terms of quality, price, versatility, and more.
Here is our unbiased review of the top 5 best grain free dog foods available!
All-Around Favorite Grain Free Food
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Review Highlights:
“… [My dog] is a picky eater. He likes one food and hates change. I saw wag, let me tell you it’s very high quality food. They eat the food like it’s the last meal they will ever get and go nuts at dinner time each day …”
“… Have two dogs, both larger breeds, absolutely love it. They seem to like it better than the 4Health and one of them is a picky eater as well. Great quality food (for the price) …”
“… Most importantly, he LOVES it! He tries to steal it out of the bowl before I’m even finished filling the bowl. I am very happy… and I am saving over $20/month compared to his previous food!…”
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Wag is a wonderful balance of quality and value. It is a great grain free food with a good price tag that provides your pet with quality ingredients and awesome nutritional content.
Feature Highlights:
- Choose from Salmon, Turkey, Beef, and Lamb flavors.
- Real protein is the first ingredient (and the second).
- Contains a whopping 35% protein!
- Contains no added grains, corn, or wheat.
Wag truly is the best for the cost with an impressive 35% protein content. It also features a real protein source as the first two ingredients in the food. Especially important for dogs with food allergies, they provide several types of protein sources to choose from.
This food is a great all-around choice because it combines value and quality perfectly. The price per pound is equivalent to or lower than competitors at a similar quality level. Recommended for: Pitbulls, Golden Retrievers, Shih-Tzus, Maltese, and more.
Best All-Natural Grain Free Food
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Review Highlights:
“… Absolutely adore this brand and the trust I can put in their dog food. ENTHUSIASTICALLY RECOMMEND to anyone who loves their dog and wants the peace of mind of a wholesome dog food with no questionable ingredients. I am in love. …”
“… She actually eats and enjoys her food twice a day, she has significantly less gas, and she hasn’t eaten grass in the time we’ve switched her, which is approximately one month! I’m glad this brand works for my dog’s tummy. …”
“… I am super-picky about ingredients and don’t often write reviews, but after reading the ingredients on the bag, you can tell that this company really thought about what to put in this product to make a healthy food product for dogs. Our dog loves it. …”
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This food is a great choice is you are looking for an all-natural choice for your pet. They use quality ingredients as well as beneficial prebiotics and probiotics to ensure that your dog remains happy and healthy.
Feature Highlights:
- Fully grain free, uses lentils, sweet potatoes, and chickpeas.
- Made without any by-products, fillers, artificial flavors, preservatives, or colors.
- Uses all-natural ingredients and real proteins to fuel your dog.
If you’re looking for a dog food without any added grains that doesn’t use any types of fillers, by-products, or preservatives, this product is the best bet. It is renowned for its quality ingredients and the variety of nutrients and healthy oils.
In addition to all the basic nutritional content that your dog needs, including 30% protein content, this food provides a variety of other benefits. It contains both pre and probiotics for digestive health as well as omega 3 and 6 fatty acids for skin and coat. Overall, this is a great all-natural choice. Recommended for: Huskies, Golden Retrievers, Pitbulls, German Shepherds, Pointers, and more.
Best Value Grain Free Food
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Review Highlights:
“… Ingredients look good. In terms of taste, well I can’t say, BUT my dog eats if aggressively, so I assume that it is because she loves it. I would definitely recommend this to people if they were interested. Great dog food. …”
“… Great Dog Food! My dogs are picky and sensitive to a bunch of ingredients to common dog food, but had absolutely no issues with… I felt it also made their coats look nice and shiny. Very pleased that they love their new dog food …”
“… My dog has finally stopped scratching! After years of trying medicines and creams, I decided to try grain-free food… she gobbles it down as soon as I sit it down in the floor for her. She loves it and no more skin issues! …”
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Let’s face it, cheap dog food brands usually make their product out of garbage. Thankfully, you can find an incredibly affordable, yet quality food, in this product. It passes all the most important milestones in a dog food without breaking the bank.
Feature Highlights:
- Contain a respectable 27% protein content.
- Real chicken is the first ingredient.
- Grain free formula is made without corn, wheat, or soy.
This dog food is made with real, high-quality white meat chicken and chicken meal. It also does not contain any questionable by-products. If you’re looking for good quality food at the very best price point, this is the best that you will get.
Similarly priced competitors fill their protein requirements with by-products, or rely on a chicken meal as the first ingredient. Some even lack a protein as the first ingredient! This product cuts past all the “mystery meat” to provide your pet with quality nutrition. Recommended for: Bulldogs, Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, Border Collies, and more.
Best Grain Free Food for Small Breeds
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Review Highlights:
“… Our [dog] has been eating this all her life… She loves and runs to her bowl every morning waiting for me to put it in there. I know how nutritious and good it is for them and the vitamins they get is just awesome. …”
“… I cannot say enough about Blue Buffalo… This has great ingredients – meat as the first ingredient and lots of fruits and veggies in the lifesource bits!!! I also love that it comes in small breed… so it makes it easier for them to chew the kibble… top quality!!!!….”
“… We’ve been feeding this to our pug most of his life… he still loves it. Our pug LOVES food delivery day. He can recognize the box the food comes in! …”
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Small breed dogs have slightly different dietary needs than their larger counterparts. This food provides high-quality grain free nutrition for your small breed dog with real protein as the first two ingredients.
Feature Highlights:
- Grain free formula contains no corn, wheat, or soy.
- Formulated specifically for small breed dogs with high energy needs.
- Made with real chicken and never uses any by-products.
This dog food provides quality nutrition for your small breed dog, all in bite-sized pieces! It also contains omega fatty acids as well as a wide variety of vitamins and nutrients to help keep your dog’s coat healthy and prevent itching and irritation.
With this product, your pet only receives the best natural ingredients, including real chicken. You can breathe easy knowing that your small breed dog is getting everything that they need to live a happy and healthy life. Recommended for: Pugs, Shih-Tzus, Frenchies, Toy Poodles, and more.
Best Grain Free Food for Large Breeds
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Review Highlights:
“… I have two large dogs and their coats are always shiny and they have plenty of healthy energy! I’ve always fed them Blue Buffalo because I believe the quality of their nutrition is vital to their health. I recommend Blue Buffalo to everyone! …”
“… Our two dogs have had nothing but this food since they were puppies. When we take them for walks we always get stopped by others that compliment the healthy look of them. This brand of dog food has been absolutely amazing for our family of pups and we recommend it to everyone. …”
“… Our [dog] is doing so much better on this food. We’ve tried almost ALL of the ‘big name’ foods-and she has had one problem or another. This formula is kind to her system and gives her the energy she needs to keep up with her busy lifestyle …”
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Just like small breeds, large and giant breeds of dogs have special dietary considerations as well. Their dietary needs typically revolve around joint health and maintaining a healthy weight. This food, which is the large breed version of the previously discussed food, gives your pet all the nutrition that they need to live a happy and healthy life.
Feature Highlights:
- Made with real, high-quality chicken.
- Formulated with natural ingredients and fortified with vitamins and nutrients.
- Contains added glucosamine and chondroitin for joint health.
All of my absolute favorite dog foods contain protein as their first two ingredients, and this product steps up to that rule. With this food, your dog receives high-quality deboned chicken and no by-products or gunky fillers.
While quality ingredients and protein sources are important, this dog food also ensures that your dog maintains a healthy weight. Extra weight on a dog can strain their joints, and in large breeds, joint complications can be a serious problem. Thankfully, this dog food provides extra joint support and helps your dog retain lean muscle. Recommended for: Golden Retrievers, Boxers, Labrador Retrievers, Great Danes, and more.
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