10 Best Dry Dog Foods in Canada – 2023 Reviews & Top Picks

Whether you’ve just adopted an adult dog or are switching your dog to a new food, sorting through the tons of dog food options can be overwhelming. If you’re on the market looking for dog food and happen to be Canadian, you’ve come to the right place!

Here are reviews of 10 of the best dry dog foods in Canada. We hope that by the time you’ve checked out all the options here, you’ll have found the best food for your pup!

A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites in 2023

The 10 Best Dry Dog Foods in Canada

1. Purina ONE Smartblend Natural Dry Dog Food — Best Overall

The best overall dry dog food for Canadians is Purina ONE Smartblend Natural Dry Dog Food. The first and main ingredient is lamb, and it’s a combination of crunchy kibble and meaty morsels. It has natural sources of glucosamine, which maintain healthy joints, as well as minerals, vitamins, and omega-6 fatty acids that will contribute to healthy skin and coat. It includes prebiotic fiber for easy digestion and four sources of antioxidants to boost the immune system.

However, you should be aware of a few flaws with this dog food. If your dog is sensitive to chicken, this food does contain chicken by-products, and some dogs might experience stomach upset.

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2. Pedigree Vitality+ Dry Dog Food — Best Value

The best dry dog food in Canada for the money is Pedigree Vitality+ Dry Dog Food. It’s well-priced, but it also contains natural fibre sources for a healthy digestive system. It has added calcium that can contribute to strong bones and teeth. It doesn’t contain artificial flavours or any corn syrup or sugar.

The main problem with this food is in the ingredients. It doesn’t contain any whole meats, and the first main ingredient is corn (there’s nothing wrong with corn, but it’s better if the first ingredient is meat). It also contains artificial colours.

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3. Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach Dry Dog Food — Premium Choice

Purina’s Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach Dry Dog Food is an excellent food for dogs with sensitive skin and/or stomachs. Salmon is the first and main ingredient, and it does not contain chicken. It includes antioxidants for immune system support and omega-3 and -6 for skin, coat, and joint health. It doesn’t contain wheat, corn, soy, poultry by-products, or artificial flavours and colours.

This food is quite expensive, and while most dogs seem to love it, picky eaters out there might not.

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4. Hill’s Science Diet Small Paws Dry Puppy Food – Best for Puppies

Hill’s Science Diet Small Paws Dry Puppy Food is designed specifically for small or mini-breed puppies, so the kibble is extra small in size. It includes DHA from fish oil to support developing eyes and brains, as well as the right kinds of minerals for healthy teeth and bones. Hill’s Science Diet uses high-quality protein to assist in building lean muscles for growing puppies.

However, this food is rather expensive, and it might make some puppies experience stomach upset.

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5. IAMS Adult Minichunks Dry Dog Food

IAMS Adult Minichunks Dry Dog Food is well-priced. It contains natural fibres and prebiotics to support healthy digestion, as well as protein from chicken and eggs for strong muscles. It has antioxidants for your dog’s immune system and whole grains that provide essential nutrients and carbs for energy. It doesn’t contain artificial flavours or preservatives, and it has omega-6 fatty acids so your pup will have a healthy coat and skin.

Unfortunately, this food does contain artificial colour, and it might make some dogs experience stomach upset.

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6. Hill’s Science Diet Dry Dog Food

Hill’s Science Diet Dry Dog Food supports dogs with skin and stomach problems, with beet pulp as a natural prebiotic fibre. It works by supporting the gut microbiomes in adult dogs and is highly digestible. It contains omega-6 fatty acids and vitamin E for a silky coat and healthy skin. It contains whole chicken as the first and main ingredient.

However, this food is quite expensive, and many dogs with stomach sensitivities tend to have bad reactions to chicken, which is the main ingredient in this kibble.

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7. Royal Canin Small Adult Dry Dog Food

Royal Canin’s Small Adult Dry Dog Food is designed for small-breed adult dogs’ weight and energy needs. It contains EPA and DHA for healthy skin and coats, as well as L-carnitine to help small dogs metabolize fat and maintain a healthy weight. The kibble is designed to be small enough for small dogs and works to remove the buildup of tartar.

Unfortunately, this is an expensive dog food. Also, corn is listed as the first ingredient, and while corn is suitable for dogs, it would be better to see a protein listed first.

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8. Wellness CORE Natural Dry Dog Food

Wellness CORE Natural Dry Dog Food offers various flavours and sizes, which include grain-free or chicken-free recipes. This is the chicken and turkey dog food, which is grain free and does not contain soy, corn, gluten, by-products, or any artificial flavours, colours, or preservatives. It has high levels of protein from whole meats and promotes a healthy coat and skin through omega fatty acids, flaxseed, and salmon oil. It also includes antioxidants, probiotics, taurine, and glucosamine for a healthy body.

But it is expensive, and some dogs get “leaky” after eating this food (in other words, there is potential for upset tummies).

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9. IAMS Adult Large Breed Adult Dry Dog Food

IAMS Adult Large Breed Adult Dry Dog Food is well-priced and is meant for large dogs by supporting joints and maintaining healthy bones. The formula includes chondroitin sulphate and glucosamine, which help the joints and are effective for dogs with osteoarthritis. It also has natural prebiotics and fibre to aid in digestion and chicken fat for a healthy coat and skin.

The issues with this food are that it contains artificial colours and that it might cause stomach upset in some dogs. Also, picky dogs might refuse to eat it.

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10. Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Adult Dry Dog Food

Nutro’s Natural Choice Large Breed Adult Dry Dog Food has chicken as the main ingredient, along with whole-grain brown rice. It doesn’t contain by-products, wheat, corn, soy, or any artificial flavours, preservatives, or colours. It includes antioxidants for immune system support and glucosamine and chondroitin for joint support for large-breed dogs. It also has the right balance of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals to keep your large dog at a healthy weight.

However, this is expensive dog food and some dogs might reject it completely.

Buyer’s Guide: Finding the Best Dry Dog Foods in Canada

In this buyer’s guide, we cover a few points to provide you with extra information that might influence the kind of food that you settle on.

Size

The size of the food bag that you should get will depend on the size and age of your dog and the kind of storage space that you have. The bigger the bag, the longer it will sit around, and you don’t want the food to go off or attract bugs or pests. When you’re trying out new food, consider getting the smallest bag, especially if your pup is picky. Once you’ve found the right food, you can consider buying in bulk to save money.

Price

Many varieties of dog food are pricey. This is partly due to most dog food being manufactured in the United States, so it has to be imported to Canada, which raises the price. In some cases, you might find a brand at your local pet store that is on the cheaper side. But most of the time, the price will fluctuate, so keep an eye on it and consider buying in bulk if it’s online for a good price.

Ingredients

If you’re worried about the specific ingredients in your dog’s food, there are a few things to know. First, dogs are usually sensitive to protein sources like chicken and not so much to grains. Unless your vet has done tests and confirmed that that grains or corn are negatively affecting your dog, these are perfectly safe and healthy ingredients. The AKC lists beef, dairy, wheat, chicken, and egg as the leading causes of allergies in dogs (in that order).

Speak to your vet if you believe that your dog might have a food allergy or sensitivity before you cut all grains out of your pup’s diet.

Introducing New Food

You should always speak to your vet about food changes because they will be able to inform you about the best dog foods and whether they will be a good fit for your dog. This is especially important if your dog has any health conditions.

When introducing a new dog food to your dog, it should be done quite gradually by adding a small amount of the new food to the old food. Over time, you’ll gradually increase the amount of new food until it’s all that your dog is eating. This usually helps your dog from experiencing gastrointestinal problems.

Conclusion

Purina ONE Smartblend Natural Dry Dog Food is our overall favourite because the main ingredient is lamb, and it’s a combination of crunchy kibble and meaty morsels. Pedigree’s Vitality+ Dry Dog Food contains natural fibre sources and added calcium, and it’s quite affordable. Lastly, Purina’s Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach Dry Dog Food is our premium choice and is great for dogs with sensitive tummies and/or skin. Salmon is the first and main ingredient, and it’s one of a few foods that does not contain chicken, for any dogs with food sensitivities.

We hope that these reviews have helped you to navigate the world of dry dog food!

• See Also: 10 Best Puppy Foods in Canada – Reviews & Top Picks

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Featured Image Credit: alexei_tm, Shutterstock