Wet food is favored by both pet parents and pups for various reasons. The abundance of moisture in wet food assists in keeping dogs hydrated, while its soft consistency is perfect for dogs with small mouths or dental problems such as tooth loss. Additionally, wet food is an excellent option as a topper to motivate finicky eaters to finish their meal.
Due to its extended shelf life and ability to be stored in a cabinet instead of a fridge or freezer, numerous pet owners favor wet food over fresh food.
Tips for choosing the best wet dog food
- Choose a food that lists a high-quality, named meat source as the top ingredient.
- Avoid fillers like maize, soy, and wheat, and watch out for artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives.
- Always check the food is 100% complete and balanced and meets the AAFCO nutrient profile for your dog’s age range (puppy, adult, or all life stages).
- Chat with your vet if you’re unsure whether a wet food is right for your dog.
To ensure you make the best decision for your fur-family, we have gathered a list of the top 5 wet dog foods available in the market, as selecting the appropriate one can be a challenge.
Best Wet Dog Food 2023
The Honest Kitchen Wet Dog Food
The Honest Kitchen, the first commercial brand of dog food made specifically for humans, has a reputation for producing excellent wet dog food. This brand provides a variety of 10 wet food flavors in 2 textures: chunky stew and smooth pâté. All of The Honest Kitchen’s wet foods prioritize a high-quality meat source as either the first or second ingredient.
At The Honest Kitchen, they utilize non-GMO produce, abstain from using rendered meats, and avoid incorporating artificial preservatives or flavors in their products. Their focus is solely on employing whole, human-grade ingredients. Typically included in their recipes are digestion-aiding sweet potato and carrot, which are rich in vital vitamins.
Dr. Georgia Jeremiah, a pet nutrition expert and veterinary consultant at Wag!, personally recommends The Honest Kitchen to her clients.
“The Honest Kitchen offers convenient dry, dehydrated, and wet food options that use high protein meat sources and are fortified with fish oils and essential nutrients such as taurine.”
The Honest Kitchen wet foods are in accordance with the AAFCO nutrient profile, catering to the nutritional needs of all life stages, including the growth of large dogs weighing over 70 pounds.
Open Farm Wet Dog Food
Open Farm makes 6 rustic stew-style wet foods that are grain-free. Every recipe is made from ethically sourced meats and is completely human-grade. Open Farm’s wet food contains fully traceable ingredients, and the website lists the point of origin for each ingredient.
Open Farm wet food recipes do not have any artificial preservatives, flavors, or colors included in them. Open Farm wet recipes include nutritious superfoods like pumpkin, which is rich in beta-carotene, and spinach, a great source of vitamins, iron, magnesium, and potassium.
Another brand that Dr. Jeremiah recommends is Open Farm.
Open Farm dog food is made with top-notch ingredients and has no artificial preservatives, flavors, or colors. Moreover, the company places great importance on using ethically sourced and humanely raised ingredients.
Open Farm’s wet dog foods, with the exception of the Wild-Caught Salmon and Herring & Mackerel recipes, meet the AAFCO Nutrient Profile for maintenance (adults), making them appropriate for supplemental feeding only.
Halo Holistic Wet Dog Food
Halo Holistic offers a one-of-a-kind selection of wet dog food, including Garden of Vegan, an entirely vegan dog food that provides complete and balanced nutrition. Additionally, Halo Holistic provides recipes that are both grain-free and grain-inclusive.
The Halo Holistic list includes meat-inclusive recipes that prominently feature a quality meat source or broth as their top 3 ingredients. The Garden of Vegan recipe relies on chickpeas and peas as its main sources of protein. All of the recipes in this list are free from artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives. Additionally, common ingredients such as pumpkin, celery, and carrot provide a wealth of nutrients.
Dr. Jeremiah also suggests Halo to pet owners in search of top-quality wet food—take a look at her opinions:
Halo’s recipes are designed specifically for your pet’s breed size and life stage, considering scientific principles. The food they provide includes top-notch protein sources, and they even provide a money-back guarantee if you or your pet are not entirely satisfied.
All of the Halo Holistic wet food recipes satisfy the AAFCO nutrient profile for adult maintenance.
Merrick Healthy Grains Wet Dog Food
Merrick’s dog food range that includes grains is considered one of the top choices in the industry. The first ingredient in each recipe is real deboned meat. All recipes contain whole foods such as carrots, potatoes, and peas. Brown rice is the main grain used in all flavors. Merrick’s wet dog foods do not contain any artificial additives, preservatives, or colors.
Merrick Limited Ingredient is an ideal choice for dogs that have allergies and sensitivities. Merrick asserts that their dog foods are formulated with exceptional levels of omega-3 and omega-6, as well as top-notch amounts of glucosamine and chondroitin to promote joint and bone health. Moreover, every recipe is accompanied by a flavorful gravy to entice picky eaters.
Dr. Jeremiah approves of Merrick, another dog food brand.
Merrick products are crafted using top-quality, whole food ingredients and do not contain any artificial preservatives, colors, or flavors.
Merrick Healthy Grains wet dog food is in accordance with the AAFCO nutrient profile for adult maintenance purposes.
Redbarn Rolled Dog Food
Redbarn’s rolled foods offer a one-of-a-kind wet food experience. Unlike traditional packaging in cans or cartons, these foods can be conveniently sliced and diced for serving. With a lengthy 18-month shelf life, they can be effortlessly stored. Additionally, customers can choose between grain-free and grain-inclusive options.
The key features of Redbarn rolled foods are that they have a 40% meat content and are cooked at low temperatures to retain nutrients. Additionally, all their recipes include 1 high-quality meat source and 2 varieties of organ meats as the top 5 ingredients.
The wet foods made with only one protein are an excellent option for dogs that have sensitivities and allergies. Nevertheless, Redbarn Rolled Foods have a few disputed components such as sucrose, whole wheat flour, and pea protein. This is why we have given them a rating of 4.5 stars instead of 5.
All Redbarn Rolled Foods are designed to meet the AAFCO nutrient profile, ensuring suitability for all life stages, including the development of large dogs weighing over 70 pounds as adults.
Farmina Pet Foods N&D Prime Canine
In this list of best canned dog foods, Farmina Pet Foods stands out due to its inclusion of 4 lines of dog foods.
Farmina Pet Foods N&D Prime Canine receives a rating of 8.2/10. N&D Prime Canine provides 8 recipes with an average protein content of 52% and low carbohydrate content of 11%, determined based on dry matter. While this makes it a favorable choice for canned food, the ingredient quality score declines due to higher carbohydrate levels in certain recipes.
The limited presence of whole ingredients and vegetable matter in the first few ingredients in these recipes restricts the nutrients they contain. Although canned foods are less processed than kibble, they go through multiple rounds of heating, resulting in significant loss of active enzymes, vitamins, amino acids, and phytonutrients. Therefore, extra vitamins, minerals, and amino acids have been included to balance these foods.
It’s great to observe that the recipes incorporate non-GMO grains, however, it seems that other crops such as apples are conventionally cultivated. It is important to mention that unless organically grown, crops like apples may contain a significant amount of pesticide/herbicide residue, particularly when sprayed with glyphosate (Roundup) and then dried. Glyphosate, known as an antibiotic, can harm beneficial gut bacteria and has been associated with cancer and other illnesses.
The company acknowledges that the protein sources it uses are fed a diet that is free of GMOs and are raised without the use of antibiotics and hormones. Farmina obtains ingredients from Italy, France, Belgium, Germany, and Denmark. However, it cannot assure that its suppliers do not incorporate ingredients from China. Furthermore, with the establishment of a manufacturing plant in the United States as mentioned below, it can be assumed that the company will also source produce from North America.
Farmina Pet Foods N&D Pumpkin
Farmina Pet Foods N&D Grain-Free Pumpkin has 19 recipes, each having an average score of 8.1/10. These recipes contain an average protein content of 51% and low carbohydrate levels of 8% calculated on a dry matter basis. These are considered to be good levels for canned dog food.
There are no genetically modified foods, although some recipes contain ingredients with known herbicide/pesticide residues that can impact food safety. However, these recipes do not include excessive carbohydrate-rich ingredients that are unnecessary for dogs.
The company acknowledges that the protein sources it uses are given a diet free from GMOs and are raised without the use of antibiotics and hormones. Farmina obtains ingredients from various European countries including Italy, France, Belgium, Germany, and Denmark. Nonetheless, the company cannot ensure that its suppliers do not use ingredients from China. Additionally, with the establishment of a manufacturing plant in the United States, it is assumed that the company will also source produce from North America.
The score of most brands on this list indicates that they have high processing levels and include some added vitamins and minerals. All canned dog foods on this list go through multiple heating stages, which can result in substantial losses of certain active enzymes, vitamins, amino acids, and phytonutrients. The quantity of these nutrients added to these recipes is minimal, so it does not follow the standard pre-mix that is used when there is a deficiency of nutrients. However, this score does show that there are limited whole food ingredients and vegetable matter available to meet the nutrient requirements of these dog foods.
Farmina N&D Ocean Canine
Each of the 12 recipes in the fish-based line of Farmina Pet Foods N&D Ocean Canine has a score of 8/10 points.
These recipes score well for canned dog food with an average protein content of 55% and a low carbohydrate content of 2% on a dry matter basis. However, their score is not higher due to the presence of excessive minerals and amino acids, as well as the high processing involved.
The limited number of whole food sourced nutrients in these recipes is due to the absence of complete ingredients or vegetable matter beyond the initial few. Additionally, canned dog foods, although less processed than kibble, undergo multiple instances of heating which can lead to considerable reduction in active enzymes, vitamins, amino acids, and phytonutrients. Consequently, certain vitamins, minerals, and amino acids have been incorporated into these dog foods to ensure a balanced diet.
The company does not provide specific details about the fish it uses, although it highlights that its protein sources are raised without antibiotics and hormones and are fed a GMO-free diet.
These recipes do not contain any GMO foods or ingredients that have high herbicide/pesticide residue, which could compromise their quality or safety. Additionally, they do not include excessive carbohydrate-rich ingredients that are unnecessary for dogs.
Ziwi Peak Provenance Wet
Ziwi Peak’s Provenance Wet dog food receives an average score of 8/10. It offers three recipes with an average protein content of 45%, slightly lower than the Farmina lines, positioning it at the #4 spot. The product has minimal carbohydrates, a desirable feature for canned dog food, as dogs do not require carbohydrates in their diet.
Provenance Wet dog foods, like all canned dog foods, undergo a highly processed method that involves high heat at multiple stages, resulting in notable nutrient losses. Consequently, excessive amounts of vitamins and minerals are included to compensate for this. Nevertheless, there are no added amino acids or GMO ingredients present. However, apples, which are used in these dog foods, are derived from a crop that is heavily treated with pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers, thus posing a significant health risk to plants, animals, and soils.
The ingredients for the dog food come from 3 regions in New Zealand. While the meats used are ethically sourced from free range animals, not all the fish in this product line are labeled as wild-caught. It should be noted that farmed fish is less nutritious compared to wild-caught fish.
Hound & Gatos Canned
Hound & Gatos Canned dog food receives a rating of 7.8/10. There are 3 recipes available, with an average protein content of 46% and an average carbohydrate content of 6% when calculated on a dry matter basis. Nevertheless, the Paleolithic Meat Recipe contains a higher carbohydrate content of 13.6%. It is worth noting that there are no starch additives, thus indicating that the carbohydrates derive from the protein ingredients.
The majority of the meat, fish, and poultry used in these canned dog foods is obtained from the US. However, lamb is imported from New Zealand, and duck is imported from France. These recipes do not include any GMO ingredients or foods that contain high levels of pesticide/herbicide residues.
Similar to other brands mentioned, Hound & Gatos Canned dog foods are subjected to extensive processing. Throughout this process, important enzymes, vitamins, amino acids, and phytonutrients can experience noticeable decreases. Furthermore, the dog foods lack an ample amount of whole food ingredients and vegetable matter necessary to meet nutritional requirements. Consequently, excessive amounts of vitamins and minerals are included to stabilize these dog foods. However, no additional amino acids are included.
The ingredient quality score for Hound & Gatos and its placement on this list were lowered when sunflower oil was added to several recipes.
Nature’s Logic Canned Diet
Nature’s Logic Canned Diet, with its 9 recipes, has a rating of 7.7/10. Compared to other lines on this list, the average protein content in these recipes is slightly lower at 40.5%. On the other hand, the average carbohydrate content is 16% when calculated on a dry matter basis, which is relatively high for a premium canned food. However, it should be noted that these carbohydrates are sourced from alfalfa and fruits or vegetables, rather than starches.
Nature’s Logic stands out from the other brands listed because it does not include any additional vitamins and minerals. Instead, it relies on a wide range of fruits and vegetables to provide nutrients in its recipes. While these additions increase the carbohydrate content, the trade-off for whole food nutrition, compared to artificial supplements, is minimal.
Despite being less processed than kibble, this canned food can still experience significant loss of active enzymes, vitamins, amino acids, and phytonutrients due to multiple heating stages. However, Nature’s Logic addresses this concern by incorporating a sufficient amount of whole food ingredients to guarantee a balanced and nutrient-rich dog food.
One disadvantage is that the absence of organic ingredients results in many of them being exposed to significant amounts of pesticide/herbicide residues, thus impacting the safety rating of these recipes. Additionally, the inclusion of alfalfa, a recognized genetically modified crop, poses a threat to food safety. By transitioning to organic ingredients, Nature’s Logic would significantly improve its position on this list and reduce concerns regarding the safety of the ingredients.
Castor & Pollux Pristine Canned
Castor & Pollux Pristine Canned offers 4 recipes with an average rating of 7.6/10 for ingredient quality and safety. On a dry matter basis, the average protein content is 48% and the carbohydrate content is 13%, which is slightly higher than our preferred level for canned dog food. Although all of these recipes are grain-free, they do include dried peas and tapioca, which are starches that contribute to the carbohydrate content. Notably, the Beef Recipe has an exceptionally high carbohydrate content at 27%.
One notable aspect of Castor & Pollux is that a significant number of their products, including the recipes in the Pristine line, are crafted using organic ingredients. It is important to note, however, that the Pristine line is not certified organic, unlike its sister brand Organix. Organic ingredients are free from genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and carry significantly reduced risks of pesticides and herbicides compared to conventionally grown crops.
Similar to the other brands mentioned, the Pristine Canned dog foods from Castor & Pollux are subject to high levels of processing. During the heating process, enzymes, vitamins, amino acids, and phytonutrients may be lost. While organic produce is included in the recipes, additional vitamins and minerals are heavily added to ensure nutrient balance. Notably, no extra amino acids are included.
Sunflower oil, a highly processed and inflammatory seed oil, is also included in the 2 Lamb Recipes.
Pristine dog foods incorporate wild-caught salmon, tuna, and whitefish, which have been verified as sustainable seafood by the Marine Stewardship Council. The company also asserts that it utilizes grass-fed beef and lamb, ensuring that the animals are grass finished, although they do not provide certification for this claim.
