Best dog food for puppies.

Foods whose AAFCO adequacy statement explicitly covers growth. The legally meaningful version of “puppy formula.”

We do not credit “puppy” on the front of the bag - it is not a regulated word. The regulated version is the AAFCO adequacy statement on the back: it says either “growth” or “all life stages” (which covers growth).

Foods that explicitly carve out large-breed puppies are honest - those formulations are calibrated to small or medium puppies, and we keep them in the list but flag the carve-out in the per-product note.

Calorie density, calcium-to-phosphorus ratio, and a protein floor all matter for growing dogs. Those inputs feed the Nutrition Fit sub-score; the rubric does not weigh them separately for puppies.

Our pick

Runners-up

33 more picks, ranked

  1. 02
  2. 03
    Diamond Naturals All Life Stages Chicken & Rice Formula7.7

    AAFCO covers growth, including large-size puppies.

    Buy on Amazon
  3. 04
    Fromm Adult Gold7.7

    AAFCO covers growth, including large-size puppies.

    Buy on Amazon
  4. 05
    Acana Free-Run Poultry Recipe7.6

    AAFCO covers growth, including large-size puppies.

    Buy on Amazon
  5. 06
    Annamaet Original7.6

    AAFCO covers growth, including large-size puppies.

    Buy on Amazon
  6. 07
    Gentle Giants Classic 'Quality of Life' Chicken Feast7.6

    AAFCO covers growth, including large-size puppies.

    Buy on Amazon
  7. 08
    Open Farm Wild-Caught Salmon & Ancient Grains Dog Kibble7.6

    AAFCO covers growth, including large-size puppies.

    Buy on Amazon
  8. 09
    Taste of the Wild Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb7.6

    AAFCO covers growth, including large-size puppies.

    Buy on Amazon
  9. 10
    Wellness Complete Health Whitefish & Sweet Potato7.6

    AAFCO covers growth, including large-size puppies.

    Buy on Amazon
  10. 11
    Zignature Trout & Salmon Meal Limited Ingredient Formula7.6

    AAFCO covers growth, including large-size puppies.

    Buy on Amazon
  11. 12
    Diamond Naturals Grain-Free Whitefish & Sweet Potato7.5

    AAFCO covers growth, including large-size puppies.

    Buy on Amazon
  12. 13
    Inception Real Chicken Recipe7.4

    AAFCO covers growth, including large-size puppies.

    Buy on Amazon
  13. 14
  14. 15
    Taste of the Wild Southwest Canyon with Wild Boar7.3

    AAFCO covers growth, including large-size puppies.

    Buy on Amazon
  15. 16
    The Honest Kitchen Whole Food Clusters Chicken7.3

    AAFCO covers growth, including large-size puppies.

    Buy on Amazon
  16. 17
    Taste of the Wild PREY Angus Beef Limited Ingredient7.2

    AAFCO covers growth, including large-size puppies.

    Buy on Amazon
  17. 18
    Fromm Heartland Gold Adult7.0

    AAFCO covers growth, including large-size puppies.

    Buy on Amazon
  18. 19
    Zignature Turkey Limited Ingredient Formula7.2

    AAFCO covers growth, including large-size puppies.

    Buy on Amazon
  19. 20
  20. 21
    ZIWI Peak Air-Dried Lamb6.9

    AAFCO covers growth, including large-size puppies.

    Buy on Amazon
  21. 22
    Ollie Fresh Beef Recipe6.7

    AAFCO covers growth, including large-size puppies.

    Buy on Amazon
  22. 23
    Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch6.8

    AAFCO covers growth, including large-size puppies.

    Buy on Amazon
  23. 24
    Eukanuba Premium Performance 30/20 Sport6.8

    AAFCO covers growth, including large-size puppies.

    Buy on Amazon
  24. 25
    JustFoodForDogs Chicken & White Rice6.6

    AAFCO covers growth, including large-size puppies.

    Buy on Amazon
  25. 26
    ZIWI Peak Air-Dried Beef6.6

    AAFCO covers growth, including large-size puppies.

    Buy on Amazon
  26. 27
    Acana Wild Atlantic6.6

    AAFCO covers growth, including large-size puppies.

    Buy on Amazon
  27. 28
    Nature's Logic Canine Chicken Meal Feast6.5

    AAFCO covers growth, including large-size puppies.

    Buy on Amazon
  28. 29
    Instinct Original Real Chicken6.5

    AAFCO covers growth, including large-size puppies.

    Buy on Amazon
  29. 30
    Acana Meadowland6.0

    AAFCO covers growth, including large-size puppies.

    Buy on Amazon
  30. 31
    Orijen Six Fish5.9

    AAFCO covers growth, including large-size puppies.

    Buy on Amazon
  31. 32
    Earthborn Holistic Primitive Natural5.9

    AAFCO covers growth, including large-size puppies.

    Buy on Amazon
  32. 33
    Orijen Original5.7

    AAFCO covers growth, including large-size puppies.

    Buy on Amazon
  33. 34
    Orijen Regional Red5.2

    AAFCO covers growth, including large-size puppies.

    Buy on Amazon

How this list is built

Rationale

We rank by composite score with a tie-breaker on Nutrition Fit. Growth is the life stage with the strictest nutrient floors; we put the nutrient-fit dimension in front when the score is otherwise tied.

Cuts

AAFCO statement does not cover growth

FAQ

About this list

How is the PetScored best dog food for puppies list ranked?

We rank by composite score with a tie-breaker on Nutrition Fit. Growth is the life stage with the strictest nutrient floors; we put the nutrient-fit dimension in front when the score is otherwise tied.

How many dog foods are on this list?

34 picks cleared the rubric bar for this list. 142 other scored brands were considered and didn't make the cut. We surface both for transparency.

Does PetScored take payment to influence the ranking?

No. PetScored takes no manufacturer money. The list is computed deterministically from the rubric and the public product data. The same inputs produce the same ranking every time. See /trust for the full posture.

Will this list change?

Yes - but in defined ways. Adding a new scored product can change the ranking. A rubric version bump (see /methodology/changelog) can change it. A source-confidence update on an existing product can change it. We publish every change.