Best-for · PetScored desk
Foods marketed for seniors or formulated to AAFCO Adult maintenance. We do not credit “senior” marketing as a regulatory claim - Adult maintenance is the actual category geriatric dogs eat from.
AAFCO does not define a senior life-stage profile. Most foods marketed as “senior” are formulated to the Adult maintenance profile with marketing layered on top, and that's fine - the maintenance profile is the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
This list ranks foods whose AAFCO statement is either Senior or Adult maintenance. Growth-required formulas (puppy / all-life-stages) sit higher in calories and protein than most seniors need, so we keep them out of the senior list.
Joint, kidney, and weight needs vary by dog. The rubric does not score for those - the right scaffold is the rubric + a vet who knows your dog.
Our pick
Hill's Science Diet
AAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
A clinically oriented formula with moderate calories and broad availability. The tradeoff is that brewers rice, rather than animal protein, leads the ingredient list.
Runners-up
AAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonAAFCO Adult maintenance - the regulatory category geriatric dogs eat from.
Buy on AmazonHow this list is built
We rank by composite score with a tie-breaker on Brand Trust. Senior dogs are the population where contamination or recall risk hurts most; we want the brand-trust dimension prominent.
Cuts
FAQ
We rank by composite score with a tie-breaker on Brand Trust. Senior dogs are the population where contamination or recall risk hurts most; we want the brand-trust dimension prominent.
59 picks cleared the rubric bar for this list. 113 other scored brands were considered and didn't make the cut. We surface both for transparency.
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.
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.
