In Dr. Karen’s 2025 Pet food Reviews, the top vet’s and pet food formulators discussed the criteria for the best dog foods. One criteria they spoke at length about was the importance of pet food feeding guidelines being accurate.

Most dog food feeding guidelines do not account for lifestyle, more specifically your pet’s activity level such as a couch potato, less active, active or highly active dog.

The pet food formulators from this panel are doing their best to get pet food feeding guidelines changed. Until then, these are the 7 Best dog foods of 2026.

Summary

Buying the best dog foods means buying dog food with the best feeding guidelines. It will help not only alleviate weight issues but… you will actually be getting the healthiest dog food that is worth the money!

TL;DR if the video does not load, you can see it on Youtube.

Why your dog is gaining weight even though you are following the feeding guidelines

Additionally the Veterinarians and food formulators dove deeper into breaking down all aspects of pet foods. Even noting how AAFCO guidelines are set to highly active dog activity levels.

The pet food industry defines activity levels differently than you do. When a pet is not as active as the industry sets, this is why your pet can become overweight.

We have always been told to cut back on dog food to help our dog loose weight. Not so fast, according to these experts.

These experts said cutting back on your pet’s food portion throws off the nutrient profile which could leave your dog deficient in some vitamins or minerals.

Top vets agree these are the best dog foods for the money

1.  Viva Beef and Turkey Puppy food: In the 2025 Dr. Becker’s Pet Food reviews, the Viva Raw puppy food received 4.5 of 5 stars overall, and 5 stars for their pet food feeding guidelines.

They said “they are always racking up the high scores.”  This is one of the best dog foods for your puppy!

Use coupon code Happytrails for 60% discount on Viva Dog food (or cat food). *Choose the sampler box, you can pick all 5 proteins or only a few proteins. The box comes with 10 lbs of food.

2.  Evermore chicken recipe: Use coupon code Happytrails15 for 15% discount on Evermore dog foods.

During her Evermore pet food review, they received great scores across all 5 criteria. Evermore’s pet food feeding guidelines scored 4 of 5 stars

Dr. Royal said her pet patients on Evermore dog foods do well on it. 

Dr. Susan said “they have way more numbers than they are required to and the way they formulated is the way to do it!”

3. Small batch beef recipe:  During Dr. Karens 2025 Smallbatch dog food review they received a total score of 4.1 of 5 stars on their beef recipe.

Smallbatch’s dog food feeding guidelines got a score of 3 of 5 stars. However, the experts did mention that Smallbatch said they are fixing their pet food feeding guidelines so they expect them to get a higher score.

It is important to note that dog food formulator Steve Brown said his dog eats Smallbatch dog food.

If it is good enough for the “godfather of raw dog food” that you feel confident it is a top contender for the best dog foods for your dog as well!

You can buy Smallbatch Freeze dried sliders from the company website (this will be the freshest option), and other online retailers like Baxterboo (an online pet store that gives you rewards and discounts) or from Chewy.

New Customers to Baxterboo or Chewy will receive a gift card ranging from $10-$20.  See website for details.

4. Raised Right dog food: Raised Right coupon code Pets20 for 20% off.

In Feb 2026 The Clean Label Project tested 79 dog foods for contaminants such as Heavy metals, Bisphenols, phthalates, acrylamide, pesticides, and glyphosate. I am happy to report, this company came back as “Clean.”

Dr. Karen’s 2025 dog food review did not included a Raised Right dog food only because they can not cover every brand.

I have every confidence that it is one of the best human grade gently cooked dog foods with excellent feeding instructions! How am I so confident?

Raised Right dog food was formulated by both Dr. Karen Becker and Steve Brown for the regular recipes.  The dog food for kidney support and Pancreatitis dog food was formulated by Dr. Becker and Dr. Royal. For that reason, I have listed this food in many of my other dog foods blogs.

3 versions: 1) regular gently cooked food for puppies and adults with several Single source protein options 2) gently cooked food for dogs with CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease) and another for dogs with Pancreatitis and 3) Air dried (shelf stable human grade dog food).

My.experience with this human-grade fresh dog food: This a great limited ingredient fresh dog food. I can honestly say, she had a few bald spots and her hair grew back! The only other thing that changed after switching to this food was her treats. She was only eating human grade dog treats from my Dog Treat list.

Last but not least, they have human grade food for puppies! Their gently cooked puppy food (or canine growth) comes in 3 different single source protein options.

Oprah’s vet gives this dog food an excellent review

When it comes to the best dog foods, this is one of the top 2 dog foods that were reviewed. It tied for 2nd place.

5. Goodness Gracious dog food: Discount code HAPPYTRAILS15 

What is the #1 healthiest dog food? In this blog, it’s the Jive recipe.

This functional dog food contains beneficial Omega 3″s from small fish, medicinal mushrooms, sprouts, and an array of fruits, vegetables and herbs.

The Goodness Gracious Chicken recipe review received a total score of 4.9 stars, with their dog food feeding directions getting a score of 5 of 5 stars.

Goodness Gracious offers gently cooked dog food with 4 “regular” recipes and 4 Functional Whole food dog food recipes.

Ms. Thixton said “they have their own manufacturing facility that is licensed for human food. It is Verified human grade, with some Organic. Their chicken is Certified Humanely raised but other meats are not certified. However the other proteins meet standards of Humanely raised. Overall they’re a good company.” 

Dr. Royal, Oprah’s vet, agreed with her statements and added “they did a good job paying attention what is needed, it is fun to see plums,,” She also liked that the Omega oil is from Sardine, herring, mackerel and anchovy.

Other dog foods with excellent feeding guidelines

6. Just food for dogs: During Dr. Beckers pet food reviews, over 100 foods were reviewed. Just Food for dogs Chicken and Rice review received 3.8 of 5 stars overall but they received 5 stars on feeding instructions.

In Feb 2026, results were shared on the The Clean Label Project dog food study  said their Lamb & brown rice recipe, and Turkey recipe came as “Clean.”

7. Stella & Chewy Beefy-licious recipe: In Dr. Karen’s 2025 Stella & Chewy’s dog food review, they received 3.7 stars of 5 stars overall, and 4.5 stars on their feeding guidelines. Use code HTWT10 for a 10% discount on their website or you can buy it on Chewy 

If you truly want the best dog food, choosing one of these options will help you achieve that!

Disclaimer: The information shared in my content is intended for general educational purposes only. The information contained herein does not constitute veterinary advice, diagnosis, or treatment of any kind. No veterinarian-client-patient relationship VCPR) is created or implied by reading, accessing, or using this guide. The author of this guide is not a licensed veterinarian and is not acting in a veterinary capacity. Always consult your veterinarian before making any changes to your dog’s care, diet, or treatment plan.