Best Wet Dog Foods as of 2018

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Picking out the best wet food for your dog can be a task with so many out on the market. We chose our favorite best wet dog foods of 2018 to help you with this task.

The key criteria we assessed the foods on were: Quality and type of protein, vegetable type and quality, fat source and quality, as well as absence of controversial ingredients (e.g. BHT/BHA, Egg product, questionable chemicals …). Read below to see more information about these standards.

Best Premium Wet Dog Food – Halo Holistic Lamb Recipe

• Why it’s best premium: At $29.53 for 12 13.2 oz cans, Halo is a company with a great reputation for including all natural ingredients and is also holistic meaning they only use the highest quality ingredients. They also manufacture their foods in company-owned facilities, so they oversee the production of their products, not a third party. It’s a small, trustworthy company.

• Protein (27%): Lamb, Chicken Broth and Beef Liver are the first three ingredients listed so you know your dog is getting his protein straight form the source.

• Fat (15%): Flaxseed oil and salmon oil, both natural fats, are the only two added fat ingredients in addition to fats from the protein which are all great ways to intake the necessary fats to keep your dog moving.

• Vegetables: Carrots, Peas, Green Beans, Sweet Potato, Mustard Greens and Pumpkin are all listed at the top of the ingredients list. This means your dog is getting unprocessed vitamins right from vegetables. Garlic Powder, Dried Kelp and Rosemary Extract are also added for additional benefits and added flavor.

• Controversial ingredients: There are no controversial ingredients in this food.

• Dollar value: 12 Cans (158.4 oz) costs ~ $30

• Reputation and recall history: There has not been any recalls on any Halo dog food products.

• What other reviewers say: This food is great for picky eaters and with the natural ingredients tends to agree with their systems. Many reviewers have agreed that their dogs’ energy has increased since starting them on Halo and their coats are remarkable.

Best Budget Wet Dog Food – Hill’s Science Diet Stew with Beef & Vegetables

• Why it’s best budget: At $18.85 for 12 12.8 oz cans, you get very decent quality at a reasonable price. After water, beef, liver and carrots are among the first few ingredients and there are no meat by-products in this food.

• Protein (29.8%): Beef, Liver, Pork Plasma. Beef and liver are the first two food ingredients listed giving the food a good protein base.

• Fat (20.5%): Chicken fat and Soybean oil. Some claim that soybean oil is controversial because it’s not ideal for dogs but there have not been any studies that have validated this claim.

• Vegetables: Carrots, Dried Beet Pulp, Potatoes, Peas are the vegetables found in this canned food. Although they are not listed in the first few ingredients, the addition of these vegetables are an additional source of vitamins and other health benefits.

• Controversial ingredients: Brown rice and potatoes. Although these ingredients can provide health benefits, they are can be considered fillers which means you’re not necessarily getting the best bang for your buck if they’re high on the ingredient list.

• Dollar value: 12 Can (153.6) costs ~ $19

• Reputation and recall history: Science Diet wet dog foods have not had any recalls, however, there were certain flavors removed from shelves due to mislabeling in 2015.

• What other reviewers say: Highly recommended by veterinarians and breeders, reviewers preach their dog’s love for the food and report they are in great health because of it.

Notable Mention Wet Dog Food – BLUE Homestyle Recipe: Fish and Sweet Potato Dinner

is a great middle of the road wet food because, unlike others in the same price range, it provides vegetables as a natural means of certain vitamins. With seafood based proteins (22%) that include whitefish and fish broth and the addition of carrots, sweet potato, peas, blueberries and cranberries, this canned food provides natural vitamins along with those added give you great bang for your buck at ~ $24 dollars for 12 12.5 oz cans. BLUE has had a few recalls over the last few years which included possible excessive amounts of the added vitamins, and packaging defects.

 Criteria We Used to Choose The Best Wet Dog Food

• Protein content and quality – When searching for the best dog food, we look for 22-25% minimum. If you have an active dog, you might want a food with a higher protein percentage because the more active a dog is, the more they burn off so the more they need. Puppies who are constantly growing and lactating dogs who are providing nourishment for their puppies require at least 30%.

Because every protein source is digested differently, it is important to pick a protein that fits a dog’s makeup. When looking at ingredients, look for a good amount of protein that comes from a high-quality meat source, not by-products, meal, or vegetable protein sources that while sound good, aren’t well absorbed by your dog.

When determining the best wet food, pay close attention to the first five ingredients as you want the meat of the food to be at the top. If your dog has allergies to specific proteins, be sure to read the ingredient list carefully. Many fish flavored foods contain chicken which is a common allergy for dogs.

• Fat source quality – When animal fats are used as a fat source, you want to make sure it is listed specifically; “Animal fat” can come from a mixture of animals, whereas “chicken fat” means it is only from chicken. Another great source of fat is oils such as olive oil, canola oil and fish oils.

These come straight from the source and are loaded with added benefits to aid in your dog’s health. Generally, you want to give your dog food that has as many natural primary ingredients as possible. When it comes to the vitamins and supplements that are added to foods, it’s more of a positive to have a long list of these additives.

If your dog is an active breed or has a lot of energy, it’s important to add additional fat to his/her food as needed. If your dog is exercising a lot, then you may want to add a spoonful of coconut oil, olive oil, or other healthy fat to the bowl of dog food.

• Vegetable types and quality – it’s important to have natural fruits and vegetables as ingredients in your dog’s food as they contain a wide array of nutrients. Potato can be used as a filler to bulk up the food and don’t necessarily provide the best nutrients so if that is listed as an ingredient, look for it lower on the ingredient list.

Carrots and peas are common in dog foods and more recently, apples and berries have been added to the mix to provide additional vitamins and minerals. Avoid grains, if possible, as they can be difficult for dog to digest. Some dogs can also have allergies to grains which is why a grain free variety might be a good choice.

• Controversial ingredients – the main controversial ingredients to avoid are preservatives BHA, BHT, ethoxyquin, and artificial flavorings. Look for natural preservatives such as Tocopherols (Vit E), Vit C, herb extracts, etc.

Artificial flavors can make otherwise bland-tasting food taste great but you don’t know what their source is which can be dangerous to your dog’s health. In wet food, there is always some sort of additive to make the food thicker. This includes guar gum and carrageenan, which although thickening may be necessary for food preservation, they are not essentially healthy components of your dog’s food.

Another common concern is the various “meat meals” found in dog foods. Ingredients like “chicken meal” are a source of protein for your dog, but it’s a combination of chicken skin and other parts of the bird which might not be the healthiest addition to your dog’s diet.

• Dollar value – When searching for the best wet dog food, we wanted to make sure each recommendation was given per 12 cans to make comparison easier.

Some of the less expensive options, but high rated, didn’t include any natural sources of vitamins and minerals which is key to anyone’s diet.

• Reputation and recall history –  We check the company reputation and recall history. -Cutting corners on safety historically hasn’t been an uncommon practice in the pet food industry. In our selection, we eliminated foods with histories of bacterial recalls, which suggests that the company may cut corners on food safety regularly.

Our Ranking Process

For this guide, we spent hours examining forums, reviews, Top Ten lists, and blogs — both editorial and retail — such as petful.com, dogfoodadvisor.com, amazon.com, thedogdigest.com, reviews.com, akc.org, rover.com, care.com, bestdogfood.org, and many more.

We also looked at reviews on various websites like chewy.com, and 1800petmeds.com and more to determine the top rated from consumers as well as see what their reviews were on the products.

If a company has had any recalls, it can be an indicator that they don’t take care in their food production which can cause potential health issues for dogs so we searched pet food news sites for any recalls that might suggest the company isn’t trustworthy for any reason. Finally, we examined the finalists, before coming up with a finalized ranking.

Fun Tip for Dogs With Allergies

If you notice your dog is scratching his ears more often than normal, has feet that smell like Fritos, or has started getting yeast infections in his ears, your dog might have allergies.

A common food allergy for dogs is poultry. When a protein is digested it is broken down into amino acids then absorbed in the body.

When it is not completely broken down, your dog’s body considers it an unwelcomed protein causing a variety of unfavorable reactions.

Some of additional reactions to poultry include paw biting, obsessive licking, diarrhea, skin infections and chronic gas.

If your dog shows any of these signs, try switching his food to a non-poultry based flavor. Remember, even if it says venison or salmon, there might still be poultry products in the food so read the ingredients carefully!