Dog Food Brands to Avoid?
No regulator keeps a list of dog food brands to avoid. What is public: FDA recalls, the FDA heart-disease (DCM) report that named brands, and the questions WSAVA suggests asking any company - plus how to read an AAFCO statement and compare cost.
AI illustration There is no official list of dog food brands to avoid. The FDA enforces pet food law, AAFCO writes the model rules but, in its own words, “does not regulate, test, approve or certify pet food”, and WSAVA does not rank brands. What you can check is public: the FDA’s recall list, what its heart-disease (DCM) investigation did and did not find, and how a company answers the questions vets are told to ask. Those questions are who formulates the food, who makes it, what quality control it runs, and whether the food has passed feeding trials. Then read the AAFCO statement on the bag for your dog’s life stage. Packaging, “human-grade” claims and “no fillers” labels tell you very little; most of those words are not regulated.
Is There a List of Brands to Avoid?
Not an official one. Three public records answer most of what people mean by the question:
- Recalls. The FDA posts recalls and market withdrawals, pet food among them, on its recalls page; our recall tracker lists the animal recalls of the last 12 months from the FDA’s data. Every large maker has had a recall at some point, so the useful part is what the hazard was and how quickly the company acted.
- The FDA’s DCM investigation. In June 2019 the FDA published the brands named ten or more times in reports of heart disease in dogs eating certain diets (details below). The agency has not established that any of these foods caused the disease.
- The company’s own answers. A brand that cannot say who formulates its food, where it is made and what testing stands behind it gives you a reason to look elsewhere.
A brand criticised online for by-products, grains or the order of its ingredients does not belong on such a list: those are marketing arguments, and the sections below explain why.
Pet food marketing is very good at making products look premium. Meanwhile, the companies with veterinary nutritionists on staff and decades of published research often get dismissed as “boring”. This guide shows how to look past the bag.
The WSAVA questions: The WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee publishes questions to ask a pet food company: Does it employ a qualified nutritionist? Who formulates the food? Does it own its manufacturing plants? What quality control does it run? Has the food passed feeding trials, or is it only formulated to a nutrient profile? Does the company publish research? WSAVA itself does not rank, approve or endorse any brand.
How to Use the Questions
Write to the company, or look for the answers on its site:
- Is there a qualified nutritionist on staff, and who formulates the recipes? A board-certified veterinary nutritionist or a PhD animal nutritionist is what the question means.
- Where is the food made? Some companies own their plants; others use contract manufacturers. Either can be fine, but the company should be able to say how it controls quality.
- What quality control does it run? Ingredient and finished-product testing, and what happens when a batch fails.
- Feeding trials or formulation only? The AAFCO statement on the bag says which.
- Does it publish research? Peer-reviewed studies, not only marketing papers.
A company that answers clearly and quickly is telling you something. One that cannot, or replies only with marketing language, is telling you something too. Large research-based makers tend to answer all five; smaller brands can be good foods, but often publish less about how their recipes are formulated and tested - so ask.
What Actually Matters in Dog Food
Must-Haves
- An AAFCO complete-and-balanced statement for your dog’s life stage (growth, adult maintenance, or all life stages). AAFCO explains how to read it
- The right life stage - a puppy, and especially a large-breed puppy, needs a food labeled for growth of large-size dogs; the calcium level matters for developing joints
- A company that answers the WSAVA questions when you ask
- A food your dog does well on - steady weight, good stools, healthy coat
Good Signs
- The statement says the food passed AAFCO feeding trials, not only that it was “formulated to meet” the nutrient profile
- A veterinary nutritionist on staff
- Published research
- The company makes the food in its own plants, or can explain how it controls a contract plant
Doesn’t Matter (Despite Marketing)
- “Grain-free” (unless a grain allergy has been confirmed)
- “Human-grade” and “holistic” (no legal definition on most labels)
- “No by-products” (by-products are organ meats and other nutritious parts)
- The order of the first few ingredients - it reflects weight before cooking, water included
- Exotic proteins (kangaroo, alligator) - fine, but not magical
- Slogans about an “ancestral diet” - domestic dogs aren’t wolves
Grain-Free and the FDA
What the FDA has and has not said about grain-free food: In July 2018 the FDA began investigating reports of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a heart disease, in dogs eating certain diets - many of them grain-free and high in peas, lentils or potatoes. In its June 2019 update the agency published the brands named ten or more times in those reports. Being named in reports is not proof that a food caused disease: the FDA has not established a cause, and in December 2022 it said it would post further updates only when there is meaningful new science. If your dog eats a grain-free, legume-heavy food, mention it to your vet.
Things to Be Careful With
- A food with no complete-and-balanced statement - it is a treat or a topper, not a diet
- Raw food - the FDA warns that raw pet food can carry Salmonella and Listeria, a risk to the people in the house as well as the dog
- Recalls - every large maker has had them; what matters is how quickly and openly a company acts. Our pet food recall page and the FDA list current recalls
- “Holistic”, “human-grade”, “premium” - none of these words has a legal definition on a pet food bag
- A home-made diet from a recipe site - it needs a veterinary nutritionist to balance it
Matching the Food to the Dog
These are kinds of food made for each need. Your vet knows your dog.
- Puppy: a food labeled for growth, or for all life stages.
- Large-breed puppy: a food labeled for growth of large-size dogs.
- Adult: any complete-and-balanced adult food your dog does well on.
- Senior: AAFCO has no separate nutrient profile for senior dogs, so “senior” foods are built to the adult profile and differ from one another; choose by your dog’s weight and health, with your vet.
- Weight management: a reduced-calorie food, and for real weight loss a veterinary diet your vet prescribes.
- Sensitive stomach: see our guide to food for dogs with sensitive stomachs.
- Confirmed food allergy: a hydrolyzed or novel-protein veterinary diet, through your vet.
- Working and sporting dogs: higher-calorie performance foods.
Comparing Cost
Bag prices mislead, because foods differ in calories per cup. To compare two foods fairly:
- Find the calories per cup (kcal/cup) on each bag
- Work out how many cups your dog needs a day on each food
- Divide the bag price by the number of days the bag will last
Our dog food calculator works out a daily amount from your dog’s weight.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are by-products bad for dogs?
No. By-products are the non-muscle parts of the animal - organs such as liver, heart and kidney among them - and they are nutritious. The bad reputation comes from marketing.
Is grain-free food bad for dogs?
The FDA has investigated reports of heart disease (DCM) in dogs eating some grain-free, legume-heavy diets and has not established a cause. Grain-free feeding has no known benefit for a dog that is not allergic to a grain, so there is no reason to choose it as a precaution.
Why do vets often recommend the big research-based brands?
Because those companies say they employ veterinary nutritionists, run feeding trials and publish research - the things the WSAVA questions ask about. Ask your vet for the reason in your dog’s case.
Are smaller brands worse?
Not necessarily. A smaller company may have fewer resources for research and testing, so ask it the same WSAVA questions and see how it answers.
Should I rotate foods?
It’s fine to rotate. Just change over gradually to avoid stomach upset - the AKC’s guide suggests 5 to 7 days. We know of no study showing a benefit from rotating.
How do I read an ingredient label?
Ingredients are listed by weight before cooking, so fresh meat, which is mostly water, ranks higher than the same meat as a dry meal. That makes the ingredient order a poor guide to quality. The AAFCO statement and the calorie content tell you more.
What about raw diets?
Raw diets carry real risks: Salmonella and other bacteria for the dog and for the people handling the food, and nutritional imbalance when the recipe is not professionally formulated. The FDA warns about them (linked above). If you choose raw, work with a veterinary nutritionist.
Is fresh, cooked food by subscription better than kibble?
Different category. Fresh food is cooked, shipped cold and costs more per day; kibble is cheaper, and the large kibble makers publish more research. Ask a fresh-food company the same WSAVA questions, and check that its recipes carry an AAFCO statement for your dog’s life stage. Some owners mix the two.
Summing Up
The best dog food is not the most marketed or the most expensive. It is a complete-and-balanced food for your dog’s life stage, from a company that can answer the WSAVA questions, that your dog does well on. Ask the questions, read the AAFCO statement, compare cost by calories, and bring anything unusual - grain-free, raw, a home-made diet - to your vet.
Related Reading
Last updated: October 2026. Always consult your veterinarian for specific dietary recommendations.
