Pet Food Finder for Dogs and Cats
Answer a few questions about your dog or cat. The finder checks 161 recipes from 25 brands and shows the three that fit best, with the reasons.
- No brand pays to appear.
- Foods that break a must-have, like an ingredient you avoid, are removed.
- A diagnosed kidney, urinary, heart or other condition? It sends you to your vet first.
About the finder
How the finder decides
Three steps, in this order.
1 Must-haves remove foods
A food is removed, not just scored lower, when:
- it is for the other species, or it is a prescription diet (those are listed separately, unranked, when your answers call for them);
- it does not fit your pet's life stage: puppies and kittens see only recipes made for growth or for all life stages, and adults do not see growth-only recipes;
- it is for a puppy that may weigh 70 lb or more as an adult (expected size large or giant, or not sure), and its AAFCO statement is not on record as covering growth of large size dogs (70 lb. or more as an adult);
- its listed ingredients include something you asked to avoid (chicken fat, fish oil and egg product count), or you asked to avoid something and we could not confirm its full ingredient list (words you type in are checked against the recipe name and main protein only);
- you ticked "Only show me these types" and it is another type;
- you set a firm budget and its estimate is more than 25 percent over it.
Labels must name the animal, with three exceptions: "meat" and "meat by-products" may come from cattle, pigs, sheep or goats, "meat meal" and "meat and bone meal" from any mammal, and "poultry" from chicken, turkey or another farmed bird. A food listing them is removed when you avoid beef, pork or lamb (for meat) or chicken or turkey (for poultry), or type an animal they could come from. Names such as animal fat, animal digest and natural flavor do not say which animal they come from, and an ingredient list cannot rule out traces from shared equipment. For a diagnosed or suspected allergy, ask your vet.
Raw and freeze-dried raw foods show only when you pick freeze-dried or air-dried, and for puppies and kittens so does kibble with raw pieces. Each carries CDC's raw-food caution.
We check FDA's pet food recalls and advisories every day. A brand named in a new one leaves the rankings until we review which products it covers. Every recipe is re-checked against its source at least every 180 days. One that is overdue leaves the rankings until it is.
If nothing is left, the finder says which must-have removed the foods instead of inventing a match.
2 A score ranks the rest
Each food that passes gets a fit score out of 100. How much each part counts is our own judgment, not validated science. What counts:
- Nutritional fit: your health answers (the ones that affect your pet most count most); life stage, size and body shape; protein and grain preferences; caution with recipes that list peas, lentils or other pulses, grain-free or not.
- Ingredient transparency: whether we checked the full ingredient list on a brand or retailer page.
- Budget fit: the estimated monthly cost against your budget.
- Your preferences: the food types you picked, and fridge or freezer storage.
- Not used yet: quality and safety records, and reputation and reviews. Each will count only when every fact has a source and the date we read it.
The order you give your priorities counts: the ones at the top count most. Only one recipe per brand makes the top three. Foods that score about the same are shown as tied, with the cheaper one first.
3 Calories and cost
Daily calories start from resting energy (70 times weight in kilograms to the 0.75 power) times a life-stage factor, the same as our calorie calculator. The adult, puppy and kitten factors are the ones in the Merck Veterinary Manual and Ohio State's veterinary calorie guide.
| Life stage | Dog factor | Cat factor |
|---|---|---|
| Puppy under 4 months | 3.0 | - |
| Puppy, 4 months until fully grown | 2.0 | - |
| Kitten | - | 2.5 |
| Neutered adult | 1.6 | 1.2 |
| Intact adult | 1.8 | 1.4 |
| Mature adult cat, 7 to 10 years | - | 1.1 |
| Senior (dogs 7 and up, cats 11 and up) | 1.4 | 1.2 |
Not sure whether your pet is spayed or neutered? The finder uses the neutered factor, the lower one. Pregnant or nursing pets and working dogs need a plan from your vet; these factors do not cover them.
A starting estimate, not a feeding prescription. AAHA lists factors of 1.4 to 1.6 for neutered adult dogs, and Ohio State notes that a pet's needs can differ from the calculated number by as much as 50 percent. Our senior and mature factors and the age 7 line for dogs are our own simplified defaults: AAHA defines a senior dog by its expected lifespan, which comes sooner for big and giant breeds. Overweight pets get no daily number here: feeding for weight loss starts from a target weight your vet sets.
Monthly cost is daily calories times the food's estimated price per 1,000 calories times 30.4 days, rounded to the nearest 5 dollars. From store prices we checked in October 2026 for most brands and food types, with the calories on each label, and estimates for the rest. Not live prices and not the price of this exact recipe.
What the finder leaves out on purpose
- Brand facts we cannot yet source and date: customer ratings, recall history, where a food is made and where it is sold. They are not shown and do not count for or against any food.
- Paid placement. No brand pays to appear, and there are no affiliate links.
- Our own products. We make supplements, not food, and none of them is part of the finder.
A worked example
Max is a 9-year-old neutered Golden Retriever who weighs 72 lb. His owner picked a sensitive stomach and stiff joints, wants to avoid chicken, is open to dry kibble or fresh food, prefers food with grains, puts fit first and price second, and budgets about $150 a month. Golden Retrievers are in the taurine-linked group our DCM guide lists, so the finder is careful with recipes that list peas, lentils or other pulses, grain-free or not.
Max needs about 1,339 calories a day. Of 127 dog recipes, 27 passed his must-haves. These came out on top:
- Tied for best fit: Fromm Nutritionals Sensitive Skin & Stomach Salmon & Whole Oats Recipe Dry Dog Food Why it fits: No peas, lentils or other pulses on the ingredient list we checked; Fits what you told us about a sensitive stomach; None of its listed ingredients names chicken; About $50 a month for Max (estimated), inside your $150 budget.Things to know: Not specifically made for joints; Fromm was among the brands named most often in FDA's 2019 DCM update. FDA says the reports by themselves do not establish a cause.
- Tied for best fit: Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach Salmon & Rice Formula Dry Dog Food Why it fits: No peas, lentils or other pulses on the ingredient list we checked; Fits what you told us about a sensitive stomach; None of its listed ingredients names chicken; About $55 a month for Max (estimated), inside your $150 budget.Things to know: Not specifically made for joints.
- Tied for best fit: Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet Real Salmon & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food Why it fits: No peas, lentils or other pulses on the ingredient list we checked; Fits what you told us about a sensitive stomach; None of its listed ingredients names chicken; About $95 a month for Max (estimated), inside your $150 budget.Things to know: Not specifically made for joints; Merrick was among the brands named most often in FDA's 2019 DCM update. FDA says the reports by themselves do not establish a cause.
These foods tied on the fit score. Among tied foods, the lower estimated monthly cost is listed first.
Your own answers will give a different list. The example is the finder's real output for this profile, rebuilt every time the recipe list changes.
When to skip the finder and call your vet
- A vet has diagnosed a kidney, urinary, heart or other condition such as pancreatitis, diabetes or liver disease. The finder will send you there anyway.
- Your cat is straining in the litter box and passing little or no urine. That is an emergency, not a food decision (our urinary guide explains why).
- Your pet is pregnant or nursing, or works for a living. Their calorie needs sit outside the standard factors.
- Your pet is losing weight you did not plan for.
Our therapeutic nutrition guides cover what changes for each diagnosis: feeding the dog with a diagnosis and feeding the cat with a diagnosis.
Questions owners ask
Does any pet food brand pay to appear in the finder?
No. No brand pays to appear, and the ranking is never for sale. We do not sell pet food, and there are no affiliate links on this page.
Why are ratings, recalls and where a food is made not shown?
We only show a brand fact when we can point to the page it came from and the date we read it. Facts we have not sourced yet are left out completely: they are not shown, and they do not count for or against any food.
How accurate are the monthly costs?
They are estimates. The finder uses one typical US price per brand and food type, collected in October 2026, not a live store price or a checked price for each recipe. It scales that price to your pet's daily calories, then rounds to the nearest 5 dollars. Real prices vary by store, bag size and sale, so treat them as a guide. A firm budget hides only foods more than 25 percent over it.
Can I use the finder if my pet has kidney disease, pancreatitis or another diagnosis?
Use it to prepare for a vet visit, not to pick the food. When you tell the finder about a diagnosed kidney, urinary, heart or other condition, it does not rank everyday foods. It shows the prescription diets in its list that match, unranked, your pet's daily calories, and our guides to read before the appointment.
Where do the ingredient lists come from?
From each brand's own product pages or a retailer's listing, as of October 16, 2026, and each result links to the page used. A few fresh-food brands show ingredients only after you sign up, so those lists come from third-party reviews and are marked. When you ask to avoid an ingredient, the finder leaves those recipes out, because we cannot confirm what they contain. Recipes change, so check the package.
How does the finder work out my pet's calories?
The same way our calorie calculator does: resting energy, which is 70 times body weight in kilograms to the 0.75 power, times a life-stage factor, such as 1.6 for a neutered adult dog or 1.2 for a neutered adult cat. Body condition beats any formula, so your vet's read on your pet's shape comes first.
Does Dr. Fossum's sell any of these foods?
No. We make supplements, not food, and none of our products is part of the finder or its ranking. If you ask us to email your results, the email may include one short note about one of our supplements, picked only by your pet's species and age (none for puppies and kittens), never by the health answers.
Sources and data
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA investigation into potential link between certain diets and canine dilated cardiomyopathy. Page content current as of December 23, 2022; read October 23, 2026. View page
- Calories: resting energy times the life-stage factors in the Merck Veterinary Manual and Ohio State's veterinary calorie guide, the same as our calorie calculator, inside the ranges of the 2021 AAHA Nutrition and Weight Management Guidelines; cat age groups from the 2021 AAHA/AAFP Feline Life Stage Guidelines; senior notes from the 2023 AAHA Senior Care Guidelines. The senior and mature factors and the age 7 line for dogs are our own simplified defaults.
- Large-breed growth: the AAFCO label wording for growth of large size dogs (70 lb. or more as an adult), as adopted in Kentucky's pet food rule 12 KAR 3:039, checked against each recipe's statement on the maker's page in October 2026. Growth periods: VCA Animal Hospitals, Feeding Growing Puppies.
- Heart (DCM): U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Questions and Answers: FDA's Work on Potential Causes of Non-Hereditary DCM in Dogs, current as of August 19, 2024; read October 27, 2026.
- Food allergens in dogs: Mueller, Olivry and Prelaud, BMC Veterinary Research 2016 (PubMed 26753610).
- CDC, About Pet Food Safety.
- FDA, Get the Facts! Raw Pet Food Diets can be Dangerous to You and Your Pet.
- AVMA policy, Raw diets for dogs and cats.
- FDA CVM update, Cat and Dog Food Manufacturers Required to Consider H5N1 in Food Safety Plans.
- AAFCO, Byproducts (consumer page).
- AAFCO, What's in the Ingredients List? (consumer page).
- FDA, Animal & Veterinary Recalls & Withdrawals.
- FDA, Outbreaks and Advisories.
- Safety notes from our own vet-reviewed guides: DCM in dogs (the breed list), urinary cat food (the blocked-bladder emergency) and dog food for allergies (the most common food allergens).
- Recipes: 127 dog and 34 cat recipes, plus 7 prescription diets listed separately. Ingredient lists from brand and retailer product pages, linked from each result, read between October 16 and October 27, 2026. Not being listed does not by itself mean a food is unsafe. A food may be missing because it is not in our list yet, lacks a fact we require, or is on hold while we review an FDA recall or advisory.
- Prices: store prices we checked in October 2026, with the calories on each label; some brands are still estimates. Not live prices.
Not veterinary advice. The finder compares everyday foods for healthy pets; it does not treat any condition. Ask your vet before changing the diet of a pet with a medical condition. The fit score is our own recommendation score, not a certification or a measure of food quality. Rankings are never paid for.