How does Chowmark rank the Best Dog Food for Small Breeds?

Chowmark ranks best dog food for small breeds using a 5-factor safety score: Ingredient Quality (30%), Nutritional Adequacy (25%), Safety & Recall History (20%), Evidence Base (15%), and Label Transparency (10%). All data is sourced from the FDA, CFIA, and AAFCO. No brand pays to appear in these rankings.

Are these rankings sponsored by pet food brands?

No. Chowmark rankings are computed entirely from public data. No brand pays to appear in or be excluded from these lists.

Best Dog Food for Small Breeds — Highest Chowmark Scores

Small breed dogs have higher metabolic rates and may benefit from energy-dense formulas. These are the highest-scoring small breed dog food formulas in the Chowmark database.

Ranked by Chowmark Score · No sponsored results · Updated weekly

#	Product	Brand	Score	Category
1	Ziwi Peak Air-Dried Beef Dog Food 5.5 lb	Ziwi Peak	92/100 — Excellent	dry_dog
2	Sundays for Dogs Air-Dried Beef Recipe Dog Food 7 lb	Sundays for Dogs	88/100 — Excellent	dry_dog
3	Orijen Six Fish Dry Dog Food 25 lb	orijen	88/100 — Excellent	dry_dog
4	Orijen Original Dry Dog Food 25 lb	orijen	88/100 — Excellent	dry_dog
5	Open Farm Homestead Turkey & Chicken Ancient Grains Dry Dog Food	Open Farm	86/100 — Excellent	dry_dog
6	Acana Heritage Free-Run Poultry Dry Dog Food 25 lb	Acana	85/100 — Excellent	dry_dog
7	Acana Regionals Wild Atlantic Dry Dog Food 25 lb	Acana	85/100 — Excellent	dry_dog
8	Carna4 Easy-Chew Chicken Dry Dog Food 2 kg	Carna4	83/100 — Excellent	dry_dog
9	Wellness CORE Original Grain-Free Chicken & Turkey Dry Dog Food	wellness core	83/100 — Excellent	dry_dog
10	Open Farm Wild-Caught Salmon Ancient Grains Dry Dog Food	Open Farm	83/100 — Excellent	dry_dog
11	Open Farm Grain-Free Pasture-Raised Lamb Dry Dog Food	Open Farm	83/100 — Excellent	dry_dog
12	Open Farm Pasture-Raised Lamb & Ancient Grains Dry Dog Food	Open Farm	83/100 — Excellent	dry_dog
13	Wellness CORE Reduced Fat Grain-Free Chicken & Turkey Dry Dog Food	wellness core	83/100 — Excellent	dry_dog
14	Canidae All Life Stages Multi-Protein Formula Dry Dog Food	Canidae	82/100 — Excellent	dry_dog
15	Performatrin Ultra Grain-Free Deboned Salmon Dry Dog Food	Performatrin Ultra	82/100 — Excellent	dry_dog
16	Performatrin Ultra Grain-Free Deboned Duck Dry Dog Food	Performatrin Ultra	82/100 — Excellent	dry_dog
17	Instinct Original Grain-Free Real Chicken Recipe Dry Dog Food 25 lb	Instinct	82/100 — Excellent	dry_dog
18	Stella & Chewy's Carnivore Crunch Cage-Free Chicken Dog Treats 3.25 oz	Stella & Chewy's	82/100 — Excellent	treat_dog
19	Performatrin Ultra Grain-Free Deboned Chicken Dry Dog Food	Performatrin Ultra	82/100 — Excellent	dry_dog
20	Open Farm Homestead Turkey & Chicken Dry Dog Food 22 lb	Open Farm	82/100 — Excellent	dry_dog
21	Open Farm Pasture-Raised Lamb Dry Dog Food 22 lb	Open Farm	82/100 — Excellent	dry_dog
22	Ollie Baked Chicken Recipe	Ollie	82/100 — Excellent	dry_dog
23	Spot & Tango UnKibble Beef & Barley Air-Dried Dog Food 4 lb	Spot & Tango	82/100 — Excellent	dry_dog
24	Performatrin Ultra Grain-Free Deboned Turkey Dry Dog Food	Performatrin Ultra	82/100 — Excellent	dry_dog
25	Performatrin Ultra Grain-Free Deboned Lamb Dry Dog Food	Performatrin Ultra	82/100 — Excellent	dry_dog

Disclaimer: Chowmark scores are algorithmic data assessments. They do not constitute veterinary advice.

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