The 9 Best Dog Foods You Can Buy at Walmart, According To 407 Dogs

Best Overall

Hill's Science Diet

$87 at Amazon $81 at Chewy View on Petflow.com

Among our 407+ dog parents who participated in our panel, Hill's Science Diet received the highest score (tied with FreshPet, Best Refrigerated) for quality ingredients, overall satisfaction, value, and ability to address their dog's health needs. The food was also praised for aiding digestion with consistent, straightforward results from mealtime to potty time.

Always made with human-grade ingredients in the United States with real animal protein (chicken, beef, fish) as the first ingredient, every recipe provides essential vitamins and nutrients, and there are formulations to address weight management, joint discomfort, sensitive skin & coat, and oral care. However, the price of this dog food has increased recently, and the larger-sized canned variety could benefit from an improved pull tab lid to make it easier to open without a can opener. Also, while Hill's Science Diet is readily available as both dry kibble and wet canned dog food on Walmart's website, in-store stock varies by location.

_{Life Stage: Puppy, adult, senior | Food Type: Dry, wet | Breed Size: Mini, small, medium, large, x-large}

Best Refrigerated

FreshPet Freshpet Select Slice & Serve Roll (Grain-Free Chicken)

$7 at Amazon $72 at Chewy $21 at Petco

FreshPet's quality ingredients and appeal to picky eaters received high marks among our home testers and made this brand of pet food tied for the top score with our Best Overall pick, Hill's Science Diet. All FreshPet recipes are made with human-grade ingredients, including farm-raised chicken, fish, beef, eggs, fruits, and vegetables, all sourced and manufactured within the United States. Plus, the food comes in both easy-to-serve morsels packaged in resealable bags and sausage-shaped rolls that can be cut into pieces to align with your dog's size and are soft and easy for them to chew.

When browsing Walmart's vast selection of FreshPet's food, you'll likely notice that a majority are available for same-day pickup or delivery but not shipping. That's because the food must remain refrigerated at all times to preserve its freshness, and once a package is opened, it should be consumed within seven days. Also, while there are grain-free, small breed, and puppy-specific formulations, some flavors are difficult to find and there is no senior-specific recipe.

_{Life Stage: Puppy, adult | Food Type: Refrigerated | Breed Size: Small, medium, large}

Best Budget

Iams Proactive Health Dog Food

$30 at Amazon View on Chewy $48 at Petco

Looking for high-quality dog food at an affordable price? Iams offers kibble and canned dog food with recipes to provide essential daily nutrition along with formulations for specific health needs that are common among dogs, including weight management, joint and bone support, digestive maintenance, and the wonderful puppy and senior eras of life.

Meat or fish is the first ingredient in all of Iams's dog foods, but recipes also include by-product meals. Dogs enjoy the flavors and textures, but their human guardians participating in our testing collective would like to see more vegetables added to Iams recipes.

_{Life Stage: Puppy, adult, senior | Food Type: Dry, wet | Breed Size: Extra small, small, medium, large, extra large}

Best Kibble

Purina Pro Plan Adult Complete Essentials

$71 at Amazon View on Chewy

$77

$75 at Petco

Purina Pro Plan Complete Essentials dog food offers protein-packed kibble in a variety of flavors made with meat (chicken, beef, turkey, or lamb) or fish as the first ingredient. Each serving is fortified with antioxidants, probiotics, vitamins, and minerals to keep a dog's immune system and digestive tract functioning properly, and more than 50 dog parents in our testing collective fill their dog's bowl with a recipe from this brand, citing their vet's recommendation as the lead determining factor in their choice.

There are two primary recipes for adults, Chicken & Rice and Beef & Rice, along with variations for small breeds, large breeds, puppies, and seniors. Note that recipes often include by-product meals, corn gluten meal, and pea protein, the latter of which is suitable for dogs in small doses and is primarily found Purina Pro Plan's Sensitive Skin and Stomach recipes.

_{Life Stage: Puppy, adult, senior | Food Type: Dry, wet | Breed Size: Small, medium, large}

Best Wet

Blue Buffalo BLUE Homestyle Recipe Wet Dog Food

$36 at Amazon $36 at Chewy $3 at Target

Blue Buffalo's dog foods are always made without by-product meals, corn, soy, wheat, artificial flavors, or preservatives, and, according to our panel of 400+ dog parents, Blue Buffalo's wet food is appetizing, easy to digest, and can help improve the condition of a dog's skin and coat. All of Blue Buffalo's meat-first recipes are made with human-grade ingredients and enhanced with vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that dogs need. The brand also has several lines of wet food for dogs to meet the dietary needs, health issues, and flavor preferences of all dogs, including Wilderness (high in protein), Blue Delights (small breed), and Blue Basics (for skin and stomach care).

Blue Buffalo recommends serving 1/2 to 3/4 of a 12.5-ounce can for every 10 pounds of your dog's weight. The wet food from Blue Buffalo can be mixed with the brand's dry food (also found at Walmart), but be sure to adjust the portion size according to the directions listed on the product label to avoid overfeeding your dog.

_{Type: Wet, dry | Life Stage: Puppy, adult, senior | Breed Sizes: Small, medium, large}

Best for Weight Management

Purina Pro Plan Adult Weight Management Dog Food

$78 at Amazon $21 at Chewy

$99

$78 at Walmart

According to a survey published by the Association for Pet Obesity and Prevention, more than half of dogs in the U.S. are overweight, which means they are 10 to 20 percent heavier than their ideal weight. Many pet owners don’t even realize their dogs weigh more than they should. Giving them too many treats and an overflowing food bowl can lead to problems like arthritis, heart disease, and diabetes. Your vet may suggest switching your dog to a weight management food like this one from Purina Pro Plan. 

This has 15 percent less fat than other similar formulas from Purina and comes in a dry chicken and rice recipe as well as a wet turkey and rice recipe. There are also formulas for large and small breeds. The feeding chart suggests how much food to offer daily based on weight as well as how much to feed if you’d like your dog to lose about 25 percent of their weight.

_{Life Stage: Adult | Food Type: Dry, wet | Breed Size: Small, medium, large}

Best Organic

Purina Beyond Organic Wet Dog Food

$38 at Amazon View on Chewy $33 at Walmart

There are two recipes of wet dog food within Purina's Beyond line that are made with USDA-certified organic ingredients—Chicken & Carrot and Chicken & Sweet Potato—both starting with organic chicken, chicken broth, and organic vegetables to provide adult dogs with protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. Each 13-ounce can of Purina Beyond Organic Wet Dog Food offers natural probiotics and is always made without corn, soy, or wheat. Plus, these Beyond Organic canned dog foods are Non-GMO Project Verified so each ingredient is grown without the use of prohibited synthetic pesticides or fertilizers.

On the website, Walmart carries additional wet food recipes from Purina Beyond, but not all are made with ingredients that are certified organic by the USDA. However, all dog food within Purina's Beyond line is made without the use of artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives.

_{Life Stage: Adult | Food Type: Wet | Breed Size: All}

Best Treats

Zuke's Mini Naturals

$8

$6 at Amazon View on Chewy View on Petco

Made in the U.S. with no corn, wheat, soy, fillers, by-products, or artificial ingredients, Zuke’s treats come in all sorts of interesting flavors, so if your dog doesn’t like chicken, try salmon or peanut butter and oats. There are also three recipes just for puppies that are smaller and have added omega-3 DHA and EPA to support brain development, according to the brand. Each flavor has some type of meat protein or peanut butter as the main ingredient.

These treats are meaty and tempting, which makes them perfect for getting your dog’s attention. They are small and have only about 2 calories per treat, but they are soft enough that you can tear them into even smaller pieces for tiny pets and easy for senior dogs with dental issues to chew,

_{Life Stage: All | Food Type: Treats | Breed Size: Extra small, small}

Best Topper

Brutus Bone Broth for Dogs

$20

$16 at Amazon View on Chewy

Designed to be used as a dry food topper, Brutus Bone Broth is a simple way to add flavor and hydration while providing your dog with healthy doses of joint-supporting glucosamine and chondroitin, and anti-inflammatory turmeric. The low-sodium flavored broths are made with non-GMO and 100 percent human-grade ingredients, including animal-source protein broth (chicken, beef, salmon, or pork) and vegetable broth. They're also free of gluten, soy, dairy, artificial flavors, preservatives, and coloring.

The bone broth is packaged in eco-friendly resealable 32-ounce cartons with an easy-to-use twist-off cap. Feeding instructions recommend a 1/4 cup of broth per 25 pounds of body weight per meal. Although the brand offers four flavors, only beef and chicken are available at Walmart, so if you want to try the pork and salmon flavors, you'll have to get them at another retailer.

_{Life Stage: All, adult | Food Type: Broth | Breed Size: All}