Feeding 🦴
Dog food guides built from the part of the label that’s actually regulated: the AAFCO statement, the guaranteed analysis, and what a plan really costs to feed your dog. We compare what brands publish, not what their front-of-bag marketing promises.
Prices are in USD. Formulas, labels, subscription terms and availability described here are for the US market unless a guide says otherwise. Nothing in this section is veterinary advice.
📰 Guides in this section
Each guide checks every claim against the manufacturer’s own pages, and marks anything a brand doesn’t publish instead of filling the gap from a third-party site.
Fresh Dog Food Subscriptions: How to Pick the Right One for Your Dog
Five services compared on storage format, how each is formulated, what it costs to feed your dog, and whether a picky eater will actually take to it. Includes the two shelf-stable options that need no freezer.
Senior Dog Food Labels: What “Complete and Balanced” Actually Promises Your Older Dog
Six bags compared on the one line most owners never read. “Senior” isn’t a regulated life stage, so we check which one each label actually names, how the claim was proven, and what the guaranteed analysis says.
🌱 Start with the problem
Most feeding mistakes start with trusting the front of the bag.
Your dog just turned 7 and the bag says it’s time for “senior” food.
“Senior” isn’t a regulated life stage. Read the AAFCO statement before you switch. Compare senior dog food labels
You’re choosing between “all life stages” and “maintenance.”
All life stages is built to the puppy standard, not an extra-gentle one. See one brand’s two versions side by side
Your vet has flagged a kidney or mineral concern.
That’s a vet decision, not a label comparison. Understand what the labels can and can’t tell you
You want fresh food but your freezer is already full.
Two services ship shelf-stable food that lives in the pantry. See the no-freezer options
Your dog is picky and won’t leave kibble behind.
Texture matters as much as ingredients. Start with the format closest to kibble. See the air-dried option
You want a subscription but worry about a shipping delay.
Some fresh brands are also sold in stores, so you have a same-week backup. See the brands with retail backup
📝 Three checks before you switch foods
They apply to every food in this section, whatever the format or brand.
Read the word after “for”
The AAFCO statement names the life stage a food is complete and balanced for: growth, maintenance, gestation/lactation, or all life stages. Words like “senior” or “7+” on the front have no standard definition.
Treat label numbers as floors
Guaranteed analysis figures are minimums or maximums, not the actual recipe. When two foods differ a lot in moisture, such as kibble and fresh or air-dried food, compare them on a dry-matter basis.
Price your own dog, not the homepage
Fresh food is priced per dog by weight, age and activity. “Starting at” figures describe a different dog. Run your dog’s profile through each brand’s own calculator and compare the weekly cost.
🏷️ What the label actually says
The life stage and substantiation method each brand states for the formulas in our guides. Checked September 2026.
| Food | Life stage stated | How it’s substantiated | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hill’s Science Diet Adult 7+ | Maintenance | AAFCO feeding trial | Senior labels |
| Royal Canin Medium Adult 7+ and Small Aging 12+ | Maintenance | Formulated to AAFCO profiles | Senior labels |
| Diamond Naturals Senior | Maintenance | Formulated to AAFCO profiles | Senior labels |
| Diamond Naturals All Life Stages | All life stages, including large-breed growth | Formulated to AAFCO profiles | Senior labels |
| ZIWI Peak Air-Dried Chicken | All life stages, except large-breed growth | Formulated to AAFCO profiles | Senior labels |
| Ollie | All life stages | Formulated to AAFCO guidelines | Fresh food |
| Nom Nom | All life stages | Formulated to AAFCO profiles; its own feeding studies test palatability and digestibility | Fresh food |
| Spot & Tango UnKibble | All life stages, including large-breed growth | Meets or exceeds AAFCO profiles | Fresh food |
| Sundays for Dogs | All life stages, including large-breed growth | Formulated to AAFCO profiles | Fresh food |
| The Farmer’s Dog | Not shown on its public pages | States both AAFCO formulation and AAFCO feeding trials | Fresh food |
Formulas and label wording change between production runs. Confirm the statement on the bag or the brand’s current product page before you buy.
