The Best Dog Food With Grain (With Reviews!)

Written by Estrella Bolton

We are going to be taking a look at some of the best dog food selections with grain in the formula. While grain-free diets have become a popular phenomenon, the fact is that dog food formulas with the grain can provide crucial nutrients for dogs. Some possible benefits include healthy skin, growth, and building a strong immune system. This article will highlight several of the best dog foods with grain in the formula. We will also be discussing some of the top features and benefits of each individual brand. 

Although they’ve gotten somewhat of a bad rap recently, grains should not be completely discounted. Even some of the best wet dog food contains healthy grains to boost your dog’s nutritional profile. While many pet parents associate grain-free food with higher-quality dog foods, that’s not necessarily always the case.

In fact, even many of the best fresh dog food brands and dog food delivery services formulate meals that include healthy grains.

Best Dog Foods With Grain in 2022

This section will focus on several of our top recommendations for dog food with grains. We will be taking a look at several of the nutritional benefits in each formula and compare them against other brands. This information is extremely important to understand before purchasing grain-inclusive dog foods with quality animal protein for your pet.

Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Adult Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food

You are probably interested in learning more about this Blue Buffalo Life Protection Recipe, which we’ve selected as today’s best dry dog food with a grain-inclusive recipe. We will start out by discussing the convenient packaging size options that are available to choose from. It is really nice to have the opportunity to select from multiple size options. This brand offers five different size variations between 3-Pounds and 30-Pounds. 

The formula in this dog food with grains has a lot of important benefits to consider. We will start by discussing the benefits of your dog’s muscles. The grain-inclusive recipe contains several wholesome ingredients such as deboned chicken as the primary meat protein, chicken meal, brown rice, & barley that can help your pup to build stronger muscles and joints. You might also be able to strengthen your dog’s immune system by routinely feeding this formula to your dog. 

This grain-inclusive dog food has essential meat protein, and calcium integrated into the formula. These important elements can help to improve your dog’s energy and strength every single day. Other essential vitamins and minerals are also found within this excellent dry food formula. This is a great grain-inclusive dry food selection for adult dogs. Also, the recipe contains no hazardous ingredients like processed wheat and corn in the formula, which is nice because many pet parents turn to grain-free dog food to avoid these ingredients in the first place.  While some will be concerned about he inclusion of wheat, at least it’s whole grain wheat which is a much healthier option.

It might be a good idea to have a short conversation with your veterinarian to see if this dog food is right for your pet. There are several beneficial ingredients that might come in handy for your adult pup, and it’s no coincidence that we’ve selected it as today’s best grain-inclusive dog food.

>> Read our in-depth Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula review <<

Purina Pro Plan Dry Dog Food

The Purina Pro Plan is an extremely popular selection for many pet owners because it has several key benefits that several other brands don’t have in their formula. We will start by discussing the benefits of sensitive skin in adult dogs. Omega-6 fatty acids play a significant role in the benefits of a dog’s skin and coat health. 

Purina has also placed a primary focus on making this grain-inclusive dog food easily digestible for adult dogs. A lot of dogs struggle with certain types of dog food formulas. Many veterinarians may recommend the Purina Pro Plan for your pet if they struggle with digesting certain types of dog food. The high-quality grain-inclusive recipe contains natural ingredients and meat protein including rice, barley, salmon, salmon meal & fish meal. The formula does not include any harmful elements like corn, wheat, and soy, yielding much of the benefit that pet owners are looking for when they consider a grain-free dog food.

Digestive and immune system health is extremely important for adult dogs to live a healthy lifestyle. The key ingredients within this dry food formula from Purina can play a significant role in improving the general health of your dog. This can also be a great grain-inclusive food with quality animal protein for large dogs that need to go onto a weight-controlled diet. 

Customers have the opportunity to select from four different package sizes. The smallest bag weighs about 5-Pounds. You can also buy larger packages of this grain-inclusive food. There are available package sizes at 15-Pounds, 30-Pounds, and 40-Pounds. Thousands of pet owners have made the decision to transition their pup to this dog food formula. There are several great benefits for your dog in this formula and it is always important to feed your adult dog a high-protein formula that will keep them healthy and energetic. 

Hill’s Science Diet Dry Dog Food

We are now prepared to shift focus towards the impressive Hill’s Science Diet. This exceptional grain-inclusive formula with quality animal protein is specifically designed for older adult dogs with sensitive stomachs. The exceptional formula supports digestive health and helps the immune system significantly. The kibble-sized chow makes it extremely easy to digest and consume for dogs. 

This grain-inclusive formula for adult dogs is crafted with several natural ingredients including chicken meal, brown rice, and dried beet pulp. These elements include Vitamin E, Omega-6 fatty acids, and several other crucial nutrients to support general health in older dogs. Thousands of veterinarians recommend this brand of dog food because of the fact that it is so easy to digest despite the lack of the grain-free designation. Dogs with sensitive stomachs will likely benefit from this type of dog food.

Customers can choose from several different package sizes. The smallest bag is listed at approximately 4-Pounds. A medium-sized bag is available at 15-Pounds, and the largest is available at 30-Pounds.  

Purina ONE Smart Blend Chicken & Rice Adult Formula Dry Dog Food

The Purina ONE Smart Blend Chicken & Rice Adult Formula is a food brand that could provide your dog with crucial nutritional benefits, and it’s clear why it’s one of our top picks for grain-inclusive formulations. This natural grain-inclusive formula includes several vitamins and minerals that can promote your dog’s general health with ingredients like fresh chicken as the primary meat protein, whole grain corn, and chicken by-product meal. This food will definitely appeal, even to the taste buds of a picky eater. It turns out that Omega-6 is a crucial element in the formula for this chow. Omega-6 can help to support healthy skin in your dog. Glucosamine can also be found within this formula. This element is really great for supporting your dog’s joints and muscles. 

This grain-inclusive food with quality animal protein has been recognized as one of the best choices in the industry. The natural ingredients are mixed with several crucial elements to optimize the overall health benefits. There are also multiple package sizes available for you to select from before completing your purchase. 

Rachael Ray Natural Chicken & Veggies Recipe Dry Dog Food

There are several reasons to strongly consider Rachael Ray Natural Chicken & Veggies Recipe for your dog. A lot of pet owners select this grain-inclusive formula because the recipe contains wholesome whole grains and fibers that can significantly improve the digestion system in adult dogs. There are many other important health benefits as well. Natural ingredients within this formula such as chicken, brown rice, chicken meal, dried beet pulp, and chicken fat are mixed with crucial vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that can boost your dog’s energy levels and immune system. 

This grain-inclusive formula is also crafted to be completely gluten-free without being grain-free. The Rachael Ray Natural Chicken & Veggies Recipe can be fed to older dogs of small breed and large. You can also check with your veterinarian to see if this is the right grain-inclusive food selection for your own pet. 

As far as packaging selection goes, there are quite a few options available for you to consider. The smallest bag is only 6-Pounds which is perfect for a small breed, and the largest package size weighs approximately 40-Pounds. There are also two alternative size options at 14-Pounds and 20-Pounds that you might also be interested in considering for purchase. 

American Journey Active Life Formula

The American Journey Active Life Formula is a popular food brand that has an exceptional reputation for promoting health in adult dogs. This grain-inclusive formula contains natural ingredients like salmon, brown rice, oatmeal, menhaden fish meal, chicken fat, sweet potatoes, and several other healthy vegetables. Several of the high-quality ingredients are rich in antioxidants and vitamins. The vitamins, minerals, and nutrients within this formula are extremely valuable for dogs that suffer from low energy. These important elements can help to stimulate and boost your dog’s energy levels. 

The natural fibers, antioxidants, grains, and fatty acids within this grain-inclusive formula mix together to create one of the best dry dog formulas in the entire industry. The health benefits are extremely critical for certain types of dogs that might be struggling with sensitive stomachs or restricted immune systems.

The well-rounded formula is extremely balanced and can provide your dog with an extremely healthy diet. No artificial ingredients or flavors are used within this critical formula. The balanced mixture of Omega-3 fatty acid and Omega-6 fatty acid are also an important addition to this formula, and the chicken meal can help provide extra glucosamine for joint healt.. You will also likely be happy to hear that despite avoiding the “grain-free” tag, there is no wheat, soy, or corn included within this formula. These ingredients can cause allergic reactions and several other problems in sensitive dogs.

The grain-inclusive American Journey Active Life Formula is available in three primary packaging sizes. The small bag weighs approximately 4-Pounds and is ideal for small breed dogs. You can also elect to purchase the slightly larger packages that weigh-in at 14-Pounds and 28-Pounds. 

Iams ProActive Health Adult MiniChunks

Every dog has his or her own preferences when it comes to dog chow. If you’re an owner of a small breed dog or a dog with eating difficulties, you know how important it is that every bite of food is manageable. While there are a lot of great dog foods that contain grains out there, not all of them are perfect for all dogs. If you’re in the market for something that your small breed dog is going to eat, you might want to check out these MiniChunks by Iams.

Iams is definitely one of those brands that you’ve seen on store shelves for years, and for good reason. The brand has a good reputation among dog owners, positioning itself as a good alternative to store-brand kibble. Though it might not necessarily have all of the social caches that come with some of the trendier brands, Iams has always been good about making healthy food. This brand of MiniChunks manages to pack in all of the high-quality ingredients you’d want from a grain-inclusive food such as chicken, ground whole-grain corn, ground whole-grain sorghum, chicken by-product meal, and chicken fat into tiny bites for your canine companion.

The tiny bites are great but it’s what is in them that really matters. The first ingredient is farm-raised chicken, allowing dog owners to feel comfortable knowing they’re not giving their pets a food full of fillers. There is also plenty of prebiotics and fibers that can help to improve your dog’s digestive health in this food. If you’re looking for something that’s going to really make your dog happy, you might want to check out this food. 

>> Read our in-depth Iams Proactive Health Minichunks review <<

Pedigree Adult Complete Nutrition

Yes, Pedigree has excellent products for those dog owners who are looking for great food that’s got wholesome grains as part of the ingredient list. While Pedigree might be one of those brands that you’ve passed over in the past because they don’t include all of the usual buzzwords in their marketing, the truth is that the company has always been very good at giving dogs what they need to stay healthy. 

This particular recipe from Pedigree does a really good job of helping your dog to stay healthy. It advertises itself as being designed for complete nutrition and it really does check off all of the boxes. While the recipe contains high-quality ingredients (including whole grains) and leaves out most of the fillers that cause problems, the real selling points come in the form of the little things that are going to improve your dog’s life.

This formula does a great job of helping dogs to keep their coats healthy and shiny, which means that your dog not only looks great but that his or her skin feels great. The food also helps to keep your dog’s teeth clean with every bite, as the kibble itself is actually designed to wear away plaque and tartar as your dog eats. This is a recipe that’s made to keep your dog healthy between visits to the vet, giving him or her everything that he or she needs in terms of a different diet without sacrificing the kind of taste that most dogs love. If you’re looking for good, simple recipe, this is probably one of the best choices you can make. 

Diamond Naturals Chicken & Rice Formula All Life Stages

Muscles on dogs aren’t for show. Healthy muscles are what helps to keep a dog active, supporting his or her joints and providing your dog with the means by which to run and play. If your dog doesn’t have good muscle health, he or she just doesn’t have good health at all. The best way to help with your dog’s muscle health is to find a good recipe that supports strong muscles. If that’s your primary goal, you’ll definitely want to take a look at this product from Diamond Naturals, which sits comfortably amongst our top picks.

This Diamond Naturals All Life Stages is full of meat protein, starting with cage-free chicken as the primary ingredient, followed by chicken meal, brown rice, barley, and chicken fat. Adding in the right grains and animal protein is a great way to make sure that your dog can build lean muscle, helping him or her to stay strong as he or she ages. Particularly, chicken meal can help them with their joint health. The food also features high-quality ingredients that make it easy for your dog to digest the food, ensuring that he or she gets all the vitamins or minerals that he or she needs.

The ingredient list does leave out some major offenders in terms of dog diets as well. The grains it includes are all easy to digest and great for your dog, with fillers being almost entirely absent from the food. If you’re looking for something that promotes muscle growth and health while still helping with your dog’s digestion, this might be the formulation for which you have been looking. 

Nutro Wholesome Essentials Large Breed Adult

Large breed dogs have special nutritional needs when compared to small breed dogs. While you can often give them the same kinds of chow that you give small dogs, this does tend to do them a bit of a disservice. They don’t just need more food – they need the right kind of nutritional supports to lead long and healthy lives. If you’ve got a larger adult dog, it’s important that you find good chow meant for him or her. One such product among our top picks is Nutro’s Large Breed Adult recipe. It’s got everything your big dog needs to stay healthy. 

This formulation focuses on the same thing that a fair number of other large breed dog foods focus on – joint healthy. It’s really hard to overstate how important joint health is for big dogs, and not just because no one wants to see his or her dog in pain. Older, larger dogs with bad joints can be at risk of all kinds of other health problems, so finding good food that provides the necessary supports really is a must for owners of these breeds. Keep an eye out for chicken meal -the inclusion of chicken meal helps provide glucosamine and chondroitin. Adding in the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients necessary for bigger dogs really makes this one worth the investment. It contains ingredients such as sweet potatoes and lamb meal. While fresh lamb would’ve been ideal, it would make the food much more costly.

Of course, this food does more than just protecting your dog’s joints. It also does a great job of providing overall nutrition, with farm-raised chicken as the first ingredients and no unnecessary fillers. If you’re looking for a food that’s perfect for your bigger dog, you’ll definitely want to take a look at this one.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it good to have grain in dog food?

It’s usually best for your dog to have at least some grain in his or her diet. While grain-free diets have seemingly become the latest fad, not only does the inclusion of grain help your dog to stay full after eating, but it can have some real health benefits. Dogs need some degree of starch in their diets, for example, and having some carbohydrates can be good for your dog’s overall energy level when compared to the energy they may have on grain-free diets. Though there are a lot of brands right now that advertise themselves as being grain-free because it seems like a healthy alternative, most dog foods with grains can actually be quite good for your dog’s overall health. 

Why is grain-free bad for dogs?

Grain-free is definitely one of those buzzwords that you see in many dog foods, particularly for pets allergic to grains. However, more and more vets are starting to warn against giving your dogs any kind of grain-free food or chow that doesn’t have at least some grain content. It turns out that dogs may be at risk of developing a potentially deadly heart condition if they don’t include grain as a regular part of their diet, so grain-free diets have certainly come into question.

It’s also important to note that the vast majority of dogs don’t actually have any kind of grain sensitivity and therefor don’t reap the supposed benefits of grain-free food. It’s a common misconception that’s been peddled by a lot of very expensive brands with their grain-free products, but vets report this kind of problem in a very small subsection of dogs who are indeed allergic to grains. 

What grains should dogs avoid?

As a rule, dogs are generally going to do better when they avoid dog foods with grain – particularly when the recipe contains any type of glutenous grain. This means not only avoiding those foods that contain wheat primarily, but any other grain that tends to have a high amount of gluten is going to make life easier on your dog. These foods can hurt your dog’s digestion and lead to some unfortunate GI problems in those dogs who are sensitive to gluten.

You also generally want to avoid corn in puppy chow. Corn is a really common filler but it’s also one that is very difficult for many dogs to digest. Though you aren’t going to have the same problem with corn as you are going to have with wheat, it’s still something that dogs should really only have in moderation. 

Some of these examples have given all grains a bad name which is why many pet owners today are adopting grain free foods. However, high quality grains do have a place in a healthy dog’s diet if used correctly. However, if your dog does show intolerance toward some healthy grains, you should definitely try using more grain free dog foods.

Most other grains, like ancient grains, ground barley, brewer’s rice, rice bran, or grain oats should be fine for your dog as well.

Is white rice or brown rice better for dogs?

This is actually a fairly tricky question because there are two valid answers. The first and most obvious is that white rice is generally better for your dog. White rice has more starch in it, which is something that your dog needs for his or her diet. Since brown rice isn’t quite as high in starch content, it’s really not going to have as much of a positive effect.

If your dog has blood sugar issues, though, you might want to stick with brown rice. White rice has a lot more natural sugar in it, so it can lead to your dog’s blood sugar content skyrocketing. If you’re going to feed your dog white rice, it’s generally best to do so in moderation. The same goes for ground brown rice compared with ground white rice.

Is oatmeal OK for dogs?

Oatmeal is okay for dogs to eat as long as you give it to them in moderation. It absolutely doesn’t need to be the primary ingredient in your puppy food, but having a bit of it in the food isn’t going to hurt your dog. As with most things related to canine sustenance, it’s best to know how your individual dog is going to react.

Remember, too much fiber can be a problem for most dogs. Oatmeal tends to be a higher source of fiber, so giving your dog oatmeal by itself or even a food that’s high in oatmeal content can cause your dog some significant problems. As a treat or in small amounts, though, this food is generally going to be fine. 

Grain-Inclusive Dog Food Buying Guide

If you’re looking for dog food with grain, don’t just buy the brands that others have bought. Instead, take some time to think about exactly what your dog needs from the food so that you can find something that really works for him or her. Instead of just looking at a label, you need to know the various factors that go into making the best dog foods. Below are some things to keep in mind as you shop for great grain-inclusive food for your dog. 

While we’ve covered some of our top picks, there are many more options for healthy grain-inclusive dog foods. Popular brands like Earth Farms dog food also have excellent dog foods with grain as an ingredient. While most of the products above feature chicken and turkey meal, you can also find grain-inclusive options for beef meal or pork meal. Pretty much any protein goes. So, to help you pick a good whole grain dog food if you can’t find one of our picks for the best grain dog food, refer to our buying guide:

Ingredients

As you know, dogs eat just about anything, so it’s up to us to make sure what we give them offers balanced nutrition. As with any other food, you should mainly try to avoid the usual suspects, such as artificial flavors, artificial preservatives, excess fat and salt, etc.

One of the first things at which you should look when trying to figure out which chow brand is the best for your dog is the ingredients list. While you know that you want to make sure that your dog gets grain-inclusive food (rather than grain-free), it’s still a good idea to make sure that you get the right whole grains for your dog’s health. This is also an incredibly important factor for those dogs that have food allergies, as choosing the wrong set of ingredients or a grain-free formulation can cause your dog some fairly significant health problems.

If you’re not sure exactly what your dog needs, it might be a good idea to talk to your vet. He or she can give you a list of primary ingredients to look for, including the proteins that are ultimately going to have the biggest impact on your dog’s health. While the inclusion of chicken meal may be off-putting, chicken meal actually serves as a good source of glucosamine to help your dog’s joint health. Make sure that you look not only at the list of ingredients but where each ingredient falls on the list. The higher up the list, the more of those ingredients are in the food. Your goal should always be to find foods that have the best ingredients as primary ingredients. 

Although it might be much less common, particularly in affordable dog food brands, whole grain millet is also a solid grain.

Food Type and Flavor Profile

The type of food that you feed your dog also matters. Remember, your dog has some very real preferences when it comes to the types of food that he or she likes. No matter how nutritious the food may be, you’re not going to get a dog who only likes to eat dry food to eat wet dog food, and a dog who generally prefers to eat wet food is probably going to turn his or her nose up at dry food. Try to stick with something that generally seems close in form to the food that you already feed your dog so that he or she can make the switch easily.

You also need to make sure that you’re looking at the flavor of the canine chow when you’re making a purchase. Though this does have a lot to do with the ingredients in the food, it’s also going to play a role in figuring out what your dog is going to eat. No matter how wholesome the food, you’re not going to get a dog who doesn’t like fish to eat something that has a salmon flavor – they’d probably prefer a formulate with chicken and chicken meal. On the other hand, picking a flavor that your dog actually enjoys can be a really good way to help your dog to make the switch to new canine chow. 

Cost

Cost does matter when it comes to choosing the right chow for your dog. No matter how much you might like to get the best puppy food on the market, the truth is that you really have to go after something that you can afford. It’s a really good idea to start this process not just by looking at the cost of each individual bag or can, but by figuring out how much comes in each package. Even food that looks relatively inexpensive can end up being costly if there’s not much in the bag.

Dry food is generally the cheapest type of dog food with canned food being a bit more costly.

The best way to avoid paying too much might be to find food that doesn’t come from a particularly trendy brand. There are some great dog foods on our list that are priced for those who don’t have unlimited funds, so make sure that you take a look at those foods if you are looking to save a little bit of money. Remember, it’s not the brand on the front of the bag that matters but rather the food that’s inside the bag that will help your dog to stay healthy. 

Health Needs

Finally, make sure that you pay attention to your dog’s health needs as you search for good puppy chow. While most dog grain-inclusive foods are great for providing your dog with the basic nutrition that he or she needs, there are some brands that go above and beyond to make sure that your dog can stay healthy through the addition of extra vitamins, minerals, and nutrients which can be obtained from the inclusion of ingredients such as chicken meal or menhaden fish meal.

There are some brands that are great for helping your dog’s joints stay healthy (menhaden fish meal is particularly good for this as well), for example, while others specialize in boosting your dog’s immune system. Some brands are better for gut health than others, while there are even a few that can help with lean muscle growth. Try to think about exactly what your dog needs in terms of health support when you are shopping for his or her dog food. For more information you can also check out our top picks for today’s best dog food.

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Grains can also be very important ingredients in senior dog food. Senior dogs often have digestive issues which can be relieved thanks to the high fiber content found in grains and the calming effect it has on the stomach. You should speak to a veterinary nutritionist if your dog has any specific needs. They might recommend special food that contains a zinc amino acid complex or other beneficial ingredients.