The Best Canned Wet Dog Food Reviewed

Written by Estrella Bolton

As a dog owner, you know that what you feed your dog is ultimately going to play a huge role in your dog’s health. While many dogs are perfectly fine with kibble, other dogs really do need a high quality canned dog food to get everything they need. There are dozens of different brands of food, though, all of which make their own claims as to how healthy they are and what they do for your dog. If you’re looking at these brands for the first time, it makes sense to get some outside help.

Luckily, we’re here to help you find the perfect food for your dog. Not only have we taken a look at some of the today’s best dog food (also food for puppies and dog treats), but we’ve also looked at the best place to buy these canned foods. If you’re concerned about what your dog is eating, we’re here to ensure that you get your dog exactly what he or she needs. 

Best Canned Dog Food In 2021

It’s important to remember that every dog has his or her individual dietary needs. As such, what works for one dog owner isn’t necessarily going to work best for another. We’ve gathered up some of the best-canned dog foods on the market so that you can find the brand that best fits your dog’s needs. 

Blue Buffalo Homestyle Recipe Chicken Dinner with Garden Vegetables & Brown Rice

Blue Buffalo has quickly become one of the leading names in dog food, largely due to its aggressive advertising campaigns and its admittedly high-quality foods. While many people are used to picking up the dry dog food in bagged form, the company does offer an exceptional canned wet dog food product. If you’re looking for a meal that your dog is going to love but that won’t be full of the kinds of ingredients that could end up having a detrimental impact on his or her health, you’ll definitely want to take a closer look at this wet food product from Blue Buffalo, which we’ve ranked as the best food for dog owners to treat their favorite pet with.

The big selling point here is, as with most Blue Buffalo products, the ingredient list. While it’s nice that this wet food contains chicken as the main ingredient, most are going to spend more time looking at what’s not in the dog food. This wet dog food is completely free from preservatives and by-products as well as both artificial colors and flavors. The high-quality ingredients here, such as brown rice, are all wholesome and natural. This will help your dog with his or her digestion and that will hopefully give your dog a better chance of avoiding some of the more common food-related illnesses.

The ingredient list is great, but that’s not going to help you much if your dog won’t eat the food. This is a good choice for those dogs with sensitive mouths as the canned food is remarkably easy for those dogs to eat. If your dog can eat a standard kibble (dry dog food), though, this wet food works well as a mix-in. Dogs really do seem to love the taste of the wet food with brown rice and most won’t walk away until they lick their bowls clean. This is a great canned dog food that is sure to keep most dogs happy while helping to make their owners happy with the nutritional choices that they’ve made. If you’re wondering which best dog food you should get for your pet, you should certainly give this one a closer look.

Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Gastrointestinal Low Fat Canned Dog Food

Wet dog food products aren’t only made to keep your dog’s stomach full. In fact, there are many different prescription foods that are meant to help dogs deal with specific ailments. If your dog has GI issues, there’s a good chance that you’ve been recommended the Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Gastrointestinal Low Fat Canned Dog Food as an option for your dog. An excellent choice for those dogs who have stomach problems, this is the kind of food you’ll want to choose when your dog’s health is a major concern. 

This prescription food really is all about helping to aid your dog with his or her digestion. A quick look at the ingredients list shows that not only are there ingredients that are meant to help your dog digest the food more easily, but that the food is meant to actually boost your dog’s GI health overall. A good combination of fiber and fatty acids does the bulk of the work in the gastrointestinal system, while other ingredients make it easier for your dog to keep the food down without causing any other type of stomach problem. 

Even better, this dog food actually works at helping to solve several other health problems at the same time. There are ingredients here to help prevent the growth of crystals in your dog’s urinary tract, for example, and other ingredients that are meant to help boost your dog’s immune system. While all of these goals are great, the wet food also succeeds at your dog’s primary goal – that is, being edible. Most dogs really do like this wet food at least as much as their standard dog food, happily eating it whenever they have the chance. If your primary concern is your dog’s GI health, you’ll definitely want to consider picking up this excellent product from Royal Canin, which we’ve ranked as our runner-up for today’s best dogs food.

Hill’s Prescription Diet i/d Digestive Care Low Fat Original Flavor Pate Canned Dog Food

If your dog has digestive health issues, you already know that regular dog food just isn’t going to be an option. Though regular dog food products can be a fantastic choice for average dogs, most are full of ingredients that can lead to upset stomachs when your dog is already struggling with health problems. As such, foods like this product from Hill’s Prescription Diet play a very important role in the world of balanced nutrition for canines. This fantastic canned dog food will not only help to keep your dog well-fed, but it will also go a long way towards helping alleviate your dog’s worst symptoms. 

This dog food takes several different steps to ensure that your dog will be able to not only eat despite his or her stomach issue but that your dog will have a chance to get past those issues and return to a level of health that’s a bit closer to normal. The wet food is full of prebiotic ingredients, for example, that help to promote better gut flora. It is also full of other ingredients that promote healthy immune system function and even extra ingredients like ginger that help to keep your dog’s stomach calm after he or she eats.

No matter how healthy the wet food might be, your dog isn’t going to have much to do with it unless the taste is right. Fortunately, this wet dog food does manage to walk that line between being a health supplement and great-tasting dog food. Your dog won’t notice all of the good things that it does for him or her when he or she is eating but don’t be surprised to see that your dog still prefers this wet food even after his or her stomach problems have started to clear up. It’s not only healthy wet dog food, but it’s one that dogs really do tend to love. 

American Journey Stews Poultry & Beef Variety Pack Grain-Free Canned Dog Food

One of the other big benefits of choosing a grain-free canned dog food is that doing so always feels a little more natural than giving your dog dry dog food. While there’s certainly nothing wrong with dry foods, dogs always seem to prefer something that’s a little closer to that which would be found in nature. If your goal is to help your dog stay healthy while eating food that’s actually a little more like “real” food, you absolutely take a look at this grain-free dog food from American Journey. 

As with many canned dog food products, it seems that the major goal of this grain-free food is to eliminate as many of the ingredients that aren’t native to a dog’s diet as possible. This means that there’s no soy in the food, nor is there grain nor corn nor even wheat. Almost totally devoid of filler, these ingredients are mostly replaced with meat and broth to ensure that your dog is getting what he or she needs to stay healthy. Excellent grain-free food for promoting lean muscle growth, it’s packed full of everything your dog needs to flourish and grow. 

While the grain-free food is largely formulated to be something that your dog’s going to love to eat, it also follows a pretty common path of promoting better health for your dog than many other wet dog foods. It includes a variety of amino acids and other ingredients to make sure that your dog’s health needs are met, and the choice of ingredients does seem tailored to keeping dogs as healthy as they are happy. If your goal is to find a grain-free wet dog food that’s going to taste great while avoiding the fillers that are so common in most wet dog foods, you’ll definitely need to give this one a chance. 

Pedigree Choice Cuts in Gravy Steak & Vegetable Flavor Canned Dog Food

If you have ever been in a dog food aisle, you’re probably pretty familiar with Pedigree. Though it is not the most expensive food on the market, it’s usually got the kind of ingredients that are needed to ensure that a dog stays healthy. If your goal is to find something that your dog is going to love to eat but that’s going to promote good health, you’ll want to take a look at its Choice Cuts in Gravy & Vegetable Flavor food. It’s got the taste that dogs love alongside the ingredients that help your dog to thrive.

The taste is the big thing here, and it’s definitely worth talking about. Dogs tend to love this food, whether mixed in with dry dog food or served by itself. Since meat is the primary ingredient, you can feel confident that your pup is actually getting the kind of essential vitamins and minerals that he or she needs to thrive. The only thing that your dog is going to notice, though, is that the food is very easy to chew and that it tastes better than the average wet dog food that is available in most pet food aisles. 

If you look at the ingredient list, though, you’ll notice that there are actually some really beneficial additions here. It is formulated for easy digestion, which is great for other dogs or dogs with stomach troubles. The canned food is also full of the kinds of oils and minerals that will keep a dog’s coat strong and healthy. This wet dog food really is a great choice for those who put taste first. 

Cesar Loaf in Sauce Variety Pack Dog Food Trays

The only downside to choosing canned dog food is that it isn’t quite as easy to serve as more traditional dry food. Though you can still put this grain-free food in the same kind of bowl as dry dog food, the process can be laborious and messy. If you are looking for something that’s a little easier to use on the go, you should definitely give Cesar a chance. 

Cesar is one of the big names in wet dog food, and for good reason – the brand has a good reputation among pet owners, both for its wide range of flavor options and its ease of serving. Each portion of this grain-free food comes in its own easy-to-open pack, which can be peeled open and served directly to your pup. Generally thought of like wet dog food for smaller dogs, it nonetheless is quite appetizing and a good fit for any pup who loves soft, grain-free food.

Cesar is generally well-loved by dogs who tend to be picky eaters but it’s also a favorite among dog owners concerned with balanced nutrition. Packed full of vitamins and minerals, it has everything your pet needs to stay healthy without having to resort to adding in other supplements. Not only is this one of the most convenient wet dog foods that you are likely to find, but it’s also one of the grain-free foods that are going to end up being most appealing to your pup. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the best canned dog food?

Wondering which dog foods are the best for your pup? No one dog food is ever going to be called the best wet dog food. There are a number of really good contenders, but it ultimately comes down to what you’re looking for. It’s also important to note that all of the accolades in the world won’t mean much if your dog won’t eat the food, so the best wet dog food in the world is ultimately going to be the healthiest dog food that your pup is willing to eat. 

Is canned dog food good for dogs?

Canned dog food certainly can be good for dogs, it really just depends on what’s in the food. Just like dry foods, there are good canned dog foods and bad canned dog foods. Bad foods have a tendency to use low-quality ingredients with a lot of filler, while better foods tend to use better ingredients instead of trying to take up space. Figuring out which one you are buying really is a matter of looking at the ingredients on the back of the can.

You definitely shouldn’t feel bad about giving your pup canned dog food as long as it is from a reputable source, though. The companies that put in real efforts to making great canned dog food have come up with some fantastic products for dogs. There’s nothing inherently wrong with canned food, so you should feel comfortable feeding it to your dogs. 

What are the top 5 healthiest dog foods?

It’s really hard to put together a top-five list of the healthiest dog foods because there are certainly many different metrics by which you can judge a food’s healthy qualities. Does healthy mean lowest calories, most vitamins, or best ingredients? Does it have to do with how it treats a dog’s stomach, how it deals with certain health problems, or just by its general favor among vets? You absolutely have to be able to answer those questions if you want to put together this type of list.

In full fairness, you can probably put together a good top five list for any pup by looking at our list of the best wet dog foods. While there are more than five on the list, all of these foods are geared towards keeping dogs healthy. 

What is the best wet dog food for senior dogs?

The best wet dog food for seniors is going to depend on the pup, but you should feel comfortable picking anything specifically geared towards seniors that has a good list of healthy ingredients. Wet dog foods tend to be good for seniors because they are easier on their mouths and often easier to digest, but not all senior formulas are strictly the same. Try to take a look at what each wet dog food is designed to do and weigh that against the list of ingredients in the food. Finding a good marriage between solid basic ingredients and good extras is the best way to help out your senior pup. 

Canned Dog Food Buying Guide

No one canned dog food is going to be the best food for dogs of all shapes and sizes. Instead of just relying on marketing, it’s important that you stop and think about the factors that will make food a good fit for your pup. Below are just a handful of things at which you should look, but each of these factors will play a major role in helping you to figure out if a given wet dog food is really right for your pet. 

Ingredients

It’s always a very good idea to start your search with the ingredients list for the various canned dog foods on the market. While different pet owners are certainly going to have wildly different opinions on which ingredients are right for their dogs, just starting with what’s in the food is usually a good method for determining quality. While there’s definitely a stereotype that scanning ingredients lists are all about finding free-range or organic products, the truth is a process that’s easiest enough for even a brand new pet owner.

The simplest way to judge food is by its first ingredient. If the first ingredient is some kind of meat, you’re probably in good shape – chicken or beef is preferred, though there are some foods that use bison or even salmon. Past that, you want to make sure that there aren’t a lot of extra fillers, wheat, or other grains. The higher-end foods tend to eschew artificial flavors and colors as well, which can be good for your dog’s stomach. As a rule, you want the ingredient list to be as small and easy to understand as possible. 

Formula

What is the dog food meant to do, other than to keep your pup full? There are plenty of different brands out there that all claim that their wet dog food does something, so you need to think about whether or not a special formula actually means anything to you. It should be noted that it’s absolutely fine to just choose a wet dog food that’s going to keep your dog’s stomach full and provide balanced nutrition – you don’t have to pursue a special formula if it’s not going to make a difference for your pup.

With that said, there are definitely foods that make a difference for some dogs. If you have a puppy, you want a puppy food. Likewise, seniors really can benefit from a senior blend. There are formulas for dogs who have stomach problems, who have weak immune systems, and for those who need to lose weight and all of them have value. Simply make sure that you actually choose a formula that’s going to do something for your dog if you are going to pick up one of these wet dog foods – if they won’t, you’re going to end up paying more for a product that won’t do much for your pup. 

Packaging/Presentation

The packaging doesn’t seem like it’s something that would matter for wet dog food, but it’s actually really important for canned foods. Simply put, this is a quality of life feature that will end up meaning a lot to you as you continue to feed your pup. The more user-friendly the packaging and presentation, the less often you’re going to feel like you’re having to do a chore when feeding your pup. It’s one of those little things that you probably haven’t thought of before, but it really will matter.

One of the tough parts about this is that there are some great wet dog foods with very user-friendly packages, but the change in shapes can have an impact on your pup. The foods that have the friendliest packages tend to be a little on the small size, so you are either going to have to feed your pup more packages or you’re going to have to find different food. Try to find a good balance between finding something that’s easy for you and something that’s sufficient for your dog’s daily meals. 

Veterinarian Recommendations

This factor doesn’t have anything to do with the advertisements that you see on television and has much more to do with your own vet’s opinion on wet dog foods. There are certainly vets who have deals with certain companies or who sell food out of their office that might not be all that objective, but it’s always a good idea to get some input from pet care professionals if you want to find the best wet food for your pup. Taking the time to sit down and have a conversation about this will be a great way to get on the right path. 

One of the best reasons to have this conversation has less to do with getting a specific recommendation and more to get a general idea of what your pup needs. If your vet points to a specific brand because of your dog’s stomach issues or because of a health problem, you can do some research to see if there are similar foods out there that serve the same purpose. Even with that said, most vets are more than willing to point you towards a great brand of canned food if you let the vets know exactly what you need. 

Taste

Finally, try to remember that your pup is only going to appreciate the wet dog food that you buy him or her if he or she actually likes to eat the food. You can tell your pup that the food is healthy but all your dog really cares about is the taste. Try to find a wet dog food that has the flavors that your pup tends to enjoy and don’t be afraid to buy a single can of a new food if you’re not sure how your pup will receive the switch. It’s never a bad idea to let your pup have at least a little bit of input on the food you buy.