If you’re in the market for soft dry dog food, you may be wondering which brand is best or healthiest for your pet. There are a few things to consider, but the biggest factor is going to be the ingredients each brand contains. It can be helpful to know which of the popular brands use the best ingredients.
We’ve chosen eight different brands of soft dry dog food to review for you. We’ll tell you about the ingredients each contains as well as any pros and cons we noticed while we were using each brand, and most importantly, we’ll let you know if our dogs liked it. We’ve also included a short buyer’s guide where we talk about the ingredients a little bit more and tell you what you might want to avoid.
Join us while we discuss protein sources, flavor, odor, package size, and more to help you make an informed purchase.
Moist & Meaty Dry Dog Food is our pick for the best overall soft dry dog food. This food uses real beef and has a cheddar cheese flavor that many dogs love. There are also other flavors available, including bacon and eggs, and steak. It provides your pet with complete balanced nutrition and comes in handy single-serve pouches that eliminate mess and the risk of overfeeding.
Our dogs like Moist & Meaty, and the only thing we can complain about is that there is no burger in the product. Instead, it uses meat byproduct, and while not necessarily bad, it’s not as good as a whole meat. Perhaps this is why the crude protein content is 18%, which is a bit low for an everyday dog food. The upside is your dog will eat more of it!
If you’re looking for the best soft dry dog food, we think this is it.
Cons
No whole meat
Pros
Complete and balanced nutrition
No mess pouches
Made with real beef
Cheddar cheese flavor
Pedigree Tender Bites Adult Dry Dog Food
Main ingredients:
Ground whole-grain corn, meat and bone meal, animal fat, corn gluten meal, soybean meal
Protein content:
21%
Fat content:
10%
Calories:
318 per cup
The wholesome recipe used in Pedigree Tender Bites Adult Dog Food is made of whole grains, protein, and vegetables for a nutritionally balanced diet. The tender bites are mixed with crunchy kibble that can help scrub tartar and plaque from teeth as your dog chews.
The food is enriched with antioxidants and omega fatty acids for immune and coat health. Vitamins and minerals are added for nutrition. Whole grains and natural sources of fiber promote healthy digestion and gut health. The food features chicken and steak flavors with no fillers or artificial flavoring.
The bag has a zipper closure to help the food stay fresh and soft.
Pros
Crunchy pieces help clean teeth
Tender pieces added for texture variety
Includes antioxidants and omega fatty acids
Cons
Meat is not the first ingredient
Rachael Ray Nutrish Bright Puppy Dry Dog Food – Best for Puppies
With 28% crude protein content, Rachael Ray Nutrish Bright Puppy Dry Dog Food is our pick as the best for puppies. It contains chicken as its first ingredient and chicken byproduct as it’s second, so you know your puppy is getting plenty of the essential protein it needs to develop healthy muscles and organs. It also contains brown rice, carrots, peas, and beet pulp, which adds several vitamins and minerals important for a growing puppy. It’s also fortified with omega fats for healthy eyesight and a shiny coat, and there are no harmful preservatives.
The biggest complaint we had while using Rachael Ray was that many of our puppies wouldn’t eat it, and often held out until we replaced it with a different brand. Also, the kibble is very tiny, even for a puppy brand.
Cons
Some dogs don’t like it
Tiny pieces
Pros
Added vitamins and minerals
Contains brown rice, carrots, peas, and beet pulp
Chicken is the first ingredient
28% crude protein
Fortified with omega fats
Kibbles ‘n Bits Original Savory Dry Dog Food – Best Value
Kibbles ‘n Bits Original Savory Dry Dog Food is our pick for the best soft dry dog food for the money. This brand has been around for many years, and most of our dogs will come running to get some. It’s a dual texture brand featuring hard kibble as well as soft, meaty bits. It has beef as well as chicken flavoring and contains carrots and green beans to help supply fiber and antioxidants. It’s also enhanced with vitamins and minerals to provide a complete meal.
Though our dogs really enjoy Kibbles ‘n Bits Original and it fit well within our budget, we don’t make it a part of their steady diet because it has a lower protein content (19%), higher fat content (12%), and it contains BHA – a chemical preservative that may produce harmful side effects in your pet.
Cons
Contains BHA
Pros
Enhanced with vitamins and minerals
Fortified with antioxidants
Beef and chicken flavor
Crunchy and soft
Contains carrots and green beans
Purina Dog Chow Tender & Crunchy Dry Dog Food
Purina Dog Chow Tender & Crunchy Dry Dog Food is another brand manufactured by a popular company that has stood the test of time. This food contains hard and soft bits and three sizes of kibble to help clean teeth better and make it easier for different size dogs to eat. With a crude protein-to-fat ratio of 21/10%, it provides a complete and balanced meal with 23 important vitamins and minerals and no harmful preservatives. It’s highly digestible and shouldn’t give your dog stomach cramps or diarrhea.
We didn’t like that Purina Dog Chow doesn’t have chicken listed as its first ingredient. In fact, several other ingredients come before any meat is listed. While most of our dogs did eat this food, they would pick out the bits they wanted and leave the rest behind. This left behind food would inevitably go in the garbage, which added up to quite a bit of waste in the short time we reviewed it.
Cons
Corn is the first ingredient
Dogs pick out the parts they like
Pros
A complete and balanced meal
23 vitamins and minerals
Soft and crunchy bits
Three kibble sizes
Highly digestible
Purina Beneful Simple Goodness Dry Dog Food
Main ingredients:
Chicken, malted barley extract, soy flour, soy grits, water
Protein content:
18%
Fat content:
7%
Calories:
353 per cup
The Purina Beneful Simple Goodness Dry Dog Food is made with tender morsels to give your dog an enticing texture. Farm-raised chicken is combined with peas and carrots for protein, vitamins, and minerals.
The food is packed in convenient pouches to keep it fresh and soft. Dogs can eat this as a completely balanced meal or mixed in with kibble to make it more palatable.
Some small dogs may find that the pieces of food are too big or hard to chew. For very small dogs, the pieces may have to be broken by hand before serving. This food can also be broken into small pieces to make it easier for dogs with missing teeth.
Pros
Enticing texture
Nutritionally complete
Packed in pouches for freshness
Cons
Small dogs may have difficulty chewing the pieces
Purina ONE SmartBlend Adult Formula Dry Dog Food
Purina ONE SmartBlend Adult Formula Dry Dog Food features lamb as its first ingredient. Lamb is high in protein and is also a natural source of glucosamine, which can help with inflammation and joint pain. It also contains omega fats, which help with brain and eye development and promotes a soft, shiny coat.
The biggest problem we had with Purina ONE SmartBlend was that more than one bag contained moths that got into our home after opening the package. It also caused a few of our dogs to begin itching and scratching, and the remainder of our dogs would not eat it and preferred to go hungry.
Cons
Some dogs don’t like it
May cause itching
Moths in bag
Pros
Lamb is the first ingredient
Omega fats
Glucosamine
Cesar Small Breed Dry Dog Food
Cesar Small Breed Dry Dog Food features beef as its first ingredient. It also contains 26 different nutrients specially designed for small breeds. Each package has a blend of crunchy soft and crunchy kibble, and it includes H shaped pieces that are perfect for scrubbing tarter and helping to clean teeth. It’s a highly digestible food source with a resealable zipper that helps keep the food fresh much longer.
Its 26% crude protein is exactly what we want to see in a dry dog food. The primary downside to Cesar Small Breed is that it contains corn, which some dogs have difficulty digesting and contains very little in the way of helpful nutrients.
Cons
Contains corn
Some dogs won’t eat
Pros
Blend of crunchy and soft kibble
Resealable zipper maintains freshness
Beef is the first ingredient
26 nutrients
Highly digestible
Wellness Core Air Dried Grain Free Natural Dry Dog Food
Wellness Core Air Dried Grain Free Natural Dry Dog Food Supports full-body health and provides plenty of vitamins and minerals from nutrient rich greens, including broccoli, spinach, and kale. It also contains other high-quality ingredients, like carrots, peas, blueberries, apples, and more. But what really makes this mixture of hard and soft kibble great is that it features turkey as its first ingredient, and chicken has its second. The soft bits contain up to 70% lean protein, making it one of the most protein rich foods on this list. It’s green free for owners who require it, and it contains no wheat corn or soy. There are also no artificial preservatives or colors.
What we didn’t like about Wellness Core Air was that there are not a lot of soft pieces in the food, and none of our dogs like the hard kibble. Each dog would pick out the few soft bits and leave the remaining food and it’s quite expensive to have that much waste.
Cons
Not a lot of soft bits
Some dogs don’t like it
Expensive
Pros
Grain-free
No wheat, corn, or soy
Supports whole-body health
Protein-rich
No artificial preservatives or colors
Turkey is the first ingredient chicken is the second
Purina Beneful Simple Goodness Adult Dry Dog Food
Purina Beneful Simple Goodness Adult Dry Dog Food is a healthy brand of dog food that features chicken as its first ingredient. It’s high in protein, so it’s great for developing puppies, and its soft texture is perfect for senior dogs that may find it difficult to chew the hard kibble, and missing teeth can make it impossible. The protein comes from whole chicken, and there is no meat byproduct in this brand. There are also no artificial colors or flavors and no harmful chemical preservatives.
The reason Purina Beneful Simple Goodness didn’t rank higher on the list is because it’s very expensive for the amount you get, and it has a bad odor. It didn’t smell up the room, but it did cause bad breath. Also, most of our dogs preferred less healthy food, and they wouldn’t eat this brand.
Cons
Smells bad
Some dogs won’t eat it
Pros
Chicken is the first ingredient
No artificial colors or flavors
No chicken byproduct
Buyer’s Guide – Choosing the Best Soft Dry Dog Foods
Let’s look at some of the important things to consider when choosing a soft dry dock food for your pet.
The Benefit of Soft Dry Dog Food
Soft dry dog food used to be much more popular than it is today, but there are still some brands available, and most of them contain much higher quality ingredients than they once did. It’s a little more expensive than dry dog food but not as expensive as wet. It adds more moisture than dry dog food, which can be helpful if your pet is suffering from constipation or dehydration. The soft texture is also easier for some dogs to eat. Dental problems such as cavities we’re missing teeth can make it challenging or painful for your pet to chew hard, dry kibble. Many dogs also prefer soft dry food over hard food because it’s a little more natural and often has more flavor.
Ingredients
The ingredients you want to look for in soft dry dog food is the same as you would look for in regular dry food or even wet food.
Exotic Meats
It’s becoming increasingly popular to add exotic meats to pet food. These exotic meats include venison, alligator, bison, kangaroo, ostrich, and rabbits. Exotic meats are not part of your pet’s natural diet, and it can increase the risk of food allergies as well as other health problems. Most experts recommend avoiding foods with exotic meat in it, at least until more studies are backing their safety.
Protein
While dogs are not strictly carnivorous, protein is the most important part of any dog food. You want your pet’s protein to come from a high-quality source like chicken, turkey, beef, or lamb. These whole meats are fresher and contain more nutrients than other meat products. Many brands use meat byproducts or meat meal as their protein source. While these ingredients are not inherently bad, it is a dried out and ground meat that can lose many nutrients in the process. Many of these ground meat products also come from countries with lower health standards for pet food, so we try to avoid them and stick to whole meats like chicken and turkey.
Omega Fats
Omega fats are not a required ingredient, but they can be extremely beneficial to your pet’s health. Omega fats help with brain and eye development in the early stages of your pet’s life, making them a critical component to puppy care. As your pet ages, these fats remain useful because they help provide a softer, shinier coat. Omega fats can also help with arthritis as well as chronic kidney disease, improving your pet’s quality of life. Fish oil usually provides omega fats, but they can come from other ingredients like flax.
Vitamins and Minerals
Vitamins and minerals can be added through a fortification process, or as fruits and vegetables in the ingredients. Many vegetables can be helpful to your dog, including kale, spinach, broccoli, carrots, beets, sweet potatoes, and more. Vegetables are often a great source of vitamins and minerals, as well as fiber, which can help regulate your pet’s digestive system preventing constipation and diarrhea.
Many fruits are excellent for your pet’s health, including blueberries, strawberries, apples, and others. These fruits also supply vitamins and minerals and are a great source of antioxidants. Antioxidants help boost your pet’s immune system, keeping away disease and helping infections heal quicker.
Ingredients to Avoid
While the quality of start food has improved considerably over the last decade, there are still a few ingredients you should avoid.
Dyes and Chemical Preservatives
Another thing you want to look for when purchasing your soft dry dog food is the presence of dyes and chemical preservatives. While dyes are not inherently bad for your pet, they are an unnecessary ingredient, and some dogs may have an allergic reaction to eating them. Chemical preservatives may have a more serious effect on your pet’s health, and you should avoid them at all costs. One of the most popular chemical preservatives used in pet food is BHA, and you can usually find this ingredient listed toward the bottom of the ingredient list of any brand of dog food.
Corn and Soy
Corn and soy are two of the most genetically modified foods on Earth, and humans and pets alike should try to avoid them when possible if not prescribed. These foods are not part of the dog’s natural diet and provide very little nutritional value, and if your dog is sensitive to them, they can throw off their delicate digestive system causing loose stools or diarrhea.
How Can I Tell if The Food I Use Is Bad for My Dog?
The most common sign that your pet food is not agreeing with your dog is loose stools or diarrhea. It can also cause excessive gas and vomiting. Usually, these symptoms will clear up quickly by switching to another brand of food. More serious side effects of eating bad food are itchy skin, hair loss, and possibly a discoloration of the skin and hair. If you notice these symptoms, you should discontinue the food immediately take your pet to the vet.
Final Thoughts
When choosing your next brand of South dry dog food, we recommend our top choice. Moist & Meaty Dry Dog Food uses real beef, is cheese flavored, provides a complete meal, and single-serve packaged for freshness. Our dogs are also extremely fond of it. Kibbles ‘n Bits Original Savory Dry Dog Food Is there a pick for the best value, and it provides a mix of soft and hard kibble for those that like the teeth cleaning ability of hard food.
We hope you have enjoyed reading over our reviews and have found a brand of food suitable for your pet. If you think it can be helpful to others, please share this guide to the best soft dry dog food on Facebook and Twitter
