K9 OptimumK9 Optimum Puppy Wet
WetPuppy
£1.62 / day approx.65% meat
- High meat65% named meat (30% or more counts as high).
- NaturalNo artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.
Rated & compared
High-meat dog food
High meat content is one of the better rough signals of quality in dog food - dogs are built to make excellent use of animal protein - but the percentages on the front of packs need translating before you compare them. Fresh meat is roughly two-thirds water, so '60% fresh chicken' delivers far less actual chicken to the finished kibble than '30% chicken meal', where the water has already been removed. Both foods will happily lead with the bigger number.
High-meat dog food
83.3/100
average ODF Score
- Foods on this list463
- Price per day£0.36 - £7.33
Top score 94/100 - Different Dog Health+ Keep Me Trim Turkey
463 foods
K9 OptimumK9 Optimum Senior Wet
£1.80 / day approx.65% meat
- High meat65% named meat (30% or more counts as high).
- NaturalNo artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.
LifestageLifestage Grain Free Puppy Dry Food
DryPuppy
£0.49 / day approx.60% meat
- High meat60% named meat (30% or more counts as high).
- NaturalNo artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.
- Grain-freeMade without any grains.
- HypoallergenicLimited, single-source ingredients - kinder to sensitive dogs.
- Sensitive stomachFormulated to be gentle on digestion.
Lily's KitchenLily's Kitchen Lily’s Kitchen An English Garden Party
Wet
£4.51 / day65% meat
- High meat65% named meat (30% or more counts as high).
- NaturalNo artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.
- Grain-freeMade without any grains.
- HypoallergenicLimited, single-source ingredients - kinder to sensitive dogs.
LovejoysLovejoys Hearty & Wholesome Wet
£2.06 / day approx.65% meat
- High meat65% named meat (30% or more counts as high).
- NaturalNo artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.
MarleybonesMarleybones
Wet
£3.99 / day approx.60% meat
- High meat60% named meat (30% or more counts as high).
- NaturalNo artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.
Natural Dog Food CompanyNatural Dog Food Company Sensitive
Dry
£1.14 / day approx.65% meat
- High meat65% named meat (30% or more counts as high).
- NaturalNo artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.
- Grain-freeMade without any grains.
- HypoallergenicLimited, single-source ingredients - kinder to sensitive dogs.
- Sensitive stomachFormulated to be gentle on digestion.
Nature's HarvestNature's Harvest Grain Free Adult
£2.35 / day approx.65% meat
- High meat65% named meat (30% or more counts as high).
- NaturalNo artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.
- Grain-freeMade without any grains.
- HypoallergenicLimited, single-source ingredients - kinder to sensitive dogs.
NatureaNaturea Wetlands Duck
Dry
£0.91 / day approx.60% meat
- High meat60% named meat (30% or more counts as high).
- NaturalNo artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.
- Grain-freeMade without any grains.
- HypoallergenicLimited, single-source ingredients - kinder to sensitive dogs.
WetPuppy
£1.30 / day60% meat
- High meat60% named meat (30% or more counts as high).
- NaturalNo artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.
- Grain-freeMade without any grains.
NaturedietNaturediet Feel Good Puppy
WetPuppy
£1.61 / day approx.60% meat
- High meat60% named meat (30% or more counts as high).
- NaturalNo artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.
Wet
£6.16 / day approx.60% meat
- High meat60% named meat (30% or more counts as high).
- NaturalNo artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.
- Grain-freeMade without any grains.
- HypoallergenicLimited, single-source ingredients - kinder to sensitive dogs.
£2.94 / day approx.65% meat
- High meat65% named meat (30% or more counts as high).
- NaturalNo artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.
£1.58 / day approx.65% meat
- High meat65% named meat (30% or more counts as high).
- NaturalNo artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.
Wet
Price coming soon60% meat
- High meat60% named meat (30% or more counts as high).
- NaturalNo artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.
- Grain-freeMade without any grains.
- HypoallergenicLimited, single-source ingredients - kinder to sensitive dogs.
NutriPawNutriPaw Freeze Dried Raw Food
Freeze-dried
£6.37 / day approx.80% meat
- High meat80% named meat (30% or more counts as high).
- NaturalNo artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.
- Grain-freeMade without any grains.
- HypoallergenicLimited, single-source ingredients - kinder to sensitive dogs.
Optimum PetOptimum Pet Health Puppy Cans
WetPuppy
£2.04 / day approx.62% meat
- High meat62% named meat (30% or more counts as high).
- NaturalNo artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.
- Grain-freeMade without any grains.
Optimum PetOptimum Pet Health Puppy Chicken
WetPuppy
£2.55 / day approx.65% meat
- High meat65% named meat (30% or more counts as high).
- NaturalNo artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.
- Grain-freeMade without any grains.
- HypoallergenicLimited, single-source ingredients - kinder to sensitive dogs.
OuzilOuzil Scotch Egg
Fresh-cooked
£2.26 / day approx.98% meat
- High meat98% named meat (30% or more counts as high).
- NaturalNo artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.
- Grain-freeMade without any grains.
Raw & SimpleRaw & Simple 100% Tripe Mince
Raw
£0.75 / day approx.100% meat
- High meat100% named meat (30% or more counts as high).
- NaturalNo artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.
- Grain-freeMade without any grains.
- HypoallergenicLimited, single-source ingredients - kinder to sensitive dogs.
Rude DogRude Dog Food 80-10-10
Raw
£2.55 / day approx.80% meat
- High meat80% named meat (30% or more counts as high).
- NaturalNo artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.
- Grain-freeMade without any grains.
Ruff's RecipesRuff's Recipes Cartons
Wet
£3.35 / day approx.61.8% meat
- High meat61.8% named meat (30% or more counts as high).
- NaturalNo artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.
- Grain-freeMade without any grains.
- HypoallergenicLimited, single-source ingredients - kinder to sensitive dogs.
WetPuppy
£1.50 / day60% meat
- High meat60% named meat (30% or more counts as high).
- NaturalNo artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.
- Grain-freeMade without any grains.
WetPuppy
£1.35 / day approx.60% meat
- High meat60% named meat (30% or more counts as high).
- NaturalNo artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.
- Grain-freeMade without any grains.
That is not a scandal, but it is exactly the kind of label arithmetic front-of-pack design hopes you will not do - and it is arithmetic our scoring does for you. Look for named meat sources with declared percentages, and treat any high-meat claim built on unnamed 'meat and animal derivatives' with suspicion: if the meat content were genuinely the selling point, the maker would name the animal proudly.
High-meat recipes tend to cost more, and for most dogs they are worth considering rather than automatically necessary - a moderate-meat food with excellent ingredients can outscore a mediocre meat-heavy one. The foods below are scored /100 with every ingredients list decoded.
High-meat dog food FAQs
What counts as high meat dog food?
There is no official threshold - it is a marketing description, which is exactly why the numbers need reading carefully. Meaningful high-meat foods name their animal proteins and declare percentages prominently. Remember that fresh meat is mostly water: 60% fresh chicken contributes less to the finished food than 30% chicken meal, where the water is already gone.
Is meat meal bad in dog food?
No - named meat meal is concentrated meat with the water removed, and it is one of the more honest ways to get real animal protein into kibble. 'Chicken meal' tells you the species and the form. What earns suspicion is the unnamed kind: 'meat meal' or 'meat and animal derivatives' with no species attached tells you the maker would rather not say.
Do dogs need high meat food?
They need good protein, and meat is an excellent source - but more meat is not automatically better food. A well-balanced recipe with moderate named meat can outscore a meat-heavy food with sloppy formulation elsewhere, and very high-protein diets suit some dogs better than others. Judge the whole recipe; the score does exactly that.
Why is high meat dog food more expensive?
Meat is the expensive ingredient, so recipes carrying more of it cost more to make - that part is legitimate. The part to check is whether you get what the front of the pack implies: declared percentages, named species, and meat sitting properly at the top of the ingredients list. Price per day keeps the comparison honest across brands.
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