ForthgladeForthglade Grain Free Natural Beef
Wet
£2.56 / day approx.75% meat
- High meat75% named meat (30% or more counts as high).
- NaturalNo artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.
- Grain-freeMade without any grains.
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
Green PantryGreen Pantry Skin & Coat
Dry
£0.94 / day approx.72% meat
- High meat72% 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.
Raw
£2.92 / day approx.67% meat
- High meat67% 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.
Lily's KitchenLily's Kitchen Puppy with Chicken, Potatoes & Rice
WetPuppy
£4.45 / day approx.67% meat
- High meat67% 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.
Lily's KitchenLily's Kitchen Tins Puppy
WetPuppy
£5.37 / day approx.67% meat
- High meat67% 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.
Luna and meLuna & Me Adult
Raw
£1.95 / day approx.85% meat
- High meat85% 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.
MarleybonesMarleybones Chic Chicken
Fresh-cooked
£3.40 / day approx.60% meat
- High meat60% named meat (30% or more counts as high).
- NaturalNo artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.
Miraculous MealsMiraculous Meals Adult Tins
Wet
£3.32 / 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.
Natures MenuNatures Menu Country Hunter 80%
Wet
£4.72 / 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.
Air-dried
£4.71 / day approx.67% meat
- High meat67% named meat (30% or more counts as high).
- NaturalNo artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.
- Grain-freeMade without any grains.
WetPuppy
£1.81 / day60% meat
- High meat60% named meat (30% or more counts as high).
- NaturalNo artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.
- Grain-freeMade without any grains.
WetPuppy
£2.17 / day approx.67% meat
- High meat67% named meat (30% or more counts as high).
- NaturalNo artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.
Wild Pet Food 20Wild Pet Food Lean 80/20 Complete
Cold-pressed
£1.57 / day approx.79% meat
- High meat79% named meat (30% or more counts as high).
- NaturalNo artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.
- Grain-freeMade without any grains.
- Sensitive stomachFormulated to be gentle on digestion.
Arden GrangeArden Grange Partners
Wet
£1.31 / day approx.70% meat
- High meat70% named meat (30% or more counts as high).
- NaturalNo artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.
Arden GrangeArden Grange Partners Sensitive
Wet
£4.57 / day approx.64% meat
- High meat64% 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.
£2.63 / day approx.64% meat
- High meat64% named meat (30% or more counts as high).
- NaturalNo artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.
- Grain-freeMade without any grains.
Basils Dog FoodBasil's Dog Food
Raw
£1.47 / day approx.70% meat
- High meat70% 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.
BullybillowsBullyBillows Puppy Dry Food
£0.91 / 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.
CanaganCanagan Adult Tins
Wet
£3.95 / 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.
Millie's WolfheartCountryside Mix
Dry
£0.76 / day approx.65.5% meat
- High meat65.5% named meat (30% or more counts as high).
- NaturalNo artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.
- Grain-freeMade without any grains.
Dachshund SuperfoodDachshund Superfood All Life Stages
Dry
£0.84 / 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.
Cold-pressed
£0.76 / day approx.60% meat
- High meat60% named meat (30% or more counts as high).
- NaturalNo artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.
FeelwellsFeelwells Gourmet Wet Dog Food
Wet
£7.33 / day approx.94% meat
- High meat94% 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.
Wet
£2.31 / day approx.75% meat
- High meat75% 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.
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.
Related guides
Go deeper on the topics behind this page.
Best British dog food: the live rankingWhich UK-made dog foods actually score highest? The live British
ranking from our open ODF Score - brands, recipes and budget picks, updating
themselves as we rate more foods.Read the guide
How to switch your dog’s food without upsetting their stomachThe 7-day transition, what normal looks like on day three, and when to stop. Most "this food upset my dog" is actually a rushed changeover.Read the guide
Puppy feeding guide: how much, how often, and when to switchHow much to feed a puppy, how often, when to move to adult food - and the one mistake that can permanently damage a large-breed dog.Read the guide
How much does it really cost to feed a dog?The gap between the cheapest and priciest way to feed the same dog is 72x - and 62 foods score 80+ for under a pound a day. The real numbers.Read the guide