5 Best Soft Dog Foods For All Breeds (2024 Edition)
Alex Vicente • Updated on August 17, 2023
- This review contains affiliate links. Read more here.
- Not a substitute for professional veterinary help.
If you are in a hurry and just want to find out what the best soft dog food is, then we recommend the Purina Beneful Simple Goodness Adult Dog Food as the best one.
You’ve probably only heard of two types of dog food growing up: wet and dry. Wet dog food consists of water-saturated meat and other ingredients, while hard, brown bits of kibble make up dry dog food. Each has its advantages and disadvantages — which we’ll discuss later on — but pet owners can now purchase another type of dog food: soft dog food.
Here’s everything you need to know about it, as well as the best soft dog foods for your pup.
ALSO READ: Best Dog Food for Small Breed Senior Dogs
Best Soft Dog Food Review
We’ve chosen the best soft dog food options available on the market.
Delicious and Nutritious Recipes to Keep Dogs Happy and Healthy. Nourish your dog with wholesome meals that balance great nutrition with delicious flavor when you fill his bowl with Purina Beneful dry dog foods.
While this Purina dog food may resemble kibble, it has a square texture and softer feel than your ordinary, corn-filled dry food. The Purina Beneful Simple Goodness dog food has bits of real meat and vegetables that you can see in every piece, and it’s available in large bags.
It’s not only a cheaper sort of soft food (that errs on the side of being hard), but you get to buy a lot of it at once. If you have a picky eater or a dog with a lot of allergies, you should consider the Purina Beneful Simple Goodness Adult Dog Food.
The meat comes from farm-raised beef and other animals, but it doesn’t contain meat by-products or meat meals. Your dog only gets the best cuts. There’s also no artificial flavors or colors in this Purina food, so your dog only gets the cleanest, tastiest food.
- Pros
- Sourced from farm-raised meat
- No meat meals or meat by-products
- No artificial flavors or colors
- Softer than regular kibble
- Cons
- While soft, it might not have as much moisture as you’d like
- Only available in 4.6 oz pouches — can’t buy other sizes
- No artificial flavors or colors
- Softer than regular kibble
ALSO READ: Best Dog Food for Bulldogs
Wellness CORE Air Dried Natural Grain Free Dry Dog Food is healthy, grain free dog food for adult dogs featuring tender protein morsels made with 70% natural, raw protein fortified with vitamins and minerals for whole body health and then air dried for the taste of raw and the ease and convenience of kibble, yet no refrigeration required.
This bag may look like kibble, but it’s actually Wellness Core Air Dried Natural Dog Food. The pieces have a higher moisture content so that your dog can chew them easily. The softness would be better for older dogs or dogs who are missing a few teeth — especially molars. Of course, this Wellness Core food is also good for dogs who need more moisture in their diet.
Each meal contains 100% natural grain-free dog food featuring 70% meat and other nutrient-rich veggies like broccoli, spinach, and kale. While each bag is soft, it has the look and feel of kibble. You can even store it without refrigeration, though you should probably consider doing so after a week of opening.
Wellness Core Air Dried Natural Dog Food is one of the best soft dog foods without wheat, soy, corn, artificial flavors, preservatives, or colors. Your dog will like the flavor, and the clean ingredients will help your dog stay healthy.
- Pros
- Looks like kibble but has softer pieces
- Features 100% grain-free dog food
- 70% of each kernel made from meat, the rest veggies
- No artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives
- Cons
- Since there are no preservatives, it might not keep well
- Can’t buy in bulk
- Expensive
- No artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives
Tender, Meaty Pieces in Convenient, No-Mess Pouches. Excite your furry pal with the savory goodness he begs for when you serve Moist & Meaty soft dog food.
Purina Moist & Meat Adult Dog Food is a product that comes in individual pouches. Purina has lots of flavors of this type of dog food, but one thing stays the same: the high moisture content in each pouch.
Moisture accounts for 33% of the composition of this food, so your dog gets a lot of hydration in each bite. Each pouch contains 100% beef and has all the macronutrients, vitamins, and minerals required for a balanced diet.
The only con is that there’s a lot of high-fructose corn syrup in each pouch. Your dog will like the taste, but if you feed this type of soft dog food to your dog consistently, it may risk developing diabetes. If you want to feed a pouch of this food to your dog every once in a while as a treat, go ahead.
But try to keep it to a minimum or use it as a snack or topper to get your dog to eat another type of dog food on this list.
- Pros
- Made from real meat
- Includes all macronutrients, vitamins, and minerals needed for a balanced diet
- Contains lots of moisture, soft to eat
- Great taste for your dog
- Portion-controlled packages
- Cons
- Contains lots of high-fructose corn syrup, which isn’t ideal for your dog’s health
- Package may cause too much waste for the likings of some dog owners
- Contains lots of moisture, soft to eat
- Great taste for your dog
- Portion-controlled packages
Every day is an adventure just waiting to happen. Moist & Meaty Rise & Shine Awaken Bacon and Egg Flavor Dry Dog
Purina Moist & Meaty Bacon & Egg Flavor Dog Food is another great-tasting option for your pup. The pieces have different shapes to create interesting textures, and they can help introduce variety in your pooch’s diet if you feed other products from Purnia.
This dog food has a bacon and egg flavor so your dog can enjoy breakfast when you do! It’s an interesting option because there are 12 pouches in each box, and this tasty, semi-soft dog food contains real meat.
As with the previous flavor, there’s a lot of high-fructose corn syrup in this food, which means it’s not a healthy option in the long-term. Feed it as a treat or to entice a picky eater to eat its food. If you’re on a budget and looking for good semi-soft food, though, this product is for you.
- Pros
- Great taste for your dog
- Affordable
- Get lots of meals at once
- Portion-control packaging
- Cons
- Contains high levels of high-fructose corn syrup
- Packaging might be too wasteful for some dog owners
- Get lots of meals at once
- Portion-control packaging
This is not dog food. It is food. For dogs. And every single ingredient is fit for human consumption to ensure the highest quality, whole fresh food for dogs to help them look and feel their best.
It looks so good that you might want to eat it. JustFoodForDogs doesn’t have fillers, sugars, or any of the other junk you can find in other dog foods. Each bowl contains real, unadulterated meat, fresh fruits and vegetables, and even has a healthy amount of oil to keep your dog healthy.
JFFD is also a grain-free whole-food, so it’s not processed or filled with cheap corn or other carbs. The manufacturer uses the highest, freshest quality ingredients to ensure optimum health in your dog. A team of 14 veterinarians also looks at each recipe to assess health benefits, making this food a smart choice for dog owners who can afford to pay more for better dog food.
- Pros
- No preservatives mean better health for your dog
- Grain-free
- Un-rendered meats, real fruits, vegetables, and oils
- Checked by veterinarians to ensure top health standards
- Cons
- No preservatives mean it will spoil quickly
- Expensive
- Un-rendered meats, real fruits, vegetables, and oils
- Checked by veterinarians to ensure top health standards
Everything we recommend
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Table of Contents
Picking the Best Soft Dog Food
Soft dog food may take many forms. It can look like kibble but have a higher moisture content and be squishy to the touch like wet dog food. It can come in cans or entrees sealed by a plastic film, resembling wet dog food with lower moisture content.
Soft dog food creates a compromise between wet and dry dog food, and thus addresses the potential drawbacks of feeding your dog wet or dry dog food.
Wet Dog Food
It has its perks, aside from being delicious for your dog, and a few negative points to consider. Here is what you need to know about the pros and cons of feeding wet dog food to your pooch.
ALSO READ: Best Canned Dog Food for Older Dogs
Pros
The biggest proponent of wet dog food will probably be your dog. Since wet dog food tends to contain more unadulterated proteins and include whole chunks of meat, in addition to whatever flavorings the manufacturer uses, your dog will enjoy the taste of wet dog food. Your dog will look forward to eating and lick their bowl clean at every meal.
Wet dog food also has a higher moisture content, which can be good for dogs with certain medical issues. Some conditions, such as diabetes, make your dog more likely to suffer from dehydration. Moist food provides your dog with some much-needed hydration if they suffer from diabetes or another health condition.
Cons
Wet dog food tends to be more expensive. You might not always use all the food in the can at mealtime, and the leftovers could spoil if you leave them out of the fridge — hurting not only your wallet but the planet.
If you feed your dog too much wet food, you’ll find that its breath stinks (more so than usual). Wet dog food can stick in your dog’s teeth and start rotting. There’s not much firmness or abrasion in the food that will rub against your dog’s teeth and gums, removing the plaque or other items stuck in there.
So your dog will have bad breath if you keep feeding it wet food. You can remove the plaque and prevent bad breath by brushing your dog’s teeth often, but you might find it easier to switch to dry dog food to take care of that for you.
Dry Dog Food
Dry dog food is a lot more affordable than other types of dog food, and there are plenty of options to choose from. It’s a popular choice among pet owners, but there are a few drawbacks to consider.
Pros
Dry dog food is affordable, and it’s easy to purchase it in bulk to save money. Also known as kibble, dry dog food tends to have more carbohydrates derived from corn, rice, oats, or other sources.
Your dog can live on a carb-rich diet, though depending on your breed or your dog’s health conditions, some vets might recommend opting for food with higher protein or fat levels. Some dry dog foods keep carbs low and other macronutrients high, but they tend to be more expensive.
If you’re strapped for cash, buying the cheapest, largest bags of dog food will keep your dog fed for weeks. It’s more affordable to buy dry food in bulk compared to wet food. Dry food also keeps better than wet food, so you don’t have to worry about that huge bag of kibble spoiling in your pantry.
Cons
Dry dog food contains high levels of carbs from corn and other sources. Your dog will get lower levels of protein and fats and might gain weight from eating kibbles at every meal. Your dog might also beg when you’re at the dinner table since kibbles aren’t as appealing as wet dog food.
Your dog could also get dry, itchy skin if they eat dog food without drinking enough water. This symptom is due to the low moisture content in kibble. If your dog has reduced thirst, they could have other conditions beyond skin problems associated with dehydration, such as vomiting, lethargy, and loss of appetite.
Soft Dog Food
Soft dog food is less popular than other types of dog food, but your dog can benefit from switching to this soft, semi-moist food.
Pros
Soft dog food is also called semi-moist dog food. It contains high moisture levels and has a soft texture. This food tends to have a better flavor, so your dog will look forward to mealtime. The high moisture content is an effective way of preventing dehydration.
Cons
Soft dog foods aren’t as widespread as wet or dry dog foods, so you’ll probably have to go to a pet specialty store to find them as opposed to a general grocery store. The rareness also comes at a higher price.
Some brands contain lots of high fructose corn syrup, which can give your dog diabetes if you feed them too much of it.
Choosing a dog food for your pup is an important decision. We’ve laid out some of the best options to consider.
Still Trying To Decide On The Best Soft Food For Dogs?
Our first recommendation, Purina Beneful Simple Goodness Adult Dog Food, is an ideal option if you’re looking to introduce soft dog food into your pup’s diet. This product uses fresh, high-quality ingredients. It’s not as wet as regular wet food, and it certainly puts kibble to shame.
This soft dog food is also an excellent option if you need to help your dog stay hydrated to prevent health problems or want to make sure you feed your dog a healthy and well-balanced diet.
However, all the soft dog foods on this list will satiate your dog — just be sure you’re using the ones with lots of high fructose corn syrup in moderation. Otherwise, your dog will enjoy any of the great tasting best soft dog foods on this list!
About Alex Vicente
Dog Lover, Founder & Chief Editor at Paws Insider
I’ve been rescuing dogs since a very early age. I got my first dog when I was 9 years old and I remember how he, out of a litter of 6 puppies, started running towards me. He’d just chosen me. Ever since then, my love for dogs only grows stronger and I want what’s best for them. My mission is to let our readers know about the best products in the market for our best friends, as well as providing guides and tips on how we can take better care of them.