The 20 Worst Senior Dog Foods

Older dogs need food they can trust. Their kidneys, hearts and digestion are often not as tough as they used to be, so a bad batch or a questionable recipe can hit a senior dog harder than a young one. Yet some of the foods sold with “7+”, “Senior” or “Mature” on the label have been pulled from shelves or tied to serious questions.

This list sticks to facts you can check. Most of the 20 foods below were part of official recalls posted by the FDA, the CDC or the companies themselves. The rest are grain-free senior recipes from brands the FDA named in its 2019 report on diet-linked heart disease, or from a brand that settled a lawsuit over what was really in its bags. Recalled lots are long gone from stores, but the history tells you a lot about how a food is made. For the bigger picture, see our list of the dog food brands with the most recalls.

1. Hill’s Science Diet Adult 7+ Chicken & Barley Entrée (Canned)

On January 31, 2019, Hill’s Pet Nutrition recalled 25 canned dog foods after a dog that ate one of them was diagnosed with vitamin D toxicity. This 13-ounce senior can was on the first list. Hill’s later blamed a manufacturing error at the company that supplied its vitamin premix.

That matters a lot for older dogs. Too much vitamin D can cause vomiting, loss of appetite, extra thirst and urination, drooling and weight loss, and at high levels it can lead to serious kidney problems. Senior dogs are already more likely to have weak kidneys. The FDA’s alert on the Hill’s recall grew to 33 varieties and 86 lots before it was over. The recall has since ended, but it remains one of the biggest senior-food recalls on record.

2. Kirkland Signature Super Premium Mature Dog Chicken, Rice & Egg Formula

Costco’s senior dry food was made by Diamond Pet Foods at its plant in Gaston, South Carolina. In 2012 that plant was linked to an outbreak of Salmonella Infantis in people, and Diamond recalled dry pet food made there between December 2011 and April 2012. The Kirkland Mature Dog Chicken, Rice & Egg Formula was one of the recalled products.

The outbreak was not small. The CDC’s final report on the 2012 outbreak counted 49 sick people, 47 in 20 states and two in Canada. Many were simply handling the food or feeding their dogs. Salmonella can also make dogs ill with diarrhea, fever and lethargy, and some dogs carry it without looking sick at all.

3. Hill’s Science Diet Adult 7+ Beef & Barley Entrée (Canned)

This 13-ounce senior can appeared on Hill’s vitamin D recall list twice. It was in the first round on January 31, 2019, and more lots of it were added when Hill’s expanded the recall on March 20, 2019, after the FDA asked the company to test samples it had kept from production.

The repeat appearance is the problem. It meant the first recall had not caught every affected batch, so owners who checked their cans in February could still have had a bad lot in March. For a senior dog with early kidney disease, weeks of extra vitamin D are a real risk. If your dog ate this food in early 2019 and had unexplained thirst or weight loss, it was worth mentioning to your vet.

4. Iams ProActive Health Large Breed Senior Plus

In August 2013, Procter & Gamble, which owned Iams at the time, recalled specific lots of Iams and Eukanuba dry food because they might be contaminated with Salmonella. The company found the problem through its own routine testing. The affected food was all made during a ten-day window at a single plant.

Iams ProActive Health Large Breed Senior Plus was on the list in both its 13.3-pound and 26.2-pound bags, with best-by dates in November 2014. No illnesses were reported. Even so, a Salmonella recall on a food made for big, older dogs is a reminder to wash your hands after scooping kibble and to keep bowls clean, especially if anyone in the house is very young, elderly or has a weak immune system.

5. Hill’s Science Diet Adult 7+ Healthy Cuisine Braised Beef, Carrots & Peas Stew

This 12.5-ounce stew looks like the kind of soft, easy-to-eat meal many owners buy for older dogs with dental problems. It was also part of Hill’s 2019 vitamin D recall, both in the first wave in January and again when the recall grew in March.

Wet foods like this are often fed as a whole diet to seniors who struggle with kibble. That means a dog eating only these cans would get the full dose of whatever was wrong with them, meal after meal. The FDA said toxic vitamin D levels can lead to kidney failure and death, and it urged owners to stop feeding the recalled lots and to call a vet if their dog showed signs.

6. Acana Senior Recipe

Acana Senior Recipe is a grain-free dry food built on chicken with red lentils, green peas and chickpeas as its carbohydrates. That is the kind of recipe the FDA was looking at in its investigation into diet and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a disease of the heart muscle.

In June 2019, the FDA’s DCM investigation named the brands that came up most often in 524 reports of DCM. Acana was at the top with 67 reports. More than 90 percent of the reported foods were grain-free and 93 percent had peas and/or lentils. The FDA never proved that these foods cause DCM, and Champion Petfoods, which makes Acana, called the brand list misleading. But many vets still suggest caution with legume-heavy diets, and heart disease is already more common in older dogs.

7. Hill’s Science Diet Adult 7+ Turkey & Barley Entrée (Canned)

The turkey version of Hill’s senior entrée was also on the January 2019 recall list. Like the others, it was pulled because it might contain too much vitamin D.

What made the Hill’s recall stand out is how many senior foods it touched. Seven different Adult 7+ cans ended up on the lists, out of 33 recalled varieties in total. Hill’s is often sold through vet clinics, and plenty of owners chose it because they trusted it more than grocery brands. A recall like this shows that a familiar name and a vet’s shelf do not guarantee every batch is right, so it pays to note the lot code on whatever you feed and to check the FDA recall page now and then.

8. Eukanuba Large Breed Mature Adult

Eukanuba Large Breed Mature Adult was part of the same August 2013 Procter & Gamble recall as the Iams foods above. The 15-pound and 30-pound bags with a best-by date of November 6, 2014, were pulled because they might carry Salmonella.

The company said no illnesses had been reported. Still, Salmonella in dry food is something the FDA treats with zero tolerance, because people get sick from handling contaminated pet food and pets can pass the bacteria on without showing symptoms. Large, older dogs are often fed big amounts from bulk bags that sit open for weeks, which is one more reason to keep food in its original bag, so you still have the lot code if a recall is announced.

9. Hill’s Science Diet Adult 7+ Youthful Vitality Chicken & Vegetable Stew

Youthful Vitality is Hill’s line aimed at keeping older dogs active and alert. The 12.5-ounce Chicken & Vegetable Stew was on the first vitamin D recall list in January 2019.

The name promises extra support for aging dogs, which makes the recall especially frustrating for owners who paid more for it. The signs of vitamin D toxicity, such as vomiting, drinking and peeing more, and weight loss, can also look a lot like normal aging or early kidney disease. That makes it easy to miss. If an older dog suddenly drinks far more water than usual, any vet will want to know what food it is eating, including the brand and lot.

10. Pro Pac Mature Adult

Pro Pac is made by Midwestern Pet Foods. In March 2021, the company recalled certain lots of several brands made at its Monmouth, Illinois plant because they might be contaminated with Salmonella. Pro Pac Mature Adult in the 28-pound bag was on the list. No illnesses were reported, and the affected bags had an “M” in the date code.

The timing is what puts it on this list. A few months earlier, the same company had recalled Sportmix and other foods after they were found to contain deadly levels of aflatoxin, a toxin from mold on corn. By January 21, 2021, the FDA knew of more than 110 dogs that had died and more than 210 that were sick. The FDA later sent Midwestern a warning letter about food safety at its plants.

11. Hill’s Science Diet Adult 7+ Small & Toy Breed Chicken & Vegetable Stew

Small dogs often live the longest, so many spend years eating senior food. This 12.5-ounce stew for small and toy breeds was on Hill’s first vitamin D recall list in January 2019.

Owners of small seniors are often told to switch to wet food to help with bad teeth or picky eating, which is exactly the kind of food this recall hit. A dog that eats nothing but these cans gets every bit of the extra vitamin D, day after day. The FDA told owners to stop feeding the recalled cans and to call a vet if their dog showed signs such as vomiting, loss of appetite, extra thirst or weight loss.

12. Orijen Senior

Orijen Senior is a high-protein, grain-free food from Champion Petfoods, the same company that makes Acana. Its label lists whole lentils, peas, chickpeas and beans among its ingredients, along with chicken, turkey and fish.

Orijen was named in 12 of the DCM reports in the FDA’s June 2019 list. That is far fewer than Acana, but it still put the brand on the list of 16. The FDA has said the issue is complex and has never shown that any one brand causes heart disease. For a senior dog, though, many vets prefer to avoid diets where legumes make up a large share of the recipe, at least until the science is clearer. If your older dog eats a food like this, it is worth asking your vet about heart checks.

13. Iams ProActive Health Large Breed Mature Adult

This 30-pound bag was the second Iams senior food caught up in the August 2013 Salmonella recall. It had a best-by date of November 7, 2014, and was made during the same ten-day stretch at a single plant as the rest of the recalled food.

Four senior dog foods were on the Procter & Gamble list, two from Iams and two from Eukanuba. No illnesses were reported, and the company caught the problem through its own testing, which is the system working as it should. Still, it shows how one bad production run can hit several senior formulas at once. Iams and Eukanuba were sold to Mars in 2014.

14. Hill’s Science Diet Adult 7+ Healthy Cuisine Roasted Chicken, Carrots & Spinach Stew

This 12.5-ounce stew was not on Hill’s first recall list. It was added on March 20, 2019, when the recall expanded after the FDA asked Hill’s to test more of its retained samples.

That delay is the lesson here. Owners who checked their pantry against the January list and found nothing could have kept feeding this stew for another seven weeks. The FDA later said it had received reports of vitamin D toxicity in dogs that ate the recalled foods. When a recall is announced, it is smart to check again over the following weeks, because lists often grow.

15. Merrick Grain Free Senior Real Chicken & Sweet Potato

Merrick’s grain-free senior food starts with deboned chicken and chicken meal, then leans on sweet potatoes, potatoes and peas. Some versions of the recipe also add pea protein.

Merrick was named in 16 DCM reports in the FDA’s June 2019 brand list. Merrick has been owned by Purina since 2015, and the FDA has never proven that this or any grain-free food causes heart disease. Merrick also sells a grain-inclusive senior food, so owners who want to avoid the debate can pick that one instead.

16. Eukanuba Maintenance Mature Adult

The fourth senior food in the August 2013 Salmonella recall was Eukanuba Maintenance Mature Adult in the 30-pound bag, with a best-by date of November 14, 2014. Procter & Gamble said it found the potential problem through routine testing and pulled the lots as a precaution.

Eukanuba was sold as a premium brand, often through pet stores and breeders, at a higher price than grocery foods. That makes the recall a useful reminder that price is not the same as safety. The good news is that no illnesses were reported. The practical advice is the same as for any recall: keep the bag until it is empty, and look up the lot number if a recall is announced.

17. Blue Buffalo Wilderness Senior (Grain-Free)

Blue Buffalo’s Wilderness line was built as a high-protein, grain-free range. The grain-free Wilderness Senior recipe lists deboned chicken, chicken meal and peas as its first ingredients, with more pea ingredients further down.

Blue Buffalo was named in 31 DCM reports in the FDA’s June 2019 list, one of the highest counts among the 16 brands. The FDA did not say which Blue recipes were involved, and it never proved that the food caused the illnesses. Blue Buffalo now also sells a Wilderness Senior recipe with whole grains, so check which version is in the bag before you buy.

18. Instinct Raw Boost Senior Grain-Free Recipe With Real Chicken

Instinct is made by Nature’s Variety. Its Raw Boost Senior recipe mixes kibble with freeze-dried raw chicken pieces. Behind the chicken meal at the top of the label, the next two ingredients are chickpeas and peas, followed by tapioca.

Nature’s Variety was one of the 16 brands in the FDA’s June 2019 DCM list, with 11 reports. That is a small number, and the FDA’s list did not prove any link. But a senior recipe where legumes are the second and third ingredients is exactly the kind of food many vets would rather older dogs avoid until more is known. Instinct also sells grain-inclusive versions of Raw Boost.

19. Blue Buffalo Freedom Senior (Grain-Free)

Blue Buffalo Freedom is the company’s grain-free line. The Freedom Senior chicken recipe lists deboned chicken, potatoes and peas first, followed by pea starch, chicken meal and potato starch.

That is a lot of pea and potato near the top of the label for a food meant for older dogs. As with Wilderness, Blue Buffalo’s 31 reports in the FDA’s DCM list do not prove a problem with this recipe. The FDA said in late 2022 that it would not post more updates unless it had meaningful new science to share. With the question still open, a grain-inclusive senior food is the simpler choice for many owners.

20. Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Senior

Blue Buffalo built its brand on promises like no chicken by-product meal. In 2014, Purina sued Blue Buffalo, saying tests had found poultry by-product meal in some of its foods. Blue Buffalo later said a supplier, Wilbur-Ellis, had shipped it mislabeled ingredients that contained by-product meal. Wilbur-Ellis later pleaded guilty to federal charges over mislabeled ingredients.

Blue Buffalo settled a consumer class action over its labels for $32 million, without admitting wrongdoing. The case did not single out the senior food, but it raised doubts about whether the labels on Blue’s bags, including Life Protection Formula Senior, matched what was inside at the time. For more foods with a troubled past, see our list of the worst dog foods.