Dog Food Toppers: An Easy Upgrade to Kibble

The short answer: adding a topper to kibble is an easy, budget-friendly way to make meals more appealing and add variety, and it's one of the simplest ways to bring some fresh or minimally processed food into your dog's diet. The keys are keeping the calories in check, keeping toppers to a modest share of the bowl, and choosing safe ingredients.

Why toppers work

• Picky eaters. A spoonful of something tasty can turn a skipped meal into an empty bowl.
• Variety and enrichment. Many dogs seem to enjoy a change in taste and texture.
• Fresh food on a budget. A topper of fresh or gently cooked food gives your dog part of the benefit of a fresh diet for a fraction of the cost. See our fresh food guide.
• Extra moisture, if you use wet or fresh toppers or add warm water.

Our top pick: fresh food as a topper

If you're choosing one topper, we'd make it a commercial fresh, gently cooked dog food. It's the most appealing option for most dogs, and unlike most toppers it's complete and balanced on its own, so it can make up a meaningful share of the bowl without unbalancing the diet. Most fresh foods are also made with human-grade ingredients.

It's also the most affordable way to bring fresh food into your dog's diet. A few spoonfuls per meal, with the kibble reduced to match, stretches a fresh food order much further than feeding it alone, while still adding variety, moisture, and minimally processed ingredients. See our fresh food guide for what the research shows.

Other good topper options

Disclosure: BestBowl's founding veterinarian is a paid consultant to Ollie, one of the fresh food brands listed below.

The 10% guideline

If the topper isn't complete and balanced on its own, keep it, along with treats, to about 10% of your dog's daily calories. More than that can unbalance an otherwise complete diet.

Toppers that are complete and balanced, such as fresh dog food or canned dog food with an AAFCO statement, can make up a larger share of the bowl without throwing off the nutrition.

Don't forget to subtract

The most common topper mistake is adding it on top of a full portion of kibble. Over weeks and months, those extra calories add up to weight gain.

When you add a topper, reduce the kibble to keep total daily calories the same. Check the calories on both labels (kcal per cup and per can or pack), or ask your vet for a daily calorie target.

Foods to never use as toppers

• Onions, garlic, leeks, and chives (including powders)
• Grapes and raisins
• Chocolate, coffee, and caffeine
• Xylitol, a sweetener found in some peanut butters and sugar-free products
• Macadamia nuts
• Cooked bones
• Fatty foods such as bacon, sausage, poultry skin, and meat trimmings, which can trigger stomach upset or pancreatitis
• Heavily seasoned or salty foods, gravies, and sauces

When to talk to your vet

Check with your vet before adding toppers if your dog is on a prescription or therapeutic diet, has a history of pancreatitis, has food allergies, or is on a weight loss plan. Even a small amount of the wrong food can undo the benefit of those diets.

Fresh food toppers we like

Each of these makes complete and balanced fresh dog food with human-grade ingredients. Used as a topper, a single order goes much further.