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Smaller dogs often have wildly different nutritional needs than larger breeds. Smaller dogs come in many varieties, and some small breeds are actually prone to certain medical conditions that can cause serious problems. This makes it even more important to watch what your dog eats, especially when the market is full of brands that use fillers, artificial ingredients, additives, and much more. Each of the brands on this list is known for its integrity, quality, and consistency, and makes a delicious and potent small breed food blend you’ll feel good about purchasing.
Small Breeds
Small dog breeds actually require more calories per pound of food than larger dogs, so they need a potent, nutrient-dense food that provides necessary calories without added carbs and other fattening nutrients. They also require smaller kibble so that it’s easier to chew and digest. Small breeds typically live a bit longer than larger breeds, as long as they’ve got a good diet. High-quality small breed dog food isn’t hard to come by, but it’s sometimes exhausting to sift through all of the options to find a brand that doesn’t use meat by-products or fillers.
The Best Dog Foods For Small Dogs
We’ve taken the liberty of doing the research to bring you this comprehensive list of the 17 best dog foods for smaller dogs. These options are of a higher quality than your typical grocery store brand, are widely available, and can provide your small breed pup with all of the nutrition it needs to grow and prosper.
1. Pupper Beef Recipe
Pupper brings you this amazing beef recipe complete with delicious beef and high-quality ingredients, including vital minerals and vitamins for your small breed dog. This option is great for pet owners who are tired of the meat by-products and other lower-quality ingredients you get from store-bought foods. Wholesome, quality ingredients make this one of the healthiest dog foods out there. You can buy a bag of this awesome food at pawandbone.com. Everything ships direct from Pupper, and you’ll get only the best in service from this emerging dog food brand.
2. Pupper Chicken Recipe
Dogs love meat, and that’s why Pupper offers this Chicken recipe in addition to the delicious beef recipe we just mentioned. Pupper uses only wholesome, high-quality ingredients in all of its products, and your doggo will love the flavor and potency of this quality blend. Don’t settle for less when you can just head on over to pawandbone.com and get yourself a bag for $59.99. You’ll get direct shipping, excellent customer service, and an experience that you can be proud of. Your vet will approve, too!
3. Earthborn Holistic Small Breed Dog Food
Earthborn Holistic is a brand that produces high-quality dog food for dogs of all shapes, sizes, and ages. Everything is formulated with our dogs’ ancestors’ diets in mind. Since dogs are descended from grey wolves, it’s important for dogs to eat a diet that resembles that of their ancestors. Yes, even your small doggo came from a mighty wolf! And small he may be, but he still needs good quality food. This particular blend is made with delicious whole grains and packed with superfoods for optimal nutrition. It’s available on Chewy.com.
4. Castor and Pollux Organix Small Breed Dog Food
If you want a delicious grain-free option for your small breed, Castor and Pollux is the right choice. With this Organix blend, you’re getting high-quality ingredients like organic and sweet potatoes. Organix is America’s #1 USDA certified organic dog food blend, and every ingredient is carefully chosen for its potency, quality, and consistency. This blend comes in a four or ten-pound bag, and you can buy it online at Chewy.com. Your doggo deserves delicious food that’s of the highest quality, and it doesn’t get much better than USDA certified organic!
5. Diamond Naturals Small Breed
Diamond Naturals offers The Diamond Standard of dog food, and the brand’s dog food blends are beloved by doggos and pet owners across the country. Available in most pet food retail stores and online at Chewy.com, this dog food blend for small breeds offers delicious chicken and brown rice and other wholesome ingredients. Treat your pup to something that tastes great and will help them live their best life with the diamond standard.
6. Life’s Abundance Small and Medium Breed Dog Food
Life’s Abundance wants to see happy, healthy pups running about, and to get there, they’ve created a small and medium dog food blend that’s loaded with vitamins, minerals, and delicious ingredients. Your dog will love the taste of high-quality chicken and eggs, as well as a proprietary blend of essential vitamins and minerals for everything from bone health to heart health to skin health and beyond. This formula is designed to provide optimal health. It’s available directly from Life’s Abundance and comes in a six-pound or seventeen-pound bag.
7. Merrick Classic Small Breed Recipe
Merrick is a dog food name that you can trust. Since 1988, the Texas-based company has been creating awesome dog foods with 100% Texas beef and other excellent, top-notch ingredients. This small breed dog food recipe comes loaded with delicious, deboned chicken, healthy grains, and contains everything your small breed needs to grow into old age with grace and a healthy, shining coat. With Omega-3s, vitamins and minerals, and a great price, both you and your dog will love it. This product is available on Chewy.com and comes in a four-pound or twelve-pound bag.
8. NOW Fresh Small Breed Dog Food
When it comes to pet food, many pet owners are switching to grain-free options. While dogs still need plant-based nutrition, grains are often fattening, and there’s a more critical danger of obesity in smaller dogs. In fact, most obese dogs are among the smaller to medium-sized breeds. That being said, NOW Fresh small breed dog food is a grain-free option loaded with great ingredients and flavors for nutrition and taste. It comes in several sizes from three pounds to twenty-two pounds and is available on Chewy.com.
9. American Journey Active Life Small Breed Dog Food
American Journey understands that your small pup is incredibly active, and this active life small breed blend contains everything he needs to say on-the-go without missing a beat. Formulated with the highest quality ingredients possible, this 100% natural dog food blend contains only hardy salmon, brown rice, and veggies for maximum nutritional and taste value. As a pet owner, you’ll love the cost, too. You’re getting a premium dog food option for less, and it’s even available on Chewy.com.
10. American Journey Small Breed Salmon and Sweet Potato Grain-Free Dog Food
This grain-free option gives your dog something else to love about American Journey. Formulated with fresh salmon and sweet potatoes, it offers a savory, sweet, nutrient-dense food that your dog will love and you will want to buy again and again. We like to think that the ingredients make all the difference in the dog food we buy, and that’s why American Journey makes the list twice. Quality ingredients just can’t be overlooked! This product is available on Chewy.com and comes in a twelve-pound bag.
11. Taste of the Wild Appalachian Valley Small Breed Dog Food
You can’t write a list of awesome dog foods and not mention Taste of the Wild. The brand is wholly dedicated to creating a diet for your dog that closely mimics that of his natural ancestor, the grey wolf. Every blend is formulated with ingredients that are as close to a natural diet as possible, including bison, chicken, grains, veggies, and more. This blend contains highly digestible kibble with venison and probiotics so it’s easy on your pup’s stomach. You can buy this product on Amazon and PetCo.
12. Natural Balance Limited Ingredients Small Dog Breed Bites
The fewer ingredients your dog food has, the better. Too many brands settle for large amounts of filler, artificial ingredients, and other things that make the food less potent, more potentially dangerous, and downright gross in some cases (Hello? Meat by-products?). Natural Balance’s L.I.D. small breed dog bites are the perfect size for smaller dogs, containing only the best ingredients like chicken and sweet potatoes. This food provides your dog with everything he needs to stay on his feet and keep the inside and outside of his body healthy. You can find this product on Chewy.com, and it comes in a four, twelve, or twenty-six-pound bag.
13. Wellness CORE Wholesome Grains Chicken and Brown Rice Small Breed Dog Food
Digestive health is an important component of your pup’s overall health, and you want to pay close attention to what foods your doggo has trouble digesting. If he’s not getting enough probiotics, he’ll have trouble with even basic foods. Wellness Pet Foods has a great product in their CORE lineup of premium foods formulated specifically for smaller breed digestive health. This delicious blend contains brown rice and chicken and is easy on the stomach, with probiotics and other vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. You can find this product on Chewy.com, and it’s available in four or twelve-pound bags. You can also order direct from Wellness Pet Foods.
14. Simply Nourish Chicken and Brown Rice Small Breed Dog Food
Featuring real deboned chicken and quality, whole-grain brown rice, this is food your dog will love for its flavor, and you’ll be happy with because of your dog’s awesome health benefits. The food is made specifically for smaller breeds without sacrificing any taste, quality, or affordability. Simply Nourish offers a long line of potent and quality pet foods, but this is among the best of the best. Don’t let your small dog go without the premium potent ingredients in this affordable option, which is available on Chewy.com and comes in fifteen and five-pound bags.
15. FreshPet Vital Complete Meals Grain-Free Chicken Fresh Small Breed Dog Food
Made with wholesome chicken, carrots, and sweet peas, this blend is both tasty and potent when it comes to vitamins and minerals. The blend is completely grain-free, so you can give your dog only the best ingredients to keep him healthy and prevent conditions like obesity. The blend contains plenty of Omega-3s and 6s to promote healthy skin and coat, and you’ll love the low prices that FreshPet has to offer. This food is available directly from PetCo, and comes in a one-pound package. This isn’t meant to be a daily dog food, but rather a single-serve meal pouch.
16. Nutro Wholesome Essentials Healthy Weight Small Breed Dog Food
This healthy weight formula is designed to keep your doggo happy and healthy by preventing obesity and still getting him the nutrients (and calories), he needs to stay active. Made with chicken, rice bran, and plenty of nutrient-dense veggies and fruits, this proprietary blend will leave your pup feeling healthier than ever. You’ll love the low cost, too, and it’s available from PetCo for in-store pickup or shipping right to your door! Get your bag today and learn why so many pet owners trust Nutro for their pet’s health and dietary needs.
17. Solid Gold Mighty Mini Gut Health Small & Toy Breed Dog Food
With a name like Solid Gold, this is certainly a brand you expect a lot from. There’s good news—the brand delivers! With Solid Gold mighty mini gut health small breed dog food blend, you’re getting a potent, high-quality blend formulated to keep your doggo’s belly happy. This chicken and pumpkin recipe is grain and gluten-free, making it a good option for dogs with allergies, too. Whole foods and 90 million active probiotics help ensure that your dog’s digestive health never wavers, and he’ll love the incredible taste of the chicken and pumpkin mix. This product is available on Chewy.com and comes in a four-pound or eleven-pound bag.
