by Patricia Jackson
Getting the best puppy food for your cute little pups is the best start to life you can give them. Good food provides adequate nutrition and gives the puppies the energy they need for their super active life stage.
Puppy food has a different formula from regular dog food as it will need to cater to the unique nutritional needs of the young dogs. These foods will typically have twice the dietary requirements you get in the diets for mature dogs to cater for the rapid growth of puppies.
Also, good puppy food will contain the specific nutrients that puppies need, such as higher protein and fat. In this piece, we review some top-rated puppy foods and also show you how to choose the best ones.
Contents
For the first few weeks of life, puppies are considered neonates, which means they will be entirely dependent on milk for all their nutritional needs.
Many experts will even recommend that you do not interfere with the puppies for the first month as the mother can feed and care for them. All you need to do is ensure the puppies are warm and that the mother gets enough food and water.
Weaning puppies will start at around 3 to 4 weeks, which is when you should begin introducing puppy food to them. You can start by mixing small portions of high-quality wet dog puppy food with warm water and giving the puppies several times a day.
By 8 weeks, the puppies should be weaned completely and should hence be eating wet or dry puppy feed and drinking lots of water on their own.
IMAGE | PRODUCT | FEATURES |
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1. Hill's Science Diet Small Bites Dry Dog Food (Best Overall) |
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2. Purina Pro Plan Focus Dry Food (Best Budget) |
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3. Taste of the Wild High Protein Real Meat Recipe Dry Dog Food (Best Grain-Free) |
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4. Blue Buffalo Wilderness Dry Dog Food (Best High Protein) |
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5. Blue Buffalo Blue Homestyle Recipe Wet Dog Food (Best Wet) |
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6. Cesar Gourmet Wet Dog Food (Best for Small Breeds) |
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7. Purina One Natural SmartBlend Dry Food (Best Natural) |
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Hill's Science Diet Small Bites Dry Dog Food is a number 1 veterinarian-recommended dog food that you can be sure will do your pup a lot of good. This is and the fact that it is complete and balanced with everything the puppy needs for healthy development makes it our best overall.
The food provides 29.8% of high-quality chicken protein to help puppies build and maintain lean muscles. Brain and eye development are also taken care of as the food will include DHA. There is also lots of fat (at least 19.1%) to ensure the puppy gets all the energy it needs.
Hill's Science enhances the food with minerals to help ensure the puppies develop healthy teeth and bones. When it comes to chewing the food, the fantastic chicken flavor and the extra-small kibbles will ensure the pups enjoy the food.
Some pet owners will not like that there are lots of grains in this puppy food. But, the good news is that the grains are wholesome, and provided your puppy is not allergic to grains; this should not be an issue. Also, it contains more common allergens like beef, but this is only an issue for pups with allergies.
Pros:
Cons:
The more affordable Purina Pro Plan Focus Dry Food offers better value per ounce than all other products on our list. It will be perfect for pet owners shopping for premium puppy food on a small budget.
Because this is a 100% complete and balanced puppy food, you can be sure that it will have the right amounts of everything your pups needs. Also, with the omega-rich fish oil it provides enough DHA to support brain and vision development.
There are no fillers in the food as every ingredient has a purpose, and the highly digestible formula will make this food very gentle on a puppy stomach.
While the kibbles could be softer, most puppies will hardly have any issues chewing them. What's more, you can soften them by moistening with water. The smell of this dog food could be better, but it is still okay for most pups.
Pros:
Cons:
The grain-free Taste of the Wild High Protein Real Meat Recipe is our best dry puppy food for those that have pups with grain sensitivities and intolerance. Besides being grain-free, this puppy food also has highly-digestible and high-quality protein from roasted bison and venison. With the roasted meats, it has a fantastic flavor that puppies will enjoy.
There are species-specific probiotics that will help ensure a healthy immune and digestive system. Brain and vision development for your puppy will also be catered to by the DHA from the salmon oil. Because the kibbles are small and flavorful, they will be perfect for pups.
The only notable drawback for this puppy food is that the packaging does not seem very good, but it should still be able to hold up well until the food is finished.
Pros:
Cons:
With at least 36% of high-quality chicken protein, the Blue Buffalo Wilderness High Protein will provide more protein for pups than all other foods on our list. This real meat protein will help the puppies build and maintain lean muscles and also provide lots of energy.
There are some healthy fruits and vegetables in the puppy food that will provide minerals and vitamins to support a dog's overall well-being. Because this food has the Lifesource bits, it will support immune health and ensure oxidative balance.
The DHA and ARA in this puppy food will help support brain and eye development. And you can be sure your pups will maintain healthy skin and coat as there is lots of omegas 3 and 6 in the food. Better yet, the kibbles have a fantastic texture that promotes tartar removal.
Some picky eaters seem to have an issue with the Lifesource bits, and some might even leave them in the bowl. But, most pups should not have a problem with them once they get used to this food.
Pros:
Cons:
The Blue Buffalo Blue Homestyle Recipe is a tasty pate style wet puppy food that provides three feeding options for increased versatility. You can give it is a complete meal, a tasty treat, and even mix it with dry food, which ensures it will work for almost any puppy.
This food uses high-quality chicken protein to ensure healthy muscle development, and it also has DHA that will help with a pup's cognitive development. What's more, this puppy food uses the finest natural and wholesome ingredient and is enhanced with vitamins and minerals to make it complete.
When you compare this dog food to other options on our list, it seems a little pricier per ounce, but for canned dog food, the price is still within the acceptable parameter. The 1.3% fiber content is a bit on the lower side, but for wet food, it is still okay.
Pros:
Cons:
Although the Cesar Gourmet Wet Dog Food a completed and balanced dog food that can work for almost any dog size, the formula seems to be more suitable for small breeds. With the minerals and vitamin enhancements, it provides adequate amounts of everything the pups need.
This puppy food is grain-free, which will make it great for dogs with sensitivity and intolerance issues. When it comes to giving the food, you can be sure of an easy time as it will be packed in easy-serve trays.
This dog food will contain beef by-products, which is not as healthy as real beef. However, provided your dog is not sensitive to beef; this should not be a significant concern for you. The 3.5-ounce serving portion is relatively smaller, but you can always use more than one tray to get the quantity your pup needs.
Pros:
Cons:
Because it uses all-natural ingredients, the Purina One Natural SmartBlend is one of the healthiest puppy foods you can get out there.
This puppy food includes a dual-defense antioxidant blend that helps support the immune system, and because it also has DHA, it will be great for brain and vision development. With the easily digestible carbohydrates, this food is gentler on the pup's stomach.
One more thing that many pet owners love about this food is that it is rich in omega 3 & 6, which ensures that your puppy ends up with healthy skin and coat.
For dogs with sensitive stomachs and intolerance issues, this dog food will not be very ideal as it has several ingredients that can trigger these sensitivities.
Pros:
Cons:
This Purina Pro Plan food has a unique formula that will support an appropriate growth rate for your large breed puppies. It uses real chicken as the first ingredient to provide high-quality protein for lean muscle growth.
There is also glucosamine to support the developing joints and cartilage, while the guaranteed live prebiotics is beneficial for immune and digestive health support.
With this food, your puppy's brain and vision development will get a good boost from the omega-rich fish oil that provides DHA. And it also has calcium and other essential minerals to ensure healthy teeth and bones.
Key Feature
As its name suggests, the Pedigree Complete Nutrition Puppy will offer puppies 100% complete and balanced nutrition with everything they need for healthy development. This includes essential minerals like phosphorous and calcium that will strengthen bones and teeth.
This puppy food contains all the essential nutrients puppies will get from mother's milk to ensure there is no deficiency after weaning. Because it uses high-quality chicken protein, it will help puppies build lean muscles. Healthy brain development is also assured by the DHA, while the omega fatty acids will help keep the skin and coat healthy.
Key Feature
With real salmon as the first ingredient, the Taste of the Wild Real Fish will ensure that you get high-quality protein and omega fatty acids. High-quality protein helps the puppy build lean muscles, while the omega fatty acids help with brain development and keep the skin and coat healthy.
This grain-free puppy food will be ideal for pups with a sensitive stomach, and with the smaller kibble sizes, you can be sure the pet will not have any trouble chewing.
The immune and digestive health are also catered for by the species-specific prebiotics in the food. Also, there is a lot of antioxidants from the fruits, vegetables, and legumes or supporting then immune system.
Key Feature
Because this Hill's Science Diet food is a puppy food for a large breed, it will have optimal calcium levels to keep bone growth in control, which is vital for large dogs. But, it still has balanced minerals to strengthen the puppy's teeth and bones.
This pet food uses high-quality chicken protein to help the pup build and maintain lean muscles as it is developing. And with the fish oil to supply DHA, this food will be beneficial for eye and brain development.
Key Feature
The Nutro Wholesome Essentials is an all-natural puppy food that is made with non-GMO ingredients to make it safe and healthy for your puppy. Its unique blend of wholesome grains, vegetables, and fruits will provide lots of minerals and vitamins to ensure the overall health of the pups.
Because this food contains omega fatty acids like DHA, it will be useful for promoting healthy growth and development. Other fatty acids like omega 3 & 6 will help keep the skin and coat healthy. And this food is rich in calcium to help build healthy teeth and bones.
Key Feature
Diamond Naturals Large Breed Formula uses a variety of superfoods from kale and chia seed to pumpkin and blueberries to offer large breed pups high nutritional value. These vegetables and fruits provide a wide array of phytonutrients and vitamins to help keep the pet healthy as it grows.
For the protein source, it uses pasture-raised lamb that, besides providing at least 27% protein, will give the food a fantastic flavor that pups will love. The food also includes probiotics to support immune and digestive health and DHA for brain and vision development.
Key Feature
TheBlue Buffalo Life Protection Formula is a high-quality puppy food rich in DHA and ARA to help support the retinal health and cognitive function of the pup. Because it also includes the Lifesource bits, it will support immune health and ensure a healthy oxidative balance.
Blue Buffalo makes this puppy food with high-quality chicken protein to help the pups build and maintain healthy muscles. With its perfect blend of calcium and phosphorous, it will keep the teeth and bones healthy as the puppy grows. And the small-bite kibbles will be perfect for a pup's mouth.
Key Feature
The Royal Canin Puppy/Chiot is formulated to meet the high energy needs of a small breed puppy during the short but intense growth periods in its early days of life. This pet food provides a perfect blend of antioxidants and vitamins to support immune health so that the puppy will be less prone to ailments.
Digesting the food will also be more comfortable for the puppy as the formula includes highly digestible protein and prebiotics. The small kibbles are perfect for small jaws, and their chicken flavor makes them tasty to ensure the pup enjoys its food.
Key Feature
As you shop for the best dog food for puppies, it is vital to make sure that nutritional needs will vary from one breed size to the other. For example, the large breed foods will be leaner and also contain relatively less fat than food for small breed puppies.
Hence, the ideal puppy food should have a formula and ingredients that will cater to the specific nutritional needs of your breed size. Also, keep in mind that some breeds will have more sensitivity issues than others.
That said, it is still important to note that some puppy foods like the Purina Pro Plan Focus Dry Food and most others on our list can work for all breed sizes. This food will be ideal for your puppy regardless of the dog type you have.
As a puppy makes the transition from mother's milk to puppy food, soft foods will be preferable, and this often means going for wet foods. However, most dry puppy foods will have soft enough kibbles to make it easy to chew for the puppies.
There is also an option of adding wet food to dry kibbles to make them softer and easier to chew for the puppy. Another idea would be to moisten the dry kibbles with water and other beverages.
All in all, whether you go dry or wet, just make sure the food is soft enough for the puppies to chew with their smaller and weaker jaws.
Protein is one of the most crucial elements in any dog food, including puppy food. Given the high energy needs of puppies, and the fact that they are growing, protein becomes even more critical as it will help them build and maintain lean muscles.
Typical dry puppy food will have between 22% and 30% protein, which is often suitable enough for most breeds. However, there are still some foods that have more proteins like this, such as the Blue Buffalo Wilderness High Protein Dry Dog Food with at least 36% protein.
Apart from having enough protein, the puppy food needs to have high-quality protein from real meat sources like chicken, salmon, beef, and lamb.
Puppies will need more healthy fats in their food than adult dogs because they will burn through more calories per day, given their high metabolism and more active life.
A balanced puppy meal should contain at least 8.5% crude fat according to the AAFCO recommendations. And make sure the food has fatty acids like DHA as they will be vital for brain and eye development.
While most foods will include some form of animal fats like chicken fat, these are not always the healthiest fat sources. Fish oil and plant-based fat sources like flaxseed oil and canola oil will be more nutritious options.
For any puppy food to be complete and balanced, it should contain vitamins and minerals. And if these minerals and vitamins come from wholesome fruits and vegetables, the better they will be for your puppy.
Vitamins will help boost the immune system, and hence making the puppy less prone to ailments, while minerals phosphorous and calcium will be vital for healthy bone development.
Most dog foods will include preservatives to give them a longer shelf life. While typical food preservatives, whether they are artificial or natural, are safe for the puppies, you need to make sure the food you buy does not use too much of them as they can pose health risks.
If you are very sensitive with preservatives in your puppy food, you will be better off sticking with canned foods. The canning process does most of the food preservation, and so canned puppy foods will have little to no preservatives.
A: Yes, these foods are formulated to meet the nutritional needs of both puppies and adult dogs. Provided the food is made to AAFCO requirements, it means that it will contain enough proteins, fats, and other essential nutrients to meet the needs of puppies and hence the "All Lifestages" tag.
A: Generally, puppies do not need grain-free food unless in exceptional circumstances, such as when you ascertain that your puppy has grain allergies or sensitivities. But, it is still important to note that some grains will be better for your puppy than others. For example, wholesome grains will be healthier than processed ones.
A: Unlike adult dogs, puppies have a high metabolism, which means they will burn food much faster. Hence, instead of one or two large meals, you should divide their food into three small meals.
A great idea would be to feed them in the morning, at noon and give it dinner in the evening. Also, make sure you give dinner early enough (around 5) to provide the puppy with adequate time to digest.
A: The actual amount of food your puppy needs will depend on body type, individual metabolism, and breed type. Some puppies will be okay with as little as 3/4 a cup of food per day, while others might need several cups a day.
The good news is that most dog foods will come with clear directions on how much food you should give your puppy every day based on its weight.
A: When your puppies reach their adult weight and height, it is time to also switch from puppy to adult dog food. For small breeds, this often happens when they are around 10 months as they tend to mature faster while medium-sizes are ready for adults food at about 12 months, and for large breeds, it can take as long as 24 months.
Purina ONE SmartBlend Natural Puppy Dog Food - Walmart Link
Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Natural Puppy Dry Dog Food - Walmart Link
Pedigree Complete Nutrition Puppy Dry Dog Food - Walmart Link
Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Sensitive Stomach Puppy Dry Dog Food (Packaging May Vary) - Walmart Link
Iams Puppy Dry Dog Food, Chicken, All Breed Sizes - Walmart Link
Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy Dry Dog Food (Packaging May Vary) - Walmart Link
Purina Pro Plan Puppy Lamb & Rice Dry Dog Food (Packaging May Vary) - Walmart Link
Hill's Science Diet Small Bites Dry Dog Food - Walmart Link
The more affordable Purina Pro Plan Focus Dry Food - Walmart Link
The grain-free Taste of the Wild High Protein Real Meat Recipe - Walmart Link
the Blue Buffalo Wilderness High Protein - Walmart Link
The Blue Buffalo Blue Homestyle Recipe - Walmart Link
the Cesar Gourmet Wet Dog Food - Walmart Link
the Purina One Natural SmartBlend - Walmart Link
This Purina Pro Plan food - Walmart Link
the Pedigree Complete Nutrition Puppy - Walmart Link
the Taste of the Wild Real Fish - Walmart Link
this Hill's Science Diet food - Walmart Link
The Nutro Wholesome Essentials - Walmart Link
Diamond Naturals Large Breed Formula - Walmart Link
TheBlue Buffalo Life Protection Formula - Walmart Link
The Royal Canin Puppy/Chiot - Walmart Link
the Purina Pro Plan Focus Dry Food - Walmart Link
the Blue Buffalo Wilderness High Protein Dry Dog Food - Walmart Link
the Hill's Science Diet Small Bites Dry Dog Food - Walmart Link
Purina ONE SmartBlend Natural Puppy Dog Food - eBay Link
Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Natural Puppy Dry Dog Food - eBay Link
Pedigree Complete Nutrition Puppy Dry Dog Food - eBay Link
Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Sensitive Stomach Puppy Dry Dog Food (Packaging May Vary) - eBay Link
Iams Puppy Dry Dog Food, Chicken, All Breed Sizes - eBay Link
Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy Dry Dog Food (Packaging May Vary) - eBay Link
Purina Pro Plan Puppy Lamb & Rice Dry Dog Food (Packaging May Vary) - eBay Link
Hill's Science Diet Small Bites Dry Dog Food - eBay Link
The more affordable Purina Pro Plan Focus Dry Food - eBay Link
The grain-free Taste of the Wild High Protein Real Meat Recipe - eBay Link
the Blue Buffalo Wilderness High Protein - eBay Link
The Blue Buffalo Blue Homestyle Recipe - eBay Link
the Cesar Gourmet Wet Dog Food - eBay Link
the Purina One Natural SmartBlend - eBay Link
This Purina Pro Plan food - eBay Link
the Pedigree Complete Nutrition Puppy - eBay Link
the Taste of the Wild Real Fish - eBay Link
this Hill's Science Diet food - eBay Link
The Nutro Wholesome Essentials - eBay Link
Diamond Naturals Large Breed Formula - eBay Link
TheBlue Buffalo Life Protection Formula - eBay Link
The Royal Canin Puppy/Chiot - eBay Link
the Purina Pro Plan Focus Dry Food - eBay Link
the Blue Buffalo Wilderness High Protein Dry Dog Food - eBay Link
the Hill's Science Diet Small Bites Dry Dog Food - eBay Link
Puppies need nutrient-rich, complete and balanced food for fast and healthy growth. Choosing the best puppy food might be a little tedious given the many options, but with this piece to guide you, things should be easier.
From our list, the Hill's Science Diet Small Bites Dry Dog Food is our top overall recommendation. It is a no 1 veterinarian-recommended product that contains everything the puppy needs, including DHA and balanced minerals.
For the pet owners looking to save some money and get great value for their cash, the Purina Pro Plan Focus Dry Food is our most affordable puppy food.
About Patricia Jackson
Patricia just simply loves pets.
When she was eight years old, her parents got her a beautiful Maine Coon as a gift; and later an affectionate Husky.
Since then, she has raised them as her children; done minor first aid, taken in strays, administered antibiotics, bottle fed them when sick, and even midwifing.
Pat received her bachelor's degree in computer science at Univercity of Califronia Davis. She really hopes to transofrm her programming skills into something that really helpful for all pets someday. For now, lets just do that through writing.
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