The Best Dry Dog Food For Toy And Small Breeds (Top 5!)

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Tiny, fluffy, and the perfect size for human laps, it’s easy to see why toy and small dog breeds capture the hearts of so many people. Little dogs are adorable, but their diets can be complicated. You’d think that being a lot smaller in size just means these little dogs need less food. Although toy and small breeds do generally require smaller portion sizes, their specific dietary needs also need to be considered.

Toy and small dog breeds can suffer from a plethora of health issues when their diet is poor and unbalanced. Not only are toy breeds more prone to obesity when fed too much food, but they are also at a higher risk of low blood sugar when they are not given enough calories.

This condition is called hypoglycemia and can cause weakness, tiredness, tremors, and even seizures. Small and toy dog breeds typically get skin allergies, digestive issues, as well as the infamous “pickiness” more often too.

Finding A High-Quality Dry Dog Food For Toy And Small Breeds

As little dogs are pros at being finicky eaters (and sometimes they like a food one minute, and loathe it the next!), it’s important you use a dog food that is both tasty and nourishing. It can be tempting to feed inferior and low-quality dog food just because your toy breed appears to enjoy it and it’s a pain to coax them to try other foods.

However, it’s much more beneficial to switch your pooch’s diet to high-quality food, even if it takes some time for them to get used to it. Slowly changing your dog’s food over a number of weeks can make the change simpler, as can persistence.

Even though small and toy breeds are easier to care for than bigger dogs in some ways, finding a high-quality diet can be hard when you don’t know what to look for. Dry dog food is a great choice as it’s long-lasting, convenient, and great at reducing plaque and tartar build-up on your dog’s teeth.

Nevertheless, you need to pick a brand that is healthy and nutritious to keep your little dog happy and fit. Quality dog food should never be something you cut corners on. Your pooch’s health and wellbeing should always come first!

Reviews Of The Best Dry Dog Food For Little Dogs

Here are five reviews from five different brands of the best dry dog food you can find for your toy or small breed pooch!

Nutro Ultra Toy Breed Adult Dry Dog Food

The Holistic Superfood Blend from Nutro is a natural dry dog food that contains zero artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives. Highly nutritious protein, fruits, vegetables, oils, and whole grains are used to keep your small dog healthy and happy. The protein in this dry food is from real farm-raised chicken, grass-fed lamb, and salmon. This gives it a great meaty flavor and gives your small pooch amino acids that keep their muscles strong.

The recipe in Nutro’s Ultra Toy Breed Dry Dog Food contains the perfect amount of fat, protein, and carbohydrates to improve your little dog’s energy levels, skin, and coat. Whole grains help your toy breed’s digestive system work sufficiently. In addition to this, added antioxidants, such as taurine, keep your small dog’s immune system, hearing, and eyesight in tip-top condition.

However, certain toy breeds known for their pickiness could take some time to get used to this food, especially considering the formula has been recently changed. With this in mind, you might want to consider transitioning your dog to this dry food slowly. Additionally, the packaging is not resealable, which could make the food go stale quickly. You could counteract this by placing the dry dog food into a sealable container. Alternatively, you could reseal the packet yourself with some tape or a bag clip.

Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Small Breed Adult Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food

Blue Buffalo’s Life Protection range for toy and small breeds is a fantastic dry dog food for your four-legged companion. The recipe contains real deboned chicken, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and added antioxidants and nutrients to keep your pooch healthy. This dry dog food for your little dog is rich in protein and carbohydrates as smaller dogs typically have higher energy levels.

The size of the kibble pieces is purposely small to make it easier to chew and help with tartar build-up. Glucosamine, omega-3, and omega-6 fatty acids have also been included in the recipe to keep your small dog’s joints in working order, and their coat luxurious. Zero wheat, corn, soy, or poultry by-product meals are used in this dry dog food for small breeds.

One small downside with this toy breed dry dog food from Blue Buffalo is its flavor. Some little dogs might be more inclined to leave out the “healthier” pieces, such as the split pea parts. This is especially true for dogs who are fussy eaters.

Hill’s Science Diet Puppy Small Paws Chicken Meal, Barley & Brown Rice Dry Dog Food

This dry puppy food for small and toy breeds by Hill’s Science Diet is a great complete food for your young pooch. It is tailored for puppies up to 12 months in age and up to 25 pounds in weight when fully-developed. You can also use this dry puppy food for pregnant and nursing dogs.

It contains natural DHA from fish oil to help your puppy’s brain and eye development, as well as a mix of antioxidants and vitamins to keep their immune system healthy. The natural ingredients used in this dry puppy food for toy breeds make it appetizing and easy to digest. No artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives are used.

However, this dry dog food does contain chicken meal, as well as grain and corn. If you’d prefer to feed your toy breed puppy a corn-free and grain-free diet, then this dry food might not work for you and your pooch. Likewise, if you’d rather your pup didn’t consume chicken meal, then Hill’s Science Diet dry puppy food might not be ideal.

Natural Balance L.I.D. Potato & Duck Formula Small Breed Bites Grain-Free Dry Dog Food

The Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diet (L.I.D.) for small breeds is grain-free and contains very few carbohydrates. This is ideal for toy and small breeds that are sensitive to certain ingredients that cause digestive issues, skin allergies, and an upset stomach.

Natural Balance’s Potato & Duck recipe contains fresh duck and carbohydrates that are fairly uncommon in other pet food brands, as well as other natural goodness to strengthen your dog’s immune system. Additionally, the inclusion of flaxseeds helps to maintain your dog’s shiny coat, especially if they have suffered skin reactions from previous foods. No artificial flavors or colors are used in Natural’s Balance L.I.D. small breeds dry dog food.

Due to there being only one protein (duck) in this dry dog food for toy breeds, some pooches may find the flavor a little bland. This could also be said for the limited amount of carbohydrates in the ingredients list, which is mainly potato.

Nature’s Recipe Small Breed Grain-Free Chicken, Sweet Potato & Pumpkin Recipe Dry Dog Food

The small breed, grain-free, easy-to-digest dry dog food for small and toys breeds is a good well-balanced diet for your little dog. Real chicken is used in the recipe (and is also the very first ingredient), which is high in protein and helps improve your small breed’s muscle development.

Pumpkin and sweet potatoes, used as a substitute for grain-based carbohydrates, are easy on the digestive tract, especially for little dogs prone to stomach issues. They also give your dog the energy to do all types of doggy activities! No wheat, corn, artificial flavors, or preservatives are used, making it a healthy and nutritious dry dog food for your toy or small breed.

However, sweet potato, pumpkin, and other vegetables are fairly prominent in the ingredients of Nature’s Recipe Small Breed Dry Dog Food. This could mean the flavor of the kibble is less meaty. Some dogs, especially if they are finicky eaters, might not be too keen on the more vegetable-based taste. It could indicate that this toy breed dry dog food is a little too plain.

Final Thoughts

Toy and small breeds of dogs can be stressful to feed, but these dry foods take away all that worry. These brands have been selected due to the healthy, nourishing, and great ingredients they use in their dry dog food for small and toy breeds. They are well-balanced and help keep your furry friend’s health in check by making sure they’re fit, strong, and satisfied.

Furthermore, these products are also highly regarded by other small and toy breed dog owners, so people are clearly very happy with their quality!

These dry foods are some of the best currently available for your toy or small breed dog, which is proven through the high number of positive reviews they have received on reputable websites like chewy.com. They’re healthy, nutritious, and packed full of the nutrients your pooch needs to thrive.

With these dry dog foods, your little dog or puppy can continue to flourish and play, and you can get some peace of mind knowing your companion is getting their nutritional needs met. It takes a lot of energy to be a good (and sometimes bad!) pup, and these dry dog foods for toy and small breeds allow your pooch to do just that!

Top Picks For Our Dogs

1. BEST PUPPY TOY
   We Like: Calmeroos Puppy Toy w/ Heartbeat and Heat Packs - Perfect for new puppies. Helps ease anxiety in their new home.
2. BEST DOG CHEW
   We Like: Bones & Chews Bully Sticks - All of our puppies love to bite, nip, and chew. We love using Bully Sticks to help divert these unwanted behaviors.
3. BEST DOG TREATS
   We Like: Crazy Dog Train Me Treats - One of our favorite treats for training our service dog puppies.
4. BEST FRESH DOG FOOD
   We Like: The Farmer's Dog - A couple months ago we started feeding Raven fresh dog food and she loves it! Get 50% off your first order of The Farmer's Dog.

For a list of all the supplies we get for our new service dog puppies check out our New Puppy Checklist on the PuppyInTraining.com blog.