Best Dog Food For Small Dogs

Looking for a healthy and wholesome diet for your little guy? Finding a product that will provide benefits to your small pooch can become a very stressful and confusing task. With so many brands out there claiming to be the best, it is quite easy to get ‘brain overload’ and become frustrated with the whole ordeal.

In this article, I will be looking at some of the problems associated with finding the best dog food for small dogs. I will also offer a number of solutions to these problems and looking at a number of quality dog food brands that may be beneficial to your small pooch.

Finding The Best Dog Food For Small Dogs … Not An Easy Decision

Although there are literally thousands of dog food products on the market, you can’t assume that everyone of these will be beneficial to ‘small’ dogs. Dogs and dog breeds on the small size of things will have different nutritional needs than those of larger dogs. How do you find the best dog food for small dogs? Let’s take a look at some of the issues facing dog owners trying to answer this question:

• Dog owners don’t understand the nutritional needs of small dogs (Much different from larger dogs)
• Choosing between a wet or dry recipe
• Affordability ( Cost of food can be expensive )
• Recognizing healthy and unhealthy ingredients contained within the product

Nutritional Needs

In terms of nutrition, smaller dogs will require specific needs that are quite different from larger dogs. You must understand that smaller dogs will have a much faster metabolism. They burn up calories at an alarming rate, so providing them with a diet high in calories is important.

A word of caution! Although smaller dogs do indeed have a faster metabolism and tend to burn off calories very quickly, don’t overfeed your small pet. By doing so, it is very likely to see weight gain with your pooch, that can result in a lot of unwanted health concerns.

Smaller dogs should have a diet consisting of protein, carbohydrates, fat and calories to ensure a healthy lifestyle. It is always a great practice that you, as the pet owner, take the time to read the labels on pet food to make sure your pet is receiving these essential ingredients.

Wet or Dry?

Many owners of small dogs are unsure of what type of food source would be best for their pets. Is kibble the best way to go or should I consider a canned recipe? Which is cheaper? Which one is healthier? Which will have the fresher ingredients? As you can see, these are just a few of the questions that small dog owners are faced with.

Cost

Another issue facing many dog owners is the cost of pet food. A limited budget will have a direct influence on which type of food (wet/dry) you can offer your small dog. Like everything else, the better quality of dog food is going to cost you more than some other less nutritional recipes.

Healthy/Unhealthy Ingredients?

With so many products on the market today it can become quite confusing for small dog owners to determine which brands actually contain healthy ingredients. Dog companies have become quite creative in their advertising methods and all claim to be the best. How do you know for sure?

Getting Answers

Nutritional Ingredients Needed For Small Dogs – There are a number of things to consider when searching for the best dog food for small dogs. As mentioned earlier, smaller dogs require a diet that contains a healthy portion of calories. Smaller dogs, for the most part, are very active and will burn up calories at a very fast rate. Running around the house, the backyard, these little guys are full of energy!

Smaller adult dogs have specific needs other than needing a high calorie content. When deciding on a particular brand or recipe for your dog, it is wise to base this decision on the entire life stage of your pooch. Let’s take a look at some of these nutritional needs that are important to the well-being of your small pet.

• Protein – A quality protein will help your small dog establish and maintain lean muscle mass
• Vitamins/Minerals to maintain a healthy immune system and overall good health
• Fat will help and assist with energy to your small dog
• Antioxidants which will help to protect your dog from radicals throughout its life cycle
• Healthy, nutritional animal-based meat source (Chicken,Beef, Duck, Turkey, etc.)

Following these guidelines will definitely go a long way in ensuring that your small pooch will be eating a healthy, nutritional meal. Dog food companies who are producing these recipes are fully aware of this as well, and will offer recipes that are targeted to the nutritional needs of smaller dogs.

Wet or Dry?

There are advantages to both, and disadvantages to both as well. Which type of food small dog owners decide on really comes down to a personal preference. A choice is always a good thing so let me show you a few advantages of both a canned product and the dry.

Canned (Wet) Advantages

• Much easier to chew and digest
• More flavor with the aroma that dogs crave
• Contains more water than dry which is ideal for small dogs who don’t drink enough water
• Higher in protein which great for active dogs
• Longer shelf life as long as it has not been opened

Dry (Kibble) Advantages

• Cheaper in cost
• Dental benefits (Chewing is good for teeth and gums)
• Feeding guidelines are easy to follow (Label on product will specify specific feeding guidelines)
• Wide range of brands to choose from
• Easy to store

As you can see, each form of food offers some specific advantages to you and your pooch. You should consider these benefits in choosing a brand that best fits the need of your small canine. Let’d now take a look at some of the disadvantages associated with both the wet and dry formulas.

Canned (Wet) Disadvantages

• More expensive than dry
• Weight gain in some dogs
• Once opened, must be used in a relatively short time (Must be refrigerated when opened)

Through my research, I have looked at various products regarding the best dog food for small dogs. I looked at such things as nutrition, cost and availability. For your convenience, I have listed below a couple that I feel confident in recommending to you. Here they are:

These are healthy choices that are made for small breed dogs. Each product provides a great nutritional source to your pet and quite affordable. Simply click on each image a to determine which brand would be best for you and your dog. I wish you and your small friend the best, and I truly hope this article has provided some valuable information for you!