The 10 Best Dog Foods for Small Dogs, According to More Than 400 Dogs and Their Humans

Best Overall

Royal Canin Small Breed Adult Dry Dog Food

$60 at Amazon $15 at Chewy View on PETCO

Since little dogs need more calories per pound of body weight than larger breeds due to their higher metabolic rate, a nutrient-rich and calorie-dense food is best. Formulated to suit the energy level of little dogs, Royal Canin Adult Small Dog Dry Food also contains the fatty acids EPA and DHA that keep small dogs' skin and coats healthy, as well as L-carnitine that helps them to metabolize fat and maintain a good weight.

Specifically targeting dogs between 10 months and 8 years of age weighing between 9 and 22 pounds, this formula is considered highly palatable, especially good for pups that turn their nose up quickly at foods they don't like. In addition, the kibble is specially designed in size and shape to be perfect for smaller jaws.

Although the ingredient list contains several high-quality foods, including brown rice, fish oil, and chicken fat, the first ingredient is corn. While corn does have some nutrient value to it, ideally the first ingredient would still be some type of protein-rich, high-quality meat. This blend is otherwise nutritious and well-suited for small breed dogs, meeting the nutritional standards of AAFCO as well as the National Research Council (NRC).

_{Flavors: Chicken, vegetable | Package sizes: 2.5-pound bag, 14-pound bag}

Best Budget

Purina One Plus Small Breed Adult Dog Dry Food

View on Amazon $10 at Chewy $17 at PetSmart

Purina One Plus Small Breed Adult Dog Dry Food is our favorite high quality and affordable option for small breed dogs. Formulated for adult dogs weighing 20 pounds or less, this dry food is high protein and nutrient-rich with zero fillers, an ideal blend at a price you can manage even on a tight budget.

Real lamb is the first ingredient, making this food high protein for good muscle development, and there are no artificial flavors or preservatives. Carefully created for the high-energy lives and activity levels of smaller dogs, it’s highly digestible, nutritious, and fortified with vitamins and minerals to support a healthy immune system. It’s also made with essential fatty acids and calcium for a healthy coat and bones.

_{Flavors: Lamb and rice | Package Sizes: 3.8-pound bag, 7.4-pound bag, 15-pound bag}

Best for Weight Management

Purina Pro Plan Small Breed Weight Management Dog Food

$55 at Amazon $21 at Chewy $31 at Walmart

If a small breed dog is carrying even a small amount of extra weight, it can impact their health significantly, especially in the form of joint issues. To help your small or toy breed dog lose weight safely, Purina Pro Plan Weight Management Adult Small Dog Dry Food provides plenty of nutrients in a low-calorie formula. A specialized shredded recipe, this food offers high protein with real chicken as the first ingredient to maintain muscle mass while losing weight.

It also provides plenty of antioxidants for immunity, phosphorus and calcium for strong bones and teeth, plus guaranteed live probiotics to aid digestion. The only downsides were an inconsistent kibble size and texture, where dogs occasionally eat around larger pieces eating only the smaller ones.

_{Flavors: Chicken and rice | Package Sizes: 6-pound bag, 18-pound bag}

Best for Allergies

Wellness Simple Limited-Ingredient Grain-Free Dry Dog Food

$48 at Amazon View on 1-800-PetMeds

With a single-protein formula designed for highly allergic small breed dogs, Wellness Limited Ingredient Diet Small Breed Salmon & Potato Dry Food for Adult Dogs offers complete nutrition with fewer difficult-to-digest ingredients. It has a recipe rich in Omega fatty acid for a healthy coat and skin, taurine for a strong heart and good blood pressure, as well as prebiotic fiber and probiotics for enhanced digestibility. It also has glucosamine for joint health.

This food makes an excellent alternative for dogs that are allergic to beef or chicken too, and is also tolerated by the bellies of even the most sensitive, allergy-prone dogs. It’s nutritionally dense while also low calorie, making it ideal for dogs that are reduced to low activity due to an illness or injury as well.

While on a grain-free diet, it is advisable to have your dog monitored by your veterinarian due to the potential connection between a grain-free diet and canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).

_{Flavors: Duck and oatmeal, turkey and potato, lamb and oatmeal, salmon and potato | Package Sizes: 10.5-pound bag, 26-pound bag, 40-pound bag}

Best for Sensitive Stomachs

Hill's Science Diet Dry Dog Food, Adult, Small & Mini Breeds

$23 at Amazon $23 at Chewy View on PETCO

While a sensitive belly can befall any age or breed of canine, older and smaller dogs are the most frequently afflicted. Hill’s Science Diet Adult Sensitive Stomach and Skin Small and Mini Chicken Recipe Dry Dog Food provides prebiotic fiber and other easily digested nutrients to optimize a smaller sensitive-stomached dog’s digestive health.

Real chicken is the first ingredient, meaning the food has an authentic protein-rich and nutritious formula. A blend of essential fatty acids and vitamins contributes to a shiny coat and healthy skin as well, while amino acids and other ingredients balance out the recipe. It’s also a well-known brand that is decades old, plus it's American-made so you can trust the quality.

_{Flavors: Chicken and barley | Package Sizes: 4-pound bag, 15-pound bag}

Best for Senior

NUTRO NATURAL CHOICE Small Breed Senior Dry Dog Food

$18 at Amazon $6 at Chewy

Ideal for small breeds aged 8 years and older, this nutrient-dense, all-natural food provides real chicken as a main ingredient, giving senior dogs the protein they need for strength and energy. Other ingredients include split peas, whole grain brown rice, whole grain oatmeal, fish oil, chia seed, dried pumpkin, dried kale, dried spinach, biotin, calcium and several B vitamins, creating a nutrient-dense food to keep your aging pup’s plate bursting with healthiness while remaining chemical preservative-free.

It’s important to read the label carefully, as you’ll need to adjust your feeding amount according to your dog’s activity level in order to either get to or maintain your dog’s appropriate weight. This food can be served to your dog dry or slightly moistened for aging pups with fewer teeth or sore gums. NUTRO pledges to keep their ingredients natural by working alongside farmers who are devoted to improving the condition of soil.

_{Flavors: Chicken and brown rice | Package Sizes: 5-pound bag}

Best for Small Breed Puppies

Eukanuba Puppy Small Breed Dry Dog Food, 15 lb

$50 at Amazon $95 at Chewy View on PETCO

When you’ve got a new small breed puppy–or a litter of them, Eukanuba brings top-level nutrition to give them the best possible start. Formulated for pups up to twelve months old, this chicken-flavored recipe boasts a high-quality ingredient list including chicken (number one), fish oil, biotin, several B vitamins, and more.

Chicken provides plenty of protein to fuel little pups’ energy levels and encourage growth, especially muscle development. High DHA levels in the formula encourage good brain development for easily trainable puppies, while fiber and prebiotics ensure proper digestion, and a solid blend of vitamins and antioxidants enhances the strength of puppies’ little immune systems.

This formula comes in three different size bags too.

_{Flavors: Chicken | Package Sizes: 4.5-pound bag, 15-pound bag, 28-pound bag}

Best Natural

Merrick Healthy Grains Dry Dog Food

$50 at Amazon $24 at Chewy $38 at Walmart

For the all-natural dog parent household, Merrick Classic Healthy Grains Small Breed dog food recipe should fit the bill. With the first ingredient being real deboned chicken followed by chicken meal, brown rice, barley, turkey meal, oatmeal, chicken fat, quinoa, salmon meal, and more, this option brings optimal nutrition to your little canine’s dish.

A healthy coat and skin are supported by the food’s high level of Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids, while the joints and hips are kept in prime condition with glucosamine and chondroitin, and the small-sized kibble is perfect for hungry little mouths. Taurine supplementation brings a preventive measure to the food, as it helps ward off several diseases, improves brain health, promotes muscle strength and heart health, and regulates blood flow. Ancient grains provide a healthy digestive system as well.

Made in Hereford, Texas, this food is created in American FDA-monitored facilities.

_{Flavors: Chicken | Package Sizes: 4-pound bag, 12-pound bag}

Best Variety Pack

Purina Beneful IncrediBites Just For Small Dogs

$23 at Amazon $11 at Chewy $11 at Walmart

If your small dog perks up when a new flavor is placed in their bowl, we highly recommend introducing them to the IncrediBites Just for Small Dogs Variety Pack from Purina Beneful which offers three wet food recipes, salmon, chicken, and beef. The IncrediBites variety pack consists of three-ounce cans with easy-to-open pull-tabs packaged as a case of 12 or 30. Within each case, the three recipes are evenly divided with 4 or 10 of each.

The IncrediBites wet food is made into finely chopped, easy-to-chew bites using real beef, chichken, or salmon as the lead source of protein along with tomatoes, carrots, and wild rice. The food is made in the United States and is free of artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives. The portion sizes and bites are specifically formulated for small dogs and can be served on their own or combined with Purina Beneful IncrediBites For Small Dogs kibble for a blend of tender and crunchy.

_{Flavors: Beef, chicken, salmon | Package Sizes: 3 ounces, 12 or 30 pack}

Best Pate

Blue Buffalo Delights Small Breed Adult Dog Variety Pack

$18 at Amazon $18 at Chewy View on 1-800-PetMeds

There are five soft pate recipes in the Delights Small Breed Adult Dog food line from Blue Buffalo. The wet food is packaged in 3.5 ounce trays with easy to open foil lids. The smaller portions are perfect for small breed appetites and the texture is easy for little mouths to consume.

All of the pate recipes are made with real beef, chicken, or turkey as the first ingredients along with broth, vegetables, and flaxseed. The food is more hydrating than kibble and each serving is enhanced with vitamins and minerals that small and extra-small breed dogs need. Each recipes is sold on its own and in variety packs combining two recipes in one box as a pack of 12 or 24. There are three pate flavor pairings of Delights variety packs: filet mignon pate and porterhouse pate, roasted turkey pate and grilled chicken pate, and top sirloin pate and grilled chicken pate.

Blue Buffalo never uses by-product meals, corn, wheat, or soy in their foods for pets, and the brand manufactures all of their pet food in the United States using human-grade ingredients.

_{Flavors: Filet mignon pate, porterhouse pate, roasted turkey pate, grilled chicken pate, and top sirloin pate | Package Sizes: 3.5 ounces; 12 or 24 pack}