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The 8 Best Dog Foods For Maltipoo Puppy

You've just taken home a lovely Maltipoo puppy from the breeder, and you can't wait to see him grow into an adult. To grow up strong and healthy, puppies of all breeds require well-balanced nutrition, but not all puppy diets are made equal.

There are several brands on the market, ranging from less costly brands with filler components to more premium brands with proteins as the first ingredient. It's difficult to sort through all of the puppy foods available (believe us, we know), so BestForPets (bestforpets.org) has included evaluations of the best dog foods for Maltipoo puppies below.

Buyer's Guide: How to Select the Best Maltipoo Puppy Food

Owners of petite breed puppies, such as Maltipoos, must focus on proper diet in order for their puppies to grow up healthy and robust. When it comes to picking the finest diet for a tiny pup like the Maltipoo, there are a few factors to keep in mind.

After reading our evaluations on just a few of the puppy feeds available, you may be wondering which brand is best for your pet. This Buyer’s Guide was intended to provide you with more information to consider before purchasing puppy food.

Bag Dimensions

We’ll warn you right away that it may take a few trials to discover the proper puppy chow for your Maltipoo. Many individuals believe that it is as simple as selecting a bag, bringing it home, and voila! It will be devoured by your heavenly dog. When it comes to food, puppies may be just as finicky as small toddlers, and something they adore one day may be totally nasty the next.

When purchasing a new type of dog chow, we recommend getting the smallest bag possible. You don’t want to spend $50 on a bag of puppy food just to have your dog devour it for three days.

Give them a few weeks, and if your puppy is regularly eating their food, go ahead and buy a larger bag. But be warned: your puppy may decide it doesn’t like its food after a few months of eating it, and you may have to move to a new diet.

Kibble Texture & Shape

When shopping for fresh puppy food, it’s also crucial to consider kibble size. If the kibble is excessively big, your Maltipoo may have difficulty eating it and will refuse to eat it. Focus on puppy meals designed particularly for little breeds, or at the very least, ensure that the kibble size is small enough for your puppy’s mouth. Many dry puppy feeds have a gritty texture that helps clean your dog’s teeth as it chews, but if the food is too hard, try softening it with adding water to make it easier to chew.

Protein Concentrations

You’re bound to notice the various protein percentages of the different brands in the list of products we examined. Your puppy will require a high protein intake to grow up big and strong with healthy muscles, but protein also plays an important role in your puppy’s energy levels. Puppies that are extremely active require extra protein in their diet to provide energy and endurance for their daily excursions.

If your Maltipoo isn’t high-energy, you’ll just need an average quantity of protein, but many Maltipoos are high-energy, making them ideal for canine sports. If your dog is involved in agility or other performance activities, it will require food with a greater protein content to maintain its energy, endurance, and muscles.

Grain-free vs. Grains

The FDA is presently looking into whether grain-free dog diets are contributing to an increase in diet-related dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a dangerous illness that can cause cardiac issues in your dog. While grain-free diets based on legumes have grown in popularity in recent years, many dogs do not require legumes in their diet to be healthy.

While there are some health conditions that may benefit from a grain-free diet for your pooch, it’s advisable to consult with your doctor first to discover whether your pup requires a grain-free diet.

Conclusion

So, there you have it—our recommendations of the best dog foods for Maltipoo puppies.

Hill’s Science Diet Puppy Healthy Development Due to its digestible protein content, Small Bites Dry Dog Food was our choice for the best overall dog food. Rachael Ray Nutrish Bright Puppy Natural Real Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food was our pick for the best value.

ORIJEN Puppy Grain-Free Dry Puppy Food is our premium choice with the highest protein percentage on the list. This Purina Pro Plan High Protein Chicken & Rice Formula Dry Puppy Food provides full nutrition for your puppy. And our Vet’s Choice is Royal Canin Small Puppy Dry Dog Food, because of its small bite size.

BestForPets (bestforpets.org) hopes these reviews help you choose the best dog foods for your Maltipoo puppy.

Reviews

Best Overall: Science Diet by Hill’s Healthy Growth of a Puppy

  • Chicken Meal, Whole Grain Wheat, Cracked Pearled Barley, Whole Grain Sorghum, Whole Grain Corn are the main components.
  • 25.0% protein content
  • 15.0% fat content
  • 374 calories per cup

Science Diet by Hill’s Healthy Growth of a Puppy The finest overall dog food for a Maltipoo puppy is Small Bites Dry Dog Food. Small Maltipoos benefit from easily digested protein sources like chicken meal, while whole grains like wheat, sorghum, pearled barley, and corn promote heart health in developing puppies.

This cuisine is high in antioxidants and vitamins E and C, which can assist support a growing immune system. Fish oil contains DHA, which helps your growing Maltipoo’s eye and brain development.

The small kibble size makes food easier to chew for little Maltipoo mouths. The fragrance of the dish may be too strong for Maltipoos with sensitive noses, but most Maltipoos should appreciate it.

Pros

  • High protein content
  • Grains with heart-healthy properties
  • Immune system assistance

Cons

  • Strong odor

 

Best Value: Nutrish Bright Puppy Dry Dog Food by Rachael Ray

  • Chicken, chicken meal, brown rice, soybean meal, and whole corn are the main ingredients.
  • 28.0% protein content
  • 16.0% fat content
  • 390 calories per cup

The finest dog food for a Maltipoo puppy is Rachael Ray Nutrish Bright Puppy Natural Real Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food. The first ingredient in this small-bite dry food is chicken, which will help pups gain muscular mass throughout their formative months. To boost brain and visual development, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are supplied via chicken fat, sunflower oil, and Menhaden Fish Oil.

To ensure that pups get sufficient nutrition from this delectable meal, essential vitamins and minerals including as vitamin A and calcium are included to the mix. Although the meal is designed to be easily digested, some puppies may experience loose stools if the diet is too rich for their digestive systems.

Pros

  • Food for little bites
  • The first component is chicken.
  • Omega-3s and omega-6s are present.

Cons

  • Some pups may find it excessively expensive.

 

Premium Choice: Grain-Free Dry Puppy Food ORIJEN Puppy

  • Chicken, turkey, turkey giblets, Flounder, and Whole Mackerel are the main components.
  • 38% protein content
  • 20% fat content
  • 475 calories per cup

Because it has a high protein content for fast growing puppies, ORIJEN Puppy Grain-Free Dry Puppy Food is our best choice dog food for Maltipoo puppies. Chicken, turkey, turkey giblets (using the liver, heart, and gizzard), flounder, and whole mackerel are the first five components.

Eggs, chicken liver, entire herring, dehydrated chicken, dehydrated turkey, dehydrated mackerel, and dehydrated chicken liver are other protein sources.

This formula is grain-free and contains a variety of legumes such as lentils, pinto beans, navy beans, and others. The FDA is still investigating legumes to see if they contribute to diet-related dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), so see your veterinarian to see if your Maltipoo puppy has to be on a grain-free diet.

The protein in ORIJEN Puppy Grain-Free Dry Puppy Food may be difficult for some dogs to digest, resulting in loose stools. Because of the fishy odor, some finicky dogs may dislike the richness of the formula or the aroma.

Pros

  • Diet with the most protein
  • Ingredients in their entirety

Cons

  • It could be difficult to digest.
  • Fishy odor

 

Vet’s Choice: Small Puppy Dry Dog Food by Royal Canin

  • Brewers rice, chicken by-product meal, chicken fat, wheat gluten, corn gluten meal are the main constituents.
  • 29.0% protein content
  • 18.0% fat content
  • 354 calories per cup

Our veterinarian recommends Royal Canin Small Puppy Dry Dog Food for Maltipoo pups. This little kibble is ideal for chewing by puppies with small mouths and jaws. It’s designed to fulfill the energy demands of small breed puppies throughout their fast, energetic first year of life, and it’s suggested for the first 10 months.

Prebiotics and readily digested proteins promote regular bowel motions and digestion. The feed also contains vitamins and antioxidants to help a growing puppy’s immune system. Some puppies may find the Royal Canin Small Puppy Dry Food to be excessively strong.

Pros

  • Small dimensions for small lips
  • Simple to digest
  • Aids in the development of the immune system

Cons

  • Some puppies may have a strong odor.

 

Puppy & Performance Dogs Adirondack 30% Protein Recipe

  • Chicken Meal, Brown Rice, Chicken Fat, Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Ground Grain Sorghum, Pearled Barley are the main components.
  • 30.0% min protein content
  • 20.0% minimum fat content
  • 522 kilocalories per cup

Adirondack 30% Protein Recipe Puppy & Performance Dogs Dry Dog Food contains a high protein content that is ideal for Maltipoo puppies that are trained for canine performance activities.

Maintaining a high-protein diet while training for agility sports can help puppies grow the muscle mass they’ll need throughout their first year.

Adirondack heats their food slowly in tiny batches at low temperatures to guarantee that the dry food keeps the necessary ingredients for greater energy and stamina during sports.

It also has 20% fats to help with brain growth, thanks to menhaden fish oil and flaxseed, both of which include omega-3s and omega-6s.

This meal is high in protein and other nutrients, which may be too much for certain dogs’ digestive systems. So, try this diet just if you’re teaching your Maltipoo for canine sports.

Pros

  • Protein diet of 30%
  • 20% fat
  • Excellent for puppy sports training.

Cons

  • Rich foods may create stomach problems.

 

Merrick Lil’ Plates Dry Puppy Food with Chicken and Sweet Potato

  • Deboned chicken, chicken meal, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and salmon meal are the main components.
  • 28.0% protein content
  • 15.0% fat content
  • 394 kilocalories per cup

Merrick Lil’ Plates Grain-Free Real Chicken & Sweet Potato Puppy Dry Dog Food is an excellent alternative for Maltipoo puppies who have been advised by their veterinarian to convert to a grain-free diet.

To give sufficient of nutrition for developing puppies, this delectable diet comprises deboned chicken, chicken meal, salmon meal, and dried egg. To give a well-balanced dry meal, it comprises a variety of fruits and vegetables such as blueberries, apples, sweet potatoes, and potatoes.

Merrick Lil’ Plates also includes omega-3s, omega-6s, glucosamine, and chondroitin, all of which are beneficial to the health of the muscles and ligaments.

Essential vitamins and minerals, as well as probiotics to aid digestion, are included to promote healthy immune system development. The pellets may be too firm for certain tiny mouths, but they can be softened with water to make them more chewable.

Pros

  • Chicken deboned
  • Blueberries, apples, sweet potatoes, and potatoes are all examples of fruits and vegetables.
  • Grain-free eating plan (if vet requires)

Cons

  • Softening may be required for hard pellets.

 

Formula Blue Buffalo Life Protection Dry Puppy Dog Food

  • Deboned chicken, chicken meal, brown rice, oatmeal, and barley are the main components.
  • Protein percentage: 27.0%
  • 16.0% fat content
  • 400 calories per cup

Formula Blue Buffalo Life Protection Dry Dog Puppy Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe To provide a high protein level for a developing puppy, food begins with actual meat as the first ingredient. To provide a well-balanced diet, this Blue Buffalo formula incorporates healthy grains such as brown rice, oats, and barley.

Blue Buffalo also included fruits and vegetables in their dry food, as well as their LifeSource pieces, which are a nutritious combination that contains a Super 7 bundle of antioxidant-rich components.

Because this meal contains pea protein and fiber, if you’re concerned about the FDA’s worry about legumes leading to DCM in dogs, you might want to look at some of the other foods on our list.

Pros

  • Deboned chicken is included.
  • Bits of Blue Buffalo LifeSource
  • Formulated with whole grains

Cons

  • Pea protein and fiber are present.

 

Diamond Naturals Puppy Formula for Small and Medium Breeds

  • Chicken, chicken meal, ground white rice, chicken fat, cracked pearled barley are the main components.
  • Protein percentage: 32.0%
  • 22.0% fat content
  • Calories per cup: 453

Diamond Naturals Puppy Formula for Small and Medium Breeds Wet Dog Food is designed with smaller breeds’ nutrition in mind. Cage-free chicken is the first thing on the list to supply protein for a developing Maltipoo.

The cuisine is designed to give a well-balanced diet by containing whole grains such as pulverized white rice, quinoa, and cracked pearl barley. This dish also contains fruits and vegetables such as kale, pumpkin, oranges, blueberries, spinach, carrots, and others.

Salmon oil contains DHA, which promotes healthy brain development, as well as omega fatty acids, which promote healthy skin and a silky coat.

Diamond Naturals Puppy Formula Small & Medium Dry Dog Food also contains a species-specific K-9 probiotic mix for digestive health.

Prebiotics, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals are also added to ensure that tiny breeds get all of the nourishment they require from their meal. This meal may be too rich for some puppies, and they may experience loose stools.

Pros

  • Protein from chicken
  • a lot of fruits and vegetables
  • Probiotic mix K-9 Propriety

Cons

  • Richness may result in loose stools.

Author Image

Dr. Deborah Fletcher

Deborah R. Fletcher, DVM, is a skilled veterinarian with more than 15 years of experience dealing with companion and exotic animals. She has experience caring for a variety of animals, including household cats and dogs, reptiles, birds of prey, and even primates. Dr. Fletcher is a valuable part of the BestForPets team, where she contributes to their aim of providing pets and their owners with the finest possible treatment and services.

Veterinarian (DVM) Dr. Deborah Fletcher

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