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10 Best Puppy Foods
Of course, you want what’s best for your puppy, and the best thing you can give them is the best puppy food to help them grow strong. This guide reviews the top 10 best puppy foods to help you choose what’s best for your new companion.
Product FAQs
1. Why buy puppy food?
Puppy food is designed with the appropriate amount of calories and nutrients necessary to support puppies as they grow.
2. Where can you buy puppy food?
You can buy puppy food at pet stores, retailers like Walmart and Costco, or online through vendors like Amazon and Chewy.
3. How much does puppy food cost?
The price of puppy food varies greatly. Expect to pay anywhere from $30 to over $150 for 30 pounds of puppy food.
How We Reviewed
We based our ratings on the quality and nutritional value of these dog foods for the needs of puppies.
Overall Price Range
The puppy foods on this guide range from $16.99 to $49.99 for varying sizes of bags.
Top 10 Puppy Foods
Taste of the Wild: High Prairie Puppy Recipe
[amazon box=”B006BU77F4″]
Taste of the Wild’s High Prairie Puppy food is designed to allow puppies of all breeds and sizes to eat food with the same qualities as they would in the wild: grain-free and high in protein. With buffalo and lamb meal as the top two ingredients, you know your puppy will have great-tasting food that will help support them and keep them healthy as they grow.
Pros
- Grain-free recipe
- The main ingredient is buffalo meat
- Full of K8 Strain Probiotics and antioxidants
- Small kibble for easy chewing
- Full of DHA for supporting your puppy’s developing brain
- AAFCO certified
Cons
- Some reviews claim that the bags they bought from Amazon caused their dogs to get sick, while bags they bought from a store did not
Where to Buy
You can buy this product online at Amazon, Chewy, Petco, or Tractor Supply Co. and in most pet stores, including Petco. Although Amazon does sell this product, a significant number of people have reported bad batches that made their dogs sick when they ordered this dog food online, so we recommend buying this food elsewhere.
Wellness: Complete Health Puppy Food
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This food is good for puppies with allergies since Wellness aims to avoid common allergy-causing ingredients in all their dog foods. This puppy food is very well balanced and high in protein. They use natural ingredients that are packed with all the nutrients, antibiotics, and antioxidants that your puppy needs to start out their lives healthy.
Pros
- Main ingredients are chicken and chicken meal
- Good balance of protein, fat, and carbohydrates
- Contains natural sources of DHA, such as salmon oil, to support brain growth
- Wellness brand avoids fillers and common ingredients that cause allergies in dogs
- This particular puppy food is designed for all dog breeds
- Small kibble for easy chewing
- AAFCO certified
Cons
- Contains grains, including barley, as the fourth ingredient, which has very little nutritional value for dogs
- Is plant-based and only contains a moderate amount of meat
Where to Buy
You can purchase locally at most pet stores and online at PetSmart, Petco, Amazon, and Chewy.
Holistic Select: Grain-Free Puppy Health
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This puppy food by Holistic Select is an overall great dog food for dogs 50 pounds or under. It is full of ingredients that are packed with all-natural nutrition and protein for helping your puppy grow with strong bones and a healthy brain.
Pros
- Grain-free recipe
- The first five ingredients are all animal products or legumes
- All natural ingredients that provide plenty of nutrition and antioxidants
- High in natural fiber, probiotics, yogurt cultures, and enzymes to aid in digestion
- DHA comes from salmon oil
- AAFCO certified for dogs up to 50 pounds
- High-calorie content, which is ideal for growing puppies
Cons
- Not ideal for breeds over 50 pounds; you would need to buy the large breed Holistic puppy food
- Only comes in 4-pound and 12-pound bags
- Only sold at limited locations and online
Where to Buy
Smaller local dog stores and online at Chewy
Blue Buffalo: Blue Basics
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Blue Buffalo’s Basics puppy food is ideal for the many puppies who struggle with food sensitivities. By using only one animal source and excluding foods that often trigger allergies, this food won’t upset your puppy’s digestive system and will still supply them with all the nutrition they need.
Pros
- Limited-ingredient recipe perfect for dogs with food sensitivities and allergies
- Claims to have no included poultry by-product meals
- No common allergy causing ingredients, like corn, wheat, soy, dairy, or eggs
- Include cold-formed “LifeSource Bits” full of important minerals, antioxidants, and nutrients
- An all-natural recipe that doesn’t use any preservatives or artificial flavors
- AAFCO certified for all dog breeds
Cons
- Not grain-free
- Contains caramel food coloring
- High in carbohydrates
- Uses more plants than meat
Where to Buy
Blue Buffalo is a commonly sold dog food brand and can be found at most pet stores and online, including Amazon.
Blue Buffalo: Blue Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe
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Like Taste of the Wild, Blue Wilderness dog food is meant to feed dogs food with many of the same ingredients and nutrients they would find in the wilderness. This food is also decent for dogs with allergies since it is completely grain- and corn-free.
Pros
- Based on a wolf’s diet to mimic what a dog would eat if in nature
- No-grain recipe
- The first two ingredients are deboned beef and chicken meal
- Has cold-formed “LifeSource Bits”
- Doesn’t have any corn, wheat, or soy which can cause allergies
- No artificial flavors, preservatives, or poultry by-product meals
- AAFCO certified for all dog breeds
Cons
- Does not use hormone- and antibiotic-free meat
- Some dogs prefer the flavor of chicken
Where to Buy
You can find this dog food at almost any pet store and other retailers. You can also buy online through most popular online vendors, including Amazon.
Castor & Pollux Organix Puppy Recipe
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If you want to feed your puppy a dog food with ingredients that are made ethically and naturally, Castor & Pollux specializes in completely organic, free-range dog food.
Pros
- Made with all organic ingredients
- Grain-free
- Good for sensitive stomachs and food allergies
- USDA organic and AAFCO certified
- Fit for all breeds and sizes
- The main ingredient is organic, free-range chicken
Cons
- Organic comes at a price — extremely expensive dog food
- Some customers complain about their dog not liking it
- Only small bag sizes available, and they continue to make the bags smaller while keeping the same price
- Some users are reporting that their dogs have gotten sick since being on this food
Where to Buy
You can purchase this puppy food in-store or online from most pet stores, Chewy, and Amazon.
Nutro: Grain-free Chicken Puppy Dry Dog Food
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Nutro is a popular dog food brand that makes clean, non-GMO food. Most puppies and adult dogs love Nutro dog food and will gobble it up without any stomach issues afterward.
Pros
- Grain-free and good for puppies with sensitive stomachs
- Non-GMO ingredients
- No artificial flavoring, preservatives, or by-products
- Farm-Raised Chicken
- AAFCO certified for all dog breeds
Cons
- Can be hard to find this particular Nutro puppy food online and in stores
- Some users say the kibble size is too small for larger breeds of puppies
Where to Buy
Although Nutro’s website only lists a couple of vendors for where to buy this puppy food, if you search on PetSmart, Amazon, Chewy, and likely other major vendors, you can buy this food online.
Purina: Pro Plan Puppy Food
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If you are looking for a more affordable option, Purina’s Pro Plan offers decent puppy food with chicken as the main ingredient at a lower price than the other options in this guide.
Pros
- Chicken is the first ingredient
- DHA comes from fish oil
- Affordable brand
- AFFCO certified for all dog breeds and ages
- Lots of protein
Cons
- Includes grains, with brewers’ rice as the second ingredient
- No mention of probiotics
- Includes ingredients like wheat and corn that is bad for dogs with allergies
- Includes animal by-products
- Especially high amount of carbohydrates
- Contains some ingredients, such as menadione and garlic, that are linked to causing health issues in dogs
Where to Buy
You can buy Purina Pro through most in-store and online retailers, including Chewy, Amazon, and Petco.
Nature’s Recipe: Grain-Free Puppy Food
[amazon box=”B00WUIG090″]
If you’re looking for an affordable grain-free puppy food that doesn’t break the bank, Nature’s Recipe puppy food is a great option. It even is made with pumpkin, which is a great, nutritious carbohydrate for dogs.
Pros
- Grain-free, with sweet potatoes and pumpkin as the main source of carbohydrate
- No poultry by-product meal
- No artificial flavors or preservatives
- No corn, wheat, or soy for puppies with food sensitivities or allergies
- Affordable
Cons
- Some Amazon customers received bad batches of this dog food and even had wood splinters in the bag
- Some puppies don’t like the taste of this food
- No mention of probiotics
- Contains menadione, which is linked to liver toxicity
Where to Buy
We recommend that you don’t buy this product from Amazon. You can order this puppy food from retailers and vendors online, including Walmart and Chewy.
Hill’s Science: Diet Puppy Healthy Development
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Pros
- The main ingredient is chicken
- Fish oil provides a large amount of natural DHA
- Good balance between protein, fats, and carbs
- Antioxidant benefits that they claim to be clinically proven
- High in Vitamin E and C
- No artificial flavors or preservatives
- Hill’s Science donates some of their profits to shelters when you buy this food
- AAFCO certified
Cons
- Not grain-free
- Contains high amounts of barley, wheat, and corn, which all have low nutritional value and can cause allergies
- Not gluten-free
- No mention of probiotics
Where to Buy
You can buy Hill’s Science Diet Puppy Food at most retailers, including Petco, PetSmart, Chewy, and Amazon.
Verdict
Taste of the Wild High Prairie Puppy Food is an all-around great puppy food that feeds your puppy a lot of meat protein and no grains — just like they would in nature. For such a great-quality dog food, $49.99 is an amazing value, making this puppy food our top pick.