How To Choose The Right Diet and Nutrition For Small Breed Dogs

Choosing The Right Diet and Nutrition For Small breed Dogs doesn’t have to be a daunting task!

It’s no secret that different breeds of dogs have different nutrition needs. Small breed dogs still have a lot of similarities with their small canine ancestors, especially when it comes to nutrition.

The small breed dogs have a high metabolism, which makes them burn calories quickly, often in just a few hours. Therefore, they need to consume more calories per pound of body weight as compared to large breed dogs.

If You have a small-breed dog, giving him a food specially tailored for his size and activity level is the easiest way to make sure you’re providing him complete and balanced nutrition.

A healthy dog is a happy and active dog. Below are some tips which will help you provide the right Diet and Nutrition For your Small-breed Dog.

How to Select the Right Food For Your Small Breed Dog

Small breed dogs should be given smaller, calorie-dense meals rich in high-quality proteins and fats at least 3-4 times daily for best health. Otherwise, they can show signs of low blood sugar, such as fatigue, weakness, muscle tremors, and even seizures.

Look at the below nutrients:

• Vitamin-rich fish oils for healthy and disease-free skin, a glossy coat, and overall health.
• Essential vitamins and minerals to support a healthy immune system and good health.
• High-quality animal-based protein to help build & maintain strong muscles.
• Dietary fiber sources to promote intestinal well-being and proper nutrient digestion.
• Carbohydrate Mix to help maintain normal blood sugar levels for sustained energy.

We should not forget that the health, well-being, and life span of our little buddies are affected by the kind of nutrition they get. For optimal health, it is a must that we feed them with a diet that is well balanced and has all these vital nutrients in it.

Dietary Consideration For Small Breed Dogs

Small dogs have small mouths and tummy. You may want to feed your small breed dog commercial dog foods which are small bite-size for easy chewing.

A nutrient-dense food will help make sure that all the essential nutrients are properly and easily absorbed even with the small-sized stomach.

When choosing  the right diet and nutrition for your small-breed dog, you should also consider:

• Is your little buddy spayed?
• Is your doggo getting enough exercise?
• Is your dog overweight?
• Is your dog pregnant?
• Is your dog mature or senior (7 years or older)?

Special conditions like these can hugely affect your dog’s nutritional demands.

Controlling Your Small Breed Dog’s Weight

Nutrient-dense frequent meals can make some small breed dogs gain weight, especially if they are less active, neutered, or spayed.

Controlling your dog’s weight is very important. Obesity in dogs can often lead to serious health hazards like Diabetes, Arthritis, etc.

If you are putting your small-breed dog on a weight management diet, look for these ingredients:

• Reduced Fat percentage that still offers essential nutrients for healthy skin and shiny coat
• L-carnitine, a key compound that burns excess fat and promotes weight loss
• Complex Carbohydrates to help manage blood sugar while providing enough energy
• Omega-3 and Omega-6 Fatty acids For overall health

Providing The Right Diet and Nutrition for Pregnant Small-Breed Dogs

A mother dog increases her energy intake up to 50% starting from the seventh week of her pregnancy, till she gives birth, and this intake increases, even more, when she starts nursing her babies.

Therefore, as a proud dog parent, it becomes important that we keep a close eye to the kind of nutrition she gets.

It is advisable to feed her with nutrient-dense food so that she receives a well-balanced diet. Choosing a complete, balanced small-breed puppy formula will help her in maintaining her energy and nutrition needs during this whole time.

Switching Your Small Breed Dog to a Mature Diet

Small breed dogs tend to have relatively long lifespans as compared to larger breed dogs. So, Unlike large breed dogs that are considered mature at age 5, your small breed dog can easily remain on an adult diet until age 7.

Best Dog Foods For Small Breed Dogs

There are several small breed dog products available in the Indian Market, and choosing the best dog food product can sometimes be a little difficult task for us.

To make this task easy, we came up with a list of best small breed dog food to provide wholesome nutrition to your furry friend.

1. Royal Canin Mini Adult

One of the best dog food for your small breed dog.  Your tiny friend will love Royal Canin Mini Adult Dog Food. This Dog Food gives small breed dogs with petite kibbles, which is convenient for their smaller mouth and provides them with all the essential nutrition.

Benefits:

• It helps in reducing tartar with suitable kibble technology
• Improves digestion and supports proper metabolism
• It contains EPA and DHA for healthy skin and a glossy coat
• Supports dental health
• Got Enhanced palatability & amazing flavors to satisfy the fussy appetite of small breed dogs

Ingredients:

• Dehydrated poultry protein
• Maize & maize flour
• Animal fats
• Vegetable protein isolate*
• Wheat, 
• Hydrolyzed animal proteins
• Rice
• Beet pulp
• Minerals
• Fish oil
• Soya oil
• Essential Vitamins & Minerals

Proximate Nutritional Analysis:

• Protein (Min) 25%
• Fat (Min) 14%
• Crude Fibre (Max) 3.5 %
• Moisture (Max) 10%

2. Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small and Toy Breed Dry Dog Food

Hills™ Science Diet™ Adult Small & Toy Breed dog food provides accurately balanced, easy-to-digest nutrition tailored for small & toy breeds.

Benefits:

• Exceptional taste with bite-sized kibbles perfect for small mouths
• Boosts immunity to support a long and healthy life
• Improves dental health
• Contains no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives

Ingredients:

• Chicken Meal & Chicken Liver Flavor
• Whole Grain Wheat 
• Brewers Rice 
• Whole Grain Sorghum
• Soybean Meal & Soybean Oil 
• Cracked Pearled Barley 
• Pork Fat & Pork Flavor
• Flaxseed
• Lactic Acid
• Carrots
• Spinach
• Dried Grape Pomace, Dried Tomato Pomace, Dried Citrus Pulp
• Essential Vitamins & Minerals

Proximate Nutritional Analysis:

• Protein (Min) 24.9%
• Fat (Min) 16%
• Carbohydrate / NFE (Min) 50.7%
• Crude Fibre (Max) 2.8 %
• Omega-3 Fatty acid 1.01%
• Omega-6 Fatty acid 4.20%

3. Pedigree PRO Expert Nutrition Adult Small Breed Dogs (9 Months Onwards) Dry Dog Food

Adult Small breed dogs such as Cocker Spaniel, Lhasa Apso, Pug, German Spitz, and Beagle have different dietary requirements as compared to large breed dogs. Pedigree is a well-known brand and this expert formula is designed to help small breed dogs live a healthy and long life.

Benefits:

• Contains bite-sized kibbles made from high-quality ingredients
• Contains Sodium Tripolyphosphate (STPP) to support dental health in dogs
• Contains Extra Zinc, Omega 3 & Omega 6 for healthy skin, and coat
• Contains Prebiotics (MOS) to support Digestive health in adult dogs

Ingredients:

• Cereals and cereal by-products
• Meat and meat by-products
• Vegetable by-products and vegetable oils
• Essential vitamins and minerals
• Antioxidants and flavors
• Vitamins & Minerals

Proximate Nutritional Analysis:

• Protein (Min) 20%
• Fat (Min) 15%
• Crude Fibre (Max) 5 %
• Moisture (Max) 10%

4. PURINA SUPERCOAT Adult Small Breed Dry Dog Food

PURINA SUPERCOAT Adult Small Breed Dry Dog Food is developed by Nestlé Purina experts with 120 years of expertise in pet nutrition. 

It provides tailored nutrition with a precise combination of high-quality natural ingredients to boost your small breed dog’s health. 

PURINA SUPERCOAT Adult Small Breed Dry Dog contains delicious small-sized kibble specifically formulated to meet the daily nutritional requirements of your small breed dog.

Benefits:

• Contains no artificial colors or flavors
• Nutritionally balanced diet to support your small breed dog’s faster metabolism
• Promotes shiny coat & healthy skin with Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids
• Promotes healthy teeth and strong bones with a calcium-rich diet
• Contains Smaller kibble to fit his smaller mouth

Ingredients:

• Cereals and Cereal products (Wheat, Rice bran, Corn) 
• Chicken and Chicken products (Dehydrated chicken protein, Chicken oil and Hydrolysed chicken protein)
• Vitamins and Minerals
• Invert syrup
• Dehydrated fish protein
• Milk solids

Proximate Nutritional Analysis:

• Protein (Min) 24%
• Fat (Min) 12%
• Crude Fibre (Max) 6 %
• Moisture (Max) 12%

5. Farmina N&D Pumpkin Dry Dog Food, Grain-Free, Adult Mini Breed

Farmina N&D Pumpkin Grain-Free, Adult Mini Breed dry dog food is made with high-quality ingredients with the correct amounts of protein, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals for optimum health & fitness of small breed dogs.

Benefits:

• Specially formulated for small breeds with a smaller kibble size
• 92% of protein is from high-quality animal sources
• Contains a low glycemic carb formula
• GMO-free. Doesn’t Contains peas, lentils, pea protein, chickpeas, or plants oils
• Contains Omega Fatty acids

Ingredients:

• Deboned Chicken & Chicken Fat
• Dehydrated Chicken (Source of Glucosamine & Chondroitin Sulfate)
• Whole Spelt
• Whole Oats
• Dehydrated Egg Product
• Herring
• Dried Beet Pulp
• Herring & Salmon Oil Blend
• Dried Carrots, 
• Sun-Cured Alfalfa Meal
• Chicory Root Extract
• Dehydrated Pomegranate
• Dehydrated Apple
• Dehydrated Spinach
• Psyllium Seed Husk
• Dehydrated Blackcurrant Berry
• Dehydrated Sweet Orange
• Dehydrated Blueberry
• Essential Vitamins & Minerals

Proximate Nutritional Analysis:

• Protein (Min) 30%
• Fat (Min) 18%
• Crude Fibre (Max) 2.9 %
• Moisture (Max) 10%
• Omega-6 Fatty acid (Min) 3.3%
• Omega-3 Fatty acid (Min) 0.9%

Paying close attention to your small breed dog’s nutrition requirements will help your little buddy to enjoy a healthy, and long life.