A Detailed Review of the Best Dog Food for Poodles in 2021

Poodles are considered to be one of the best family dog breeds, and this is all thanks to how intelligent and easy-to-train they are. Having one at home will always keep your home active, lively and fun. Apart from all that, one of the common features which make them distinct from other breeds is their coat. Actually, it’s the curly coats which often make this dog breed famous on those dog show rings. However if you look at the dog skin care routine, you’ll realize that keeping the fur healthy has more to do with the dog’s diet than the grooming options.

A proper nutrition goes a long way in ensuring that the canine stays healthy, both physically and mentally. If you’re a first-time dog owner and happen to be in the process of establishing what to feed your poodle, I’ll help shed some light on the complexity of the best dog food for poodles so that you have an easy time nurturing your canine.

What Are The Right Dog Food Quantities To Feed Your Poodle?

Before you embark on the feeding journey, there are a number of things that you need to put in place. First-off, poodles exist in three varieties classified based on sizes, and that is, standard, miniature and toy poodles. Basically, these are what define the amount of food you should be giving your dog because generally, there’s no exact measure of food recommended for all poodles. Let’s dive in, shall we?

Here’s a breakdown of how much dog food your poodle needs based on size:

• Toy Poodles: If your dog weighs between 6-9 pounds, they belong to this category. Being the smallest of them all, toy poodles don’t need much calories in a day. At the same time, we still have those toy poodles which are more active than their counterparts and with them, you can stretch their intake for up to 465 kcal. For the less active ones, 240 kcal per day will perfectly have them covered.
• Miniature Poodles: Dogs in this category are equally smaller in size, and they only weigh a few pounds heavier than the toy poodles. This covers dogs weighing from 15-17 pounds, with a maximum height of 15 inches. Here, the poodle is moderately active and can survive on a daily intake of 490 kcal.  At the same time, you can have some highly active exceptions and in that case, up their intake to 775 kcal.  
• Standard Poodles: This covers the largest of them all, and here you’ll find adult poodles weighing anything between 45-70 pounds. With a fully grown and highly active canine, you really have to monitor their intake because more is released as they exercise. In this case, you can supply them with roughly 1,230-2,000 kcal depending on how active or less active they are.

The Best Dog Food for Poodles Overall

This dog food by Purina Pro is a great way to start your feeding journey especially if you’re dealing with a puppy. For a start, you might not have yet established your pet’s needs, which could at times make the whole dog-food shopping quite a task. At this point, you can start by going for those neutral packs which can go well with dogs of any size, one of them being this Purina Pro plan dry food. 

As a brand, Pro Plan focuses in making puppy formulas with options for every dog’s needs, and that’s why in their portfolio you’ll find bags with different labelled flavours.  It’s considered to be a highly-digestible brand with no artificial favours or additives, so what it delivers to your pup is optimal nutrition. In matters ingredients, it comprises of chicken and shredded rice, neutral and natural flavours which go well with most dogs as they get trained.

The ingredients are well balanced, being that chicken which is the main ingredient will have your dog’s protein needs covered. Added to that is shredded rice which boosts the dog’s energy, being a rich source of carbohydrate. In addition to the natural and real flavours, the pack is equally fortified with live probiotics to support the dog’s immune and digestive health.

It also has Calcium and Omega-6 compounds to help build their bones and nourish their curly coat and skin respectively.  A plus with this dog food formula is that the components have a unique taste and texture, minimizing any chances of chocking, having in mind that it’s by nature a dry food.  With all that in mind, you can confidently invest in this bag, considering the outstanding nutritional ingredients packed in there.

The Best Dog Food For Toy Poodles

As mentioned earlier, toy poodles are the smallest in this dog breed category, meaning that you have to pay attention to what you feed them. At this stage, most dogs are highly susceptible to choking, allergic reactions and many other food-related hazards. At the same time, you’ll probably be trying to introduce them to dog food, with absolutely no idea how the dog will react to whatever it is that you’re planning to feed them.

Luckily, today we have brands which make your life easier by bringing the right nutrients to your dog’s plate, one of them being this Hill’s Science Dry Dog food. It’s one of the globally endorsed brands by veterinarians, a deserved endorsement because of the efforts that they put in coming up with this formula. It comes in two varieties, that is, chicken and lamb and rice.

Either way, you’ll still get a pack with easy-to-digest ingredients which won’t react with your poodle’s stomach. Every ingredient is properly examined and profiled to ensure that no artificial flavours, colours, preservatives or any other chemicals land on your toy poodle’s plate.

Hill’s understands that toy poodles need fatty acids and vitamins, essentials to keep their coat growing healthier and for that, they have added Vitamin E and Omega 6 acids to the natural ingredients, so that the dog doesn’t miss out on anything.

Something to note is that a single cup gives you up to 371 kcal, so as you feed the dog, remember to go slow on the quantities, unless yours is already the super-active type. With the pack, you’re also guaranteed of the poodle’s immune boost because of the antioxidant blend it has.

The Best Dog Food for Standard Poodles

As you already know, standard poodles are basically the adult version of this breed and which such, two things are involved. One, it might already be easier for you to feed them, being that you probably began the feeding programme right from when they were still a toy poodle. On the other hand, the bigger the dog, the more active they get. Therefore as the owner, you need to look for something that can match all the energy the dog has at this stage, otherwise they might progressively get drained. Royal Canin understand what a standard poodle requires, and that’s why they partnered with breeders and veterinarians in making very specific formulas to suit particular breeds.

One of them is this exclusive adult product which is great for standard poodles. It comes with the right ingredients to keep their coats healthy-looking and their muscles toned. It has both DHA and EPA fatty acids extracted from fish oil which make the dog’s coat soft and easy to manage when grooming. In addition to that, it’s also made with exclusive blends of antioxidants for healthy growth and aging as the poodle matures.  

It’s Kibble-designed with dog friendly shapes, sizes and texture. This matches the dog’s jaw and facial structures for ease of picking up, biting and chewing. Such designs are also exciting to dogs, which in the end boost their intake for a proper feed. In order to give your poodle the best nutrition, you can opt to compliment this dry food with the wet option to help them benefit most, based on hydration.

The Best Dog Food For Miniature Poodles

This is yet another dog food from Royal Canin, in addition to the adult variety that we just reviewed. This pack is specifically designed for miniature poodles, and that is, those ones falling between 2-10 months. The formula comes in enticing kibble designs, something that most manufacturers are adopting because of how easy it is for them to chew and even pick up.

In it are exclusive complexes of Vitamin E and antioxidants, compounds which are great in the development of the dog’s natural defences and immune system. As the norm with Royal Canin products, this one is equally enriched with DHA and EPA extracts from fish oil. The two play a critical role in nurturing a healthy skin and in the end your pup will definitely develop a curly and healthy coat as expected.

It also features high-quality prebiotics and proteins which will help in promoting effortless digestion and stool quality. With every cup of this feed comes 385 kcal of Metabolizable Energy. This will have your dog covered, considering that they will already be progressively active at the miniature stage. As recommended by the manufacturer, this dry food is best incorporated with some canned or wet food to boost hydration.

The Best Dog Food for Picky Poodles

Many dog owners will agree with me that nothing is as frustrating as a picky dog, especially if you are not in a position to access a variety of dog food. Dogs can be picky in that their stomachs are unable to handle most foods. At the same time, they could also be picky by nature in that they don’t seem to like anything and everything. No matter what the case is, your dog might end up starving as you try to figure out what goes well with them.

Now that’s when products like this particular one by Wag store come in handy. The bag is made by a dedicated family-based company that partners with pet nutritionists and veterinarians to give you a trusted high-quality product with no artificial flavours, colours or chemicals. It reveals a combination of Australian lamb as the main ingredient, which is then complimented with natural and nutritious vegetables, Vitamins, antioxidants, minerals and phytonutrients.

It eliminates corn, wheat and any other added grains which often upset most dogs. It’s available in trial options, giving you room for effortless replacements in case your dog doesn’t seem excited by it as well. A plus with this bag is that it’s suitable for poodles across all ages, which can be better for you in the event that you own a number of picky poodles.

The Best Dog Food for Poodles with Sensitive Stomachs

Seemingly, Hill’s has it all when it comes to meeting poodle related special needs which other diets might not cover. One of the physical conditions which dictate the kind of dog food to serve your pup is stomach and skin sensitivity. Just like humans, there are certain foods which can trigger unfortunate reactions on the dog’s digestive system.

In most instances, such sensitivity comes from improper digestion, caused by feeding the dog a diet which is off their chart. For example if you feed a toy poodle a dry adult dog food, it’s likely of them to experience digestion related problems. 

The way out is finding highly digestible brands like Hills’ Diet Dry Food. This is all thanks to the beet pulp, a great and nourishing dietary prebiotic fibre included in the pack which is more advantageous to small dogs for improved digestive health. The prebiotic fibre is equally backed up with natural ingredients, a guarantee that no chemicals or additives will find its way into the dog’s system. 

It’s formulated with a structure that’s strikes a balance of nutrients, having the growing toy and miniature poodles in mind. It also features Omega 6 fatty acids and Vitamin E which together with other ingredients are presented in the form of tiny kibbles for ease of chewing and digestion.  

Tips on How to Get the Best Dog Food for Your Poodle

As we started this article, we first looked at the right quantities to feed your poodle. At the same time, it’s important to note that most of the time, it’s not always about the quantities served, but the quality of what goes into the dog’s stomach.  Identifying what will perfectly-suit your dog isn’t that easy, and you need to have a few things started. Here are some of the things to consider when looking for dog food:

Size And Weight

How much a dog needs changes as they grow, both in size and weight.  As you watch the quantities you serve them, you should also be keen on the ingredients on the packs you buy. For toy poodles, your focus should be on those ingredients which promote healthy muscle and coat growth. This is because if they miss out on certain nutrients as they grow, you might have to deal with recurring health issues.

When it comes to adult and energetic breeds, the trend shifts to the number of calories they should consume so that they don’t end up being starved. As expected, size and weight are relative and doesn’t entity depend on how old the dog is and therefore you shouldn’t tie how much you feed your dog strictly to how months-old they are.

Lifestyle

Lifestyle here is closely linked to the dog’s size, though not entirely. Lifestyle is defined by how highly or less active the dog is, and whether they’re an outdoors or indoors type. Generally, a toy poodle is considered less active than their miniature brothers, but then this is also not always the case. You might be having two dogs of different sizes, with the smaller one proving to be more active and playful.

Once you have established your dog’s lifestyle, or maybe you have accustomed them to a specific one, there’s always something to match that energy. One of the challenges most dog owners face is keeping up with a dog who spends most time playing outdoors because that way you also need to minister to them a substance which will keep them protected health wise as they make contact with different objects out there.

Body condition

Away from size and weight, another thing that determines a poodle’s needs is their body or health condition. In the reviews, you came across specific foods for those poodles with either sensitive stomachs or the picky ones. This clearly indicates that not all dogs will prefer the same flavour, meaning that you have to take your time and establish what your pet prefers. One of the ways to do so as you begin the journey is buying a variety of flavours in smaller packs, ready for trial.

As you monitor the dog feed, whatever they prefer will be evident from their reaction. However, you have to be extra careful because at times, the poodle’s body might react terribly, placing them at a higher risk. In addition to allergic reactions, we also have conditions like pregnancy or sickness which change what the dog should or should not feed on. In a nutshell, what this means is that sometimes you might have to keep changing the packs you buy as your dog’s condition changes as well.

Formula design

When it comes to dry dog food, one of the key things to start off with is how big or small the food particles are. Apart from cats, dogs are equally susceptible to chocking, especially while they’re only a few weeks old. Now as much as complimenting the dry food with something wet often solves the nightmare, it’s still safer when you buy packs with manageable particles.

With technological advancement came the kibble designs which you can now find in a number of brands. Designs like this are considered dog-friendly, in that they make it easier for them to pick up and even chew. That way, you’ll unlikely experience any form of chocking.

Brand of choice

In as much as it’s advisable to alternate flavours for a balance, there should be consistency especially once you have established what the pet prefers. One of the ways to do so is by sticking to a specific brand and it’s through that you can keep assorting the flavours depending on the variety they have in their portfolio.  

The company from which the dog food comes from has a lot to do with the quality and safety. In a growing market, you shouldn’t trust every product you find on the shelves because at times, the package might contain some harmful substances which are not even included on the ingredients list. Therefore as you source for your dog’s food, remember to know more about the brands you have at hand.

Conclusion

From our review, it’s clear that most of the packs highlighted are by nature dry dog foods, backed up by the fact that they’re by far highly nutritious. On the other hand, you should always remember to accompany them with clean water which the dog equally needs. However if you can’t seem to get the exact pack to suit your dog’s need, there’s always room for home-made options, which are even healthier.

On the other hand, we have vets who can always come to your rescue whenever you’re stuck, so just be easy on yourself because with professional advice, both you and the poodle will be on safer hands. Another way to hack this is by going for neutral brands like Purina Pro Plan High Protein Dry Dog Food which are guaranteed to go well with most poodles. That way, you’ll get enough time to make the best pick from our list of the best dog food for poodles.