What are some of the best dog food brands you could pick for your Morkie? It’s important that you get the best dog food for small dogs, because there’s no room for fillers and empty calories. Morkies are tiny, so every bite they eat should be nutritionally sound and balanced.
But deciperhing reports, labels and marketing B.S., is a lot of work. We’ve done the heavy lifting for you, with a list at the bottom of the post, that you can download. It features 10 best dog food brands for your Morkie and 10 really horrible choices – and why.
When you’re shopping for commercial dog food for your Morkie, check the label — at least the first 5 ingredients.
PICK THIS
Food that has lots of real, named protein at the top of the label – things like beef, chicken, salmon, lamb and so on.
Food whose source of fat is named – beef fat, poultry, fat. etc. Unnamed fat can be anything, including used restaurant grease
NOT THAT
Definitely AVOID any food with what’s just called “meat” or just called “poultry.”
AVOID meat by-products (named or not); and AVOID generic fat, such as “animal fat.” Instead, opt for a NAMED fat such as “beef fat.”
Don’t pick a dog food that has added sweetener listed on the label. This includes sugar, sucrose, molasses, corn syrup and fructose. It’s only in the food to disguise the putrid flavour of the food itself.
Avoid foods that include corn, corn gluten, wheat, and other cheap fillers, in the first 5 ingredients.
Beyond the first 5 ingredients, reject food that contains:
- preservatives like BHA, BHT, TBHQ, propyl gallate, ethoxyquin
- sugar, corn syrup, propylerne glycol, sucrose, sorbitol, cane sugar
- artificial colourings, flavourings, MSG, caramel colour
Here’s the label from popular Kibbles ‘n Bits
Is this a leading dog food, or cattle feed? Corn is the main ingredient, which has little useful nutrients to dogs. Soybean meal is a by-product of the soy oil industry. And beef & bone meal is processed and dried slaughterhouse waste!
Ingredients: Corn, soybean meal, beef & bone meal, whole wheat, animal fat (BHA used as preservative), corn syrup, wheat middlings, water sufficient for processing, animal digest (source of chicken flavor), propylene glycol, salt, hydrochloric acid, potassium chloride, peas, caramel color, sorbic acid (used as a preservative), choline chloride, sodium carbonate, minerals (ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, manganous oxide, copper sulfate, calcium iodate, sodium selenite), vitamins (vitamin E supplement, niacin, d-calcium pantothenate, vitamin A supplement, riboflavin supplement, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, biotin), dl-methionine, calcium sulfate, carrots, green beans, wheat flour, titanium dioxide (color), yellow 5, yellow 6, red 40, BHA (used as a preservative), blue 1
The first 5 ingredients:
- corn
- soybean meal
- beef & bone meal
- whole wheat
- animal fat (BHA used as preservative)
And #6 ingredient is corn syrup!
Is this a leading dog food, or cattle feed? Corn is the main ingredient, which has little useful nutrients to dogs. Soybean meal is a by-product of the soy oil industry. And beef & bone meal is processed and dried slaughterhouse waste!
Download the one-pager
Get this handy summary for shopping:
- Top dog food brands and horrible dog food brands.
- Why some foods are not recommended.
Acana
Blue Buffalo – all canned and dry
Eagle Pack (beef) – canned
Freshpet (rolls and pouches)
Fromm Family Gold (canned)
Fromm Four Star Nutritionals (canned)
Go! Daily Defense (dry) and Go! canned
Horizon (dry) call sub-brands
Orijen (dry and canned) all sub-brands
Primal Raw Frozen Mixes (Raw Frozen)
Simply Nourish Source (Dry)
Stella & Chewy’s Meal Mixer Superblends (Freeze-Dried)
Wellness Core (all dry and canned)
Whole Earth Farms (canned and dry)
Alpo (dry)
Beneful (dry)
Cesar Savory Delights (wet tubs) – includes Angus Beef Flavor , Filet Mignon Flavor, etc. Cesar (dry)
Gravy Train Dog Food (canned and dry)
Hills Science Diet (canned and dry)
Kal Kan Dog Food (dry)
Kibbles & Bits (dry)
Ol’ Roy (canned and dry)
Pedigree Dog Food* (dry)*This label includes 11 sub-brands such as Pedigree Small Dog Complete Nutrition Grilled Steak and Vegetable Flavor (plus other flavors)
Purina Dog Chow (dry)
Purina Moist and Meaty (semi-moist)
Purina One (canned and dry)
Royal Canin Lifestyle Health Nutrition Urban Life (Dry)
Science Diet – see Hills.
The descriptions and analyses expressed in this and every article on the website wwwaboutmorkies.com represent the views and opinions of the author.