We Review Dog Food for Puggles: Reviews, Comparisons and Ratings
What’s not to love about a Puggle? From that endearing face to how they do anything for food, these independent-minded, scent-obsessed canines are definitely man’s best friend.
But in such cuteness lies a problem.
Puggles inherit genes from the Pug and the Beagle, which are both breeds notorious for being greedy. Quite simply a Puggle doesn’t have an on / off switch when it comes to appetite, but lives in a constant state of hunger (…or at least think they are hungry…)
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Go into any pet store and the baffling array of options makes it harder, not easier, to find the best dog food for Puggles. You want your Puggle to live a long healthy life, which means finding a nutritious food that doesn’t pile on the pounds. Too much choice! But worry no more because we’ve done some of the legwork for you, with our review of the best dog food for Puggles.
Current prices on Dog Food can be found here.
What to Look for in a Food?
If what attracts you to a particular food is a recognisable brand name or a cute dog on the bag, then it’s time to change the way you shop. Once you understand how to read the ingredients list, your eyes are opened to what’s good and what’s not so good in a dry dog food.
In our food label 101 the first thing to known is the ingredients are listed in order of quantity, from most to least. In other words, the first thing mentioned on the label is the majority ingredient.
Q: You want to buy the best food possible and pick up 3 bags. The first ingredient listed is:
a) 43% chicken meat
b) 43% chicken meal
c) 43% soya meal
Which bag should you choose?
A: In this case the best dog food for Puggles is bag (a) because meat protein trumps vegetable protein and actual meat is better than meat meal or meat by-products.
The ideal dog food uses animal protein derived from a named meat such as “Chicken” or “lamb” for the first couple of ingredients. Meat meal is subtly difference in that it’s made of the less appetizing parts of the carcass such as offal, bones, and hair, all ground up into a meal. Whilst meat meal is nutritious and does have a place in dog food, it’s not optimal nourishment.
As well as protein the diet will contain carbohydrate. Ideally this comes from vegetables and fruit, but commonly grains are used. Wheat is an especially controversial ingredient because it’s argued there’s a link to a high risk of dietary allergies and food intolerance.
In short, look for a food that has named meat in the top spots, and the other ingredients read like a menu such as sweet potato, peas, carrots, blueberries, and herbs. Remember highly processed foods containing colours, flavours, and preservatives meet the pet’s nutritional needs, but its equivalent to feeding a child on fast food.
To help you make up your own mind here is our review of five dry products we consider best dog food for puggles, balancing good nutrition with competitive pricing.
REVIEW AND COMPARISON CHART ON DENTAL CHEWS FOR DOGS
| Product | Details | ||
|---|---|---|---|
 | Lily’s Kitchen Puppy Chicken & Salmon Complete Dry Food
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| Check on Amazon |
Top Rated | Top Rated James Wellbeloved Dog Food
|
| Check on Amazon |
 | Vet’s Kitchen Dog Food
|
| Check on Amazon |
 | Barking Heads Dog Food
|
| Check on Amazon |
 | Lily’s Kitchen Organic Dry Food for Dogs
|
| Check on Amazon |
Now let’s chow down and look at each product in more detail.
Lily’s Kitchen Complete Dry Puppy Food
Freshly prepared chicken, chicken livers, sweet potato…carrots, spinach…dandelion root, nettles, celery seeds…No this isn’t a recipe by Jamie Oliver, but the ingredient list for this Lily’s Kitchen puppy food.
This product is grain-free and doesn’t contain flavourings, fillers, or preservatives. The fish is sourced from sustainable sources.
Likes
Grain free with meat as the main ingredient
Dislikes
What’s not to like? Perhaps the price.
“Love this brand and what it stands for. We will be sticking to this company’s dog foods for our dog… due to the quality of ingredients and no junk fillers!!”
Dariush, AmazonWith their ethical stance and quality ingredients, it’s not hard to see why Lily’s Kitchen hold a Queen’s Award for Excellence and Innovation (2016) This is formulated to meet the needs of a growing Puggle puppy, and supplies the right balance of protein and minerals to build strong bones and teeth, and healthy muscles; whilst the small kibble size means it’s comfortable for puppy teeth to crunch on.
The other nice thing about Lily’s Kitchen puppy food is that the kibble isn’t greasy to the touch. Whereas other brands spray coat the biscuits with fat (hence the greasy feel) to make them tastier, these ingredients include meat, vegetables, fruit, and herbs, so it’s naturally appetizing (not that a Puggle needs encouragement to eat!)
The food also uses aniseed and celery seeds to promote digestive health, herbs for a strong immune system, and chondroitin and glucosamine to support those developing joints.
Overall Value
This is a good entry level puppy food for your puggle puppy. Once they have finished their initial growth spurt and their size have levelled off, change them to an adult food. The latter are lower in calories and so less burdensome round the waistline.
James Wellbeloved Adult Dog Food
James Wellbeloved is a familiar, well-respected pet food manufacturer with many loyal devotees. The company prides itself on making wholesome foods from all natural ingredients. With an impressive 4.8 / 5.0 * from 481 Amazon reviews, it seems the majority of their customers agree with their ethos and the result.
Likes
All natural ingredients in a hypoallergenic formula
Dislikes
The majority ingredient is rice, rather than meat
“Toffee…has a very sensitive stomach. He has been very ill at times. My vet suggested several foods…at very high prices. I looked at other foods and this James Wellbeloved food sounded good. Toffee scoffs the lot and hasn’t had any adverse effects or tummy problems.”
P Hall, AmazonOverall Value
This is the best food for Puggles with a sensitive tummy or suspected food allergies. Marketed as ‘hypoallergenic’, this adult food contains a single source of protein – turkey. It usually the protein part of a diet that triggers allergies, so by restricting a food to one protein source the risk of food intolerance occurring is greatly reduced (unless, of course, the dog is intolerant of turkey.)
Avoiding common allergens such as beef, pork, wheat, or soya is a good idea for any pet parent whose Puggle regularly experiences digestive upsets or itchy skin. PS It also contains yucca and chicory to aid digestion.
Vet’s Kitchen Light Adult Dog Food
Vet’s Kitchen is the pet project of vet, Joe Inglis. The formulation uses ingredients that are naturally low in fat, to make a healthy food for dogs that are prone to weight gain (or plain greedy!)
Likes
Light on calories for a slimmer waistline
Dislikes
Not a miracle answer to weight loss and limiting portion size is still important
“Our dog put on weight after being spayed. I gave this food a go and now she’s losing weight, has healthier poos, her coat is softer, and she’s calmer.”
R&R, AmazonOverall Value
OK, we all know Puggles are a bottomless pit when it comes to appetite, so it makes sense to feed a lower calorie food. Vet’s Kitchen Light uses naturally lean ingredients to keep the calorie content down, plus natural fibre to keep that tummy feeling fuller for longer. In addition, it contains glucosamine and chondroitin for healthy joints, and L-carnitine for its fat burning properties.
Of course, it’s important to be realistic and exercise portion control when feeding your Puggle. If you offer a bottomless bowl then the dog will pile on the pounds regardless of whether that food is low calorie or not. And don’t forget that indiscriminate appetite means you can use their regular kibble as training treats, and the dog will be delighted.
Barking Heads Adult Dog Food
Barking Heads have a rising reputation as a dog food company, and are unusual in that meat is the main ingredient in most of their foods. This variety uses sweet potato (yum!) as the main carbohydrate source and avoids cheaper fillers such wheat and barley, so the formula is gluten free.
Likes
Top marks for having meat as the main ingredient
Dislikes
With 50% meat and 0% grain it’s difficult to find a negative
“My dog became ill… with vomiting, gulping, reflux and lethargy and dull coarse fur. Transitioned her to this and she’s like a new dog.”
Tanzanite, AmazonOverall Value
There are so many good things to say about this food that’s it’s hard to know where to start. From a named meat as the main ingredient, to scrummy sweet potato instead of wheat, this is a great quality food that ticks all the right boxes.
It’s also interesting to note that the moderate total protein percentage is ideal for hyper dogs since it doesn’t ‘overheat the blood’ like high protein diets. It also contains seaweed extracts, and nutraceuticals such as chondroitin and glucosamine which are beneficial to joint health.
Lily’s Kitchen Organic
This food is everything you expect from a quality manufacturer such as Lily’s Kitchen….and it’s organic to boot. Again, top marks for having a named meat (organic chicken) as the principle ingredient, in a wheat-free recipe containing wholesome ingredients such as peas, pumpkin, spinach, carrots, and lentils.
Likes
The ingredients are organic and super scrumptious
Dislikes
Could work out a bit pricey for a larger Puggle
“After owning dogs for over 32 years I have to say in all honesty that this is the most amazing food I have ever fed my dogs and believe me I have probably tried nearly most on the market. The ingredients are amazing and it is just crammed with fresh herbs and pure goodness.”
Mandy, Blackpool, AmazonOverall Value
This is one of those foods that almost make you wish you were a dog! Packed with scrumptious tasting organic, natural ingredients, this really does excel as a tasty and healthy food. What’s not to like when the fresh ingredients include herbs such as chamomile, dandelion root, burdock, celery seeds, and chicory root?
Heck, feed this to your Puggle and the chances are they eat better than you do.
And finally…
Presumably you want the best dog food for Puggles so your pet pal has a long and healthy life. With this in mind, do keep an eye on their weight and exercise portion control because obesity is as damaging to health as a poor diet.