One of the best-known toy breeds, the Chihuahua is a small, energetic dog bursting with personality. Most Chihuahua owners take their dogs everywhere, and they’re ideal “purse” dogs.
Chihuahuas have unique energy needs, however. They require a balanced diet for optimal nutrition, especially as puppies. While all dogs need a certain balance of protein, fat, and nutrients, Chihuahuas need a high-calorie, nutrient-dense diet to support their activity levels during growth and development.
To help, we’ve compiled our list of the best puppy food for Chihuahuas based on reviews from pet owners like you.
A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites of 2024
| Rating | Image | Product | Details | |
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Best Overall
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The Farmer’s Dog Fresh Dog Food Subscription |
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Click to Save 50% |
Budget Buy
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Blue Buffalo Baby Blue Puppy Dry Food |
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CHECK PRICE |
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CANIDAE PURE Puppy Canned Dog Food |
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CHECK PRICE |
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Purina Pro Plan Puppy Dry Dog Food |
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CHECK PRICE | |
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Hill’s Science Diet Puppy Dry Dog Food |
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CHECK PRICE |
The 10 Best Puppy Foods for Chihuahuas
1. The Farmer’s Dog Fresh Dog Food Subscription – Best Overall
| Main ingredients: | Beef, sweet potatoes, cooked lentils, carrots, beef liver |
| Protein content: | 39% |
| Fat content: | 29% |
| Calories: | 721 kcal/cup |
The Farmer’s Dog is the best overall puppy food for Chihuahuas. This premium subscription food offers fresh, customized recipes for your puppy’s needs. You simply fill out the questionnaire about your dog’s breed, weight, activity level, and age to get a feeding profile, then select your recipe and delivery schedule to have the food delivered directly to your door.
These meals must be refrigerated and offer added convenience with delivery. Once your puppy reaches adulthood, you can transition to an adult formula. The nutritional breakdown is for the beef formula, but you can also choose from chicken, pork, or turkey. Keep in mind that The Farmer’s Dog is only available through a subscription and may be expensive for pet parents on a budget.
- Custom recipe
- Whole and balanced nutrition
- High-quality ingredients
- Expensive
- Only available through a subscription
2. Blue Buffalo Small Breed Puppy Dry Food – Budget Buy
| Main ingredients: | Deboned chicken, chicken meal, oatmeal, barley, menhaden fish meal, peas, dried egg product |
| Protein content: | 29% |
| Fat content: | 17% |
| Calories: | 415 kcal/cup |
Blue Buffalo Baby Blue Small Breed Puppy Dry Food is the best puppy food for Chihuahuas for the money. This value-packed formula offers the nutrition your Chihuahua puppy needs with ingredients like chicken, brown rice, and garden fruits and vegetables for plenty of protein, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
This recipe is free of artificial flavors or preservatives, wheat, soy, or by-product meals, but it does contain peas. There’s evidence to suggest that peas in dog food could be linked to heart disease in dogs. Note that this food is designed for extra small, small, and toy breeds, so it’s not appropriate for medium or large dogs.
- Formulated for small breeds
- Complete nutrition
- Free of artificial flavors or preservatives
- Contains peas
- Not appropriate for medium or large dogs
3. CANIDAE PURE Puppy Grain-Free Chicken Recipe
| Main ingredients: | Chicken, chicken broth, dried egg product, peas, salmon oil, potassium chloride, salt, sunflower oil |
| Protein content: | 9% |
| Fat content: | 6.5% |
| Calories: | 500 kcal/can |
CANIDAE PURE Puppy Grain-Free Limited Ingredient Chicken Recipe Canned Dog Food is our third choice for puppy food for your Chihuahua. This grain-free recipe is formulated for puppies with sensitive stomachs and only four ingredients to limit digestive upset.
All CANIDAE products are manufactured in US facilities and source ingredients from reliable suppliers both in the US and in Canada and New Zealand. With complete nutrition, it can be fed on its own or in combination with dry puppy food for puppies or pregnant or nursing females. With the limited ingredients, some dogs will be too finicky for this food, and it does contain peas.
- Formulated for sensitive stomachs
- Only four ingredients
- Some dogs may be too finicky
- Contains peas
4. Purina Pro Plan Puppy Small Breed Dry Dog Food
| Main ingredients: | Chicken, corn gluten meal, poultry by-product meal, rice, whole grain wheat, beef fat, corn germ meal |
| Protein content: | 33% |
| Fat content: | 20% |
| Calories: | 482 kcal/cup |
Purina Pro Plan Brand Dog Food Puppy Small Breed Chicken and Rice Formula dry puppy food is high in protein and features chicken as the first ingredient to give your Chihuahua puppy the energy they need. The kibble is small to make chewing more comfortable for toys and small breeds, and it’s highly digestible to improve absorption. It’s also fortified with live probiotics for digestion.
This food has no artificial colors or flavors, and all ingredients have a nutritional value. Some reviewers said their dogs weren’t pleased with the food or they struggled to source it and had to switch to other brands.
- Nutrient-dense
- High protein
- Chicken as the first ingredient
- Some dogs wouldn’t eat it
- Issues with availability
5. Hill’s Science Diet Puppy Healthy Development Dog Food
| Main ingredients: | Chicken meal, whole grain wheat, cracked pearl barley, whole grain sorghum, whole grain corn, chicken fat |
| Protein content: | 25% |
| Fat content: | 15% |
| Calories: | 374 kcal/cup |
Hill’s Science Diet Puppy Healthy Development Small Bites Dry Dog Food is another great choice for a puppy food for Chihuahuas. This formula features wholesome ingredients like chicken meal and barley to support your pup’s nutritional needs during growth, including nutrients for healthy brain, eye, and muscle and skeletal development.
This food is manufactured in the US and held to rigorous standards for purity and nutritional standards. Appropriate for puppies up to 1 year and pregnant or nursing dogs, this food is complete and balanced for the nutritional needs of extra small, toy, and small breeds. Some reviewers said their dogs didn’t like the food, so it may not be appropriate for finicky eaters.
- Wholesome ingredients
- High protein
- May not satisfy finicky dogs
6. Bil-Jac Small Breed Puppy Dry Dog Food
| Main ingredients: | Chicken, chicken by-products, corn meal, chicken by-product meal, dried beet pulp, oatmeal, whole yams |
| Protein content: | 27% |
| Fat content: | 16% |
| Calories: | 412 kcal/cup |
Bil-Jac Small Breed Puppy Chicken, Oatmeal & Yam Recipe Dry Dog Food uses fresh, farm-raised chicken as the first ingredient. It also contains wholesome oatmeal, sweet potatoes, and corn meal that are slow-cooked for better digestion. The food comes in a proprietary Nutri-Lock low-temperature, vacuum-drying process that extracts moisture without compromising fats or nutritional value.
All Bil-Jac foods are made in the US without fillers, gluten meals, wheat, soy, rendered fat, or protein concentrate. Though approved by the FDA as a feed additive, some pet owners are concerned about the BHA in this food. This food is a little pricey if you’re on a budget as well.
- Proprietary vacuum-drying process
- Fresh chicken as first ingredient
- No fillers, gluten meal, wheat, soy, rendered fat, or protein concentrate
- Contains BHA
- Pricey
7. CANIDAE PURE Petite Puppy Small Breed Grain-Free
| Main ingredients: | Salmon, salmon meal, lentils, peas, tapioca, canola oil, garbanzo beans, freeze-dried salmon |
| Protein content: | 24% |
| Fat content: | 13.5% |
| Calories: | 525 kcal/cup |
CANIDAE PURE Petite Puppy Small Breed Grain-Free with Salmon Dry Dog Food is a good option for small breed puppies with sensitive stomachs. This food only has one animal protein source and limited ingredients to avoid triggering allergies or digestive upset. The freeze-dried kibble is raw coated with salmon for a delicious taste that will entice picky pups.
Despite some wholesome ingredients, CANIDAE PURE Petite Puppy Small Breed Grain-Free with Salmon Dry Dog Food has lentils and peas as major ingredients, as well as garbanzo beans, which may be linked to heart concerns in dogs. Some reviewers said their dogs wouldn’t eat it or experienced some digestive upset.
- Single animal protein source
- Formulated for sensitive stomachs
- Contains lentils and peas
- Some dogs don’t like it
- May cause digestive upset
8. Tiki Dog Aloha Petites Puppy Grain-Free Wet Dog Food
| Main ingredients: | Chicken, chicken broth, mung bean, chicken liver, pumpkin, kale, fish oil |
| Protein content: | 7% |
| Fat content: | 5% |
| Calories: | 86 kcal/pouch |
Tiki Dog Aloha Petites Puppy Mousse Chicken & Pumpkin in Broth Small Breed Grain-Free Wet Dog Food offers an enticing mousse texture for small breed puppies to transition them to solid food. The first ingredient is quality chicken to support your dog’s energy needs. The food also contains wholesome, nutrient-rich ingredients like fish oil and flaxseed. The pumpkin is added to improve digestibility.
Despite many good ingredients, this food has mung beans as a major ingredient. Legumes like this may be linked to heart issues in dogs. It’s also expensive for the portions, but it can be mixed with dry food or used as an occasional topper.
- Chicken as first ingredient
- Pumpkin for digestibility
- Nutrient-rich ingredients
- Contains mung beans
- Expensive
9. Royal Canin Breed Health Nutrition Chihuahua Puppy Dry Dog Food
| Main ingredients: | Chicken by-product meal, brewer’s rice, chicken fat, corn, wheat gluten, dried plain beet pulp, natural flavors |
| Protein content: | 28% |
| Fat content: | 18% |
| Calories: | 352 kcal/cup |
Royal Canin Breed Health Nutrition Chihuahua Puppy Dry Dog Food is a special formula intended for Chihuahua puppies. The small kibble is created to make it easier to chew for this breed and their tiny jaws. It also contains highly digestible protein and fiber for improved digestion.
This food is intended for puppies up to 8 months, after which you should transition to the Royal Canin Breed Health Nutrition Chihuahua Dry Dog Food for adults. Several reviewers said the food was especially dry, stale, and hard, making it difficult for their puppies to eat. Some dogs weren’t excited to eat it, either, and it’s expensive.
- Special breed formula
- Small kibble size
- Expensive
- Stale and hard
- Some dogs won’t eat it
10. Cesar Puppy Classic Loaf in Sauce Chicken & Beef Recipe
| Main ingredients: | Chicken, chicken liver, beef lung, beef by-products, chicken broth, water, beef, chicken heart |
| Protein content: | 9% |
| Fat content: | 6% |
| Calories: | 113 kcal/tray |
Cesar Puppy Classic Loaf in Sauce Chicken & Beef Recipe is a quality wet food that’s designed for picky eaters. Each single-serve tray has a perfect balance of vitamins and minerals to support your pup’s health and development, as well as US beef as the first ingredient.
The single-serve trays have convenient peel-away freshness seals, so you don’t need to refrigerate leftovers. You can feed this alone or mix it with a dry food of your choice. Some reviewers had spoilage issues that wasted several portions. The food is expensive for the portions as well, which may be difficult if you’re on a budget.
- Convenient single-serve trays
- Beef as first ingredient
- Expensive
- Spoilage issues
Buyer’s Choice: Choosing Puppy Food for Your Chihuahua
Most commercial dog food is manufactured to meet the nutritional needs of dogs of all sizes, ages, and breeds. The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) sets the standards, which are enforced by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Still, some breeds or life stages may benefit from a specialized food formula, such as Chihuahuas. As adults, Chihuahuas may only reach 6 pounds, so they’re exceptionally tiny puppies. They don’t eat a lot of food at once, instead preferring to eat multiple meals a day.
That said, Chihuahuas need a lot of calories for a small dog. They actually consume more calories per pound of body weight than a larger dog. Like other toy and small breeds, they have faster metabolisms and can metabolize a meal in a matter of hours.
While some dogs can eat only one meal a day, Chihuahuas need to eat regularly to stave off low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia. This condition can be dangerous, especially in puppies, and may lead to weakness, lethargy, seizures, or death.
Puppies also struggle to regulate their body temperature, so an adequate intake of fat and calories can help them stay comfortable and maintain healthy brain function.
When you choose a dog food formulated for small breeds, you get a higher caloric density and nutrient density to ensure your puppy gets the nutrition he needs.
- High-quality animal protein
- High fat content
- Digestible carbohydrates like whole grains and vegetables
- Limited synthetic supplements
- No artificial additives
- Small kibble size
Conclusion
If you’re looking for good food for your Chihuahua puppy, you have plenty to choose from. Our best overall is The Farmer’s Dog for its fresh, customized recipes. For the best value, choose Blue Buffalo Puppy Dry Food. CANIDAE PURE Puppy Grain-Free Canned Dog Food is our third choice for puppy food for your Chihuahua. There’s also Purina Pro Plan Puppy Small Breed Formula, which is high in protein. Hill’s Science Diet Puppy Healthy Development Food is another great choice for a puppy food for Chihuahuas.
Featured Image By: Lara Ezhkova, Shutterstock
Contents
- A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites of 2024
- The 10 Best Puppy Foods for Chihuahuas
- 1. The Farmer’s Dog Fresh Dog Food Subscription – Best Overall
- 2. Blue Buffalo Small Breed Puppy Dry Food – Budget Buy
- 3. CANIDAE PURE Puppy Grain-Free Chicken Recipe
- 4. Purina Pro Plan Puppy Small Breed Dry Dog Food
- 5. Hill’s Science Diet Puppy Healthy Development Dog Food
- 6. Bil-Jac Small Breed Puppy Dry Dog Food
- 7. CANIDAE PURE Petite Puppy Small Breed Grain-Free
- 8. Tiki Dog Aloha Petites Puppy Grain-Free Wet Dog Food
- 9. Royal Canin Breed Health Nutrition Chihuahua Puppy Dry Dog Food
- 10. Cesar Puppy Classic Loaf in Sauce Chicken & Beef Recipe
- Buyer’s Choice: Choosing Puppy Food for Your Chihuahua
- Conclusion
