Picking a puppy food is critical—it starts your pup on the road to adulthood and lifelong health. Here are some reviews on the top foods that are recommended by veterinarians, so that you can go about finding the right food for your furry family member!
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A Glance At Our Favorites in 2026
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Best Overall
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The Farmer's Dog Fresh Dog Food |
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Budget Buy
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Iams Proactive Health Smart Puppy |
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Hill's Science Diet Puppy Large Breed |
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Royal Canin Small Puppy |
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Purina ONE Natural Puppy Food |
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The 10 Best Vet-Recommended Puppy Foods
1. The Farmer’s Dog Fresh Food – Best Overall
- No artificial ingredients or colors
- High protein for growth
- Free of fillers and preservatives
There’s a lot that goes into getting the perfect food for a puppy, and The Farmer’s Dog completely recognizes that. That’s why they worked with a team of veterinarians to develop all their dog food recipes, and their chicken recipe is no exception.
They take everything about your puppy into consideration and pre-portion the meals so all you need to do is feed it to them at the right time! The Farmer’s Dog only uses the highest-quality fresh ingredients that even the pickiest eaters love, and it’s extremely easy to sign up and use this service.
Even better, The Farmer’s Dog plans grow with your pup, so you don’t have to worry about transitioning them to a different diet in the future. It might cost a little bit more for one of these meal plans, but you’re feeding your puppy the best of the best, and that’s worth every penny.
- Customized meal plans
- Plans grow with your puppy
- Only the highest-quality ingredients
- Veterinarian-formulated recipes
- Great for picky eaters
- Pricey
2. Iams Proactive Health Smart Puppy – Budget Buy
- The number one ingredient is chicken
- Great all-around food that is a great value
Iams is a traditional maker of pet foods, so it has a long reputation in the industry for making quality foods. This is one of the best puppy foods for the money, balancing both quality and value. And it’s easy to find—making it a great option for all-around feeding or to use as a mixer with other foods.
- Easy to find online or in stores
- Puppies love the taste
- Balanced nutrition
- May not be ideal for puppies that don’t like chicken
3. Hill’s Science Diet Puppy Food
- Specific for large breed puppies
- Highly reputable brand
Hill’s Science Diet is another reputable company making quality diets for dogs and cats, and this particular food is no exception. Because large breed puppies have different growth rates than other breeds, this food is formulated specifically for those needs, which can be important in preventing issues down the road.
- Good for large breed puppies
- Reputable brand
- May be difficult to find in stores
- Not ideal for houses that also have small-breed puppies
4. Royal Canin Small Puppy
- Formulated specifically for small breed puppies
- Meets higher energy needs of small breeds
- Reputable brand
Royal Canin is a reputable company making quality diets for dogs and cats, and this size-specific diet is no exception. Based on the needs of smaller breeds, the kibble size and shape are tailored to the feeding preferences of small dogs. It is worth trying, to see what your small-breed puppy thinks!
- Specifically for small-breed puppies
- Smaller kibble size is easier to eat
- May be difficult to find in stores
- May not be suitable for households that also have large-breed puppies
5. Purina ONE Natural Puppy Food
- No artificial ingredients or colors
- High protein for growth
- Great value
Purina is a long-established brand of pet food, with veterinary science backing the product. This food is readily available, and a great value for the money. Plus, puppies seem to like it! It’s good for puppies, tasty, and will set your puppy in the right direction to grow well, given the higher protein levels. It is not tailored to a specific breed size, which makes it especially convenient if you are feeding multiple puppies of different sizes!
- The top ingredient is chicken
- Puppies love the taste
- Might not be the best food for large-breed puppies, which have different growth requirements
- Dry food, which some puppies might not prefer
6. Royal Canin Puppy
- Pate-style food is easy to eat
- Contains added nutrients to help the puppy’s GI tract
A different choice than dry food, Royal Canin Puppy canned food provides more moisture and a very different texture. Many dogs have a preference for one over the other, but it is a good idea to expose puppies to both types when they are growing up.
- Good for puppies that don’t like dry food
- Good for puppies that need more moisture in their diet
- Can be used as the main food, or added on top of dry food
- Can be difficult to find in stores
- Bulkier to store than dry food
7. Purina Puppy Chow
- Formulated for growing puppies
- No artificial ingredients
Purina Puppy Chow can be found in most stores and online with relative ease. Also a favorite of pups, due to its taste and crunch, it’s good for a pinch, or as the main food.
- Easy to find in grocery stores
- Good value
- The primary protein is beef, which may not be ideal for some puppies
8. Purina ProPlan Lamb
- Good alternative protein
- High in protein
- Contains probiotics to support immune and GI health
Common protein sources in Purina ProLamb puppy food include beef and chicken. For pups that might not enjoy the taste or smell of beef or chicken, or who have sensitivities to either of these proteins, this is a good alternative.
- Suitable for all breeds
- Fully balanced diet
- Some dogs may not like a lamb
9. Purina ProPlan Puppy Sensitive Skin and Stomach
- Good choice for puppies with stomach upset
- Helps with dry skin and poor haircoat
Some puppies have issues with softer stools or vomiting that just don’t seem to go away, no matter what you try. Same with skin—some puppies have dry skin, or poor haircoats that just doesn’t seem quite normal. Purina ProPlan puppy food made specifically for these types of issues can sometimes be helpful.
- Easy-to-digest formula
- Most puppies like the ingredients
- Might not resolve skin or GI issues
- Pickier pups may not like the taste
10. Pedigree Puppy Growth & Protection
- No high fructose corn syrup
- No artificial flavors
- Crunchy texture
Pedigree is a classic dog food brand, and their puppy food is also tasty. For pups that might be on the fussier side, sometimes simple is best, and this often hits the spot.
- Good for most breeds
- Easy to find in most stores
- Might not be suitable for large breeds
- The bag doesn’t reseal
Buyer’s Guide: What to Consider When Choosing Your Puppy’s Food Brand
While choosing a puppy food can be daunting, breaking the process into steps can be helpful.
First, it is important to consider the company making the puppy food you purchase, in addition to the value, availability, and taste of the food. Pet foods in recent years have made news for containing imbalanced vitamins and minerals, or for being contaminated with bacteria—neither of which is desired when you have a growing puppy. Therefore, stick to the brands that have been around for a long time, and then decide what your puppy would like, based on what is available.
When buying puppy food, once you know what food your pup likes, it is often a better value to buy a bigger bag. There are mixed opinions about whether you should stick only to one food, or change things up now and again, to get your pup used to different types of foods. There are no hard and fast rules, so it’s worth both speaking with a vet about this idea and experimenting to find out what works best for your pup.
If you need to speak with a vet but can't get to one, head over to PangoVet. It's our online service where you can talk to a vet online and get the personalized advice you need for your pet — all at an affordable price!
Don’t forget that many companies now make foods that are tailored not only to specific-sized puppies but also to different breeds. These foods are based on lots of data and research—as happy puppies that eat them often report—so make them a consideration as well, if you have one of these types of puppies.
Also, know that some of the more reputable companies will often reimburse you for a bag of food if your puppy doesn’t like the flavor, which means you can worry less about buying food for the first time.
Our Selection Process For Vet-Recommended Puppy Foods
To create this buyer’s guide, our writing team and editorial staff checked customer reviews, brand reputation, and veterinary approval ratings to present the dog foods we think should be highlighted for our readers. In some cases, we conducted hands-on testing along with seeing how much our dogs liked the dog foods. All these factors were considered when selecting these listed dog foods to help you make the best purchase for your furry friends.
Why Trust Dogster?
Since 2004, Dogster has been a trusted brand for dog owners online, which means we have a lot of experience with dog foods. We take pride in promoting the well-being of all dogs—from toy breeds to giant canines. Our in-house veterinarians, writers, and editors examine each product on our lists, ensuring its quality and reputation. As pet owners ourselves, we only want the best for our furry companions. At Dogster, we are transparent about the products we promote. The nutritional information, overall brand reputation, and customer reviews are all considered for these lists. We inform you how we want to be informed.
Final Verdict
Picking a puppy’s food is not an easy challenge, but hopefully, these reviews make the process slightly easier. Our choice for the best overall food is The Farmer’s Dog Fresh Dog Food, which we like for its convenience, great ingredient list, and because pups love the taste! The best value food we found was Iams Proactive, which was harder to find, but a good value, and well-liked by pups. For large-breed puppies, Hill’s Science Diet is a great choice to keep your pups growing healthy.
Featured Image Credit: Switlana Sonyashna, Shutterstock
2 Responses
I love that you picked Hill’s Science Diet Puppy as Best Overall for its balanced formulation and DHA inclusion. If you’re rounding out the list, adding Pedigree for owners on tighter budgets might help — not as premium, but good for general puppy feeding when quality is constrained.
Hi Jenny,
Thank you for your thoughtful comment! We really appreciate you taking the time to share your perspective, it’s great to hear from readers who consider both nutritional quality and accessibility for different budgets.
Hill’s Science Diet Puppy has definitely earned its reputation for balance and DHA support, and you make a good point about including more budget-friendly options for a well-rounded list. We’ll be sure to pass your feedback along to our editorial team for future updates. Thanks again for being part of the Dogster community and for contributing to the conversation!