Did you know that Poodles are considered water dogs? Their coats and bodies are made for the water. These agile, lean canines were also bred to be intelligent and loyal companions to royalty, using their size and strength to capture prey and play for hours with their owners.
And don’t believe the myth that Poodles are uptight. These graceful dogs are active, easy to train, and great swimmers.
But, they do require the energy to go along with that and so need more calories than some other dogs their size. Additionally, due to their naturally lean nature, they’ll need a diet higher in fat to keep their build.
Need new dog food for your Poodle? I’ve got you covered with 10 of the best dog food options for this fluffy, loving breed.
Royal Canin Poodle dog food — a formula specifically created for Poodles — is my top choice.
The other nine options on the list may work better for you and your furry friend if your Poodle is older, needs to gain weight, or if they’re just picky.
Our Best Dog Food for Poodles
- Royal Canin Poodle Adult Dry Dog Food (Best for Adult Poodles)
- Merrick Grain-Free Puppy Dry Dog Food (Best for Poodle Puppies)
- Wellness CORE Natural Grain Senior Free Dry Dog Food (Best for Senior Poodles)
- Earthborn Holistic Primitive Natural Grain Free Dry Dog Food (Best for More Active Poodles)
- Purina Pro Plan Adult Sensitive Skin & Stomach Dry Dog Food (Best for Poodles with Sensitive Stomachs)
- Solid Gold Leaping Waters Grain-Free Small & Medium Breed Canned Dog Food (Best Wet Food for Poodles)
- Ollie Fresh Customized Dog Food (Best Fresh Dog Food)
- Iams Adult MiniChunks Small Kibble High Protein Dry Dog Food (Best Budget Dog Food)
- Crave High Protein Chicken Adult Grain-Free Dry Dog Food (Best for Weight Gain)
- Newman’s Own Organics Grain-Free 95% Chicken Dinner Canned Dog Food (Best for Poodles With Bloat)
10 Best Dog Foods for Poodles Reviewed
All of the dog foods listed below meet the AAFCO nutrient profile guidelines. If you decide to switch the food your dog eats, please consult with your veterinarian first.
Royal Canin Poodle Adult Dry Dog Food
- First 5 Ingredients: Corn, Brewers Rice, Wheat Gluten, Chicken By-Product Meal, Chicken Fat
- Key Feature: Breed-Specific diet with EPA and DHA
Royal Canin Poodle Adult dog food is tailor-made and created with your Poodle in mind. This breed-specific food focuses on supplying specific nutrients to help your Poodle thrive.
The kibble is designed for your furry friend’s straight muzzle and jaw, and it includes essential vitamins and nutrients that they need.
The formula has both EPA and DHA, supplemented from fish oil. These nutrients support joint health, keep your dog’s coat shiny and itch-free, and aid in healthy brain function.
Beet pulp and corn offer both fiber and healthy carbohydrates for energy. These ingredients also help with digestion and keep the digestive tract clean.
Royal Canin supplements essential vitamins like vitamin E, vitamin B6, and biotin — helping regulate blood sugar and boost metabolism.
Taurine is also supplemented for proper nerve growth, heart health, and healthy brain function. Poodles are an intelligent breed, and all of the DHA, Taurine, and EPA in this food help keep them that way.
Merrick Grain-Free Puppy Dry Dog Food
- First 5 Ingredients: Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Sweet Potatoes, Potatoes, Salmon Meal
- Key Feature: High-protein and DHA supplemented puppy food
Want a great puppy food to feed your growing Poodle? Give your pup a formula filled with high-quality protein, healthy fats, fresh fruits, and vegetables.
Merrick Grain-Free Puppy dog food starts with real deboned chicken as the first ingredient, providing glucosamine and chondroitin to maintain healthy hips and joints. Plus, DHA is supplemented to support healthy brain development — essential for growing pups.
Apples, blueberries, and alfalfa meal provide antioxidants and can help with digestion and gas issues.
Omega fatty acids from salmon oil and chicken fat also give your Poodle healthy skin and a shiny coat, plus boost eye health and keep your dog energized.
The medium-sized kibble helps your puppy eat without fear of choking while also making sure they don’t eat too fast (helping to reduce the possibility of bloat).
The food is grain-free and gluten-free and is also free of corn, wheat, and soy.
Wellness CORE Natural Grain Free Senior Dry Dog Food
- First 5 Ingredients: Deboned Turkey, Chicken Meal, Lentils, Dried Ground Potatoes, Peas
- Key Feature: High-Protein and grain-free dog food for senior Poodles
Aging Poodles still need protein and healthy fats to support their lean muscles, dense fur, and aging brains. Wellness Core dog food is a natural, grain-free formula created with senior dogs in mind.
Starting with deboned turkey, chicken meal, and lentils, this dog food boasts a high protein percentage of 32%. And it also includes taurine and glucosamine, helping to protect their aging joints and cartilage, which can keep them active and arthritis free.
Salmon oil and vitamin E provide omega fatty acids. These help your aging dog keep their shiny coat while boosting their metabolism and protecting their heart health.
This food is also fortified with antioxidants from blueberries and kale. Flaxseed, spinach, and broccoli provide probiotics for a healthy digestive system. This help keep your dog’s stool from becoming too large or hard — a common problem for older dogs.
And, if that wasn’t enough nutrition, the formula also has niacin and vitamin D3 to provide more energy, boost brain function, and help with calcium absorption.
Although the food is made by a manufacturer that processes grains, it is free of wheat, corn, and soy and is considered grain and gluten-free.
Earthborn Holistic Primitive Natural Grain Free Dry Dog Food
- First 5 Ingredients: Turkey Meal, Chicken Meal, Sweet Potato, Tapioca, Dried Egg
- Key Feature: Higher protein dog food for highly active Poodles
Because of their active nature, and since many participate in agility training, Poodles naturally need more protein than more sedentary dogs.
Earthborn Holistic Primitive Natural dog food offers high-protein dog food. This formula is great for strength, maintaining muscle mass and strong bones, and boosting your Poodle’s metabolism.
This formula starts with turkey meal, chicken meal, and whitefish meal for protein and vitamins like B vitamins and L-carnitine — aiding in converting body fat into muscles and energy.
Omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids help establish the lipid barrier of the skin, giving your Poodle a healthy and supple skin and coat.
Peas, blueberries, carrots, and spinach all contain antioxidants to boost immune health and help your dog’s nervous system. They also provide both natural prebiotics and probiotics, aiding in digestion.
This dog food is formulated without grain or gluten and is also free of corn and soy.
Purina Pro Plan Adult Sensitive Skin & Stomach Dry Dog Food
- First 5 Ingredients: Salmon, Barley, Rice, Oat Meal, Canola Meal
- Key Feature: Easily digestible dog food for Poodles with food allergies and sensitive tummies
Does your Poodle suffer from allergies or a sensitive stomach? If so, they need a more limited diet without ingredients like chicken, beef, or soy — all common food allergens.
This high-protein dry food was specially formulated to help your dog’s sensitive skin and stomach. It also provides all the nutrients they need to keep up their energy and muscle mass.
It starts with real salmon as the very first ingredient. This animal protein source is full of omega fatty acids for joint support. It also includes both iron and vitamin B12 for energy and hormone balance.
This food is fortified with probiotics and prebiotic fiber for your dog’s sensitive digestive system and to help with immune health as well. Vitamin A is supplemented to help nourish your pup’s skin and coat and aid in eye support.
Oat meal, barley, and rice offer easily digestible grains that reduce the risk of bloat.
This food is crafted without corn, wheat, or soy.
Solid Gold Leaping Waters Grain-Free Small & Medium Breed Canned Dog Food
- First 5 Ingredients: Chicken, Salmon Broth, Whitefish, Chicken Liver, Salmon
- Key Feature: Grain and corn free wet dog food
Some dogs prefer wet dog food, but that doesn’t mean you have to skimp on the protein and nutritional benefits. Instead, you can give them dog food with a fat-to-protein ratio of about 66% and fresh vegetables for fiber, vitamins, and whole health.
Solid Gold Leaping Waters dog food was formulated without grains and gluten. It focuses on providing real meat, fruits, and vegetables to make the food easy on your dog’s stomach.
Chicken, salmon, and chicken liver are high in omega fatty acids and chondroitin for joint and metabolism support. Carrots, peas, and potatoes offer fiber for digestion and easily digestible carbs for energy and brain function.
This wet dog food is best for small and medium breeds, like toy and miniature Poodles. However, standard Poodles are lean and don’t need a super high-calorie diet like other dogs their size. They can also benefit from Solid Gold formula.
Remember, if your Poodle is a working dog or highly active, they will need quite a bit of food. If they are picky or like wet food, you can use it as a topper for their regular kibble if you need a budget friendly option.
This dog food also doesn’t include corn, soy, or meat by-product meals.
Ollie Customized Fresh Dog Food (Lamb Recipe)
- First 5 Ingredients: (Lamb Recipe) Lamb, Butternut Squash, Lamb Liver, Kale, Rice
- Key Feature: Fresh and human-grade dog food for Poodles
Feeding your dog high-quality dog food matters a lot. But suppose you’re looking at offering fresh, raw, or human-grade dog food. In that case, you may be surprised by the lack of convenient and accessible options. However, My Ollie can offer your Poodle a fully customized dog food that fits both their needs and yours.
Ollie doesn’t offer pre-made dog food. Instead, it focuses on fresh food made with real and human-grade ingredients.
To make sure your Poodle gets their nutritional needs met, you’ll start with Ollie’s quiz. It will ask about your dog’s weight, activity level, potential allergies, if they’re spayed or neutered, and the flavors they like.
After filling out the quiz, Ollie will calculate your dog’s perfect diet and food options. It is beneficial if your dog has food sensitivities, since the recipes have limited ingredients.
They have four different recipe options — beef, lamb, chicken, and turkey. The lamb recipe includes kale and butternut squash for antioxidants, and rice for an easily digestible grain.
Once you’ve chosen the recipe, or recipes, that you want to feed your dog, Ollie ships them every two weeks. This process ensures that your pup is eating the freshest food possible.
And as a bonus, all formulas come with a feeding guide, storage container, and scoop to help you know the correct portion sizes for your Poodle.
Iams Adult MiniChunks Small Kibble Dry Dog Food
- First 5 Ingredients: Chicken, Ground Whole Grain Corn, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Chicken By-Product Meal, Dried Plain Beet Pulp
- Key Feature: Affordable dog food high in antioxidants and taurine
Who says that budget-friendly dog food isn’t as wholesome and nutritious? Not us! Feeding your Poodle doesn’t have to break the bank.
In fact, Iams Adult MiniChunks offers affordable high-protein dog food, without sacrificing on quality.
First, the formula is made with real chicken, offering taurine, glucosamine, and healthy fats for metabolism support. It also helps protect your dog’s joints, cartilage, and muscles, keeping them lubricated and pain-free.
Corn, beets, and flaxseeds offer carbohydrates and folate, reducing the risk of heart disease and unhealthy bloat. Natural antioxidants from carrots protect your Poodle’s immune system. And vitamin E is supplemented for joint health and a shiny coat.
This formula is also high in fiber and supplements prebiotics for a healthy digestive system.
The kibble is on the smaller side, so it’s best for toy and miniature Poodles. However, standard Poodles can still enjoy it as long as they don’t eat their food too fast.
If that’s the case, focus on more frequent feedings and use a slow bowl for your canine’s meals.
Crave High Protein Chicken Adult Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
- First 5 Ingredients: Chicken, Chicken Meal, Split Peas, Lentils, Pork Meal
- Key Feature: High protein and fat dog food for weight gain
Unlike other dogs their size that have an easy time gaining weight, Poodles are naturally lean and sinewy. If they aren’t fed enough protein and fats to protect their muscles, they can lose them and lose too much weight.
Because of this, high-protein and high-fat food is key if your Poodle needs to gain weight and muscle. That’s where Crave High Protein dog food comes in.
It starts with farm-raised chicken, offering 34% Crude Protein and 17% Crude Fat. It also includes lentils and split peas for easy digestion and metabolism support.
This food doesn’t have many vegetables, only pea starch and beet pulp for natural vitamins. However, it is supplemented with probiotics and vitamins like biotin, vitamin A, and vitamin B12 for energy, heart health, and eye health.
This food is made without chicken by-product meal, soy, corn, and wheat. It’s also free of artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives.
Plus, it’s both cooked and processed in U.S. facilities with third-party testing for quality control.
Newman’s Own Organics Grain-Free 95% Chicken Dinner Canned Dog Food
- First 5 Ingredients: Organic Chicken, Organic Chicken Broth, Organic Pea Flour, Dicalcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate
- Key Feature: Holistic dog food for Poodles suffering from bloat
Bloat can easily become a problem for Poodles. While there is no actual cause for bloat, Poodles may be more susceptible to it due to their build and a larger chest cavity.
However, offering wet food with easily digestible ingredients like pea flour and chicken can help prevent extreme bloat, and ease symptoms like vomiting and gas. Wet food is an excellent water supplement, further helping to keep your Poodle healthy.
Plus, this food still offers a higher protein formula and enough moisture to coat your Poodle’s stomach, keeping their metabolism and tummy happy.
Newman’s Own Organics holistic formula was created to maximize palatability and digestibility for dogs that struggle with digestive problems. And the ingredient list is simple, with real chicken, organic chicken broth, and pea flour to keep sensitive tummies pleased.
This food also contains 70% certified organic ingredients, and adheres to USDA Organic Standards.
It’s grain-free and made without any artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, corn, or wheat.
How to Choose the Best Dog Food for Your Poodle
No matter their size, Poodles are naturally lean and muscular, so moderate protein and a lower fat diet can be beneficial to keep up with their bodies.
Here’s how to choose the proper food for your Poodle.
Moderate Protein
Poodles follow the average needed protein as other dogs at 22% Crude Protein. Of course, a higher protein diet can support more active Poodles, giving them more sustained energy.
However, when it comes to protein, focus on real meat sources like chicken, beef, and fish. These also provide other nutrients, like essential vitamins and minerals, to keep your Poodle healthy.
Moderate Fat
While Poodles do need a significant amount of calories to keep up with their metabolism, they don’t need as much fat. Instead, focus on the types of fats that you feed your Poodle, and make sure that they’re high in omega-3 fatty acids and glucosamine — these aid in joint health and keep your Poodle’s fur soft and shiny.
A few ingredients that offer these nutrients include chicken fat, salmon oil, flaxseed oil, and even avocado.
Digestible Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates provide energy, fiber for digestion, and keep the brain functioning properly. And Poodles, just like any other dog, can thrive on easily digestible carbohydrates sources.
Oats, potatoes, brown rice, and barley are excellent carb sources. These also keep your Poodle’s digestive tract healthy and help keep your Poodle full.
Fiber
Fiber helps the digestive system and helps keep blood sugar normal, and helps with immune support. For Poodles, especially those with hormonal diseases, fiber can help regulate digestion.
Most dog foods include enough fiber for Poodles. Still, don’t be afraid to look for a brand with whole grains, vegetables, and items like dried chicory root for extra fiber. Just remember not to give too much — unless you want diarrhea.
Vitamins and Minerals
All dog foods on this list have the appropriate amount of vitamins and minerals that your dog needs. But Poodles, due to their nature of being prone to bloat and bladder stones, can benefit from a few other supplements.
Antioxidants and probiotics in dog food can help keep your Poodle from experiencing bloat. They offer immune support and boost heart health. You can choose a food high in natural probiotics, such as one with lots of berries, or find food that supplements probiotics and antioxidants.
Ingredients to Avoid
Every owner wants the best for their dog — but it can seem stressful to make sure that you’re feeding your dog the most wholesome and nutritious food.
Thankfully, it’s relatively easy to choose a dog food that provides a healthy and balanced diet without fillers, additives, and other ingredients that you should avoid.
First, the most important ingredients to avoid are BHA and BHT — preservatives that have been known to play a role in causing cancer.
Other top ingredients to avoid are artificial colors and flavors, as these are completely unnecessary and don’t provide any nutrition. Although trace amounts may not adversely affect your dog, you should also avoid corn, gluten, soy, and MSG.
How Much Food Do Poodles Need?
How much food do Poodles need? More than you think. Here’s how much you should be feeding your Poodle.
Toy Poodles
Toy Poodles are the smallest size of the Poodle breed. However, don’t let their size fool you. They need about the same amount of calories as a regular-sized Shih Tzu, about 350–400 calories a day.
But just like with other dogs, feeding too much food at once can be detrimental to your toy Poodle. So feed them at least twice a day for proper digestion.
Because they age faster than large dogs, you can usually switch toy Poodles to adult food by 12 months, but always consult with your vet first.
Miniature Poodles
Miniature Poodles require the same twice a day feeding schedule. However, they need about double the calories that Toy Poodles need — at least 750 calories a day.
They become adults at around 12 months as well.
Standard Poodles
Unlike their smaller counterparts, standard Poodles need around 2,500 calories a day due to their size and activity level. They still need to be fed at least twice a day, but three times a day may be more beneficial to reach the calorie limit without forcing overeating.
Also, standard Poodles age slower than their mini counterparts. Instead, a standard Poodle doesn’t typically reach adulthood until about 16–18 months. Again, before switching to adult food, consult with your veterinarian.
Common Poodle Health Issues
Poodles are considered a sturdy breed with very few health issues. Many Poodles can live 15 years or longer. However, your Poodle may face a few health issues, so it’s important to know what they are and how to treat them right away.
Here are the common health issues your Poodle may experience.
Cushing’s Disease
Cushing’s disease, also known as hypercortisolism and hyperadrenocorticism, happens when your dog’s body makes too much cortisol. This hormone helps reduce stress, control weight, and regulate blood sugar levels, but too much can cause tumors, hair loss, skin infections, and more.
Surgery and medication are the only two cures for Cushing’s disease. However, your Poodle’s diet should include vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and fish to manage symptoms like lethargy and high blood pressure.
If your Poodle drinks water more often than usual, has a strong pee odor, pees more, gains weight, has alopecia, and/or pants a lot, take them to the veterinarian and get them tested for Cushing’s disease.
Addison’s Disease
Unlike Cushing’s disease, Addison’s disease happens when the body attacks the outer layer of the adrenal glands due to too little cortisol. Also, unlike Cushing’s, Addison’s disease can’t be solved with surgery. Instead, hormone replacement therapy is the most common treatment.
Symptoms of Addison’s disease include weakness and acute digestive issues.
Addison’s disease is typically genetic and more common among young female dogs. However, along with hormone replacement therapy, a diet with eggs and meat (for healthy fats and sodium) is beneficial.
If you notice any of the symptoms of either disease, take your dog to the vet immediately.
Bladder Stones
Bladder Stones are more common with Miniature Poodles but can affect Standard and Toy Poodles as well.
Bladder stones are rock-like formations that develop in the urinary bladder. These cause pain, may block the intestines and bladder, and in severe cases, can cause death.
These form for a few reasons, including dietary factors, your dog’s metabolism, or another possible disease in the bladder. You may not be able to entirely prevent bladder stones from forming. But there are dietary changes you can follow to lower the chances after finding out the type of stone.
Avoid high oxalate foods like spinach, sweet potatoes, organ meat, and brown rice, and instead focus on apples, white rice, and fish.
If you notice symptoms like blood in your dog’s urine or straining to pee, see your veterinarian. Your dog may have a bladder stone that will need to be removed via surgery.
Bloat
Bloat mainly affects Standard Poodles but can affect both Miniature and Toy Poodles as well. Also known as Gastric Dilation Volvulus (GDV), bloat happens when a dog’s stomach fills up with air or fluid, twists itself, and blocks oxygen from getting to the other organs.
Symptoms of bloat include pain, a rounder, and more pronounced belly, gas, and even vomiting. In worst-case scenarios, this can also cause death (if not treated).
While diet doesn’t play a big part in bloat, how you feed your Poodle does. Focus on offering more frequent meals, getting your Poodle to eat slower, and feeding wet food versus dry food to keep them healthy.
Our Verdict
Your Poodle is smart enough to know they deserve the best food available. So why not offer them dog food suited to their needs?
Royal Canin Poodle dog food is our favorite because it provides a kibble size and nutrients specifically designed with your Poodle in mind.
And they focus on taste, too, making sure that even the pickiest Poodles enjoy their food.
But you can’t go wrong with any of the dog foods on this list. Each option was hand-picked to ensure that your Poodle eats the food they deserve and gets the wholesome vitamins and minerals they need.
FAQ
Wet or dry dog food?
Neither wet nor dry food is better than the other. However, if your Poodle suffers from bloat, wet food may be better.
More often, dry food expands in the stomach. You can also mix wet and dry food, but be sure to follow the correct portion sizes.
Is grain-free dog food good for Poodles?
Unlike humans, dogs don’t need as many carbohydrates to thrive in their day-to-day life. Too many carbs can contribute to obesity, unstable digestion, and even lethargy. So grain-free can be beneficial if your Poodle suffers from those issues.
However, if you have a relatively healthy Poodle who has no adverse reactions to grains, it is okay to feed them dog food with grains in it.
