Best Dog Food for Pugs in 2022

You can never go wrong with a pug when adopting a small dog breed for your family. You can’t help falling for a pug that looks exceedingly cute because of its short, broad and relatively turned-up muzzle. The big round eyes embedded into a grouchy-looking maw and the flat countenance accent the pug’s cuteness.

If you observe a pug, you’ll notice that this sweet small breed snores while sleeping and drools when you cuddle her. So if you're a pug as a pet, you’d spare no effort in taking good care of this cute little dog. And that’d imply selecting the best dog food for pugs which would keep them active, cheerful, and in perfect shape.

Given the availability of near dog food brands, choosing a dog food ideal for your pet pug can be challenging. Therefore, we selected and reviewed five top dog foods for pugs to make the task more accessible.    

Best Dog Food for Pugs: Buying Guide

When meeting your pug’s nutritional needs, you must pick and choose formula or recipe that perfectly gels with his food preference. That said, selecting a dog food as per his age, physique, activity level, and health condition can be a tall order. The task becomes more challenging and demanding if you’re unfamiliar with a pug’s sustenance or nourishment prerequisites. 

A pug can be pretty energetic, playful, and active, but it tends to become tired quickly since it is a small breed. Pugs love to eat as much as they love to play, and therefore you should always try to offer your pup or adult pug healthy and nutritious food. Regardless of the dog food brand you select, make sure it contains ingredients that provide the dog with the optimal balance of proteins, fats, carbs, vitamins, and minerals.

While shopping for the best dog food for your pug, keep the following aspects in your mind:-

  • Healthy Fats

The composition or proportion of fats in typical dog food for pugs should be about 5% of the total content. Fats go a long way in providing backup when the pug is running low on energy, and the available carbs are insufficient to meet the requirement. Additionally, fats make the food more delicious and flavorful for the dog.

Make sure you choose a dog food enriched with adequate omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids for furnishing supplementary nutrition. Anchovies, salmon, sardines, soybeans, flaxseed oil, arctic char, trout, tofu, and canola oil are some foods rich in fatty acids. Fatty acids such as omega-6 and omega-3 help maintain a glossy coat, supple skin, and cardiovascular health.   

  • High-Quality Proteins- Like all dog breeds, large and small, pugs need proteins more than other nutrients. Nutritious, wholesome, high-quality, and natural proteins sourced from turkey, beef, mutton, and poultry are most beneficial and optimal for pugs. While shopping for the best dog food for your pug, go through the fine print on the package’s label.

Always avoid products that include animal protein in excessively treated byproducts. Dog foods containing chicken or turkey byproduct meals could adversely affect your puppy's health. A pug can do pretty well with customized dog food having 18% protein as a small dog breed.

This protein proportion (out of the total composition or content in a packet) should suffice to keep the dog healthy and energetic.  

  • Vitamins, Minerals, and Other Essential Nutritional Supplements-Pugs require an adequate amount of minerals, vitamins, and supplements daily for health, their small size notwithstanding. You should choose a high-quality dog food fortified with the appropriate percentages of essential accessories indispensable for overall growth and development. A reputed dog food brand will always come with folic acid, omega fatty acids, chondroitin, and glucosamine that support bone health, immune system, lustrous coat, and healthy skin.

Nutraceuticals such as ARA, EPA, and DHA that abound in poultry products, fish oils, and mother’s milk promote eye health and brain development. Apart from these supplements, make sure the formula contains sufficient vegetable and fruit extracts for stimulating the growth of organs.

  •  Complex Carbs-Veterinarians, animal behaviourists, and nutritionists have not specified the exact amount of carbohydrates pugs need to stay in top form. However, it would help if you remembered that complex carbs are more suitable for your dog than simple ones. Complex carbs, unlike simple carbs, break down (for converting to glucose) in a slow, gradual manner all through the day.

The slow breakdown of complex carbs ensures that your pug gets a continuous energy supply, keeping her active. Rapid and erratic analysis of carbs results in the release of a spurt of power that the pug may not be able to handle.   

Feeding Guidelines for Pug Puppies

As with pups of all other breeds, pug pups have specific nutritional and dietary needs. By and large, puppies or pugs require a far more significant amount of calories than adults. Since growth (both physical and mental) tends to be remarkably rapid in the first twelve months of their life, the calorie requirement is more for pug puppies.   

In the first year of their life, puppies' protein and fat needs are usually 22% and 8%. As they gradually step into the subsequent years of their life, their fat and protein requirement levels go down before stabilizing at a certain age. At the same time, the pups need specific vitamins, minerals, and supplements in copious amounts for comprehensive and holistic development.

Product Comparison Table

Product/Brand

            Top Features

Blue Buffalo 

  • Designed mainly for small dog breeds such as pug, beagle, and dachshund

  • It always comes with real meat as the primary ingredient.

  • Enhanced protein and carbohydrate levels for providing optimal energy wellness wellness wellness

Wellness CORE

  • Created especially for small adult dog breeds

  • Free of artificial flavours and preservatives, meat byproducts meal, wheat gluten, grains, corn, and soy

  • Complete amino acid profile for lean muscle mass growth and maintenance holistic holistic

Holistic Select 

  • Fortified with flaxseed and salmon oil-based omega-3 fatty acids for healthy glowing skin

  • The right proportion of pre-and probiotics, natural fibres, digestive enzymes, and live yogurt cultures for digestive health

  • Contains taurine, probiotics, glucosamine, and antioxidants for supporting cardiovascular healthy Purina

Purina Beneful 

  • Beef from farm-nurtured bovine is the principal ingredient.

  • The formula is loaded with nutrients for boosting small breed’s faster metabolism.

  • Easily chewable mini kibble for smaller dogs

Royal Canin

  • Kibble is designed to enable pugs to seize and grind them easily

  • An exclusive formula devised to offer complete nourishment for pedigreed pugs 2-10 months

  • Infused with prebiotics and premium proteins for maintaining gut health

Blue Buffalo Life Protection Adult Small Breed Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe


The Life Protection Formula Adult Small Breed Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe by Blue Buffalo has been specially formulated to help meet the nutritional requirements of smaller breeds. The Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula is packed with adequate premium protein and complex carbs, providing complete and balanced nutrition to small breeds. The recipe contains top-quality natural ingredients with chicken & brown rice meals as the main ingredients, enabling your dog to stay active and healthy.

High-quality animal protein from pasture-fed chicken aids in the development and maintenance of your pug’s muscles. The high carbohydrate and protein levels go a long way in fulfilling the dog’s energy requirements from one day to another. Also, the size of kibbles is such that it lets smaller breeds of dogs break and munch them easily.

This specific recipe from Blue Buffalo comes with the exclusive and proprietary LifeSource Bits-a holistic blend of minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants. LifeSource Bits has been meticulously picked and chosen by animal nutritionists, dieticians, and vets to ensure optimal oxidative balance and immune system health.

Features:

  • Designed particularly for small dog breeds such as pug, beagle, and dachshund

  1. It always comes with real meat as the primary ingredient

  • Enhanced protein and carbohydrate levels for providing optimal energy

  • Fortified with nutritious garden fruits and vegetables and nourishing whole grains

Pros

  1. Top-quality protein sourced from real chicken is perfect for building and supporting solid muscles

  2. Customized kibble size enables your dog to pick up and chew comfortably.

  3. It contains natural ingredients abounding in minerals and vitamins

  4. Completely free of artificial preservatives and flavours, poultry by-products, soy, wheat, and corn

Cons

  1. Many dog owners complained that their dogs had diarrhea, vomiting, and bloody stool

Wellness CORE Grain-Free Small Breed Turkey & Chicken Recipe


A 100% natural dog food, free of grains, and thoroughly healthy, the Wellness CORE Small Breed Turkey & Chicken Recipe helps maintain your pug’s active lifestyle. This grain-free dog food prepared exclusively for small adult dog breeds contains chicken, salmon oil, turkey, vegetables, and fruits for keeping your dog healthy throughout his lifetime. The size and shape of kibble are ideal for the jaws of small breeds, making it easier for them to chew the pieces.

This dog food from Wellness CORE is enriched with nutraceuticals, probiotics, antioxidants, minerals and vitamins, and omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. These nutritional supplements help support joint and bone health and maintain a glossy coat and supple skin. The nutrient-rich, grain-free recipe furnishes the entire profile of amino acids essential for physical and mental development at all life stages.

This dog food formula does not contain meat by-products, grains, corn, wheat gluten, soy, artificial flavours, preservatives, and colours.   

Features:

  • Created especially for small adult dog breeds

  • Free of artificial flavours and preservatives, meat byproducts meal, wheat gluten, grains, corn, and soy

  • Complete amino acid profile for lean muscle mass growth and maintenance

  • Kibble size matches small and square muzzle of pugs

Pros

  1.  Grain-free recipe contains ingredients sourced from 100% natural sources
  2. Quality dog food blended with animal and plant protein to keep dogs in good physical shape 

  3.  The best possible calorie content and protein levels help sustain your pug’s energy needs

  4. Fortified with vitamins, minerals, and nutritional supplements for cardiovascular and immune health 

Cons

  1. Artificial Flavors

Holistic Select Natural Dry Dog Food Anchovy, Sardine, and Salmon


For more than a decade, Holistic Select has been steadfastly committed to making the most of the best natural ingredients and quality proteins for encouraging healthy digestion. Holistic's Select Natural Dry Dog Food Anchovy, Sardine, and Salmon recipe contains the appropriate balance of bioavailable botanicals and enzymes, natural fibre, probiotics, and prebiotics. The protein, fat, carbohydrate, vitamin, and mineral content of this formula help promote the health and wellbeing of your dog effectively.

Holistic Select’s Quality Assurance Program strictly adheres to the stringent food safety standards in the pet food industry.  

 

Features:

  • Fortified with flaxseed and salmon oil-based omega-3 fatty acids for healthy glowing skin

  • The right proportion of pre- and probiotics, natural fibres, digestive enzymes, and live yogurt cultures for digestive health

  • It contains taurine, probiotics, glucosamine, and antioxidants for supporting cardiovascular health

  • Formula conceptualized and prepared in the US

Pros

  1. The right balance of nutrients for promoting their breakdown to boost their assimilation

  2. Moves food effectively through the GI tract to minimize bloating and uneasiness

  3. Poultry-free fish-based protein for healthy and strong muscles

Cons

  1. The ingredients listed on the package are not the same as the ones mentioned on the Amazon site

  2. Somewhat overpriced

Purina Beneful Dry Dog Food for Pugs


Beef is the chief ingredient which helps sustain your pug’s faster metabolism. Copious accents of peas and carrots boost up the scrumptiousness of the mouth-watering kibbles, enhancing his appetite. Also, the size and shape of kibble have been personalized to enable small dog breeds to chew and chomp easily.

Every serving of the Beneful Dry Dog Food for Pugs from Purina comprises 27gms proteins, which help generate and uphold strong muscles. Additionally, each cup or bowl of this Purina dry dog food contains 23 vital minerals and vitamins for maintaining overall wellbeing. The Purina Beneful IncrediBites dry dog food offers your pug the balanced nutrition that he needs and craves.   

Features:

  1. Beef from farm-nurtured bovine is the principal ingredient.

  2. The formula is loaded with nutrients for boosting small breed’s faster metabolism.

  3. Easily chewable mini kibble for smaller dogs

  4. Supplementary peas and carrots for adding variety to the diet  

Pros

  1. Purina Beneful IncrediBites meets your small pet dog’s distinctive dietetic requirements

  2. Option to choose from wet or dry recipes 

  3. Every formula is prepared from fish, poultry or farm-reared meat and blended with veggies or fruits, and whole grains

Cons

  1. Some customers reported that their dog felt unwell after taking a few servings

Royal Canin Pug Puppy Breed Specific Dry Dog Food


Royal Canin Pug Puppy Breed Specific Dry Dog Food is fortified and enriched with the proper nutrient balance for supporting your pug’s health throughout its lifetime. This specific dry dog food put together exclusively for pug pups facilitates the development and maintenance of their skin and coat, gastrointestinal and immune systems.  

Produced solely for your pug pup, this dry dog food from Royal Canin contains all the nutrients in the right proportion, thereby enabling them to thrive. The kibble has been meticulously customized to suit your pug’s somewhat square-shaped muzzle, allowing her to nibble and chew efficiently. This hygienically prepared recipe for pug puppies includes a specialized blend of antioxidants for stimulating the the immune system and keeping free radicals at bay. 

Vital nutrients sourced from fish oil such as EPA and DHA promote the nourishment of the dog’s skin and help maintain a glossy coat. Most importantly, prebiotics and premium proteins come in handy for supplementing the beneficial action of gut bacteria, thus encouraging healthy digestion.

Features:

  • Kibble is designed to enable pugs to seize and grind them quickly.

  • An exclusive formula devised to offer complete nourishment for pedigreed pugs 2-10 months

  • Infused with prebiotics and premium proteins for maintaining gut health

  • It contains essential nutrients for maintaining skin health 

Pros

  1. Blended with dry and wet foods for balanced nourishment

  2. A range of breed-specific formulas for maintenance of healthy weight throughout the lifetime

  3. Pug pups develop healthily owing to the tried-and-tested growth formula.

Cons

  1. Many dogs could be allergic to the primary ingredient- chicken by-product meal.

Conclusions:

The sheer variety of products available rendered the task of selecting the five best dog food brands for pugs a tall order. Nevertheless, the job was worth the effort as all the products we have reviewed belong to well-known dog food brands. From Blue Buffalo to Holistic Select to Purina, you'll have complete peace of mind, no matter whichever brand you choose for your pug.  

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