13 Best Senior Dog Food for Small Breeds: Dry Food

In this article, we rated dry food options for small-breed senior dogs available in the market and selected the top 13. We have considered well-balanced diets for senior dogs, special needs for small dogs, and customer reviews.

Before we go to the ranking, let’s have a quick reminder of what a well-balanced diet for senior dogs should include:

• High biological value protein, meaning that the body can use most of it and there is less waste. You can find them in fresh and real animal ingredients.
• Good quality fats because they help build the cell walls and provide energy.
• Carbohydrates are the energy source for the brain and muscles. Look for recipes that contain potatoes, rice, and vegetables.
• Fiber to help bowel movement. Sources of fiber are pumpkin, fresh fruits, or vegetables.
• Antioxidants and vitamins to combat free radicals and strengthen their immune system. Some are specific to targeted conditions such as for protecting the heart, circulatory system, and bones.
• Water because it is an essential part of the cells, carries nutrients into cells, removes waste from them, and helps regulate the body temperature.

If you want to learn more about senior dog nutrition, we recommend you to go over our guide: Optimal Senior Dog Food: Nutrition for Healthy Aging

Best Senior Dog Food for Small Breeds

🎖️Ranking

1. Best overall: ORIJEN Senior Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
2. Best premium food: Now Fresh Grain-Free Small Breed Senior Recipe Dry Dog Food
3. Best budget: Purina ONE SmartBlend Vibrant Maturity 7+ Formula Adult Premium Dry Dog Food
4. Best specialized nutrition: Hill’s Science Diet Adult 11+ Small & Mini Chicken Meal, Barley & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food
5. Royal Canin Size Health Nutrition
6. Nutro Natural Choice Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe
7. Wellness Small Breed Complete Health Senior
8. Eukanuba Senior Small Breed
9. Lotus Oven-Baked
10. Go! Solutions Carnivore Grain-Free Chicken, Turkey + Duck Recipe
11. CANIDAE Grain-Free PURE Senior Limited Ingredient
12. Merrick Lil’ Plates Grain-Free
13. Nulo Freestyle Senior Grain-Free Trout & Sweet Potato Recipe

1. ORIJEN Senior Grain-Free

• Top ingredients: Chicken, turkey, salmon, whole herring, chicken liver.
• Ingredients ratio: 41% protein and 23% carbs.
• Health features: Digestive, bones, skin and coat.
• Special diet: gluten-free, grain-free, high-protein.
• Price per lb: $4.00
• Size: 23.5 lb

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2. Now Fresh Grain-Free

• Top ingredients: De-boned turkey, potatoes, peas, potato flour, pea flour.
• Ingredients ratio: 25% protein and 36% carbs.
• Health features: Brain, dental, and digestive.
• Special diet: Gluten-free, grain-free, no corn, no wheat, no soy.
• Price per lb: $4.46
• Size: 22 lb

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Now Fresh recipes are crafted with high-quality ingredients like fresh meat and nutrient-rich superfoods. They are minimally processed to help preserve nutrients and flavor. Its formula contains L-carnitine which supports heart health and fat burning, and 20+ natural superfoods such as pumpkin for digestive health and blueberries for a strong immune system. 

3. Purina ONE SmartBlend

• Top ingredients: Chicken, rice flour, corn gluten meal, chicken by-product meal, soybean meal.
• Ingredients ratio: 25% protein and 38% carbs.
• Health features: Brain, digestive, high-energy.
• Special diet: High protein, with grain.
• Price per lb: $1.61
• Size: 31.1 lb

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4. Hill’s Science Diet Chicken Meal, Barley & Brown Rice Recipe

• Top ingredients: Chicken, brewer rice, brown rice, whole grain wheat, chicken fat.
• Health features: Digestive, immune system, heart, kidney, and bladder.
• Special diet: With grain.
• Price per lb: $3.36
• Size: 15.5 lb

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The Hill’s Science Diet Adult 11+ Small & Mini Chicken Meal delivers tailored nutrition to support your best friend during his golden years. Prebiotic fiber helps your small dog’s digestion, while omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil promote joint health. This food features a balanced set of minerals to support a healthy heart, healthy kidneys, and a healthy bladder in toy breeds. Omega-6 fatty acids and vitamin E help to nourish your furbaby’s skin and coat. Natural ingredients and a blend of antioxidants promote lifelong health for your best friend.

6. Nutro Natural Choice Senior Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe

• Top ingredients: Chicken, chicken meal, whole grain barley, split peas, brewer rice.
• Ingredients ratio: 26% protein and 38% carbs.
• Health features: Digestive, immune support, muscle care.
• Special diet: High-protein, human-grade ingredients, no corn, no wheat, no soy.
• Price per lb: $4.20
• Size: 5 lb

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Nutro Natural Choice is proudly made in the USA. The ingredients are sourced globally but chosen from a network of trusted farmers, ensuring a top-notch product. The formula is drafted for small breed dogs aged eight and up acknowledging the unique needs of your petite pup. What sets this dry dog food apart is not just the absence of undesirable elements like chicken by-product meal, corn, wheat, soy, artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. 

7. Wellness Small Breed Complete Health Senior

• Top ingredients: Deboned turkey, chicken meal, ground brown rice, peas, rice.
• Ingredients ratio: 25% protein and 37% carbs.
• Health features: Digestive, immune support, skin and coat
• Special diet: No corn, no wheat, no soy, weight control, natural, grain.
• Price per lb: $4.50
• Size: 4 lb

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Wellness Complete Health goes beyond basic nutrition. Its formula is fortified with omega fatty acids, antioxidants, glucosamine, probiotics, and taurine to address the specific needs of senior dogs. The brand also takes pride in what it doesn’t contain– meat by-products, fillers, or artificial preservatives. This dog food is proudly made in the USA using only the finest globally sourced ingredients. 

8. Eukanuba Senior Small Breed

• Top ingredients: Chicken, chicken by-product meal, wheat, chicken fat, corn.
• Ingredients ratio: 25% protein and 37% carbs.
• Health features: Brain, dental, digestive, brain, joint and muscle, and immune system.
• Special diet: High protein, with grain.
• Price per lb: $3.67
• Size: 15 lb

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Eukanuba Senior Small Breed food promotes an active life in your pup’s golden years and supports body, mind, and energy. The kibbles are designed with a combination of crunchy texture, S-shape, and polyphosphate that work together to reduce plaque and tartar buildup.

9. Lotus Oven-Baked

• Top ingredients: Chicken, rye, chicken liver, sardine, brown rice.
• Health features: Digestive.
• Special diet: Non-GMO, with grain.
• Price per lb: $4.34
• Size: 12.5 lb

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10. Go! Solutions Carnivore Grain-Free Chicken, Turkey + Duck Recipe

• Top ingredients: Chicken meal, turkey meal, salmon meal, de-boned chicken, de-boned turkey.
• Health features: Digestive, high energy, hip and joints. 
• Special diet: Gluten-free, limited ingredient diet, no corn, no wheat, no soy.
• Price per lb: $3.69
• Size: 22 lb

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11. CANIDAE Grain-Free PURE Senior Limited Ingredient

• Top ingredients: Chicken, chicken meal, turkey meal, sweet potatoes, garbanzo beans.
• Health features: Digestive, immune support, skin and coat.
• Special diet: Gluten-free, grain-free, limited ingredient diet.
• Price per lb: $2.59
• Size: 22 lb

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12. Merrick Lil’ Plates Grain-Free

• Top ingredients: Deboned chicken, chicken meal, turkey meal, sweet potatoes, potatoes.
• Health features: Dental, hip & joints, skin & coat.
• Special diet: Gluten-free, grain-free, no corn, no wheat, no soy.
• Price per lb: $4.17
• Size: 12 lb.

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13. Nulo Freestyle Senior Grain-Free Trout & Sweet Potato Recipe

• Top ingredients: Deboned trout, turkey meal, salmon meal, yellow peas, sweet potato.
• Health features: Digestive, hip and joints, and immune support.
• Special diet: Gluten-free, grain-free, high protein, low glycemic.
• Price per lb: $2.85
• Size: 26 lb

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Note: Ingredients in purple are considered controversial.

Key Things to Consider While Choosing a Kibble Brand

1. Carb-to-protein percentage ratio: Look for recipes that contain 35% carbs or less, as excessive carbs can promote inflammation and obesity. And, protein percentage closer to 28%, ideally from meat sources.

To estimate the amount of carbohydrates in pet food, subtract the sum of protein, fat, moisture, and ash (assume 6% if not listed) from 100.

Estimated carbohydrates = 100 – (sum of protein, fat, moisture, and ash)

2. Human-grade ingredients: Choose pet food that contains human-grade ingredients, as this indicates that the ingredients are safe enough for human consumption.

3. Avoid fillers: Avoid ingredients like corn, vegetable oil, and soy, as they are often genetically modified and sprayed with pesticides. Also, avoid flavoring, generic fats, dyes, wheat, and flours as these low-quality ingredients.

4. Legumes: Avoid feeding your pet excessive amounts of legumes, as they are used to inflate the protein percentage and are often used as a protein alternative to meat.

5. Ingredient splitting: Be aware of ingredient splitting, which is when brands take low-quality ingredients such as corn or wheat and break them down into different sub-ingredients to make them appear lower on the ingredients list.

6. Synthetic vitamins: Avoid synthetic vitamins, as they are not strictly regulated. Instead, prioritize vitamins from whole food sources.

Transitioning to a New Diet

If you are changing your dog’s diet, it is important to do it gradually to prevent upsetting their stomach. The way to do this is by slowly introducing the new food while removing the old diet. Here is an example of transition over 6 days, but you can even extend it to 2 weeks.

When to Switch to Senior Food

You may be wondering why is important to change your dog’s diet when they reach their senior years. The answer is that around this time changes are happening in their body and their nutritional requirements also should adapt to compensate for the inefficiencies.

There are 3 major changes in nutritional requirements in this life stage, including:

• They need less energy requirements as their metabolism slows down and they move less. Therefore they will need to eat less than in adulthood.
• The protein requirements increase because the body becomes less efficient in protein synthesis. However, the protein should come from a quality source to avoid overworking the kidneys. Some examples of high-quality protein are fresh and real chicken, salmon, turkey, etc.
• They may not be drinking enough water due to mobility issues, so it’s important to keep track of the water intake. But the opposite can also happen, that they increase their water intake and that may indicate other problems.

When you spot some of these changes, it is best to talk with the vet or animal nutritionist to make adjustments to your dog’s diet.

Final Thoughts

There are many options in the market, but not all of them are good for your dog. Always check for the list of ingredients. The brands show the ingredients in order of quantity so the first 5 ingredients are the most important. Preferably choose foods that contain real protein, over “by meat products” because these are unidentifiable scraps of meat and may be less nutritious.

It may also be helpful to choose diets that support specific health conditions such as dental, joints, brain, etc. that are common among senior dogs.

FAQs

Related Articles:

• Optimal Senior Dog Food: Nutrition for Healthy Aging
• How to Help Your Senior Dog Gain Weight
• Why is My Dog Drinking Water But Not Eating?