10 Best Dog Foods for Morkies in 2023 – Reviews & Top Picks

Morkies are tiny, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have an appetite! These little dogs are surprisingly high-energy. That set of traits comes with its own challenges when you need to pick a food. Finding a food that will pack lots of energy into food suitable for such a small dog requires some looking. But with so many dog food brands on the market, there are lots of options out there. Here are our favorite dog foods that fit the bill, along with reviews of each one.

A Quick Look at our Favorite Choices (2023 Update)

	Image	Product	Details
Best Overall		Ollie Fresh Lamb Dog Food Recipe	Rich in protein and essential amino acids Packed full of nutrients from fresh food Tailored to your dog’s unique needs	Click to Save 50%
Best Value		Iams MiniChunks Dog Food	High in chicken protein Healthy fibers and prebiotics Whole grains	Check Price
		N&D Ancestral Grain Mini Breed Food	High protein, allergy-friendly Free of pea and lentil products Small kibble size for mini breeds	Check Price
		Hill’s Science Diet Small Bites Puppy Food	Formulated for small breed puppies Lots of whole grains High in vitamins, antioxidants	Check Price
		Nutro Ultra Adult Dog Food	Lower fat and calorie option for weight loss Variety of healthy protein sources Lots of vegetable and fruit content	Check Price

The 10 Best Dog Foods for Morkies

If you are in search of premium quality, nutritionally balanced dog food that is suitable for your adorable Morkie, look no further than Ollie Fresh Lamb Dog Food Subscription. They have several incredible recipes to choose from, and we give their Fresh Lamb recipe our pick for best overall dog food for Morkies.

This fresh food is packed full of high-quality protein and essential amino acids. As the title implies, fresh lamb is the first ingredient in this delicious dish. It is also packed full of other fresh ingredients like butternut squash, lamb liver, kale, and rice – all of which are full of vital nutrients.

Ollie’s dog food is personalized to meet your dog’s unique needs and will come pre-portioned, so you don’t have to worry about measuring anything out. This is a subscription service that will deliver your dog’s food right to your doorstep. But like with any fresh food, it is more expensive than your average kibble. You will also need to make some extra room in the refrigerator and freezer for storage, but an unopened frozen vacuum-sealed pack can last up to 6 months. This fresh food recipe will support vibrant energy levels, improve skin and coat health, promote healthy digestion, and support immunity.

There are no added fillers like corn, wheat, or soy and all recipes are free of artificial flavors, preservatives, and by-products. This food is ideal for any dog, including allergy sufferers and those with sensitive stomachs. To top it off, each batch is tested for safety and nutritional quality.

If you want to stretch your dollar further, we recommend Iams MiniChunks Small Kibble as the best dog food for Morkies for the money. This food is similar in quality to many much more expensive dog foods, with a high protein content of around 26%, a fat content of 14%, and 380 kcal/cup. This food also has great digestibility with lots of healthy fiber and prebiotics.

The first ingredient in this food is farm-raised chicken, which is a great source of healthy proteins and fats. This is followed by whole-grain corn and sorghum. Although some dog food has lots of cheap grains like corn, giving it a bad reputation, in moderation whole grains like corn are beneficial to your dog. The fourth ingredient is chicken by-product meal. This meal is a little less ideal. Chicken by-products are a lower-quality source of meat protein that is recycled into pet foods. We also noticed that it contained artificial colors, something that doesn’t do anything for your dog’s nutrition.

Farmina N&D Ancestral Grain Lamb & Blueberry Mini Breed food is another good choice because of its delicious all-natural ingredients and balanced nutrition. It is high in protein with lamb as the protein source—this is ideal for dogs with allergies as it is a less common allergen than chicken and turkey. Whole oats and spelt add healthy grains to the mix, and it’s totally free of pea and lentil products. The smaller kibble size makes it ideal for mini breeds like Morkies. At 28% protein and 18% fat, it is great fuel for active dogs, although Morkies with a tendency towards obesity might prefer a slightly less fatty diet. It also includes lots of fruit and vegetable products that make up 20% of the food by weight, including blueberry, pomegranate, orange, spinach, and turmeric.

If you’ve got a growing pup, you know how much fuel is needed to keep them going. Morkie puppies may be small, but they don’t ever stop. Hill’s Science Diet Puppy Small Bites Food is an ideal food for puppies because it has great ingredients that are formulated especially for small-breed puppies.

The first ingredient on this product’s list is chicken meal—a concentrated chicken that is extremely high in protein. The other main ingredients are whole grains to keep your puppies going. It is at 25% protein and 15% fat. 25% protein is within the suggested range for puppies, but it is on the lower end of the range. This food is also high in antioxidants and vitamins. All in all, it’s a great food for helping your Morkie grow to be strong and healthy.

Many Morkies tend towards obesity, and if yours is among them, our fifth product might be for you. Nutro Ultra Adult Weight Management Chicken, Lamb & Salmon Recipe is a great choice for weight management. It has a lower fat content of only 9% and 335 calories per cup, a much lower amount than most other foods, but it keeps your dog going with plenty of protein. It uses great ingredients, including a variety of protein sources—chicken, salmon, and lamb—and lots of delicious fruits and vegetables. It is formulated especially for small dogs to help them stay as healthy as possible.

Because this is a weight management product, it isn’t ideal for all Morkies. Most dogs are healthiest with a higher-fat and higher-calorie food, and healthy fats are an important part of your dog’s diet. But foods like this do have their place for dogs that are stubbornly holding on to some extra pounds.

Formulated especially for smaller dogs, we love this recipe for its wholesome ingredients and balanced nutrition. We found Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Small Breed Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe to be a great choice for Morkies. It has chicken as its primary protein source and the first ingredient. This is the backbone for bringing up the protein levels to a respectable 26%. That’s plenty to fuel your dog all day long.

Many of the vitamins in this food come from real fruits and vegetables, which makes them healthier and easier to absorb. It also includes glucosamine, which is good for joint health, omega fatty acids that boost overall organ health, and lots of antioxidants that protect from diseases. This food is on the expensive side of the list, so it may not be an option for everyone. It’s also worth noting that chicken is a common allergen for dogs, so some dogs may do better on a non-chicken alternative.

Wellness CORE Grain-free Small Breed Turkey & Chicken brings in the meat with this grain-free, meat-heavy food. The first three ingredients are all meat products, including two extra-nutrient-dense meat meals. The total protein content is 36%, enough to fuel the most active dogs. It also has tons of healthy fruits and vegetables as well as salmon oil, antioxidants, probiotics, and lots of other good stuff.

Unfortunately, there’s some not-so-good stuff. Grain-free recipes have been linked to higher rates of heart health issues, and peas and lentils specifically are common ingredients in grain-free foods that might be the problem. Peas and lentils also add less digestible protein that could be inflating that 36% protein content.

Nulo Frontrunner Ancient Grains Turkey, Whitefish, and Quinoa Small Breed Food is a delicious dog food that’s packed with meat. With three of its first five ingredients as meat products, along with two whole grains, it’s a great choice for your dog. Do note that although it doesn’t list chicken in the title, it does contain chicken meal. That means it’s not ideal for dogs with chicken allergies. It has lots of great vitamins, including omega fatty acids, and contains probiotics to boost digestion. We love this food, but it is on the more expensive side.

Wellness Small Breed Complete Health food is a great option for many small breeds. It is free of meat by-products and artificial preservatives, and with 28% protein, it’s great for fueling your dog. It has a small kibble size and a formula balanced for small dogs. It also has lots of fruits and veggies, including tomatoes, carrots, spinach, and blueberries. Whole grains include oatmeal, brown rice, and barley—all wholesome and healthy choices.

Although this food is nutritionally sound, reviewers do have a few warnings. First, this food is pretty smelly for a dry food, and some owners couldn’t stand the smell. Second, a few reviewers noted that something in the food caused loose stools in their dogs.

Royal Canin Health Nutrition Small Adult Formula Food comes in at 25% protein, a good amount, and has some other good ingredients we like, including DHA and omega fats that will help with your dog’s brain, eye, and coat health. There’s also L-carnitine, which helps your dog regulate weight and metabolize food well. But overall, this isn’t our favorite choice because it doesn’t have meat as the top ingredient, and the meat protein it does have is chicken by-product—a lower quality chicken that’s left over from other processing.

Buyer’s Guide: Selecting the Best Dog Food for Morkies

It can be hard to find the right food for your Morkie. Every dog has slightly different needs, but some things stay the same. Here are some “green flags” to look for when picking a food.

Meat First

Dog food should have meat or meat meal (i.e., chicken meal) as the first ingredient. Dogs need the protein and fat base that meat provides. Look for 20–30% protein content for adult dogs. More active dogs should have higher protein. Meat meals are a healthy type of meat—in fact, they’re more concentrated. However, meat by-products are usually of lower quality.

Whole Grains

Too much grain isn’t good for dogs, but grains aren’t just a filler. Dogs should have healthy sources of carbs from whole grains. Recent studies have shown that many grain-free foods may be linked to higher rates of heart disease in dogs.

Fruits and Vegetables

Dogs need lots of vitamins to survive. Just adding in extracted vitamins can be okay, but fruits and vegetables make it easier to absorb. Look for lots of fresh ingredients like berries, spinach, and other plant foods.

But Not Lentils or Peas

The exception to this rule is peas and lentils. The same study that looked at grain-free food found that peas and lentils are bad for heart health, most likely. They also can be “protein padders”— cheap plant-based proteins that dogs can’t digest as easily.

Small Breed Formulas

Many dog foods are available in small breed formulas. These have smaller kibble sizes that are easier for your Morkie to eat. They might also have slight nutritional tweaks to help combat health issues common in small dogs.

Conclusion

Morkies have tons of great options out there, as we hope our reviews have proven. Our overall favorite pick is Ollie Fresh Dog Food Subscription for its clean ingredients and balanced nutrition. A good low-cost alternative is Iams MiniChunks Small Kibble, which is comparable and comes at a much lower price point. Farmina N&D Ancestral Grain Lamb & Blueberry Mini Breed Food is a delicious third choice with lots of delicious ingredients and is chicken-free as a bonus.

Featured Image Credit: Sarah Chai, Pexels