If you have a new puppy, you likely have lots of questions and a desire to provide your pet with the highest quality food so they can grow into a healthy animal. However, with so many different brands claiming to be the best, it can be challenging to sort through them all. So we’ve chosen several different brands of puppy food available at PetSmart to review for you so you can see the difference between them. We’ll give you the pros and cons of each one and tell you how our dogs liked it. We’ve even included a short buyer’s guide to help you know what to look for if you continue to shop. Keep reading while we discuss ingredients, protein, preservatives, and more to help you make an informed purchase.
A Quick Glance at Our Favorites (2024 Update)
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Best Overall | Nulo Freestyle Limited+ Puppy Grain-Free Salmon Recipe Dry Dog Food |
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Best Value | Purina Pro Plan Focus Puppy Food |
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Hill’s Science Diet Canned Puppy Food |
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Blue Buffalo Life Protection Puppy Formula |
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Wellness Small Breed Complete Health Puppy |
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The 8 Best Puppy Foods at PetSmart
1. Nulo Freestyle Limited+ Puppy Grain-Free Salmon Recipe Dry Dog Food– Best Overall
Package size: | 24 pounds |
First Ingredient: | Deboned Salmon |
Nulo Freestyle Limited+ Puppy Grain-Free Salmon Recipe Dry Dog Food is our pick as the best overall puppy food at PetSmart. This product features deboned salmon as its first ingredient, which provides your pet with plenty of omega fats and protein. In fact, it provides your pet with 30% protein per serving which is more than many other brands on here and will help your pet develop strong muscles. High protein diets also help your pets stay full longer, so they’re not looking for food before its time. Nulo Freestyle is a grain-free brand that contains no corn or soy ingredients, which are heavily genetically modified and can lead to weight gain.
The downside to Nulo Freestyle is that the kibble may be too large for some smaller puppies, and the salmon causes the food to have a bad odor.
2. Purina Pro Plan Focus Puppy Food – Best Value
Package size: | 12 13-ounce cans |
First Ingredient: | Chicken |
Purina Pro Plan Focus Puppy Food is our pick is the best puppy food at PetSmart for the money. It is a wet food formulated for puppies under 1 year that lists chicken as its first ingredient. It contains 23 central vitamins and minerals that will help your puppy grow quickly. The omega fats will help the skin feel soft and help with many other biological processes, including brain and eye development. There are no artificial colors or preservatives added, so it is less likely that your pet will suffer an allergic reaction.
Purina Pro Plan Focus is a great choice for budget-minded puppy owners, and the only problem we experienced was that the cans are quite large and provide too much food for a puppy to eat at one sitting, so we needed to store it in the fridge between meals.
3. Hill’s Science Diet Puppy Chicken & Barley Entree Canned Dog Food
Package size: | 12 13-ounce cans |
First Ingredient: | Chicken |
Hill’s Science Diet Puppy Chicken & Barley Entree Canned Dog Food is our premium choice puppy food at PetSmart. It’s a wet food that features chicken as its first ingredient and provides your puppy with balanced nutrition formulated for dogs under 1 year old. It contains plenty of antioxidants that will help boost your pet’s immune system and omega fats that help with brain and eye development, as well as a soft and shiny coat.
The downside to Hill’s Science Diet is that it can be quite expensive if you can’t find it on sale, and the cans are quite large, so you will need to store it in your fridge between meals.
4. Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Puppy Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food
Package size: | 30 pounds |
First Ingredient: | Deboned Chicken |
Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Puppy Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food is a large package of dry dog food that’s easy to find in many stores besides PetSmart, so it is easier to replace if you run out. It contains chicken as its first ingredient and provides your pet with other protein sources as well, including fish and peas. The fish helps to provides omega fats, and there are other real fruits and vegetables besides peas that help provide important vitamins and minerals. In addition, a special ingredient called LifeSource Bits provides your pet with healthy antioxidants that can help boost the immune system.
We like the ingredients list on Blue Buffalo food, and the only problem we had was that some puppies don’t like it, and it can be challenging to get them to eat, which can cause many owners to seek out a different brand.
5. Wellness Small Breed Complete Health Puppy Turkey, Oatmeal & Salmon Meal Recipe Dry Dog Food
Package size: | 4 pounds |
First Ingredient: | Deboned Turkey |
Wellness Small Breed Complete Health Puppy Turkey, Oatmeal & Salmon Meal Recipe Dry Dog Food uses turkey as its first ingredient to provide your pet with plenty of high-quality protein. The protein will help your pet develop strong muscle and provide plenty of energy. This food contains real fruits and vegetables like blueberries, spinach, and carrots that provide your pet with several important vitamins and nutrients, while salmon meal and flaxseed provide the essential omega fats.
The downside to Wellness Small Breed Complete is that you only get a small 4-pound package, and like many other foods that contain high-quality ingredients, some dogs won’t like it.
6. Purina Pro Plan Probiotic Puppy Food
Package size: | 34 pounds |
First Ingredient: | Chicken |
Purina Pro Plan Probiotic Puppy Food has plenty of vitamins and minerals that can help your small pet grow into a healthy dog. This dry food is formulated for puppies and contains omega fats that help produce a soft and shiny coat and antioxidants that boost the immune system. It also features chicken as its first ingredient, so your pet will receive plenty of high-quality protein.
We enjoyed reviewing this food, and it’s easy to find in many places besides PetSmart. The only downside to Purina Pro Plan Probiotic is that it gave some of our puppies gas.
7. Royal Canin Medium Puppy Dry Dog Food
Package size: | 17 pounds |
First Ingredient: | Chicken by-product |
Royal Canin Medium Puppy Dry Dog Food is a high-protein food formulated to be highly digestible so your pet can quickly receive the energy and nutrients it needs. Prebiotic ingredients help feed your puppies natural probiotics which will help balance the digestive system and reduce the frequency of constipation and diarrhea. Antioxidant fortification will help boost your pet’s immune system.
The downside to Royal Canin is that it’s quite expensive, especially if you have more than one puppy. It contains chicken by-product as its first ingredient, which is lower quality meat that we usually try to avoid, especially when feeding puppies.
8. Puppy Chow Complete With Chicken & Rice Dry Dog Food
Package size: | 32 pounds |
First Ingredient: | Whole grain corn |
Puppy Chow Complete with Chicken & Rice Dry Dog Food is the final puppy food at PetSmart on our list to review for you, but it still has plenty to offer. It uses a formula for dogs under 1 year old and delivers highly digestible proteins that will provide your pet with plenty of energy and the building blocks for strong muscle. It also contains helpful omega fats, and it’s easy to find in most grocery stores besides PetSmart.
The downside to Puppy Chow Complete is that it contains corn as its first ingredient, which is not an ideal nutrient for growing puppies. Corn can also cause your pet to have gas and could even lead to diarrhea. We also noticed that some dogs don’t like it even though they usually prefer foods that contain lots of corn.
Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose the Best Puppy Food at PetSmart
Protein
One of the most important nutrients your small puppy needs is protein. Protein provides your pet with energy they need to run around and explore their environment, and it also provides the building blocks for strong muscle. You can make sure there’s plenty of high-quality protein in your pet’s diet by checking the list of ingredients and the food you serve. We recommend choosing a brand with real meat like chicken turkey or beef listed as its first ingredient. Avoid brands that use a meat by-product or a meat meal, and we also recommend avoiding brands that have corn or soy listed first.
Real Fruits and Vegetables
Foods containing real fruits and vegetables like raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, kale, spinach, carrots, and pumpkin can help provide your puppy with the vitamins and minerals needed to stay healthy. Fruits and vegetables also provide the much-needed fiber that can keep your pet’s sensitive digestive system balanced, preventing constipation and diarrhea.
Omega Fatty Acids
Omega fatty acids are essential in a puppy’s diet. In particular, DHA plays a very important role in your puppy’s brain and immune system development. Omega fatty acids are crucial for healthy eye function in young, growing puppies and as a plus, they will help your puppy have a softer, shinier coat.
Dry vs Wet Food
Wet food is high in protein and very high in moisture for a healthy hydration status, and in most cases, it consists of a more species-appropriate diet that resembles what dogs evolved to eat. Most puppies prefer the flavor of wet food over dry food, so adding wet food to your young puppy’s diet is a great idea.
Dry kibble can help keep your pet’s teeth clean as it crunches, and many dogs suffer from dental disease, with some experts suggesting more than 80% of dogs over 3 years old suffer from dental issues. Now that your puppy is young and will be teething, take advantage of starting the puppy on a teeth brushing routine; it will save you lots of headaches in the future. Getting your puppy used to eating a mix of wet and dry food has the advantage of combining the best of both presentations. However, if you can only feed dry kibble to your dog, you should make sure you add some moisture to it.
Conclusion
When choosing your next puppy food at PetSmart, we highly recommend our pick for the best overall. Nulo Freestyle Limited+ Puppy Grain-Free Salmon Recipe has quality ingredients, plenty of vitamins and minerals, and is high in protein, omega fats, and antioxidants which will all help your pets stay healthy. Another smart choice is our pick for the best value. Purina Pro Plan Focus Puppy Food provides your pet with the benefits of a wet food as our top choice at a lower cost.
We hope you have enjoyed reading over these reviews and found a few brands you would like to try out. If we helped keep your puppy healthy, please share our look into the best puppy foods at PetSmart on Facebook and Twitter.
See also:
- 11 Best Canned & Wet Puppy Foods – Reviews & Top Picks
- 10 Best Grain-Free Puppy Foods – Reviews & Top Picks
Featured Image Credit: Switlana Sonyashna, Shutterstock