What is the best dog food for a toy breed, specifically a papillon?

I have two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels who eat Natural Balance small bites, but the kibbles are too big and too crunchy for my papillon. She gets bored and stops eating too soon. She needs something that is smaller or not quite so hard. What is the best dry dog food for such a small toy breed as the papillon? |||Buying the most expensive food isn't necessary, but buying the healthiest food is. The healthier foods usually are higher priced due to better ingredients. Just like with people feeding a good diet is very important and brands like Purina, Pedigree, Beneful etc... aren't going to cut it.





Adding some canned food or water to moisten the food is a great idea too.





Some good brands are


Natura Products (Innova, EVO, California Natural etc... EVO makes a small bite option)


Solid Gold (also has a small bite option)


Ziwi Peak (isn't a kibble and easier to chew)


Orijen


Taste of the Wild


Nature's Variety


Nature's Logic (has small kibble)


Merrick


Wellness (has a small bite option as well)


Fromm (the kibble is also quite small)


to name a few





Here's some sites as well


http://www.dogster.com/forums/Food_and_N鈥?/a>


http://www.dogfoodproject.com/


http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_鈥?/a>





Nutro has had a lot of quality control issues. They have made many dogs sick and even killed some. They are owned by Mars and have yet to take responsibility for what they have done. They have also changed ingredients recently and are quite over priced for what they are selling.|||The majority of commercial dog foods are low in quality, and I would recommend making your own homemade dog food. Most people swear by the raw food diet, and there are many support Yahoo groups here on Yahoo that would be happy to help get you started. If you prefer cooked, it's hard to beat simmered boneless chicken mixed with a small amount of rice or veggies. In addition, Birkdale dog food is used often to help dogs that have cancer, here is a recipe to imitate their ingredients and make it at home... |||Eagle Pack holistic select makes a food for toy and mini sized dogs. The kibble is tiny size, smaller than any other small bites dog food on the market. They make both a puppy formula and adult formula. It's a high quality food. No cheap fillers, corn, or by-products.





http://www.eaglepack.com/Pages/HS_SMPupp鈥?/a>|||Our pets need quality pet food. Read the ingredients list and learn what the stuff on there is and what it does (or does not do) to/for our pets. A quick pet food 101. If the pet food contains corn/corn products or by products it is a poor quality food. Corn is a filler that can trigger skin problems. (allergies, skin problems, itching and excessive shedding) By products is anything from an animal not fit for human consumption, including cancerous tissue. Do not pay attention to advertising, they all say there food is great. "Vet approved" means they have a vet on staff to approve their product. In other words, someone paid to approve it. Same with foods most vets recommend. Salesmen "gift" vets then the vet recommends the food. Most vets are not nutritionalists! Quality foods have meat as the first ingredient. Solid Gold, Innova, Wellness and Merrick are a few of the best brands available. If you want to learn more check out: http://www.sagekeep.com/petfood.htm www.api4animals.org/facts?p=359%26amp; more=1 http://animalark.eapps.com/animal/PetFoo鈥?/a>


|||Here is my dog food info. These are good brands. Why don't you browse around on the sites and see what you can find? 鈽?br>




Wellness


http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/


Chicken Soup


http://www.chickensoupforthepetloverssou鈥?/a>


Solid Gold


http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/


Canidae


http://www.canidae.com/


Any Natura Brand


http://www.naturapet.com/











Please never use any food from Purina, because they are all crap, and you would never want to feed a pet that you loved the Purina brand. Here is a website partly on Purina:


http://www.thedogbowl.com/PPF/category_I鈥?/a>





Never use Science Diet, either. That is a very crappy brand. If your dog is ever sick, the vet will recommend Science Diet. Their Rx diets are Ok for some dogs who need them, but don't get the regular Science Diet. Here is a website partly on Science Diet:


http://www.thedogbowl.com/PPF/category_I鈥?/a>





HOMEMADE/RAW FOOD FOOD IS GOOD:


http://www.pet-grub.com/


http://www.barfworld.com








I feed the raw diet. It is the best you can feed most dogs. I suggest you look into it. Good luck with your dog!!!











MDL


|||I would try Canidae All Life Stages.


http://www.canidae.com/dogs/all_life_sta鈥?/a>


Stay away from all store bought brands like Purina, Pedigree, Alpo, Might Dog, Iams, Eukanuba, Caesar, Kibbles and Bits, Beneful, etc., etc. They are all Road Kill and the worst thing you can feed your dog!|||Try taking this test:





http://animal.discovery.com/breedselecto鈥?/a>





It will ask you questions regarding size, affection, playfulness, grooming, energy level, exercise, training, etc and will give you a list of dogs that fit you and your lifestyle. :)|||I was having that problem with one of my Yorkies. I switched to Innova Adult small bites, and they are the perfect size for my little one.|||why don't you try adding a little water to her food so that it softens it a bit instead of having to buy another dog food just for her|||with my papillon I feed him the Little Bites by Purina. But that's pretty much the same thing as puppy chow. Either way, they still get the nutrients they need to be healthy and happy. The Puppy chow I think is a little softer for them to chew vs the Little Bites, but its still the dogs preference. Good luck :)|||I agree with MandeSue, Indoor little bites,would be good. It is a middle grade food, that is still affordable. You don't always need to buy what is most expensive, for your dog to be in great health!|||i feed nutro ultra, has a papillon the the bag.


starting blue for small breeds.


she eats both.