What to avoid

As well as knowing what to look for in your Poodle’s food, you should also know what to avoid. Many low-quality pet foods contain cheap filler ingredients like wheat that bulk out the food without adding any nutritional value. 

They’re also hard to digest and can upset the stomachs of sensitive dogs, and decrease the overall health and energy levels of others over time. You should also avoid foods that contain artificial additives like colors, flavors, and preservatives, as well as GMOs, meat by-products, chemicals, and synthetics like hormone-fed meat. 

Other things

Other things that you may want to take into consideration include the way that the food is cooked. Slow-cooking, steam-cooking, and freeze-drying allow food to retain way more taste and nutrients than other methods. 

You may also want to consider buying food from trusted brands, formulas that contain ethically sourced ingredients like grass-fed meat and cage-free eggs, and foods that are sourced and manufactured in the USA or Europe for ensured quality control.

How much should I feed my Poodle?

The average healthy adult Standard Poodle should eat around 2 cups of food per day, depending on their size, weight, and activity level. Miniature Poodles should eat 1, and Toy Poodles should eat ⅓-½ a cup of food per day.

Poodle puppies should eat 20 kg of food per 1kg of their body weight per day, and seniors should take in fewer calories as their activity levels decrease to avoid gaining weight and aggravating their health.

Pregnant Poodles have special nutritional needs. You should check with your veterinarian and follow their advice on how much and what to feed your expecting Poodle momma.

How often should you feed a Poodle?

Adult and senior Poodles should eat two meals a day; one in the morning and one in the evening. Young pups should eat 3-4 meals per day from when they begin eating solid food up until around 6 months of age. They need to eat smaller and more frequent meals because of their rapidly-developing metabolisms; they burn through food extremely quickly and cannot handle large meals quite yet.

Is dry food better than wet food?

There and pros and cons to both wet and dry food, but the main ones are the taste and fat content. Dry dog food tends to have a lower fat content than wet foods, but soft and wet foods tend to hold more taste. Dry foods are also better for maintaining good dental health, as the crunchy texture scrapes plaque and tartar from the teeth as your dog chews, but softer foods are great for dogs with teeth that are already damaged.

Are Poodles fussy eaters?

Poodles can be fussy eaters. If your Poodle is fussy, be sure to look for highly palatable foods with real, recognizable ingredients. Wet foods, soft foods, and foods that are slow-cooked, steam-cooked, or freeze-dried also tend to be tastier. To avoid wasting money, buy small bags until you find something that they like.