Last Updated on 01/23/2021 by Veronica Jones
One of the most all-around dog breeds is the standard poodle. It has the friendliness of a retriever, the energy of a guard dog, and the intelligence of a shepherd dog.
Among the 3 known breeds of poodles, the standard poodle is the tallest, measuring around 15 to 22 inches.
Unlike the toy and miniature poodles, the standard poodle is considered a large breed weighing around 45 to 70 pounds.
It also has one of the longest lifespans, reaching around 12 to 15 years. Unfortunately, a standard poodle can be prone to many diseases.
To keep your standard poodle healthy, you need to ensure that you feed them with the right dog food.
In this article, we will look at 16 of the best dog foods available for standard poodles to help in your selection.
What to Look for When Choosing the Best Food for Standard Poodle?
To select the right dog food for your standard poodle, here are some things that you need to consider.
1. Key Nutrients
When it comes to feeding standard poodles, key nutrients are needed. They include:
Protein
Dogs need protein to develop their muscles. The preferred source is meat rather than plant-based since the former can be easily digested.
For maintenance, adult dogs require at least 18 percent of protein while puppies require at least 22 percent.
Fat
The main source of energy for dogs is animal fat. Additionally, the derived fatty acids can be beneficial to them as well.
Adult dogs require a minimum of 5 percent of fat in their meals while puppies need a minimum of 8 percent.
Carbohydrates
Although carbohydrate sources are being carefully chosen, they provide the necessary prebiotics to support the dog’s digestion.
Fiber
If carbohydrate sources are included in the diet, so are the fiber sources. They are needed for keeping your dog’s gastrointestinal system smoothly operating.
Vitamins and Minerals
It is a no-brainer that all living creatures need vitamins and minerals. However, somewhere in the food manufacturing process, those can be added after the main ingredients are prepared.
Water
Clean, freshwater is always needed. It may not be a part of the dog food, but the whole diet must include water unless in special cases advised by the veterinarian.
2. Age
The other top consideration is the age of the standard poodle. The amount of ration of dog food must depend on their age.
Typically, when dogs are still growing, they need more food resources for development. As their growths begin to get stagnant, the food will be more of sustenance.
Their digestive systems start to get slower and they are less active wherein the calories taken in are not fully burned.
To guide you with the proper amount, here are the recommended calories and feeding guidelines for each age group.
- Puppies (starting 2 to 3 months old)
= Needed 4 meals daily, for a total of 1490 calories - Puppies (starting 6 months old)
= Needed 3 to 4 meals daily, for a total of 1795 calories - Puppies (starting 10 to 12 months old)
= Needed 2 meals daily, for a total of 1724 calories - Adults (estimated around 24 months old)
= Must be fed according to the recommended amount indicated - Seniors
= Diet must consist of digestible food that is rich in protein
3. Health Conditions
Regular check-ups to the veterinarian are needed to diagnose any problem your poodle is having. If there are health problems, the diet must change to aid recovery.
Here are some of the health conditions wherein the food intake and the choice of dog food are greatly influenced.
Endocrine Problems
- Diabetes = needs high-quality, grain-free proteins
- Cushing’s disease = needs a moderate amount of carbohydrates
Digestive Problems
- Pancreatitis = needs medications and intravenous fluids
- Volvulus, gastric dilatation (bloat) = canned food might help
- Sensitive stomach = needs fewer changes to the diet
Other Potential Problems
- Stones in urinary bladder = needs less acidic food intake
- Collapsed trachea = can be related to diet if the poodle is overweight
- Hip dysplasia = needs glucosamine, chondroitin, and low calories
- Sebaceous adenitis = needs more omega fatty acids
- Skin allergies, ear infections = grain-free diet might help
4. Budget
Having known how many calories a poodle needs at a certain age, weight, and health condition, the selection of the right dog food will depend on your capability of paying for it.
Gauge your financial capability and pick certain aspects that you need to prioritize over others.
5. Labeled ingredients
Read the labeled ingredients of dog food as much as possible. The link that information to the health data of your dog. For more assurances, look for AAFCO standard approval on the packaging.
6. Body reactions
Other health conditions can be pointed out through trial-and-error methods only, like skin allergies. If the food selected doesn’t trigger any issues, then stick to it. Otherwise, change the food brand or the diet entirely.
Reviews of the Best Food for Standard Poodle
Natural Balance Dry Dog Food
This brand has well-approved limited ingredients that help prevent overfeeding in large poodles.
You will not need to worry about having to give more rations accidentally since it contains ingredients that encouraged the dog to be full.
The formula used is applicable for puppies to adult dogs. When it comes to feeding dogs undergoing a transition phase, this dog food may be enough to cover it all. Standard poodles, after all, like to stick to the food they got used to.
Blue Buffalo Dry Dog Food
Blue Buffalo dog food is high in protein, which helps to build and maintain lean muscles in poodles. The very first ingredient is the real deboned chicken that will without doubt you’re your dog’s needs.
Blue Buffalo has 4 different lines that cater to the specific needs of a poodle. The wilderness Blue Buffalo dog food is specifically designed for large dogs.
This is because it is crafted with chondroitin, glucosamine, and EPA to ensure the mobility of your poodle’s joint and overall mobility.
Plus, it is delicious and does not contain any preservatives, artificial flavors, wheat, soy, by-products, or corn.
Hill’s Science Diet Dog Food
This dog food doesn’t contain a large selection of high-quality ingredients and your poodle will delight in every bite.
It is crafted with vital ingredients like savory chicken, barley, and 18% fewer calories. This makes it perfect for dogs that are watching their weight.
This is useful if your poodle gets sick and has an unusual amount of dietary needs. Although the product is not grain-free, the formulas make up for it.
They claim to have the nearly perfect balance of vitamins, minerals, and proteins.
Nutro Wholesome Essentials
Nutro has long been known for providing all-natural dog foods. The two lines, Nutro (normal) and Nutro Ultra, are meant to cater to the different needs of dogs. The regular or normal Nutro contains ingredients like lamb, chicken, and venison.
It also has a wet canned food option, which can be great for those with certain health issues.
For the Nutro Ultra, it aims more for a balanced diet. This is good particularly for improvement in skin health and digestive system, granted that your poodle doesn’t have a sensitive stomach.
Merrick Grain-Free
This dog food obviously uses a grain-free recipe. The formula contains real beef with apples, blueberries, potatoes, peas, and others. Since it is grain-free, it is suitable for poodles that are prone to allergies.
Another great thing is that the formula used includes chondroitin and glucosamine in high doses. There is no shortage of essential nutrients since the product also provides Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids.
If you have a poodle with severe health problems and in need of a special diet, thing product may be ideal for them.
CANIDAE – Fit For All Life Stages
Like its title, the product applies to all age groups of poodles, whether they are puppies or senior adults.
As a veterinarian-designed dog food, you can expect to have your dog fed with a high amount of protein and other premium ingredients.
Among the nutrients included in their ingredients are proteins, 3 fatty acids, probiotics, antioxidants, ‘HealthPLUS’ solutions, and select vitamins and minerals.
Pet owners love the high ingredients along with the convenience of not worrying about the appropriateness of the dog food to the dog’s age.
Wellness CORE
The recipe that the Wellness CORE uses is protein-based and grain-free. The sources of protein for this dog food are turkey and chicken.
Another set of nutrients included in the recipe include glucosamine, omega fatty acids, probiotics, and antioxidants.
If you want your poodle to have a balanced diet with all the necessary vitamins and minerals, then you will love this dog food.
Plus, it is natural and does not include harmful ingredients like meat by-products, artificial colors and flavors, soy, preservatives, wheat, and corn.
Earthborn Holistic – All Natural
It is already indicated that this dog food is all-natural. Its recipe contains no grain, gluten nor potato.
It is, however, rich in high protein from ingredients like turkey, whitefish, and chicken and all are ideal for muscle development and energy sustainability.
The product’s recipe also includes vegetables and fruits like carrots, spinach, apples, blueberries, and cranberries.
With that, your dog can get nutrients like L-carnitine, omega fatty acids, antioxidants, and select vitamins.
Eukanuba
Eukanuba’s recipe contains only animal-based ingredients that provide high-quality protein.
Aside from the main ingredient, the formula features the ‘3D DentaDefense’ system which aims to reduce tartar within just a month.
Another feature is the fiber system that is designed with beet pulp and FOS prebiotics.
Aside from aiding the digestive system, the product also introduces antioxidants for building strength in the immune system and calcium for supporting bone structures.
If you want a buffed poodle but still lean-looking, then choose this product.
Royal Canin
Royal Canin is more applicable to poodles at the early stages. Even with that limitation, the product can provide all the important nutrients a poodle need. It contains nutrients like Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids.
Aside from the obvious protein component, dog food contains minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants.
Another key feature is that the kibbles are manufactured in such a way that encourages the poodle to chew and conveniently pick them up.
Taste of the Wild Dry Dog Food
One of the selling points of this product is providing the recommended amount of amino acids.
The recipe is based on well-balanced proportions of carbohydrates and proteins to support the lean muscle structure that poodles naturally have.
Aside from having ingredients that are specified for particular species, the product contains probiotics.
These probiotics are meant to help the dog to be able to survive any harsh gastrointestinal issues where other supplements can’t afford to do.
Wellness Large Breed Complete Dry Dog Food
The components of this dog food are deboned chicken and brown rice. This recipe is meant for maintaining the poodle’s lean structure and guarantees to provide glucosamine and chondroitin to strengthen hips and joints.
Wellness dog food also stands out because it has few calories and less fat compared to other dog foods.
Another great thing about this dog food is that it also guarantees the necessary probiotic levels for the poodle’s digestion.
Hence, you won’t need to worry about this product containing artificial preservatives or meat by-products.
American Journey Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
The first ingredient of this product is deboned salmon, which provides Omega-3 for skin health and DHA for eye and brain development in puppies.
To ensure high protein content, other ingredients such as chicken, turkey, and menhaden fish are included.
This dog food has an ‘all life stage’ formula. This means that it is suitable for puppies and adult poodles.
The product is also safe since it is grain-free and gluten-free.
Instinct by Nature’s Variety Dry Dog Food
Looking for a dog food that caters to a poodle with a sensitive stomach can be really discouraging.
Good thing is that this product contains necessarily limited ingredients. The protein source integrated comes from one source only, turkey.
Also included in the formula are peas and tapioca for providing carbohydrates. A late addition to the product during manufacturing is a set of pumpkin seeds.
Also, it contains other nutrients, specifically dietary fiber for aiding any gastrointestinal issue.
Purina Pro Plan Bright Mind Dry Dog Food
This dog food from the Purina brand is targeting senior dogs. The poodle has a long lifespan and its demand for nutrients change as it gets old.
This is because its physical activities will decrease gradually.
To cater to senior standard poodles, this dog food contains medium-chain triglycerides, vitamin A, Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, glucosamine, and calcium.
It also contains a moderate amount of calories and bite-size kibbles for easy chewing and digestion. With all these ingredients, you will not be worried about your poodle’s health during the senior years.
American Natural Premium Dry Dog Food
If you want a dog food that is pea-free and flax-free, you may want to consider the American Natural dog food.
It contains ancestral, non-GMO grains and has deboned chicken, turkey, and pork to provide protein to your standard poodle.
Aside from that, nutrients like prebiotics, probiotics, and Omega-3 fatty acids are also present. Better yet, this formula is suited for all age groups.
Conclusion
All dog foods in this list are the dry types. If you have multiple standard poodles, it is advisable to invest in dog foods with ‘all life stages’ formula.
If you have a dog with a sensitive stomach, make sure to check the packaging for being labeled as grain-free and gluten-free.
In our review, some products cater to a specific age group and have more nutrients needed compared to normal.
Whatever dog food you choose, be sure to keep in mind the recommended feeding amounts for your standard poodle.