Taste of the Wild Appalachian Valley Small Breed Grain-Free Dry Dog Food review

At a Glance

  • Top 5 Ingredients:
    1. Venison
    2. Lamb Meal
    3. Garbanzo Beans
    4. Peas
    5. Lentils
  • Type: Dry food
  • Lifestage: Adult
  • Calories: 370 kcal/cup
  • Protein: 32%
  • Fat: 18%
  • Fiber: 4%

Taste of the Wild Appalachian Valley earns rave reviews for its exceptional nutritional content and excellent value for each family’s dog food dollar. Considered to be among the best dog foods for Maltese, this premium food formulation has been designed with the needs of small breeds in mind. It contains novel meats including bison and venison, two proteins that are unlikely to cause skin or stomach sensitivities in dogs prone to allergies like the Maltese.

A grain-free diet, this food is enriched with a heavy helping of antioxidants from the fruits and vegetables included in the recipe. Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids have been enriched to support coat and skin health.

This food is free from corn, grains, wheat, fillers, artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives. Each ingredient has been carefully selected for its ease of digestibility.

Pros

  • Dogs suffering from regular itchiness saw a return to normal skin when transitioned to Taste of the Wild Appalachian Valley.
  • Taste of the Wild has many different flavors from which owners can choose. Owners love the opportunity to provide their dogs with lots of diversity in their daily diet.
  • Owners were pleased their dogs were easily able to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight when fed this diet in appropriate portion sizes.
  • Owners like that this diet has been formulated with small breeds in mind. They report that the kibble pieces are ideal for small dogs like the Maltese.
  • This diet is very reasonably priced, giving owners great nutrition and excellent value for their dog food dollar.

Cons

  • Some dogs dislike this food and will not eat it. Taste of the Wild has many other food formulations with different proteins in their recipe. One of these foods may be a better choice for those dogs.
  • Some owners expressed they would prefer to feed their dogs a diet that is grain-inclusive. They felt that grains lay an important foundation for digestion in dogs.
  • A few owners wondered if this recipe had recently changed. Their dogs did not do as well on it as they once had.
  • Some owners felt this diet was a little on the expensive side.
  • This diet contains garbanzo beans, peas, and lentils, all ingredients of questionable nutritional value for dogs and that may be linked to lowered fertility rates.

Now Fresh Grain-Free Small Breed Adult Recipe Dry Dog Food review

At a Glance

  • Top 5 Ingredients:
    1. De-Boned Turkey
    2. Whole Dried Egg
    3. Peas
    4. Potatoes
    5. Potato Flour
  • Type: Dry food
  • Lifestage: Adult
  • Calories: 408 kcal/cup
  • Protein: 27%
  • Fat: 17%
  • Fiber: 4.5%

For one of the best dog foods for Maltese on the market today, it’s hard to go wrong with Now Fresh Grain-Free Small Breed Adult. A diet that places a high emphasis on exceptional quality meat proteins, the foundation of this recipe is turkey, salmon, and duck. Each of these proteins is easy for the Maltese to digest and also offers a powerhouse punch of amino acids to support healthy muscles.

A diet that includes no grains or gluten in its formula, Now Fresh Grain-Free Small Breed adult is free from by-products, wheat, corn, and soy, some of the most common allergens for dogs today. Prebiotics and probiotics have been included to lay a solid foundation for optimal digestion in the Maltese.

Pros

  • Owners like the size of the kibble pieces in this diet, feeling they are ideal for small breed dogs like the Maltese.
  • Owners noted that dogs fed this diet had excellent digestion and optimal stool quality.
  • Dogs love the taste of this food and look forward to their meals with great anticipation.
  • Owners love that this diet comes in a resealable bag, allowing them to keep their dogs’ food as fresh as possible.
  • Owners noted their dogs’ breath improved when fed a steady diet of Now Fresh Grain-Free Small Breed Adult.

Cons

  • A few owners noted there was a lack of consistency in the size and shape of the kibble pieces from bag to bag.
  • Some owners disliked that this diet is grain-free, preferring to feed a diet with some whole grains in its recipe to promote good digestion.
  • Some dogs are uninterested in this food and eat it only very reluctantly.
  • In a few cases, this diet was too rich for some dogs. They began to experience mild gastrointestinal distress when fed this food consistently. This is likely due to a sensitivity to one of the ingredients.
  • A few owners felt this diet was too expensive for them to feed their dogs on an ongoing basis.

Merrick Lil' Plates Grain-Free Real Chicken & Sweet Potato Dry Dog Food review

At a Glance

  • Top 5 Ingredients:
    1. Deboned Chicken
    2. Chicken Meal
    3. Turkey Meal
    4. Sweet Potatoes
    5. Potatoes
  • Type: Dry food
  • Lifestage: Adult
  • Calories: 412 kcal/cup
  • Protein: 38%
  • Fat: 17%
  • Fiber: 3.5%

Merrick Lil’ Plates Grain-Free is a premium diet designed specifically to meet the needs of both toy and small breeds. Rated as one of the best dog foods for Maltese, this food formulation takes whole deboned chicken as its foundation protein, a lean meat that is easy for dogs to digest well.

Both prebiotics and probiotics have been added to encourage fluid digestive processes and the development of healthy gut flora. Each piece of kibble also has a textured outer coating to help remove excess plaque from the teeth and gumline.

Pros

  • Most dogs love the flavor of this food. They eat their meals with hearty abandon, licking their bowls clean.
  • Owners like the size of the kibble pieces in this diet, feeling they are an excellent size and shape for small breeds like the Maltese.
  • Dogs suffering from recurring allergies did very well on this diet, finding relief from their symptoms.
  • This diet is available in several different flavors, allowing owners to offer their dogs some variety with their meals without sacrificing any nutritional quality.
  • Owners are pleased with the price of this diet, expressing they felt it was affordable and offered top tier nutrition to support their Maltese’s every need.

Cons

  • Some dogs dislike the taste of this food and will not eat it. Another Merrick formulation may be a better option for them.
  • A few owners noted that the ratio of protein to fat has changed on this diet. It is now lower protein and higher fat.
  • Several owners indicated that the seal is now on a different section of the bag, and they had difficulty getting it to work properly.
  • A few owners felt the kibble pieces were too small and may pose a choking hazard for toy and small breed dogs.
  • Some owners said they had difficulty getting this food in the smaller sized bags. They worried that the food in the large bags would go bad before their dogs would finish it.

Solid Gold Mighty Mini Small & Toy Breed Grain-Free Lamb, Sweet Potato & Carrot Dry Dog Food review

At a Glance

  • Top 5 Ingredients:
    1. Lamb
    2. Lamb Meal
    3. Ocean Fish Meal
    4. Chickpeas
    5. Peas
  • Type: Dry food
  • Lifestage: Adult
  • Calories: 470 kcal/cup
  • Protein: 30%
  • Fat: 18%
  • Fiber: 4%

Solid Gold Mighty Mini is a premium food formulation that hits all the high points Maltese need from their diet to enjoy an active lifestyle. A food that has been carefully crafted to meet the dietary requirements of toy and small breeds, the primary ingredient in Solid Gold Mighty Mini is lamb, a protein that is easy for Maltese to process and utilize effectively.

Probiotics have been added to this recipe to ensure a vital support for digestion and optimal gut flora. The diet, believed to be one of the best dog foods for Maltese, contains no grains or gluten, making it an ideal choice for dogs with sensitive stomachs.

Pros

  • Owners noted that the size of the kibble pieces are perfect for toy and small breed dogs.
  • Dogs love the taste of this food, eagerly lapping up every morsel in their dish at every meal.
  • Owners are pleased that this diet is available in several flavors. This allows them to give their dogs some diversity in their daily diet.
  • Owners shared their dogs’ stool quality was excellent when fed Solid Gold Mighty Mini regularly.
  • Most owners were thrilled with the price of this food, expressing that they felt this diet was highly affordable.

Cons

  • Some owners indicated that this diet can be difficult to find in stores. Thankfully, it can be ordered online and delivered.
  • In rare cases some dogs disliked the taste of this food and would not eat it. Solid Gold has several different small breed formulations in other flavors. One of these foods may be a better choice for those dogs.
  • A few owners shared that some of their bags of food contained a large amount of crumbled kibble in them.
  • Some owners disliked that this diet is grain-free. They expressed that they would prefer to feed a diet that includes some grains, believing these ingredients help with digestion.
  • This diet contains chickpeas, peas, and pea protein, all controversial ingredients that have been connected to lowered fertility rates in dogs.

CANIDAE PURE Petite Adult Small Breed Grain-Free with Salmon Dry Dog Food review

At a Glance

  • Top 5 Ingredients:
    1. Salmon
    2. Salmon Meal
    3. Peas
    4. Lentils
    5. Tapioca
  • Type: Freeze-dried raw and dry food
  • Lifestage: Adult
  • Calories: 525 kcal/cup
  • Protein: 24%
  • Fat: 12.5%
  • Fiber: 4%

CANIDAE Grain-Free PURE Petite offers small breed dogs all of the nutrition they need to thrive. This diet is comprised of freeze-dried pieces of meat and kibble to encourage even the most finicky eaters to consume their meals with hearty gusto. A limited ingredient diet, CANIDAE Grain-Free PURE Petite contains only eight foods in total, thus making it an ideal choice for dogs with sensitive stomachs.

CANIDAE Grain-Free PURE Petite, one of the best foods for Maltese on the market today, includes HealthPLUS Solutions in its recipe, a powerful blend of probiotics, antioxidants, and omega 3 and 6 fatty acids to boost all aspects of a dog’s health.

Pros

  • Owners love that this diet is designed to meet the needs of small breed dogs like the Maltese. They are thrilled that the kibble pieces are the perfect size and shape for their dogs’ mouths.
  • Most dogs love the taste of this diet, looking forward to their every meal.
  • Dogs suffering from allergies found relief from their symptoms when fed a steady diet of CANIDAE Grain-Free PURE Petite.
  • Owners like that this CANIDAE small breed offering is available in a couple of different flavors, permitting them to give their dogs some variety in their meals.
  • Most owners expressed they felt this diet was reasonably priced, particularly given its high quality.

Cons

  • Some dogs seemed to find the smell and taste of this food off putting. They would not eat it. CANIDAE has other formulations for small breeds that have different protein bases. One of these foods may be a better fit.
  • Some owners expressed they felt the kibble pieces were too small for dogs that were larger than 25 pounds at the most.
  • Some dogs seemed to dislike the texture of the outer coating of this food and struggled to eat it.
  • This diet contains peas and lentils, two controversial ingredients that are potentially linked to lowered fertility rates in dogs and rapid elevation of blood sugar levels.
  • A few owners felt that this diet was rather costly.