Best Dog Foods for Pugs
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Pugs are lively and playful, but they are not very active. They love to eat and can easily become obese, so it is important to monitor your dog’s calorie intake and weight.
It is important to provide your pug with high-quality dog food, whether it is commercially manufactured or homemade and ensure that the recipe you choose provides a balanced mix of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals.
Pugs can be susceptible to skin allergies, so be cautious of potential allergens such as those with excessive fillers, artificial preservatives, and by-products, and seek out foods with novel proteins such as rabbit, duck, venison, or fish.
Always keep in mind that every dog is unique, and their nutritional needs can differ. It’s wise to consult with a veterinarian to develop a personalized and balanced diet plan for your pug. However, you might also find our list, below, of the best foods for Pugs, helpful, as chosen by our team of experts including animal nutritionists and vets.
Best Dog Foods for Pugs February 2026
Here are The Dog Food Advisor's best dog food brands for pugs for February 2026.
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Best Dry Food For Pugs
Merrick Healthy Grains Healthy Weight Recipe
Merrick Healthy Grains Healthy Weight Recipe is ideal for Pugs because it helps maintain weight with lean proteins, fiber-rich grains, and L-carnitine to support metabolism. Additionally, it includes glucosamine and chondroitin for joint health, plus omega fatty acids and probiotics for skin, coat, and digestive support—important for pugs’ overall well-being.
This particular recipe derives the bulk of its protein from chicken, which contains 10 of the essential amino acids a dog needs to sustain life. Our dry matter label analysis reveals it contains 29.2% protein, 10.1% fat and 52.7% estimated carbohydrates, with a fat-to-protein ratio of 35%.
Read our review of the full Merrick Classic Healthy Grains Dog Food (Dry) range here
Things we like
- No artificial preservatives, colors, or flavors
- USDA-certified
- High-quality whole food ingredients
Main Ingredients Deboned chicken, chicken meal, brown rice, barley, oat meal Type Grain-Inclusive Protein Percentage 29.2% AAFCO Standards Maintenance Best For Adult Pugs Sample buyer review...
Read more buyer reviews at Chewy.com"The Merrick brand always has quality and nutritious ingredients. I trust this brand for my dog. "
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Best Wet Food For Pugs
Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Beef and Brown Rice
Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Beef and Brown Rice is a nutritionally rich wet recipe that provides a single meat source and fewer ingredients which can help to aid digestion for your pug.
This food gets the majority of its protein from beef, which is naturally rich in all 10 essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.
Dry matter label analysis reveals it contains 36.4% protein, 22.7% fat and 32.9% estimated carbohydrates, with a fat-to-protein ratio of 63%.
Read our review of the full Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Dog Food (Wet) range here
Things we like
- Limited ingredients
- High-quality protein
- Made with wholesome grains
Main Ingredients Beef, beef broth, beef liver, brown rice, ground flaxseed Type Grain-Inclusive Protein Percentage 36.4% AAFCO Standards Maintenance Best For Adult Pugs Sample buyer review...
Read more buyer reviews at Chewy.com"My tiny dog needed to switch to soft food for lack of teeth due to age and dental appointments. He literally loves the food and cannot wait for me to put his bowl down. Causes no digestion issues and I know it is good quality."
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Best Fresh Food For Pugs
Just Food For Dogs Fish & Sweet Potato
Just Food For Dogs Fish & Sweet Potato recipe is high in protein and low in calories, helping your pug maintain a healthy weight. Packed with omega fatty acids and high levels of calcium and phosphorus, it also supports the strength of your pug’s bones and tissues.
This formula gets a big part of its protein from fish. Dry matter label analysis reveals the recipe contains 38.9% protein, 11.1% fat and 42% estimated carbs, providing a fat-to-protein ratio of about 29%.
Read our review of the full Just Food for Dogs (Fresh Frozen) range here
Things we like
- Human edible ingredients
- One protein source
- Frozen immediately after cooking to lock in nutrients
Main Ingredients Wild Alaska Pacific cod, sweet potatoes, potatoes, green beans, broccoli Type Grain-Free Protein Percentage 38.9% AAFCO Standards All Life Stages Best For All Pugs Sample buyer review...
Read more buyer reviews at justfoodfordogs.com"The Just Food For Dogs fish and sweet potato is exactly as described and pictured with a base of white fish and vegetables mixed in. It came on dry ice and is very fresh! My pup loves it."
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Best Food For Pug Puppies
Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream Puppy
A fully balanced, grain-free recipe containing no artificial colors, flavors or toxic chemical preservatives. Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream Puppy comes in a small kibble format perfect for small dogs. It is packed with the right nutrients for the overall vitality of your growing puppy.
This particular recipe derives the bulk of its protein from salmon and dry matter label analysis reveals it contains 30% protein, 16.7% fat and 45.3% estimated carbohydrates, with a fat-to-protein ratio of 56%.
Read our review of the full Taste of the Wild Grain-Free Dog Food (Dry) range here
Things we like
- Novel proteins
- USDA-approved
- Quality protein to support growing Pugs
Main Ingredients Deboned chicken, chicken meal, sweet potatoes, potatoes, pea protein Type Grain-Free Protein Percentage 30% AAFCO Standards All Life Stages Best For All Pugs Sample buyer review...
Read more buyer reviews at Chewy.com"I fed my last dogs grain-free food for many years and they lived long and healthy lives. I now have 2 new puppies and have continued the grain-free diet. They love the food and have no issues with it at all. Great brand and glad I was able to find a grain-free puppy food!"
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Best Affordable Food For Pugs
Canidae All Life Stages Chicken Meal and Rice
This is an affordable, high-quality and very popular wet dog food, ideal for picky pugs as it is easy to digest due to the inclusion of brown rice. Canidae recipes are formulated without corn, wheat, soy and no animal by-product meals.
This particular recipe derives the bulk of its protein from chicken which is naturally rich in the 10 essential amino acids required by your pug to sustain life.
Dry matter label analysis reveals it contains 40.9% protein, 29.5% fat and 21.5% estimated carbohydrates, with a fat-to-protein ratio of 72%.
Read our review of the full Canidae All Life Stages Dog Food (Canned) range here
Things we like
- High-quality ingredients at an affordable price
- Expert formulated
- Dedicated to transparency and sustainability
Main Ingredients Chicken, chicken broth, chicken liver, brown rice, oat bran Type Grain-Inclusive Protein Percentage 40.9% AAFCO Standards All Life Stages Best For All Pugs Sample buyer review...
Read more buyer reviews at Chewy.com"Great quality at a reasonable price. Canidae makes great dry food, so I expected the same great quality in their canned food, and I was not disappointed. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to feed a better quality canned food at a lower cost than comparable products."
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Best Food For Pugs With Allergies:
Vital Essentials Freeze-Dried Raw Rabbit Entree Mini Patties
Vital Essentials Freeze-Dried Raw Rabbit Entree Mini Patties receive the Dog Food Advisor’s rating: 5 stars.
This limited-ingredient recipe is high in protein and features premium butcher-cut rabbit. This novel protein is ideal for pugs prone to allergies and is also easily digestible.
The formula derives the bulk of its protein from rabbit and dry matter label analysis reveals it contains 59.8% protein, 16.3% fat and 15.9% estimated carbohydrates, with a fat-to-protein ratio of 27%.
Read our review of the full Vital Essentials Freeze-Dried Dog Food (Freeze-Dried Raw) range here
Things we like
- Novel protein for sensitivities
- Limited ingredient recipe
- Minimally processed for peak nutrients
Main Ingredients Rabbit, rabbit liver, rabbit heart, rabbit kidney, rabbit lung Type Grain-Free Protein Percentage 59.8% AAFCO Standards All Life Stages Best For All Pugs Sample buyer review...
Read more buyer reviews at Chewy.com"We love the rabbit protein with ground rabbit bone in these patties. We use them as an added topper to our regular Raised Right gently cooked food. It's a great way to pump up real bone content. Rabbit is a very lean protein and great for pups with sensitivity to other more common proteins, like chicken."
How we review dog foods
We read the label.
This may sound simple, but there are thousands of dog foods on the market, and the label is the only source of reliable, standardized and government-regulated data available on every one of them. This includes the AAFCO nutrient profile, the Guaranteed Analysis and the ingredients.
We use our algorithm.
We take the data and enter it into our unique algorithm to produce a different set of figures, including the Dry Matter Analysis (the nutrient levels after water has been removed). This algorithm gives us a base score range on our five-star rating system.
We refine the score.
We take into account other factors, such as the quality of ingredients and the nature of the first few ingredients on the list (and therefore the most prevalent in the food), and narrow the score. The key ingredients are explained in-depth in the review.
Our expert nutritionist takes over.
At this point, our expert pet nutritionist, Laura Ward, goes through the review to check and approve it. She has the authority to make small discretionary changes to the star-rating based on her judgment of a food. We now have our final star-rating.
What other information do we include for dog parents?
Each dog food review includes sample consumer reviews and links to other reviews. It also includes the brand’s recall history. Our Best Dog Food pages also include consumer reviews.
Why we don’t just feed foods to our dogs.
Despite what other dog food review sites claim, simply giving a food to a dog and seeing if they eat it is completely unscientific and has little value as a review method. If you give a kid candy, they’ll happily eat it, but it doesn’t mean it’s good for them. And no one food suits every dog.
It’s also dangerous for dogs. We rate every dog food, good and bad. Why would we deliberately feed a dog bad dog food?
That said, we understand that personal experience of a food is important to dog parents and include consumer reviews on our pages.
What about lab-testing dog food?
Lab-testing dog food can provide useful, in-depth information, but as mentioned, there are thousands of dog foods on the market. We’d love to test them all, but there isn’t a facility in the country that could. Therefore, it’s impossible to have a fair universal rating system using lab tests.
It’s worth noting that dog food brands carry out their own testing. This ensures compliance with AAFCO and FDA pet food standards, as well as checking for pathogens.
Why you should trust our dog food reviews
Dog Food Advisor has been impartially reviewing dog food since 2008. We are the most trusted dog food review site in the United States, with a 4.9-star TrustPilot rating.
Here's why:
We do not accept money, gifts, samples or any other incentives in exchange for special consideration in writing our reviews.
We rate every dog food in the same way, using the only information we believe is equally available for all foods, reliable and therefore fair: what’s on the label. It’s the only way for any review site to rate every dog food on the market.
We focus on ingredients, nutrient profiles and recipes. We look at the ingredients used, including their quality, and review the nutritional analysis and macronutrient balance. We take into account any controversial or harmful ingredients.
Every review is expertly checked and approved by our highly qualified in-house animal nutritionist, Laura Ward.
We report all dog food and dog treat recalls through our Dog Food Recall Alert service, no matter the brand.
For more information, read our How We Rate Dog Food and Disclaimer and Disclosure pages.
More Top Picks
To view more top dog foods by category… click the link below that best meets your personal feeding needs.
Final word
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