Finding the BEST dry dog food for your Shorkie Tzu is challenging.
Honestly, the list of companies and products to choose from seems endless. So to help, I did my best to narrow down the options! I’m confident you find a dry dog food that is perfect for your Shorkie Tzu below. 🙂
Here are some important things to know about my list:
- I tried to put in order the best dry dog foods from MOST expensive to least. Since prices sometimes adjust, please give me some grace if the pricing hierarchy isn’t perfect! 🙂
- Most of the dog foods below are made specifically for small breeds, so they should be perfect for your Shorkie Tzu. In general, small-breed dog food is higher in calories and nutrients, since small dogs tend to have a higher metabolism.
- Almost all of the companies below offer various flavors. To assist in comparison, I tried to find the option that featured CHICKEN or TURKEY as the base ingredient and flavor.
- Almost all of the foods below include whole grains as part of their recipe. If you are looking for the best GRAIN-FREE dog foods for Shorkie Tzus, click HERE.
The 9 BEST Dry Dog Foods for Shorkie Tzus:
#1. Orijen Amazing Grains Dry Dog Food
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Orijen Amazing Grains is the ideal option for buyers who want a HIGH-PROTEIN dry dog food for their Shorkie Tzu but still want some whole grains included to aid in digestion. Seriously, look at the ingredient list below, and you will see the first five ingredients are always protein sources, such as chicken, turkey, and fish! In fact, you will find that 90% of the ingredients are sourced from animals, and only the most succulent parts of the prey are used.
If you want your dog to have a high-protein diet, you won’t do better than Orijen, which blows the competition away on this list with a minimum crude protein of 38%. This dry dog food is one of the BEST options, but all of these features come at a cost, as Orijen Amazing Grains is also VERY costly.
Positives:
- High-quality ingredients without meat by-products, fillers, or preservatives.
- It also includes a grain blend of oats, quinoa, and chia to help digestion.
Negatives:
- A high-protein diet without a lot of grains is not suitable for all dogs.
- EXPENSIVE!
#2. The Honest Kitchen Small Breed Whole Food Clusters
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The Honest Kitchen produces arguably the BEST dry dog food for Shorkie Tzus around. Believe it or not, their small-breed whole food clusters are considered 100% edible for humans. Yes, you read that correctly! The ingredients are sourced from human-grade, whole foods. 🙂
The Honest Kitchen uses a unique process to ensure as much nutrition passes from the whole foods they use into the kibble. First, they cold-press the ingredients into bite-size clusters, which are then roasted and dehydrated. And all of this takes place in a HUMAN FOOD facility.
The ONLY negative to this dry dog food is the cost. As you can imagine, having a recipe that uses nutritious whole foods is expensive. But as you know, you almost always get what you pay for, and in this case, what you are paying for is VERY good.
Positives:
- It only uses ingredients that humans would consume.
- Nutritionally balanced recipe.
- There are NO feed-grade ingredients, meat meals, fillers, GMO ingredients, artificial flavors, or artificial preservatives.
Negatives:
- EXPENSIVE!
#3. Royal Canin Dry Dog Food
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Royal Canin produces some of the BEST dry dog food for Shorkie Tzus available. They consistently receive high customer ratings and reviews for great taste and even better nutrition.
My favorite part about Royal Canin is that they do a great job of combining incredible healthy food with kibble that almost every dog enjoys eating. As a result, even picky dogs tend to have no problems with Royal Canin.
Positives:
- Promotes immunity and digestion with antioxidants and prebiotics.
- To nourish your dog’s skin and coat, Omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) are included.
- To help with the absorption of nutrients, there is a great balance of protein and fiber.
- Royal Canin has an incredible amount of different dry dog food blends tailored to your dog’s age and size!
Negatives:
- EXPENSIVE!
- Corn is the first listed ingredient.
#4. Wellness Complete Health Small Breed
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In the opinion of many dog owners, veterinarians, and breeders, Wellness Complete Health is one of the BEST small-breed dry dog foods for Shorkie Tzus you can buy. Wellness recipes are complete and balanced meals for your dog, prepared with a tasty mixture of deboned chicken, lamb, turkey, or whitefish, depending on which flavor you choose.
Eating this dry food will give your Shorkie Tzu the comprehensive nutritional support required to stay active and maintain its health. It contains a huge amount of antioxidants and other high-quality nutrients, which help maintain cognitive function and keep your dog’s immune system in good shape.
Here is what I like:
- Improves healthy skin and a glossy coat.
- It does not contain meat by-products, fillers, or preservatives.
- Maintains healthy energy levels and supports the immune system.
#5. Blue Buffalo Small-Breed Dry Dog Food
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Blue Buffalo is an excellent choice if you want quality, affordable dry food for your Shorkie Tzu. It’s not as expensive as other options on this list, but it still contains quality ingredients, with “deboned chicken” listed as number one.
In fact, I have fed Blue Buffalo to our dog Chloe for most of her 14-year life, and she is still going strong! 🙂
Included in the kibble is something called “LifeSource Bits.” These smaller bits are an antioxidant-rich blend of vitamins and minerals, made using minimal heat that helps keep the potency of their ingredients.
Positives:
- The first ingredient is “deboned chicken.” In addition, there are NO “by-product” meals.
- No corn, wheat, or soy. Includes whole grains such as brown rice, barley, and oatmeal.
- Free of any artificial flavors and additives.
#6. Hill’s Science Diet Small Paws
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Hill’s Science Diet’s dry dog food is formulated to provide all the essential nutrients required for your Shorkie Tzu. It’s made to enhance cognitive, ocular, and skeletal development, in addition to a healthy immune system. Please note that the food listed above is made specifically for small dogs between the ages of 1 – 6. If your dog is older, then check out this product.
What’s also great is that every purchase helps support shelter pets. You can learn more about Hill’s Pets shelter program HERE.
Positives:
- Natural fibers are included in the recipe, which aids in digestion.
- High-quality protein is used as the first ingredient.
- Omega 6 fatty acids for a healthy coat.
- No artificial flavors or preservatives.
Negatives:
- Some owners said that their pets did not like the taste!
#7. Purina Pro Plan Small Breed Blend
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Another great dry dog food for Shorkie Tzus is Purina Pro Plan. I love that the first ingredient simply says “chicken.” It also includes fish oil, which aids in the creation of a healthy and shiny coat.
Interestingly, live probiotics were added to this dry dog food to strengthen your dog’s gut biome, which will help its digestion and immune system. Lastly, Purina Pro Plan does not include any artificial colors or flavors, and it is rich in calcium and phosphorus, both of which help to create healthy bones and teeth for your dog.
One thing my dog seems to enjoy about this dry dog food is the different textures and flavors. First, there is the standard hard kibble you would expect to find in dry dog food, but Purina also includes softer, tender pieces mixed in!
Here is what I like:
- Chicken is the FIRST ingredient.
- It contains fish oil that is full of critical omega-fatty acids.
- Includes antioxidants, live probiotics, calcium, and phosphorus.
- Free of any artificial colors, tastes, and scents.
#8. Iams Dry Dog Food
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If you’re looking for a great VALUE in dry dog food for small breeds, then Iam’s might be the best choice. Compared to other products on this list, it is one of the LEAST expensive. But if you analyze the ingredients, you will find that Iam’s does a great job of providing as much nutritional benefit to their recipe for the cost as possible!
Iams Dry Dog Food contains chicken as the first ingredient, which is rare for dog food in this price range. It also includes whole grains, such as corn and sorghum, and numerous prebiotics to assist digestion. In addition, flaxseeds are found in this dry dog food to provide the essential omega triglycerides required for healthy skin and a shiny coat.
Positives:
- The first ingredient is chicken.
- Whole grains, such as corn and sorghum, are some of the top ingredients.
- Includes flaxseeds, which are a naturally occurring source of omega fatty acids.
- No artificial preservatives, flavors, or fillers.
Negatives:
- Contains chicken by-products
#9. Pedigree Dry Small Dog Food
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When it comes to feeding your Shorkie Tzu, do you have a strict budget? If so, this dry dog food for small dogs from Pedigree might be the best option! Not only is it inexpensive, but Pedigree Dry Dog Food is full of essential nutrients and tastes great. It is rich in essential omega fatty acids to promote a healthy coat, vitamins, minerals, and whole grains, and it does NOT include any artificial flavors.
But to lower the food’s cost, adjustments to the ingredients had to be made. As you can see below, corn is the first ingredient. In addition, you will also find ingredients such as chicken by-products. Lastly, compared with other dry dog foods, Pedigree is low in protein, and some buyers have said the kibble is too hard for their dogs to eat.
When it comes to dog food, Pedigree has been a trusted name for years. If you decide to move forward with this dry dog food for your Shorkie Tzu, know that it’s a great option when it comes to price, but it is not as healthy as the other options above.
Positives:
- Great taste that most dogs love.
- Free of artificial flavors.
- Whole grains.
- Filled with B vitamins, zinc, and Vitamin E antioxidants.
Negatives:
- Corn is the first ingredient.
- It contains meals made from chicken by-products.
If this article was helpful, make sure you don’t miss this one!
Because of the huge variety of products available, selecting the BEST type of dry dog food for your Shorkie Tzu is incredibly challenging. I hope this guide helped narrow down your choices today. 🙂
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