Best Puppy Food: What to Compare

The short answer: feed a food labeled for growth, in several small meals, and keep large breeds on puppy food for longer. The Merck Veterinary Manual says puppies need special puppy food with enough calories, fat, protein, vitamins and minerals for growth. Look for the AAFCO label, which means the food meets certain nutritional standards. Most dogs reach adulthood at 9 to 12 months, but large and giant breeds can take almost two years.

How Often to Feed

Merck’s feeding schedule for puppies:

Age	Meals a day	Food
6-12 weeks	4	Puppy diet
3-6 months	3	Puppy diet
6-12 months	2	Puppy diet
Over 12 months	1 or 2	Adult diet

For large breeds, Merck adds that smaller meals at least twice a day help prevent the stomach from bloating (Merck). Overfeeding is a common problem. For most breeds, you should be able to feel the spine and ribs but not see them.

Large-Breed Puppies

Large and giant breeds grow fast for a long time, and several bone problems of young, fast-growing dogs are described in Merck’s chapter on bone disorders. For one of them, panosteitis, Merck says it is uncertain whether high-protein, high-calorie diets or supplements play a role, but suggests avoiding them in young growing dogs (Merck). So don’t add supplements to a complete puppy food unless your vet advises it. Look for a label that says “growth including growth of large size dogs (70 lb or more as an adult)”. The Royal Canin food below carries exactly that wording.

Three Puppy Foods Compared

Food	For	First ingredient	Protein	Calcium	Energy	AAFCO statement	Links
Hill’s Science Diet Puppy Small & Mini, Chicken & Brown Rice	Small breeds, up to 1 year	Chicken	Hill’s gives dry matter: 28.9%	1.58% of dry matter	418 kcal per cup	Feeding tests: growing puppies, and pregnant or nursing dogs	See on Amazon · Maker’s page
Hill’s Science Diet Puppy Large Breed, Chicken & Brown Rice	Large breeds (over 55 lb as adults), up to 18 months	Chicken	Hill’s gives dry matter: 26.7%	1.16% of dry matter	387 kcal per cup	Feeding tests: growing puppies	See on Amazon · Maker’s page
Royal Canin Large Puppy	Large breeds (56-100 lb as adults), up to 15 months	Chicken by-product meal	28.0% min, as sold (moisture 10.5% max)	Not in the page text we read	349 kcal per cup	Formulated to meet: growth, including large size dogs (70 lb or more as adults)	See on Amazon · Maker’s page

How we put this together. Three puppy foods from two makers, one for small breeds and two for large, compared on what each maker states on its own product page, checked on 26 October 2026. Hill’s gives nutrients on a dry-matter basis, without water, and Royal Canin gives them for the food as sold, so the protein figures do not line up directly. Hill’s publishes calcium, so you can see that its large-breed recipe has less calcium than its small-breed one. We have not fed these foods, and a label cannot tell you how a particular puppy will do. Both makers also sell breed-specific puppy foods. There are no prices here: the Amazon links search for the exact food, and we may earn a commission if you buy through them.

Treats, Water and the Switch to Adult Food

• Treats and table scraps: Merck says table scraps should never be more than 10% of a dog’s daily calories.
• Water: always fresh, clean water, never restricted unless your vet advises it.
• Switching: move to adult food at adulthood, which comes later for big dogs, as above. Hill’s recommends its large-breed puppy food up to 18 months.

Related Reading

• Dog vaccines, including the puppy series
• Why your dog has diarrhea, and why diarrhea in a puppy is urgent
• Food for dogs with sensitive stomachs