Did you end up here because you want to feed your Morkie only the best?
You aren’t alone!
The Morkie is currently one of the most popular designer dogs in America.
The Morkie is a cross between a Maltese Poodle and a Yorkshire Terrier with the characteristics of both.
They are generally quite affectionate and a joy to be around making you crave to only give them the best, hence why you are here.
This little teddy bear-like dog is classified as a toy or small breed.
This means that their nutritional needs are a little different from bigger dogs.
These needs include the size of their kibble pieces, the amount fed, feeding routines, and more.
It is important to have some control over what your dog eats, so we will help you to understand dog food labels.
In this article, we consider the ingredient of the dog food, the popularity of the brand, feedback, and reviews from other dog owners, and what veterinarians and other experts in dog food have to say, so let’s dive in!
Table of Contents
Understanding The Dietary Needs Of Morkies
The Morkie is a breed known for their abundance of energy and that is why they need a complex diet that meets their energy needs.
Their food will have to contain protein, fat, and fiber from high-quality sources.
If possible, real meat, fish, vegetables, fruits, and oils are excellent additions to your Morkies diet.
You might want to look into where your dog is getting its carbohydrates along with real meats and vegetables.
A lot of your dog’s dietary fiber comes from carbohydrates thus making them vital for regulating your pup’s bowel movements and digestion.
Many dog foods include carbs in the form of grains such as rice and barley. Don’t want the grain?
Many pet parents substitute grains with more starchy sources such as starchy vegetables, beans, and legumes.
You will also need to make sure that your Morkies food contains high-quality oils.
Oils are essential for keeping the skin and coat healthy and can protect your dog against environmental allergens.
Oils you can expect in your dog’s food is sunflower or salmon oil.
Morkie Puppies
If your Morkie is a puppy, it will require more protein and fat in its diet to keep up with all the growth going on.
Your pup will also need some extra calories to burn in play since Morkies have so much energy.
A general guideline for Morkie puppies is 22% protein and 8% fat daily.
Morkie Adults
Remember, quality is always more important than quantity when it comes to your Morkies food.
Many pet parents have developed the habit of leaving food out all day for their Morkie to eat whenever it likes.
This is not wrong, but it is definitely better to feed your Morkie two or three feedings of high-quality food per day to prevent them from becoming obese.
As an adult, your Morkie will need around 20% protein and 5% fat in its diet depending on its weight.
Morkie Seniors
Morkies are considered seniors when they reach eight years of age.
They will begin to slow down and their metabolism will reduce.
This means that you will need to change their food to senior-specific dog food and decrease the amount of food they consume daily.
What To Look For In Morkie Food
You want to pay attention to the first few ingredients listed on the dog food to make sure it contains real food.
A lot of low-quality dog food will use fillers like ground corn and wheat sorghum as primary ingredients instead of real meat.
Unfortunately, these filler ingredients do nothing for your pup besides filling their stomachs.
All in all, there are 3 main things to consider when choosing a dog food, regardless of your dog’s breed or size.
Protein
The number one most important thing in your dog’s diet is of course protein.
Dogs are technically omnivores (this means that they eat both plants and meat) but the main ingredient in their diets has always traditionally been meat.
Dogs have evolved to need less protein in their diet than their ancestor, the wolf, but they still require much more than we humans do.
Therefore you need to make sure you provide enough protein in their diets to keep them healthy.
The best way to get protein into your morkie is to choose a food that is made from real, identifiable animal products.
It’s the most well-rounded protein source available, just as nature intended.
There are those that try to feed their dogs vegan or vegetarian diets. These diets use soy protein as a meat substitute.
While dogs can survive without meat, it is not ideal.
Vegan or vegetarian diets are not recommended for dogs.
Fat
Dogs, like humans, need fat in their diet to maintain a healthy body.
Dogs do need more fat than humans do in their diets, but they still need it only in limited amounts.
Morkies use fat in a similar way that human bodies use fat with the added function of hormone production.
This is why fat is a little more essential to dogs than it is to humans.
Vitamins And Minerals
Dogs need vitamins and minerals just as much as humans do to keep themselves healthy.
Almost every respectable brand of dog food today is designed to be used for all meals and contains various vitamins and minerals to keep your dog’s immune system functioning properly.
It also means that the food contains all compounds needed to keep a dog healthy.
Morkie Feeding Chart
Morkies usually have a hard time consuming enough food to keep up with their activity level.
It is very important to take feeding seriously with this breed.
Morkies should weigh between 4-15 pounds (1.8-6.8 kg) with females usually ranging from 4-8 pounds (1.8-3.6 kg) and males up to 15 pounds (6.8 kg).
Calorie needs of Morkies:
- Adult Male: 320 Calories
- Adult Female: 160 Calories
- Puppy Male: 550 Calories
- Puppy Female: 275 Calories
These guidelines also include the snacks or anything else you feed your pup throughout the day so remember to withdraw those calories when feeding your pup.
Puppies can be fed as much as four meals per day which then can be gradually decreased to two per day.
Do remember that feeding a high-quality kibble will sustain your pup for longer bringing down the amount of food that you need to feed per day.
Now that we’ve gone through what your Morkie needs in its food, let’s look at the top 10 best foods for Morkies.
Top 10 Foods for Morkies in 2021
- Blue Buffalo Chicken And Rice Life Protection Formula
- Stella and Chewy’s Super Beef Meal Mixers
- Royal Canin Dry Dog Food
- Rachael Ray Nutrish Little Bites Dry Dog Food
- Merrick Lil’ Plates For Small Breed Dogs
- Natural Balance L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets Dry Dog Food
- Nutro Wholesome Essentials For Adult Small Breeds
- Wellness Small Breed Complete Health Natural Dry
- American Journey Grain-Free Oven Baked Salmon Treat
- Hill’s Science Diet Dry Dog Food For Small & Toy Breeds
Blue Buffalo Chicken And Rice Life Protection Formula Small Breed
- Affordable
- Designed specifically for toy breeds
- Helps with sensitive stomachs
- Promotes muscle develo
- Contains grains that may cause allergies in some dogs
- Morkies may find it hard to eat the LifeSource
Blue Buffalo always delivers high-quality food at the most affordable price possible.
Their recipe is geared towards small breeds and uses real chicken and brown rice as its main ingredients.
The formula contains garden vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and LifeSource Bits.
LifeSource Bits contains all the vitamins and minerals your dog needs to stay healthy.
Unfortunately, some pups just don’t like the LifeSource Bits and will pick them out to be left uneaten.
Their recipe also contains glucosamine for healthy joins, 26% protein, and 15% fat which is an ideal moderate balance for toy breeds.
Stella and Chewy’s Super Beef Meal Mixers Freeze-Dried Dog Food
- Raw meat is a key ingredient
- Contains organic vegetables
- Grain and gluten-free
- Contains probiotics a
- Not a meal, just a topper
- Quite expensive
- Too high in protein for some pups (44% Protein)
This brand is the best grain-free high-protein food available. It features 95% raw meat, meat byproducts, and bones.
The protein content is around 44% minimum and thus is a top choice for owners who want to add protein to their dog’s diet.
This brand designed its food to meet the nutritional requirements of a healthy natural canine diet.
They prioritize food safety and dog owners also get a product warranty.
Royal Canin Dry Dog Food
- Options for older dogs
- Promotes oral health
- Best to fight Morkie obesity
- Meets high energy needs
- Aff
- Contains chicken by-product meal
Royal Canin is nutrient-rich while still promoting healthy weight in Morkies.
It is affordable and a great option for owners with worries about food costs since food can be bought in bulk.
Many dogs prefer the flavor of Royal Canin to other kibbles.
Their recipe includes all essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals and is great for keeping teeth healthy.
They have corn as their first ingredient for carbohydrates.
This is the best food to meet a Morkies high energy demands and is available in most countries.
Rachael Ray Nutrish Little Bites Dry Dog Food
- Contains natural products
- Meets high energy demand
- Promotes gut health
- Easy to chew
- No artificial co
- Might not be the best pick for picky eaters
This brand has real chicken as their first ingredient.
The kibble comes in crunchy small-sized shapes perfect for your Morkie to chew.
Other ingredients include beet pulp for a healthy gut, carbohydrates, essential vitamins and minerals, and chicken fat for healthy skin and fur.
When you buy a bag of food from this brand, a part of the money is donated to the Rachael Ray Foundation to help a dog in need.
Merrick Lil’ Plates For Small Breed Dogs
- Grain and gluten-free
- Contains probiotics
- No soy
- Rich in protein
- Some dogs have a hard time adjusting to the flavor
This delicious dog food from Texas is grain-free and contains around 30% protein.
Deboned lamb is the first ingredient followed by lamb meal.
It promotes coat and skin health and naturally contains glucosamine and chondroitin for healthy joints.
Each bag contains fruits and vegetables that provide antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
The kibble is also small enough for Morkies to chew and thus promotes oral health.
Natural Balance L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets Dry Dog Food
- Recommended for dogs with sensitive stomachs
- Supports a strong heart
- Grain, corn, wheat, soy, artifi
- Picky Morkies may not like the taste of this food
This grain-free formula from the U.S contains farm-raised chicken as the first ingredient and only source of animal protein.
It also contains the right amount of vitamins and minerals for a healthy Morkie.
The recipe also includes taurine for a healthy heart.
Natural Balance is a limited ingredient diet that tries to minimize food allergies.
It also contains flaxseed oil for a healthy coat and bacteria for a healthy gut.
The kibble is small enough for a morkie to chew and thus promotes oral health.
This brand gives a 100% money-back satisfaction guarantee so you can be assured of the quality of the ingredients.
Nutro Wholesome Essentials For Adult Small Breeds
- No fillers or artificial ingredients
- Small-sized kibble
- No chicken by-product meal
- GMO-free
- No artif
- Not ideal for fussy eaters
This dog food was designed to meet all the nutrient needs of a Morkie.
It also has small-sized kibble for easy chewing that promotes oral health.
Kibble is rich in fiber and contains non-GMO ingredients.
The first ingredient in this food is real chicken along with many minerals, vitamins, and other nutrients needed for a happy, healthy pup.
Omega-3 and 6 are also present to ensure a healthy coat and skin.
This dog food was also designed to keep your Morkie from becoming overweight.
Wellness Small Breed Complete Health Natural Dry
- Easy to digest
- Contains plenty of protein
- High-fat content for healthy coat and skin
- Great for sensi
- Contains 4 different protein sources that can cause allergies
- Picky eaters may not like the flavor
This is a great food for your Morkie if it has a sensitive stomach.
It contains lots of easily digestible ingredients such as turkey and oatmeal.
The recipe also contains around 28% protein and 15% fat, but it is still just enough not to upset the stomach.
A variety of probiotics, vitamins, and minerals are also added into the mix to promote gut and immune system health.
Another main feature of this recipe is its perfect calorie count to help you support your Morkies weight.
American Journey Grain-Free Oven Baked Salmon Treat
- Contains DHA
- Well-recommended food
- Contains high-quality oils
- Lean protein in salmon
- Does not come in small breed formula
The best way to buy dog food is to look at reviews from other pet owners.
American Journey food has top-notch reviews and is recommended by most dog owners.
The catch here, unfortunately, they don’t have a small breed kibble.
This might make it difficult for your Molkie to chew. T
he quality and consistency of the brand, however, makes it worth a try.
The formula contains DHA which is an ingredient found in mother’s milk that plays a role in cognitive development in dogs.
On top of that, it also contains an abundance of fatty acids from the flaxseed and salmon oils which are great for your Morkies skin.
Hill’s Science Diet Dry Dog Food For Small & Toy Breeds
- Veterinarian recommended
- Specifically made for small breeds
- Nibble sized kibble
- Nutrient packed with
- Not grain-free
- Only one type available
This dog food is developed to meet the developmental needs of small breed puppies.
It contains chicken meal, brown rice, and barley as its 3 main ingredients.
In addition to the main ingredients, it also contains DHA from fish oil to promote eye and brain development.
DHA is a key nutrient found in mother’s milk.
The food was designed to be well balanced with proteins, minerals, vitamins antioxidants, fatty acids, and fiber.
The goal is to support the dog’s digestion, immune system, and other body development needs.
It comes in nibble size kibble perfect for small dogs. There are two pack sizes so that you can buy a small pack to test on picky eaters before investing in a big pack.
Final Thoughts
- Affordable
- Designed specifically for toy breeds
- Helps with sensitive stomachs
- Promotes muscle develo
- Contains grains that may cause allergies in some dogs
- Morkies may find it hard to eat the LifeSource
The Morkie is a wonderful little dog to have around, but for your pup to be happy and healthy, you will need to feed it a high-quality kibble that will meet all nutritional needs in your pup.
Our above recommendations are perfect for that and more so try them out and pick one to stick with.
Neither you nor your Morkie will be disappointed.
