10 Healthiest & Best Dog Food for Miniature Schnauzers in June 2023

Trying to figure out what the best dog food for Miniature Schnauzers are? Read on.

They’re bold. They’re bouncy. They’re bearded. Miniature Schnauzers look like grizzled grandfathers and have some of the dog world’s most charismatic personalities.

These dogs are loyal, obedient, intelligent, and playful. Miniature Schnauzers were developed in 19th century Germany as smaller counterparts to Standard Schnauzers.

By breeding Standard Schnauzers with other breeds like the Poodle and Affenpinscher, farmers created effective ratters.

These smaller dogs efficiently hunted down rodents, protecting the farm and home from vermin. This breed was called the Zwergschnauzer (dwarf Schnauzer).

OUR TOP 3 PICKS FOR DOG FOODS FOR MINIATURE SCHNAUZERS

In keeping with their ancestry, modern Miniature Schnauzers have a strong instinct to hunt smaller animals like squirrels, mice, and sometimes cats. Gladly, they’re also quick studies and can be easily trained to coexist with their feline neighbors.

Today’s Miniature Schnauzer is alert, active, and takes being a loyal companion to the next level. These dedicated dogs have a tendency to latch onto a person and become their furry shadow.

By no means is the Miniature Schnauzer a delicate teacup terrier: these little dogs are as physically robust as they are mentally sharp. They make good athletes and aren’t afraid to engage larger dogs in playtime.

As adults, Miniature Schnauzers stand 12-14” tall and weigh between 12 and 18 lbs. Females tend to weigh slightly less than males.

Best Dog Foods for Miniature Schnauzers

What is the Best Dog Food for Miniature Schnauzers?

1. Nom Nom Fresh Pet Food
2. The Honest Kitchen Grain-Free Chicken Recipe
3. Primal Chicken Formula Nuggets
4. Ollie Fresh Pet Food
5. Canidae Pure Real Salmon & Sweet Potato Recipe
6. Merrick L.I.D. Real Salmon & Brown Rice Recip
7. Nulo Freestyle Chicken, Salmon & Lentils Puppy Recipe
8. Merrick Puppy Chicken & Sweet Potato Recipe
9. Instinct Raw Boost Senior Recipe with Real Chicken
10. Wysong Optimal Senior Formula

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1. Nom Nom Fresh Pet Food Delivery

All Ingredients (Turkey Fare): Turkey, Brown Rice, Carrots, Spinach, Eggs

Nom Nom’s cooked meals are a good balance between dry food and raw diets. Meals are prepared and arrive at your house ready to serve or store in the fridge (or freezer).

Tasty Turkey Fare is a non-allergenic option that uses whole turkey and eggs for quality proteins plus whole fruits and veggies to give antioxidant and vitamin support.

It’s clean and limited ingredient. It should appeal to picky dogs and help alleviate the digestive issues of dogs with severe allergies. Portion sizes are simple, and foods contain balanced nutrition created by a Vet Nutritionist.

Pros

• Suitable for allergies
• Taste appeals to a wide range of dogs
• Easy to serve
• Convenient
• Guaranteed to meet your dog's nutritional needs
• Maximum dog enjoyment
• Customizable
• Free Shipping
• No grains

Cons

• Requires cold storage
• Delivery schedule choices aren’t available in all areas

2. The Honest Kitchen Grain-Free Chicken Recipe

First 5 Ingredients: Chicken, Organic Flaxseed, Potatoes, Celery, Sweet Potatoes

The Honest Kitchen foods are made from fresh ingredients in a facility designed for human food production. These foods are made with minimally-processed dehydrated ingredients that should be re-hydrated with warm water before serving to your dog.

That additional water can help to keep your bladder stone-prone Miniature Schnauzer’s urinary tract healthy.

Because the ingredients are minimally processed, they contain active enzymes that can contribute your dog’s digestive health.

The recipe is grain-free and made without common problem ingredients like corn, soy, and wheat. Overall plant-based and made with a considerable concentration of carbohydrates, this recipe is low in fat with moderate amounts of protein.

Pros

• Minimally processed food is easy for your dog to digest and nutritionally dense
• High in moisture; ideal for dogs prone to urinary tract disease
• Made from organic, high-quality ingredients

Cons

• On the expensive side
• High in plant matter and carbohydrates

3. Primal Chicken Formula Nuggets

First 5 Ingredients: Chicken, Chicken Necks, Chicken Gizzards, Organic Kale

If you’re interested in feeding your Miniature Schnauzer raw food, with its rich concentration of biologically-available nutrients and active enzymes, Primal’s freeze-dried nuggets make raw feeding simple and convenient.

Fresh chicken muscle meat, organs, and a small amount of finely ground fresh bones make up at least 77% of this food – these are a biologically-appropriate source of vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids.

This food gets a boost from salmon oil for Omega-3 fatty acids and includes nourishing ingredients like mineral-rich montmorillonite clay, organic parsley, organic apple cider vinegar, and organic kelp.

Pros

• Made from fresh, minimally-processed meat, organs, and bones – rich in nutrients and naturally-occurring enzymes
• A convenient way to serve your dog raw food
• Low in carbohydrates and free from fillers, byproducts, and artificial ingredients

Cons

• A high-fat food – may not be right for dogs prone to pancreatitis

4. Ollie Fresh Pet Food

First five ingredients (Lamb Recipe): Lamb, Lamb Liver, Butternut Squash, Kale, Chickpeas

Ollie is a company that specializes in providing customized, healthy food based on a pup’s profile (age, breed, weight, activity level, and allergies).

It’s a relatively new brand that was founded only last 2016, but it has grown into an in-demand fresh dog food delivery service with a large following.

The company recommends precise portions based on how much calories your dog needs then ships it to you on a flexible but regular schedule.

All you have to do is store each meal pack in the freezer and only thaw out what you need when your doggo needs it. It’s easy because it’s ready to serve.

Not only are Ollie recipes made of food grade ingredients, they’re also all crafted by canine nutritionists to ensure your dog gets the proper nutrition and diet that’s designed just for his requirements.

The ingredients depend on whole foods that are cooked gently to retain the nutrients inside of them. There are no artificial flavors because the brand believes that fresh food tastes amazing on its own (and we agree). There are no fillers like wheat, soy, or corn, and best of all, it’s a fresh food that you can taste for yourself.

Currently, Ollie offers four flavors in its dog food line: beef, chicken, turkey, and lamb. Each recipe is centered around meat with superfoods to add all the nutrients each individual pup requires, from minerals and vitamins to fibers and antioxidants.

Pros

• Each recipe is vet-formulated
• Made from fresh, natural ingredients
• Met AAFCO nutritional standards
• More solid stools, reduced stool volume
• Improved oral/dental health
• Increased vitality and energy levels

Cons

• Bit expensive
• Only has 4 variants for now – if your pet has serious sensitivities or allergies, shop carefully
• Fresh pet food has a shorter shelf life compared to kibbles and canned goods

5. CANIDAE PURE Real Salmon & Sweet Potato Recipe

First 5 Ingredients: Salmon, Salmon Meal, Menhaden Fish Meal, Sweet Potatoes, Peas

This limited-ingredient formula is made with eight key ingredients and a lot of additional supplements. Designed for dogs with allergies and food sensitivities, this fish-based recipe centers around whole salmon and salmon meal, naturally offering beneficial fatty acids while eliminating common food allergens.

The food is free from grains or corn, soy, or wheat, but is nevertheless a plant-based food with a relatively high carbohydrate content.

Despite the limited number of food ingredients, the recipe offers well-rounded nutrition with probiotics, the enzyme cellulase, and a complete variety of vitamins and minerals.

The food is free from gluten, hormones, and antibiotics.

Pros

• Limited ingredient recipe is ideal for dogs with food allergies
• Contains a mix of probiotics to encourage digestive health
• Free of grains and corn, wheat, or soy

Cons

• Contains high-glycemic potatoes
• Made with alfalfa meal, a plant byproduct with minimal nutritional value

6. Merrick L.I.D. Real Salmon & Brown Rice Recipe

First five ingredients: Deboned Salmon, Salmon Meal, Brown Rice, Oatmeal, Barley

Merrick L.I.D. Real Salmon & Brown Rice Recipe is the healthy choice for your Schnauzer with sensitive stomachs.

The specially designed recipe contains a limited selection of high-quality ingredients that supply a complete and balanced diet, packed with nutrition.

Merrick L.I.D. Real Salmon & Brown Rice Recipe utilizes a single protein recipe. Thus, it contains zero soy, corn, wheat, dairy or eggs.

This recipe is loaded with important vitamins like calcium and omega-3 and 6 fatty acids, and glucosamine to support healthy skin, joint function, a rich coat, and strong bones.

Pros

• Simple ingredient panel
• Grain-free recipe with no gluten ingredients
• No artificial colors, flavors or preservatives

Cons

• No prebiotics or probiotics

Best Puppy Foods

Like all puppies, growing Miniature Schnauzers require a balanced diet designed to support healthy growth. Choose a food formulated for either “all life stages” or “growth” – an adult maintenance food won’t support your growing pup’s needs.

7. Nulo Freestyle Chicken, Salmon & Lentils Puppy Recipe

First 5 Ingredients: Chicken, Chicken Broth, Salmon Broth, Chicken Liver, Salmon

This Freestyle recipe uses both whole chicken and salmon for complete proteins for growing bodies. It’s grain free and uses lentils as a source of complex carbohydrates and fiber.

It has guaranteed levels of DHA in addition to fatty acids for brain development, healthy skin, and coat. It’s low glycemic and will help control growth. Plus, it uses antioxidants and probiotics to support digestion.

Nulo was created about ten years ago in a focus on providing low carb and low glycemic foods to dogs. It’s manufactured in states with an emphasis on sustainable farming and strives to provide a quality ancestral diet for your puppy.

Pros:

• Guaranteed DHA
• Whole proteins
• Support for bone health

Cons:

• Canned food is messy
• Strong smell

8. Merrick Puppy Real Chicken And Sweet Potato

First 5 Ingredients: Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Peas, Sweet Potatoes, Potatoes

With deboned chicken as the first ingredient, you know your puppy is in good hands with this food from Merrick. It does not contain any corn, wheat, soy, or artificial flavors and preservatives.

It’s important at an early age to give your doggo what they need to grow up healthy and smart. This food also contains DHA which is an essential nutrient for brain development, and it helps your pups while they are training.

Merrick believes in creating food that is not only healthy for your pet but food that tastes great too. With more than 25 years’ experience, they make dog food under close supervision from professionals.

Pros

• Helps support a shiny coat
• All natural ingredients
• Great for picky eaters

Cons

• Packaging issues
• Contains too many potatoes

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Best Senior Dog Foods

Miniature Schnauzers typically live for 12-15 years. As they grow older, these sprightly dogs may become less active and have a decreased metabolism. As with all dogs, this combination makes becoming overweight more of an issue.

Bearing in mind the Miniature Schnauzer’s predisposition to pancreatitis and knowing that overweight, inactive dogs are most likely to develop the condition, it’s easy to see why it’s particularly important to manage your senior Miniature Schnauzer’s weight.

A high-quality, calorie-limited diet can help your Miniature Schnauzer to continue feeling fit and bouncy throughout their senior years.

9. Instinct Raw Boost Senior Recipe with Real Chicken

First 5 Ingredients: Chicken Meal (source of Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfate), Chickpeas, Peas, Tapioca, Chicken

While Miniature Schnauzers aren’t particularly prone to joint problems, the inclusion of glucosamine and chondroitin is always a welcome one in senior dog foods.

With its limited calorie content, minimal carbohydrates, and lean fat content, this food helps to keep your dog slim as they move through their senior years.

Morsels of freeze-dried raw chicken give this food a nutritional boost, adding some active enzymes that can help the digestive tract and pancreas function with ease.

Other senior-targeted additions include natural DHA from chicken eggs and added L-carnitine to help burn fat.

Pros

• Contains nourishing chunks of freeze-dried raw meat
• Free of artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives
• Doesn't contain any corn, soy, or wheat – grain-free
• Contains glucosamine and chondroitin to support continued joint health
• Contains L-carnitine to discourage fat deposits
• Supports continued brain and eye health

Cons

• The raw morsels may be inconsistent from bag to bag

10. Wysong Optimal Senior Dry Dog Food Review

First 5 Ingredients: Turkey, Turkey Meal, Fish Meal, Pea Protein, Peas

This senior formula is based around a healthy concentration of fresh or dried meat and organs. These minimally-processed meat ingredients deliver enzymes and nutrients in their most biologically-available form.

The food is rounded out with a wide range of nutraceuticals like mineral-rich montmorillonite clay, immune-boosting colostrum, a probiotic blend, and a variety of vitamin-packed fruits and vegetables.

The food hits senior-specific marks with glucosamine and chondroitin for joint health, fatty acids to fight inflammation and support brain and eye health, and limited fat and carbohydrates to keep your senior dog slim.

Pros

• Limited fat content helps to keep your senior dog healthy and slim
• Low-glycemic and low in carbohydrates
• Contains a rich concentration of minimally processed animal content
• Free from grains – no corn, wheat, or soy

Cons

• Expensive
• Contains pea protein – not the best source of protein for your dog

What makes a great food for Miniature Schnauzers?

Every Miniature Schnauzer is different – that’s obvious. Depending on activity levels and unique metabolism, calorie needs will vary, but as a general rule, small dogs like the Miniature Schnauzer need slightly more calories per pound than do larger dogs. Puppies will require more frequent meals than adults.

The Mini Schnauzer demands the same type of high-quality nutrition that every dog deserves: food made without artificial ingredients, added sugars, low-quality byproducts, and centered around real, high-quality meat. Foods with grains as the first ingredient are a no-go for these dogs.

The Miniature Schnauzer is particularly sensitive to food quality – their genetic predisposition to certain health conditions necessitates a pristine diet made without fillers and other low-value ingredients.

The Unique Health Needs of the Miniature Schnauzer

Unfortunately, Miniature Schnauzers are more inclined to have health problems than are their larger cousins, the Standard Schnauzer and Giant Schnauzer. They are well-known for their tendency to develop pancreatitis and urinary stones.

Other health conditions common among dogs of this breed are portosystemic shunts, myotonia, epilepsy, and eye problems. With a 1% incidence rate, portosystemic shunts – a liver defect – are almost 20 times as likely to affect a Miniature Schnauzer than any other breed.

Myotonia is a genetic condition that can be detected through DNA testing – so be sure to discuss this with your breeder.

Pancreatitis – Pancreatitis is more common among Miniature Schnauzers than virtually any other breed. About one third of all Miniature Schnauzers have elevated blood triglycerides and this is thought to predispose them to this condition.

The pancreas serves a number of important functions, including the release of digestive enzymes and production of insulin. In the case of pancreatitis, the pancreas becomes inflamed and those digestive enzymes get into the pancreatic tissue instead of the small intestine, causing damage and pain as the pancreas begins to consume itself.

Miniature Schnauzers may suffer from acute episodes of pancreatitis or may have a chronic form of the condition, and it can be mild, life-threatening, and any severity in between.

Eye Problems – Like many other dogs, Miniature Schnauzers are prone to a number of eye problems. Eye conditions prevalent among these dogs include cataracts, progressive retinal atrophy, and retinal dysplasia.

These are typically hereditary conditions, so the best prevention is a conversation with your breeder. Choose a reputable breeder known for producing Miniature Schnauzers with healthy eyes.

You can’t always prevent these conditions through good breeding, though. Fortunately, diet can help to encourage ocular health. A diet rich in nutritious vitamins like A, C, and E can help to encourage continued eye health, as does the inclusion of Omega-3 fatty acids, particularly DHA, which plays an important role in supporting eye and brain health.

Bladder Stones – These stones are most common among small dogs like Poodles, Yorkies, Bichon Frises, and of course, the Miniature Schnauzer. Struvite and calcium oxalate are the most commonly diagnosed uroliths affecting Miniature Schnauzers.

These stones can cause painful urination, bloody urine, and obstruction. It’s important that your stone-prone dog stays hydrated.

Constant access to fresh water is a must. If your dog suffers from recurrent bladder stones and doesn’t drink enough water, a raw or moist diet can help to keep them hydrated and the urinary tract flushed.

Struvite stones are almost always associated with an alkaline urinary pH, and a slightly lower-pH diet can help to reduce the likelihood that your dog will develop these stones.

Calcium oxalate stones can result from over-acidification or an imbalance of calcium in the diet. Excess sodium can also lead to the formation of the stones.

Comedo Syndrome – Comedones are blackheads or whiteheads – clogged follicles. Nothing more than dog pimples, these blackheads result from your dog’s genetics and can occur in spurts throughout their life.

Because they’re so common among Standard Schnauzers and Miniature Schnauzers, these are often referred to simply as “Schnauzer Bumps”. While basic hygiene is the number one way to treat this condition, diet can sometimes play a part.

Food allergies and sensitivities can contribute to your dog’s acne issues. Allergen elimination can help to keep your Miniature Schnauzer’s skin healthy.