Getting your dog or puppy food from Walmart may be a very good decision, considering the amazing discounts, and delivery service you stand to enjoy. However, picking a particular product out of the wide variety of dog foods at the store can be a major challenge.
Discounts or not, you do not want to purchase a brand pr product that you’ll regret later. Walmart sure has some of the best dog foods your money can buy, but there are also some not-so-great ones on the shelves too.
How To Tell A Good Dog Food From A Bad One
Telling the good from the bad may not be so easy, but then there are some signs that give the bad ones away. These signs are usually noticed in the ingredient label of the dog food.
Most people when making their choice would go for one of the popular brands thinking that’s the wisest thing to do, others may go for a product with a very appealing name or product image. But the truth is, you never can tell what’s behind all that packaging until you read up the ingredient label.
Tips For Telling A Good Dog Food From A Bad One When Reading The Ingredient Label
Listing the ingredients in dog food has been made mandatory by the FDA, and by knowing certain rules that manufacturers adhere to while listing, you can easily identify what exactly is in the dog food, as well as how much.
The most important tip is that ingredients with the most content are listed first. So whatever you see there as the first ingredient listed (whether meat, fish, or whatever), is the most dominant or plenty in the food.
Ideally, the first ingredient should be meat (usually beef or poultry), to guarantee your dog gets adequate protein. But if it is something else, then that’s a bad sign and you should run away from such product.
The second most important tip is to observe the type of meat or protein is listed there. Normally, a good would specify the exact protein type(s), but when it isn’t clear at all what kind of meat it is, that product becomes very suspicious. It may be that some wild meat of sorts is what is actually contained in the food, or perhaps it may be a combination of several meat types (e.g pork, bush meats, etc). To avoid complications in your dog’s system and possible food poisoning, avoid products with these vague meats.
Thirdly, observe the added supplements, vitamins, and other additives. If your dog is allergic to any of the listed ingredients or supplements, kindly drop that product. Also check if it contains some unwanted or harmful additives like BHT, BHA, corn syrup, food dye/artificial colors, etc.
Regardless of whatever brand you have in mind, the ingredients label can be a very big help in choosing just the perfect food for your dog.
That being said, here are the best dog foods for your dog at Walmart.
Best Dry Puppy Food At Walmart (Top 2 Picks)
Merrick Grain-free Dry Puppy Food Real Chicken And Sweet Potato Recipe
Specially formulated for growing pups, this dry dog food is guaranteed to give your puppy high-quality protein with deboned chicken as the very first ingredient.
Thoroughly crafted with whole food, this product is packed with quality protein (up to about 60% overall), healthy fat ingredients, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other natural ingredients. It also contains DHA (to support healthy brain development), and omega fatty acids to support healthy coat development.
As if all these weren’t enough, this kibble is very delicious and also very affordable.
General features
1. Grain-free dry dog food with high-quality animal protein
2. Real deboned chicken is the first ingredient
3. Nice combination of proteins and healthy fats to aid optimum growth in pups
4. Contains Omega fatty acids to support healthy skin and a shiny coat
Pros
1. Can be easily mixed with water or wet food for better edibility and flavor
2. Has all the necessary vitamins needed by a growing puppy
Cons
1. Chicken and potato flavors may conflict, and throw off some dogs
2. Contains potatoes and peas, which some dogs may be allergic to
Purina Puppy Chow
The Purina puppy chow is a dry type of dog food made with real chicken. Every serving of this food contains all the major nutrients needed by puppies to grow big, strong, and healthy. The formula is highly digestible and contains about 27% protein overall (mostly real chicken). It is packed with important nutrients and essentials like Calcium, Vitamin C, DHA, antioxidants, and other vitamins and minerals found in mother’s milk.
To top it all off, the product has a delicious taste that’ll make your dog lick his bowl after every meal.
General Features
1. Contains real farm-raised chicken
2. Carefully formulated with the building blocks of puppy nutrition
3. Contains 30% more protein than most leading adult products
4. Highly digestible formula
Pros
1. Contains all the essential nutrients puppies need
2. Tested and trusted brand
3. Easily digestible dog food
Cons
1. Contains food dyes/artificial flavors and colors
2. Contains corn/cornmeal and chicken byproduct meal which may be unwanted by most customers
Best Wet Puppy Food At Walmart
Nutro Puppy Tender Beef And Vegetable Recipe
This premium wet dog food is grain-free and full of ingredients and flavor that puppies love. The Nutro Puppy Tender Beef, Pea, and Carrot recipe is made with real beef as the first ingredient and balanced with other essential vitamins and minerals. Every ingredient is carefully sourced from a trusted network of farmers and suppliers, to ensure only the best quality ingredients are used.
With zero artificial flavors, zero artificial colors, zero preservatives, and an amazing taste, this puppy food is the perfect wet food for your puppy.
General Features
1. Real beef is the first ingredient
2. Contains essential Vitamins and minerals to help puppies grow healthy and strong
3. Grain-free
4. No chicken by-product meal, corn, soy, or wheat
Pros
1. No artificial flavors or preservatives
2. Doesn’t contain corn, soy, wheat, or chicken byproducts contained in some other brands
3. Made in the USA with high-quality ingredients from trusted sources
Cons
1. Pea flavor may not be liked by some dogs
2. Price may be high compared to some dry dog foods of the same nutritional value
Best Adult Dog Foods At Walmart You Can Checkout
| Category | 1st Choice | 2nd Choice |
| Best Adult Dry Food (Grain-free) | Merrick Grain-free Real Texas Beef and Sweet Potato | Rachael Ray Nutrish Premium Dry Dog Food |
| Best Adult Dry Food (Grained) | Nutro Natural Choice Adult Chicken & Brown Rice | Pure Balance Wild & Grain-free formula |
| Best Adult Wet Food | Blue Buffalo Wilderness Turkey & Chicken Senior | Purina Beneful Wet Dog Food |
| Best All Life Stages Food | Canidae All Life Stages Dry Dog Food | Purina All Life Stages Formula |
| Best Dog Treat | Nudges Health and Wellness Dog Treat | Buddy Biscuits Grain-free soft and Chewy Dog Treats With Roasted Chicken |
What Types Of Dog Food Should I Avoid At Walmart?
1. Foods that say, “meat”, without mentioning exactly what kind of meat it is. Also, foods that have meat byproducts (not real meat) listed as the first ingredients.
2. Foods with wheat as the main ingredient. You can tell a dog food has too much wheat when 2 or more wheat types are listed as the main ingredients or when several wheat types are listed in a row. Wheat isn’t good for dogs.
3. Foods that contain allergic substances and generally harmful additives like BHA, BHT, artificial colors, and so on.
I’m Christopher Benjamin, a dedicated Animal Nutritionist at Ethos Veterinary Health with a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science from Michigan State University. My lifelong passion for animals led me to establish AnimalsData.Com. Here, I share expert advice, educational resources, and inspiring stories to empower fellow pet lovers worldwide. Join our community as we celebrate the beauty and diversity of our beloved animal companions!
