Best Dog Food for Havanese 2024

Written by Ralph Jones

Veterinary reviewed by:

Published: 03/27/2024, edited: 03/27/2024

Best Dog Food for Havanese 2024 image

The Wag! team conducts independent research and consults pet experts to curate our recommendations. This content is supported by our affiliate pet partners and we may receive a commission on the links provided.


If you’re lucky enough to have a beautiful Havanese dog — a cheeky little toy breed who hails originally from 16th-century Cuba — you’ll want to make sure it’s being fed as well as it possibly can be, so that it’s as happy as it possibly can be. We’re here to help.

So, what’s the best food for a Havanese? There are plenty of contenders when it comes to the best dog food brand for Havanese. As you’ll see below, each has different strengths and weaknesses and will be less or more appropriate for you depending on your budget and your priorities. 

Always pay attention to what other pet parents say about a particular type of dog food, and make sure that you’re taking seriously the dietary needs of your beloved dog. Havanese need more protein than the average dog and are vulnerable to eye problems, so it’s always worth seeing if you can factor these considerations into the food you buy.

Read on and decide which one suits you and your little pup best.



Overview

Orijen Small Breed

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Best grain-free dog food for Havanese

Protein is so important in a Havanese’s development. Enter Orijen, a brand determined to give your small dog a big amount of protein. We’ve praised Orijen before and here we get a chance to do it again. 

The company’s Small Breed range — specifically targeted at petite dogs like Havanese, of course — contains up to 85% animal ingredients, is low in carbohydrates, and contains fresh high-quality fruit and vegetables. 

We’ve linked to the turkey, chicken and fish option here, mainly because it’s fantastic. A dry food full of vitamin- and mineral-rich fish and poultry, the Small Breed range caters to dogs at all stages of their life.

This award-winning brand could well be the best dog food brand for Havanese. All of the food is made in the USA, which is a bonus, and the pet parents who use it seem extremely happy. 

Orijen sells a number of other recipes, all thought of extremely highly, that cater to pups of different sizes and at different stages of their development.

They have a range called Amazing Grains which does contain grain; they have wet food; they have freeze-dried food

Whatever your Havanese needs, Orijen are probably able to offer it (for a premium price).

Orijen Dog Food

Orijen Dog Food

Why Wag! loves Orijen Small Breed

  • The product included here contains no grains, which is a fantastic option for dogs with an allergy
  • There’s a huge amount of fantastic healthy meat here — a source of valuable protein
  • The kibble is smaller than usual, making it easier to chew and digest for smaller pups
  • There are no artificial preservatives

Considerations & concerns

  • For some, this might actually be too much protein
  • Orijen is certainly a more expensive brand than most
  • Some pet parents have said it’s difficult to find online

What pet parents say about Orijen Small Breed

“This dry food has healthy ingredients for my three pups. They love the taste of it and the kernel size is perfect for the small breed selection. It was also recommended by my veterinarian. I buy the six fish and the beef kind and mix them up.”

“My old HenryDog who is very picky, has few teeth left, and struggles with appetite, absolutely loves this small-sized kibble. TinkyDog gobbles it instantly and her allergies have improved on this kibble. Smells great.”

“This is a wonderfully thought out dog food for smaller breeds and even contains New Zealand green mussel which is great for their joints. My Schnauzer gobbles it up!”

Read more reviews on Chewy.

Image sourced from Chewy. Copyright Mars Petcare US, Inc.




Open Farm Gently Cooked

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Best vet recommended wet food for Havanese

An extremely highly esteemed dog food, this would be a great choice for your pup and is undoubtedly one of the best dog food brands for Havanese. If you take the Harvest Chicken recipe as representative, you’ll see why you’re in safe hands with Open Farm.


With a whopping 45.8% protein and ingredients like chicken, carrots, kale and apples, it’s a big dose of healthy energy and vitamins. Kale alone gives your furry friend calcium, copper and manganese, vitamins B6, K, C and A, and potassium

The chicken is raised humanely; the vegetables aren’t genetically modified; even the packaging is recyclable; most of the ingredients are from the US and Canada. You could almost eat this food yourself. 

Open Farm is another brand that Dr. Georgia Jeremiah, pet nutrition expert and one of Wag!’s veterinary consultants, likes a great deal.

“Open Farm dog food is formulated with high-quality ingredients, and it does not contain any artificial preservatives, flavors, or colors,” she says.

“The company also prioritizes the use of ethically sourced and humanely raised ingredients.”

Open Farm Dog Food

Open Farm Dog Food

Why Wag! loves Open Farm Gently Cooked

  • There is a wide range of flavor varieties available, which is always a great way to prevent you straying over to another brand
  • The brand is fantastically transparent about where their ingredients come from, and — as is often the case when companies are transparent — the ingredients are of excellent quality

Considerations & concerns

  • Some pet parents might not like this high a percentage of protein
  • It’s a little trickier to get hold of, with a lot of reliable pet retailers not stocking it
  • The food is shipped frozen, which some pet parents may not like

What pet parents say about Open Farm Gently Cooked

“It makes me a happy dog mom to see that my pup is enjoying her every meal!! Turkey was great, now chicken is great, I am sure she will love the beef as well!!”

“Our puppy loves the Gently Cooked food! She loved the Puppy Recipe and the Harvest Chicken! I love [that] we can alternate flavors and give her a variety with no issues! Thank you for such great products!”

“My dog loves the gently cooked chicken recipe. We mix it with some of the ancient grain dry food and some Open Farm bone broth. We tried many foods, and this is the only one brand that makes her run to her food dish.”

Read more reviews on Open Farm.

Image sourced from the Open Farm website. Copyright Open Farm.




Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Toy Breed

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Vet recommended

You may already realize that we like Blue Buffalo as a dog food brand. Its Life Protection Formula is a great example of how well the company produces great-quality dog food. 

Here, we’ll look at its Toy Breed Adult Chicken and Brown Rice product, in which deboned chicken is the main ingredient. There’s extra protein and carbohydrates here, because the product is specifically targeted at smaller dogs. 

The other principal ingredients are chicken meal, brown rice, oatmeal and barley, but there are also plenty of fantastic vegetables in there like peas, sweet potatoes, and carrots

Last but not least, there are also blueberries and cranberries in there, providing your dog with valuable antioxidants

But don’t just take our word for it. Dr. Georgia Jeremiah has no hesitation recommending Blue Buffalo. “Blue Buffalo dog food products cater to different life stages, sizes, and breeds of dogs,” she says. 

“They offer formulations containing limited ingredients, which may be beneficial for dogs with certain dietary sensitivities.”

Blue Buffalo Dog Food

Blue Buffalo Dog Food

Why Wag! loves Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula

  • Real chicken being the primary ingredient means that the recipe is packing a healthy punch of protein
  • It contains plenty of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids
  • The kibble for the toy breed formula is smaller, to help smaller dogs get their teeth into them — a lovely example of attention to detail when it comes to looking after the smaller pup

Considerations & concerns

  • Blue Buffalo is a more expensive brand, so may be out of reach for some pet parents
  • This contains grain so obviously won’t be appropriate for any dog with that intolerance or allergy
  • While it’s toy breed specific, it’s an adult recipe – you’ll have to look elsewhere if you want the best puppy food for Havanese

What pet parents say about Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula

“My little adopted Chihuahua, Petra, loves this dog food! It’s perfect for a toy breed with its tiny bite sized kibble and the taste must be very good because she eagerly awaits breakfast and dinner every day. I also add Blue Buffalo True Solutions Small & Mighty canned food as a topping.”

“Mimi was having trouble with the sizes of the kibbles, because she's missing some of her teeth so every afternoon I was soaking her kibbles before mixing it with her wet food. NOT ANYMORE! Thanks to these tiny kibbles; they are perfect just mixed with wet food and they are good to go.”

“This food is the ONLY dry food my pomchi will eat. We went through alot of dog food looking for one she will eat when we adopted her. This is it! I mix it with homemade chicken and she gobbles it up. She likes the size of it much better than the small breed size.”

Read more reviews on Chewy.

Image sourced from Chewy. Copyright Blue Buffalo Company Ltd.




Iams Adult Small and Toy Breed Dry Dog Food

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Because the Iams product has been specifically designed with tiny dogs in mind, this might be the best puppy food for a Havanese. 

Manufactured in the US, Iams have your petite Havanese at the forefront of their mind: this food is packed with omega 6 fatty acids because your dog needs a healthy coat, and protein because your little pup needs all the energy it can get if it’s going to race and chase and jump and slide and trip and slip.

You could do a great deal worse than this dog food, which is probably one of the very best dog foods for Havanese — it’s certainly extremely popular with pet parents.

Iams Dog Food

Iams Dog Food

Why Wag! loves Iams Adult Small and Toy Breed Dry Dog Food

  • It’s full of antioxidants to support your furry friend’s immune system
  • It’s packed with real chicken, a high-protein source of fantastically healthy energy
  • There are no artificial flavors or preservatives

Considerations & concerns

  • Like a lot of products, it won’t be suitable for any dogs with allergies to grain
  • Although high protein is generally a great thing, for overweight dogs it can be an issue, so this might not be an ideal choice for a pup who — for whatever reason — needs to pay particular attention to its weight

What pet parents say about  Iams Adult Small and Toy Breed Dry Dog Food

“Molly, my doggie, loves her food and her momma loves the Chewy services!!”

“I’ve been buying Iams for our little dogs ever since we’ve had them (.) They thrive on it and have no problems chewing it. And very affordable too.”

“I have always used Iams products for my toy dogs. They eagerly eat it without any coaching. Having the tiny morsels helps them to chew easily as they are aging.”

Read more reviews on Chewy.

Image sourced from Chewy. Copyright Iams.




Cesar Wholesome Bowls Wet Dog Food

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Cesar’s specially formulated dog food for toy breeds is a worthwhile option if you own a Havanese. The overwhelmingly positive reviews from pet parents are testament to the quality of this range.

Here we’ve included the beef, chicken, potatoes and carrots option, but there are other high-quality flavor choices available. 

In this option, shredded meat is the primary ingredient, and the wholesome bowl is packed with vitamins and minerals to keep your pup strong.

While it’s not strictly the best canned dog food for Havanese as it comes in a bowl rather than a can or tin, it’s in the same category of food as a wet dog food recipe.

And, for Havanese pet parents, it’s particularly good to see carrots so high up on the ingredients list, because of Havanese’s tendency to develop eye problems.

Carrots help strengthen a dog’s eyes, doing their bit to make eye problems less likely. 

Cesar Dog Food

Cesar Dog Food

Why Wag! loves Cesar Wholesome Bowls Wet Dog Food

  • There are no artificial flavors, colors, fillers or preservatives
  • It’s fantastic for maintaining the eye health of your pup
  • Beef is the primary ingredient here

Considerations & concerns

  • There aren’t as many options as there are for various other competitors
  • It’s not all that high in protein, so pet parents may find themselves needing to top meals up with other foods

What pet parents say about Cesar Wholesome Bowls Wet Dog Food

“I have tried several foods for my 2 schnauzers and they really like Cesar's wholesome bowls. I give them 1/2 a container each with rice, they eat every bite.. they have dry food open for themselves all day.”

“I took a chance when I ordered the Cesar Wholesome Bowls, my two tiny fur babies are very picky with the food that they will eat. So with fingers crossed I ordered these and my babies love them ! The both of them ate every morsel and licked their plates clean ! (My) two spoiled babies are fed only the best and I consider these bowls the best of the best !”

“Our dog eats twice a day. Once in the morning and then again in the evening. We give her one of these wholesome bowls in the morning and she loves it. It's the perfect amount for her breakfast meal. You can see all the real wholesome food goodness in each tray.”

Read more reviews on Chewy.

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