Last Updated: 10/06/2025
Looking for the best food for your Poodle? See our vets selection of premium foods.
Author: Dr Gillian Hill BVSc (Hons)
Reading Time: 55 minutes - long read
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One of the most popular dog breeds both as pure and cross breeds, the gorgeous Poodle is known for it's companionship, loyalty and intelligence. Poodles thrive on premium nutrition to fuel their active minds and bodies, and to keep their unique, densely curled coat in optimal condition.
Given that Poodles come in miniature, toy and standard sizes, the choice of diet will be dependent on your dog's size. Toy and miniature poodles have an adult weight of less than 10kg, so a small breed specific diet fortified with omega fatty acids for coat and brain health is ideal. Standard poodles vary in their adult weight, and may fall into the medium breed category (adult weight between 10-25kg) or the large breed category (adult weight greater than 25kg). For poodles in the large breed category, a large breed diet is ideal to nourish their luxurious coat, maintain a healthy weight and support their bone and joint health.
To read more about the traits and qualities of the Poodle, check out our Poodle Breed Guide.
Our Vet team use their health and husbandry knowledge, along with their own personal and clinical experiences to evaluate each product and provide detailed, informative reviews, free of any commercial bias. We then collate this information into our 'best of' recommendations.
When looking for a diet for your Poodle, you want to make sure you are meeting their nutritional requirements and energy needs while also providing prevention from their common health problems.
With their continuous hair growth, active natures and high intelligence, Poodle require high-quality, highly digestible nutrients to suit their needs. Premium diets use protein that is easily digested and assimilated into the body, meaning the maximum amount of protein is absorbed and transported to where it's needed as fast as possible.
Poodles have some specific needs and are prone to a number of health conditions, as such, the ideal diet should reflect this and include ingredients to prevent these health problems. Some examples are:
With their continuous hair growth, luscious locks, and tendency for skin sensitivity (incluing food and environmental allergies), Poodles need ingredients to support their skin health and boost their immune systems. Some ingredients to look out for include: Omega fatty acids, zinc, vitamin E, linoleic acid.
As mentioned above, Poodle breeds are prone to dental troubles, so looking for a food with a larger kibble size, or ingredients that will bind the calcium in the saliva that contributes to tartar build up is wise. Other products and strategies also help with dental care such as toothbrushing, dental chews, toys and food and water additives. Check out our range of dental care products.
Some poodles can be prone to sensitive tummies, so look for foods which have digestive support included, such as extra fibre (pumpkin, beet pulp, psyllium husk, elm bark, etc), probiotics, pre-biotics, and inulin.
Standard poodles in particular, being larger sized dogs, can be affected by joint issues, particularly as they age. Foods which include joint support ingredients such as green lipped mussel, glucosamine, chondroitin, cartilage, green tea extract or omega fatty acids are ideal to provide a basis of support.
It is recommended to feed Adult Poodles twice daily. The actual amount of food required depends on your Poodle's specific size (standard Poodles will eat more than toy or miniature Poodles), and the type of food you are feeding. The feeding guidelines on the food packaging provide a great place to start, and our Vet Squad are available 7 days a week if you have any questions about your Poodle's needs.
Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space and we update our articles when new information becomes available.
Veterinarian
Dr. Gillian loves being able to provide depth and detail to pet parents questions, and give up to date, evidence based advice. She loves the variety of pets and inquiries she receives - she especially loves the 'curly' questions that require some research! Seeing the gorgeous photos that pet parents send through of their babies is a highlight of the day! Gillian enjoys to further her veterinary knowledge, and has completed further training in ultrasonography, behaviour and backyard poultry!
Responding to the popularity of such breeds, Advance have recently launched their range of foods for Oodles, to the joy of Oodle owners everywhere! Available in sizes for small/medium adult oodles (with a bodyweight up to 25kg), large adult oodles (with a bodyweight over 25kg) as well as for oodle puppies, and a wet food for adult oodles, this range offers an option for every Poodle owner.
The small/medium focuses it's ingredients on heart and dental health, as well as including omega 3, 6 and zinc for healthy skin and coat, to keep those locks looking luscious, reduce scale in the coat and reduce allergy symptoms. Along with these benefits, the large breed version includes green lipped mussel for joint health.
Being Australian made, you can rest assured that you're supporting the local industry with the food you feed your dog. Available in a range of bag sizes, and handy single serve trays for the wet food, there's sure to be an option for you and your Poodle! Advance packs the quality of the big name brands and often at a reduced price.
It can be more diversely used in all Poodles and their crosses, such as Cavoodles, Spoodles, Groodles and Labradoodles.
"My little dog loves this, the bite size is just right for his little mouth. I have added wet food occasionally but most of the time he is happy with just the dry."
"Advance dog food is Australian made and has an Oodle range specifically developed for Oodle dogs to support their health issues. The range contains omega 3 and 6 fatty acids to support a healthy skin and shiny coat. The kibble is customised to suit the size of the dog with the adult large Oodle having a bigger kibble and particular shape to help reduce plaque and tartar build up. The range also contains fermentable probiotic fibre to help support a balanced gut microbiome and has a highly digestible formula for ideal stool formation. With real salmon as the first ingredient, you can rest assured knowing your Oodle is receiving a high quality source of protein that is also highly palatable." - Dr. Angie
This is another highly digestible breed specific diet backed by science and designed to manage the health conditions typically seen in Poodles. Alongside skin nourishment, it also has a shape designed specifically for Poodles, to help them pick up their kibble, and chew it effectively to help with dental care. In addition, it also has Pentasodium triphosphate to help reduce plaque build up on the teeth.
The Royal Canin Adult Poodle food is intended for poodles with an adult weight between 2-12kg, usually toy and miniature Poodles. For larger Poodles, a medium (12-25kg bodyweight) or large (over 25kg bodyweight) breed specific diet would be more suitable.
Available in both 1.5kg and 7.5kg bags, as well as a wet food, so there's plenty of options to choose from.
"My two toy poodles love this food. I have been buying it for years, after the vet recommended it. My poodles are very fussy so if they love this food, it must be good."
Taste of the Wild bases it formulations on the concept of creating high quality, grain free diets that mimic ancestral diets of our pets. Their range is quite extensive and other protein profiles include quail, turkey, wild boar and even bison. This is perfect for dogs with allergies to common proteins and who need to be on a novel protein diet.
Their use of a proprietary blend of K9 strain probiotics specifically developed for dogs provides maximum support for a healthy digestive system and immune function. In addition their formulas are made with non GMO ingredients with no rendered meats or by products.
On the down side, the Taste of the Wild foods are expensive options, though you do 'get what you pay for' - a premium quality, natural diet.
"I've tried 4 different adult brands of biscuits to get 3 very fussy chihuahuas off another puppy brand . With very sensitive tummies I have to be careful what I feed them.. After days on petfood reviews I decided the small breed was worth a try. My 3 chihuahuas took to it straight away. Very happy with tiny tummies you need a Great product... Very happy great ingredient list . Low carbs and low allergy."
Every Open Farm product is proudly produced with a focus on transparent sourcing and traceability, humane production animal welfare standards, ethically sourced ingredients, and sustainable fishing practices in line with Ocean Wise Standards. For an environmentally friendly, grain-free food, you can't go past this one.
Alongside their environmentally friendly values, Open Farm foods are made with the most premium proteins and superfoods, providing the highest quality ingredients for your Poodle. Their recipes are free from grain, corn, wheat and soy.On the down side, the Open Farm foods are expensive options, though you do 'get what you pay for'.
"I have the fussiest dog on the planet. She refused any store bought food, and lived mostly on chicken, peas, sweet potato and chick peas. Because they were the ONLY foods we found she liked. She also won't eat off a plate... so when I jumped on petcircle to purchase an eating mat, I saw this dry food. Being the eternal optimist, I thought I'd try feeding it to her. SUCCESS. We put this out every day, and she prefers it to chicken breast. No digestive issues and it's been a couple of weeks now. I am now a forever customer. Thank you open farm."
Dominating the market with their breed-specific diets, Royal Canin is a trusted product by many reputable breeders and vets alike. This breed specific diet is formulated to meet the unique nutritional requirements of the Poodle breed, with omega fatty acids and borage oil to support your Poodles coat, and an adapted protein content to support continuous hair growth. It also allows for easy transition on to the corresponding adult food. The kibble has a unique shape to suit the jaws of Poodle puppies to help them pick up and chew their kibble, and antioxidants to help boost their immunity.
"We have 3 poodles and they all came with a different food they can eat from breeder. None of those dry foods agreed with all of them. This is the onlyone. No runny number twos and they enjoy it. Been using it for over 12 months now and have re tried other premium brands but keep going back to this one."
"Royal Canin's Breed Specific diet range, including the Poodle Puppy, is such as great option! I find it very reassuring that I can recommend a diet that is tailored to the nutritional and health needs of a puppy's specific breed to give them the best chance at growth and healthy development. The Poodle Puppy tailors to the skin issues and dental disease so commonly seen in Poodles to get them on the right track from the very start and setting them up for an easy transition onto the Royal Canin Adult Poodle." - Dr. Brittany
The Hills preventative health range is targeted towards preventing, or managing certain health conditions where a prescription diet is not required. Poodles and their crosses, particularly those on the smaller side, are particularly prone to gum and dental disease, so the Hills Science Diet Oral Care can be a great option to help prevent the build up of plaque and tartar which leads to these problems.
Hills Science Diet Oral Care uses a larger kibble size and unique texture, to allow the tooth to penetrate into the kibble deeply before the kibble breaks. This mechanical 'scrubbing' of the tooth as it penetrates helps to scrape away plaque before it hardens into tartar. Not only does this keep your dog's teeth cleaner, but also freshens their breath, as it removes the bacteria which build up on the tooth's surface.
The Hills Oral Care food is a good choice for preventing plaque build up, however if your Poodle has existing dental disease, or has had in the past, then it's best to speak to your vet about the ideal treatment and best diet for your dog.
For more information and tips about keeping your Poodle's teeth clean, take a look at our guide to Dental Care for Dogs.
"My 9kg dog loves the oral care Hills diet. I've been using this since he was 1 years old. At most recent vet visit, the vet was surprised to see no signs of peridontal disease (my dog is now aged 4 years)."
