Our dear silky Havanese friends are super cuddly and considered to be “velcro” dogs, they simply cannot resist being by our side and finding themselves in the center of attention amongst the family.
Yet when we take them outside, boy do they have energy! Unlike many small dogs, the Havanese are fiery little guys and love to run around like crazy.
Alas, when a dog is so active, they simply cannot just eat generic, all-stages dog food. No, they need something full of protein sure to keep them in tip-top health.
We recommend small dog food for your Havanese, especially since small dogs burn more energy per pound than medium and large doggies and small dog food has kibble packed full of protein to keep up.
5 Best Dog Foods for Havanese
Our Havanese doggies are family; these guys are people-oriented and love to be near their owners. They partake in all of the family fun, from days at the park, trips, and movie night, but when it comes to dinner time to are different from us – they eat the food we would never eat and on the floor. But we can count on Honest Kitchen to make our furry friends a little more human.
Key Specifications
- Flavor – Cage-free Turkey
- Size – 10 lbs makes 40 lbs
- Why We Recommend – It is human-grade dog food.
They make food that meets human standards – human-grade pet food. Meaning their suppliers meet the strictest standards not only in food safety but in sustainability and fair-trade, and the company itself meets FDA standards that meet human-food standards. Furthermore, food is produced in a human food facility.
We love our dogs, and we love animals, so when it comes to their food, it is just so sad to think about the treatment of the animals. With our own food, we have great independence to find locally raised chickens or find a caged free option at the store, yet this is rarely the case with dog food.
However, Honest Kitchen makes this possible; they are a brand we can feel good about, they use free-range chicken, cage-free turkey, and ranch-raised beef in their food.
They are true to their name, both their values and products are honest. They make a quality product, with some of the best ingredients. They never use by-products, GMOs, or preservatives, and their meat is hormone and antibiotic-free.
They dehydrate their food to maintain the highest vitamin intake and as a means for preservation – no artificial preservatives! Furthermore, this makes the food pieces smaller, thus easier to digest.
Pros
- Human-grade food
- Cage-free turkey
- All-natural
- Only 10 lbs but makes 40 lbs
Cons
- Takes longer to make as you have to add water to it
- Contains sodium selenite
- Not in a resealable bag
A great side effect of dehydrated food such as this by Honest Kitchen is that it is much smaller and space-saving, a 10lb bag realistically makes about 40 lbs of food.
2. Castor & Pollux Organix
When it comes to dog food, organic is hard to come by, yet Organix makes that more possible. Their first ingredient is organic, free-range chicken, while many of the other ingredients are also organic. Organix saw that there was a lack of organic options and made it their goal to make organic dog food just as common as generic foods.
Key Specifications
- Flavor – Small breed grain-free free-range chicken
- Size – 10 lbs
- Why We Recommend – It is one of the few organic dog food products!
However, what makes this meal so healthy is that there are no chemical pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, artificial preservatives, added growth hormones, or antibiotics. No more worries about your dog getting a random funky disease from their dog food. Instead, by eating healthy, your Havanese will live a much longer, health-filled life with tons of cuddles.
Good dog food is not just a pesticide-free organic meal, but a dish that offers optimal nutritional needs and supports healthy digestion. Organix understands this and adds incredible products to deliver these needs. First, they use probiotic and prebiotic fiber for digestions.
Second, they add an incredible all-organic superfood blend with flaxseed, blueberries, and coconut oil. This blend is fantastic for Havanese dogs and keeps their immunity and energy high while supporting a long healthy lifespan.
Pros
- Minimal ingredients
- Organic
- Uses free-range animals
- No chemical pesticides
- No synthetic fertilizers
- No artificial preservatives
- No added growth hormones or antibiotics.
Cons
- Pricey
- Kibble is very small
If you take a look at the ingredients of Organix you will already feel good; finally a list of ingredients you can actually read and understand! This is hard enough to do with processed human food, not to mention dog food, yet the list is nice and short and comprehensive.
3. Halo Holistic
Halo Natural
Halo Holistic is a fantastic choice for Havanese dog food; this product is made for small doggies. They make small kibble that is protein and nutrient-dense, they understand a smaller dog may not be able to eat as much as a large dog, yet burn more energy than large doggies. To accommodate their small mouths, short digestive tracts, and high metabolism, they make a small yet nutritious kibble.
Key Specifications
- Flavor – Chicken & liver
- Size – 4 & 10 lbs
- Why We Recommend –They never use factory farming
Start feeding your pup this stuff and you will see the difference even in the poop. No one likes picking up after a dog who has runny, or smelly poops, you will definitely enjoy your walks much more once you start feeding your furry friend this stuff.
Finding a good dog food is not always the easiest feat, and it gets even more difficult when you try and find a sustainable dog food. We love Halo Holistic because of its OrigiNative proteins.
They never use factory farming, growth hormones, antibiotics, artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. Overall, you will be supporting a more sustainable and environmentally friendly company, but the difference will also be seen in your dog.
Far too many stories have come about of disease outbreaks from factory farms, we’ve seen images of animals on growth hormones, or we have read a tad too much for our liking to support it.
Pros
- OrigiNative proteins
- Never uses factory farming
- No growth hormones
- No antibiotics
- No artificial flavors, colors or preservatives
Cons
- Uses Sodium Selenite
- Uses soy
Using quality food such as Halo Holistic will keep our Havanese healthier for longer and promote longevity.
4. Instinct
As dog owners, we are dog lovers, and despite stereotype probably cat lovers too – hey, there is always more room for both in our hearts. As animal lovers, we love that Instinct provides over 1 million meals to dogs and cats in Best Friends’ adoption centers each year.
Furthermore, these two organizations are supporters of the no-kill movement and help it gain more visibility and ultimately save many lives.
Key Specifications
- Flavor – Turkey
- Size – 4 lbs bag
- Why We Recommend – Their use of raw kibble mixed with dry kibble makes for a tasty and nutritious meal.
By feeding our pups this delicious grain-free food, we are also helping to feed so many more. We can feel good about what our dog eats while knowing we are helping to make a difference in the world.
While the Havanese are not known to overly sensitive dogs, any dog, no matter the breed can be sensitive, especially if their diet is poor and lacks nutrients. Whether your pups are sensitive or not, Instinct’s grain-free dog food is a wonderful option.
The kibble is packed with only the essential ingredients and skip on fillers. They believe in only using a few ingredients, never anything unnecessary. They never use grain, dairy, eggs, potato, corn, wheat, soy, artificial color or preservatives, and the meat is always either grass-fed or cage-free.
This meal is great to keep up with our active Havanese; Turkey meat is the only meat used, however, many parts of the turkey are used to supply and fuel the dog. For example, they use the heart and liver, parts that typically would just be tossed aside, despite their nutritional value. But what makes this meal so special is that it uses a mix of kibble and freeze-dried raw kibble.
Pros
- Limited ingredients
- No grain
- Uses raw kibble
Cons
- 1st ingredient is Turkey meal, not Turkey
- Uses peas, which can be allergenic for some dogs
- Uses natural flavor
Raw kibble, such as Instinct is considered to be highly nutritious and much tastier for our furry friends.
5. Wellness CORE
Wellness CORE
Wellness Core Raw has crafted a mix of grain-free food with raw, freeze-dried bites. The raw pieces taste so fresh and flavourful that your dog might just think they caught the animal.
Key Specifications
- Flavor – High-protein kibble with raw bites
- Size – 4, 10, 18, 20 lbs bags
- Why We Recommend – We love that this food adds even more shine to our Havanese
While dogs are domesticated and would have a tough time in the wild, they are still animals and thrive on things that make them feel wild. One way to tap into their wild side is to feed them more raw foods. We recommend Wellness because they have crafted food based on the diet of their wild ancestors.
Raw bites are not just delicious but full of nutrients, enzymes, and protein. Considering that Havanese dogs are high energy and need optimal protein to recharge, we highly suggest this Havanese dog food. Furthermore, the high levels of nutrients add shine to their coats.
We love how shiny and silky our Havanese pups are, and we are happy to have even more shine!
While some people may want to feed their Havanese only raw feed, we suggest using this food to transition. Our dogs are so used to cooked and processed foods that a sudden raw diet may make them sick. This food is a great way to transition to a raw diet or simply add more raw food to their diet.
Pros
- Raw bites
- Food promotes shiny fur
- High in protein
- Supports lean muscles
- Supports a healthy weight
- Uses a few ingredients
Cons
- Bags not always consistent – some have more raw bits, some less
- Raw meat bits a bit large
If you want an overall good food, Wellness will not fail you. Their mission is the Wellness Way, with the goal to provide optimal wellness for your pet. They do this by using only pure ingredients that support your dog’s health. They never use grains, meat by-products, wheat, wheat-gluten, corn, soy, or any artificial preservative, colors, or flavors.
Bottom Line
For Havanese dog food sure to be healthy and honest we choose Honest Kitchen The Human Grade Dehydrated Organic Grain as our winner of the best Havanese dog food.
We love the values of this company, they have set the bar high in the dog food industry. They make human-grade dog food, made in a human food facility and they meet the strictest of standards including the FDA human food standards.
They not only meet high standards, but they use quality products. They never use by-products, GMOs, or preservatives, and their meat is hormone and antibiotic-free.
Honest Kitchen not only makes quality food for our furry friends but partake in fair-trade and make sustainable farming choices. All of their meat is free-range, cage-free or ranch raised.
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Nadia
Nadia is passionate about all things dog related and is one of the leading writers at Dog Struggles. Her attention to detail and expertise means you can rest assured knowing her product recommendations & reviews are the best of the best.
