The Diamond Naturals Small & Medium Breed Puppy Food is a high-energy growth food for puppies that will finish under about 30 kg - small and medium breeds burn energy far faster per kilo than big ones.

Key Features

• 32% protein and 22% fat, the richest dog food Diamond makes. Small puppies have small stomachs and high demands, so the food has to be concentrated.
• DHA at 0.05% minimum for brain and vision development.
• Calcium 1.5% and phosphorus 1.2% - correct for small and medium growth, and deliberately higher than a large-breed puppy food.
• Cage-free chicken first, with superfoods, dried chicory root and 80,000,000 CFU per pound of probiotics.
• Omega-6 at 3.4% and omega-3 at 0.5%, both higher than the adult formulas.
• No artificial colours, flavours or preservatives added.

Guaranteed Analysis

• Crude Protein 32.0% minimum
• Crude Fat 22.0% minimum
• Crude Fibre 3.5% maximum
• Moisture 10.0% maximum
• DHA 0.05% minimum
• Calcium 1.5% minimum, Phosphorus 1.2% minimum
• Omega-6 3.4% minimum, Omega-3 0.5% minimum
• Total Microorganisms not less than 80,000,000 CFU/lb
• 3,995 kcal/kg (453 kcal/cup) calculated metabolizable energy

Good To Know

• Read this one before you buy. Diamond's AAFCO statement for this formula covers all life stages EXCEPT growth of large size dogs (70 lb or more as an adult). If your puppy will grow past about 30 kg, it needs the Large Breed Puppy formula instead - the calcium level here is too high for large-breed growth.
• Move to an adult food at around twelve months for a small breed, or twelve to fifteen months for a medium one.
• One cup is about 453 kcal, which is the figure to use if you are counting calories or working to a vet's weight plan.
• Feeding guides are a starting point, not a prescription. Weigh the food rather than scooping it by eye, and adjust to body condition: you should feel the ribs easily under a thin covering and see a waist from above.
• Change food gradually over about a week - a little of the new mixed into the old, increasing the proportion each day. Diamond suggests up to 14 days for a sensitive animal. A sudden switch is the commonest cause of loose stools.
• Diamond guarantees 80,000,000 CFU of live probiotic cultures per pound. Live cultures fade with heat and time, so buy the size you will finish in a month or two rather than the biggest bag.
• Keep it in its own bag inside a sealed container rather than tipping the kibble loose. The fat in dry food goes rancid on contact with warm air, and in a UAE kitchen that happens faster than the date on the bag suggests.
• Diamond states that the facility which makes this food also makes food that may contain other ingredients. If you are avoiding a specific protein for a diagnosed allergy, that cross-contact statement is worth knowing about.
• Dry food is only about 10 percent moisture. Keep fresh water available at all times, and change it daily rather than topping it up.
• A food change is not a treatment. If your pet is itchy, losing weight, vomiting or has ongoing loose stools, see a vet before you switch - changing diets repeatedly makes a diagnosis harder, not easier.