Do you own a Staffordshire Bullterrier? While the “Staffy” isn’t for everyone, they can be a wonderful dog breed to own.
They’re very active dogs, whether playing, exercising, or even eating.
Staffies are stubborn yet intelligent and can be man’s best friend when trained well and cared for with a good diet of the best dog food for staffies.
We’ll be reviewing some of the top staffies dog food on the market.
That includes formulas for adults, puppies, and seniors. You can then pick the right food for your Staffy with confidence.
Our Top Picks
Here are our top food formula picks – Our more detailed reviews are covered below:
Best Dog Food for Adult Staffies
Summary
We like Earthborn Holistic dog food for Staffies because it contains no grain or gluten. This food provides a nice, high-protein diet for superior long-term health.
This formula infuses antioxidants, cranberries, and blueberries into your dog’s diet so they stay healthy.
L-carnitine is also included as a crucial supplement to help maintain strong muscles. Your dog will also get a great balance of Omega-6 and Omega-3, with no problems when it comes to easy digestion.
Earthborn Holistic Primitive is an all-life-stage dog food perfect for Staffies. It doesn’t come with unnatural ingredients or questionable ones that can be a problem with most dogs.
Some of the ingredients we wouldn’t want to include are meat by-products, fillers like wheat, corn, and soy, and artificial flavors or preservatives.
Pros
- Grain and gluten-free
- High protein food
- Contains no chicken or meat by-products
- Fatty acids Omega-3 and Omega-6
- No wheat, corn, or soy
- Great food for all stages of life
Cons
- Some dogs might need time to get used to it if changing
- 10% Ash content
Summary
American Journey Chicken and Sweet Potato Recipe is packed with ingredients that will fuel your active pet all day long. This makes it our third (but not least) best dog food for staffy dogs on our list.
The formula contains real, deboned chicken with protein and amino acids that your dog needs.
Sweet potatoes and chickpeas provide long-lasting energy for dogs. Carrots, dried kelp, and blueberries are added to give beneficial fiber, phytonutrients, and antioxidants.
This recipe provides ingredients that are rich in fatty acids. Fatty acids support the healthy development of a canine’s brain and eyes.
Salmon oil and flaxseed are the main providers of these essential fatty acids.
Features
- Good for big, medium, small breeds
- Good for joints, bones, and immune system
- Hypoallergenic recipe
- Fresh chicken, carrots, dried kelp and blueberries
- Complete dry food
Pros
- Better than other commercial food
- High-quality food
- Real, deboned chicken
- No grain, corn, wheat, and soy that can upset a dog’s stomach
- Plenty of nutritious fruits and vegetables
- High-protein dog food
- Omega-3, Omega-6, DHA fatty acids
- Lots of fiber-rich ingredients
Cons
- Products and ingredients sourced from various locations
- Some dogs may not like the taste and need to get used to it
This manufacturer prides itself on using only natural ingredients. Today the company produces various cat and dog foods.
This is a complete dry food that includes a large amount of prepared chicken.
It’s a natural/balanced and hypoallergenic recipe. So the dry dog food is a good option if your canine has digestion problems, food allergies, etc.
The product also includes other veggies and botanical herbs. This adds nutrition/wellness that your dog can’t get from standard meats, grains, and herbs.
In fact, the company teams up with an herbalist who’s an expert at adding herbs/plant-based nutrients in food including:
- Alfalfa
- Aniseed
- Burdock Root
- Celery Seeds
- Chamomile Flowers
- Chickweed
- Chicory Root
- Cleavers
- Dandelion Root
- Golden Rod
- Kelp
One of the main benefits of this dog food is it’s made from fresh meat instead of dried meat/meat meals.
Another plus is it doesn’t include any artificial additives or fillers. The dry dog food is 100% natural.
This kibble is different from regular ones. That’s because it’s not greasy like many other products on the market.
It only includes essential fats/oils to improve your dog’s health. Another critical ingredient is salmon oil.
This is a good source of omega-3/6, which provides various benefits, including coat, joints, heart, and brain.
This dog food is also good for all dog breed sizes, including big, medium, and small. This makes it a good food option for Staffies.
Summary
They’ve recently added glucosamine and chondroitin, which will promote healthy hip and joint function.
This food company strives to produce natural dog food that is high-quality with limited additives. Naturediet was made from real ingredients like meat.
This Merrick formula is 100% natural, hypo-allergenic, and holistic.
It contains 60%+ real meat instead of dried meat, meat by-products, etc.
This item includes fresh/quality chicken, which helps to reduce the chance of allergic reactions.
It also contains sweet potatoes, peas, apples, blueberries, and other healthy/natural ingredients.
The food is free of artificial ingredients/preservatives and other strong chemicals.
It also doesn’t contain wheat gluten, which benefits dogs with gluten allergies.
This food is a good option for dogs with food allergies or a picky appetite.
Features
- Natural ingredients
- Contains real meat
- Promotes healthy joints
- Based on holistic ideas
Pros
- High-quality food many dogs like
- Vacuum sealed for freshness
- Good value for the price
Cons
- Some protein sources may not be GMO-free
- Some batches reported spoiled
Best Dog Food for Staffy Puppies
Staffy puppies require extra special care when being fed. Here is the best-recommended dog food for your puppy.
Summary
CANIDAE grain-free PURE foundations puppy formula boasts a delicious and simple recipe.
This recipe is made with just nine key ingredients, which is great for dogs with sensitive stomachs.
Also, the simple recipe allows for great taste. So, this is a great dog food for nearly any young dog, including staffy puppies.
A great taste and providing for puppies with sensitive stomachs is of key importance to CANIDAE.
Chicken is always listed as the first ingredient because of the taste that puppies love.
This fantastic dog food also includes vitamins, minerals, optimal levels of DHA, and a mix of probiotic ingredients.
This blend is made without most of the not-so-desirable ingredients that are found in many dog foods.
Therefore, there are no synthetic grains, gluten, antibiotics, corn, wheat, or soy in this product.
Canidae recommends dog owners give their canine commercial food since certain ingredients can cause problems.
They include:
- Baby Food
- Bones
- Chocolate
- Home-cooked Food
- Onion/Garlic
- Raw Egg
It’s crucial to follow these guidelines about issues like when and how much to feed your puppy.
This will help produce the best results as your baby dog grows and matures.
You also have many options in terms of factors like different flavors.
This provides several benefits, including strong muscles.
This puppy food is also ideal for providing an optimum amount of calcium.
That’s through the phosphorous ratio. It helps provide strong bones/teeth. Canidae’s Dry Dog Food also helps to deliver optimum digestion of the food’s nutrients.
The dog food also provides other essential nutrients. There are Vitamin E/minerals to boost your pup’s immune system.
Your puppy can also enjoy healthy skin/coat with a blend of omega fatty acids and zinc.
This puppy food is good for different breeds, including staffies. It’s a plus since your dog will be getting high-quality nutrition.
Features
- Expect to see your dog showing signs of good health in 6 weeks
- Wholesome dog food to provide nutrition to puppy
- Good for dogs of different ages/breeds
- Formulated by research for pet nutrition
Pros
- Limited ingredient recipe with nine key ingredients
- Especially useful for puppies with sensitive stomachs
- High-quality protein made from chicken
- Excellent levels of vitamins, minerals, DHA, and probiotics
- No synthetic grains, gluten, antibiotics, corn, wheat, or soy
Cons
- Made for dogs with a sensitive stomach but can have the opposite effect in some puppies
- Bland flavor due to simple recipe
Best Dog Food for Senior Staffies
Eukanuba is a brand of dog/cat food and is under the parent company Mars, which also produces other brands like Pedigree. Eukanuba was founded nearly 50 years ago, in 1969.
It produces 15+ types of dog foods. This best dog food for staffies is from Eukanuba. The food is specially designed for dogs with nutritional sensitivities.
It includes dogs 7+ years old and all breeds. This dog chow provides your mutt with all the macronutrients needed, including protein, carbs, and fat.
This dog food is an excellent source of protein. It includes up to 86% animal protein to help your dog live an active lifestyle.
Protein is essential for dogs of all ages and is the most critical macronutrient for their diet. It helps to build strong/lean muscles.
Dog Food Mature can provide many health benefits for senior canines. It contains several vitamins, minerals, enzymes, etc.
There are omega-3 fatty acids to improve the health of the skin/coat. Beetroot provides fiber for healthy digestion.
The Eukanuba product provides other vital benefits.
Vitamin E and beta-carotene can help boost your dog’s immune system to battle the effects of aging.
The dog food’s DentalDefense can also help maintain healthy teeth/bones. DentalDefense can also offer other benefits, including fresh breath and healthy gums.
Another key ingredient is DHA, which is a fatty acid.
This provides various benefits regarding your dog’s behavior and cognition. It will also make it easier to train your canine.
Another plus of this dog food is it doesn’t contain things like artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives.
This is important because it helps to prevent various health problems they could cause.
Those ingredients can improve the look/taste of dog food yet cause multiple health risks.
Features
- Provides daily recommended protein
- Good for dogs that are nutritionally sensitive
- All breeds 7+ years old
- Can reduce plaque formation
- Helps build strong/lean muscles
Pros
- Includes DentalDefense for teeth
- Healthy skin/coat
- Vitamin E and beta-carotene to boost the immune system of aging dogs
Cons
- Not designed for puppies/adults
- Some dogs don’t like lamb
- High price range
Best Dog Food for Staffies with Medical Issues
This Limited Ingredients dog food features a formula of New Zealand lamb.
This high-quality protein helps to keep your puppy healthy and happy.
Lamb is a complete protein and offers several vitamins/minerals. It can boost the health of dogs of different sizes, from small to large.
This dog food is also grain and chicken-free. So there’s no grain filler.
Another issue is many dogs have allergic reactions to chicken or grain, so this dog food is a good option to prevent that situation.
Natural Balance avoids adding many ingredients to its food that often cause food allergies.
They include chicken, dairy, corn, wheat, soy, and wheat gluten.
The company’s dog foods are 100% chicken-free. That includes chicken meat, eggs, and byproducts.
This helps to prevent possible food allergies that are often triggered by a chicken. This is one of Natural Balance’s Limited Ingredients dog foods.
That’s because it includes a small number of natural ingredients. This provides various benefits, including better digestion and fewer reactions due to food allergies.
This includes low-glycemic carbs. Dogs need carbs, but it’s important for them to be the “right” kind.
The company uses low-glycemic ones, including legumes like chickpeas. This helps to provide dietary fiber and maintain balanced blood sugar.
Features
- Provides dogs with a quality/balanced diet
- Hypo-allergenic food for dogs with food allergies
- Grain-free formula, so it contains no fillers
- Good for different dog ages and breeds
- Lamb formula w/ limited ingredients
Pros
- Makes dogs energetic
- Keeps dogs’ allergies under control
- Good for food allergies
Cons
- No returns for opened bags
- Not fresh
- Can cause skin outbreaks
When picking a commercial dog food for your Staffordshire Bull Terrier, make sure real meat is the first ingredient listed.
Carbs like grains/potatoes and good fat like fish/flaxseed oil are also important but less so.
Staffies Diet & Nutrition Requirements
- Protein: 30%+
- Crude fat: 20%+
- Fiber: up to 4%
How to Properly Feed Staffies
You could feed staffies dog food 2x/a day after your dog turns 1.5-2 years old, but most owners feed them once/a day. It depends on your particular pet.
Adult staffies should have a basic meat/biscuit diet.
Make sure your dog’s eyes are bright, and the coat is shiny.
Common Health Issues of Staffies
This is an important issue when picking staffies dog food.
Here are some of the most common health issues that staffies often have:
Canine Hip Dysplasia
Canine Hip Dysplasia (CHD) is a joint problem that affects the functioning of a dog’s hip joint.
This results in the top of the dog’s leg having a malformation and one also appearing in the hips’ socket.
Since the joint’s ball/socket doesn’t line up correctly, it can cause rubbing/grinding in the joint.
Over time, this can result in the joint not functioning properly.
Follicular Dysplasia
This is a condition that affects the dog’s coat. It results in the dog’s hair follicles having an abnormal structure.
Experts believe all forms of this condition are genetic.
The condition is primarily an aesthetic one and doesn’t cause the canine discomfort.
It would only cause problems if bald spots on the dog’s coat resulted in sunburn or infections.
Cataracts
Studies show that 8% of Staffordshire Bull Terriers have the gene that can result in hereditary cataracts.
This happens when both parents of a pup have the gene.
The condition typically shows up about eight weeks after birth.
Cataracts are a progressive disorder.
So if the cataracts aren’t treated, the dog usually goes blind during the next 2-4 years.
This highlights the importance of having your dog’s vision checked if you suspect there’s a problem.
L-2HGA
L-2-Hydroxyglutaric Aciduria (L-2HGA) is a neuro-metabolic disorder that affects the dog’s nervous system. When breeding, this disorder exists if both parents have it.
It seems staffies are more likely to experience seasonal dysplasia. This happens during different times of the year and results in the hair-thinning being easier to see.
Seasonal dysplasia usually starts near early spring.
It typically results in the hair thinning on the canine’s flanks. The hair typically starts regrowing about 6 months later.
However, studies show that melanin treatments seem to boost regrowth.
L-2HGA can cause various symptoms, including tremors, muscle stiffness, and seizures during exercise or when the dog is excited/stimulated.
Dogs usually start showing these symptoms between 6 months to 1 year. However, they sometimes appear later.
Persistent Hyperplastic Primary Vitreous (PHPV)
This is a condition that can be passed on from a puppy’s parents.
Staffies seem to be more likely to have this condition.
There’s some good news. The condition isn’t progressive, so it won’t worsen as your canine ages.
That said, it can cause a lot of discomfort in your dog’s daily life based on how severe the case is.
Must-Have Ingredients in Dog Food
Protein
This is the most important macronutrient for dogs. It provides various benefits like healthy hair, nails, skin, bones, and muscles.
Make sure your staffy’s dog food contains a high percentage of protein. Carbs and fats are also important but much less so than protein.
Besides dog food having a protein source, ensure it’s a good one.
They include beef, chicken, fish, duck, venison, etc. When your dog is getting high-quality fresh meat, it results in better-quality amino acids.
Carbs
Some sources of dog food include wheat and sweet potatoes.
When picking dog food, look for low-glycemic carbs like sweet potatoes.
They raise the dog’s blood sugar levels more slowly and offer more nutritional value.
Vitamins
Like humans, dogs also need different vitamins like A, B, C, D, E, and K.
When you select a natural/organic dog food, it will be higher in vitamin content than ones with lots of processing/additives.
Another good option is limited-ingredient dog foods. They usually include one main protein like chicken or duck and carb sources like wheat or sweet potatoes.
There also might be some herbs added.
Minerals
These are inorganic compounds that the dog’s body needs for certain metabolic functions.
It must get these minerals from food since it can’t create them. Some examples include:
- Calcium
- Iodine
- Iron
- Magnesium
- Phosphorous
- Potassium
- Sodium
- Zinc
Make sure your staffy’s dog food offers a wide range of different minerals.
Fat
Make sure the dog food contains healthy fats.
They include sources like salmon, sunflower/flaxseed oil, etc. Fat provides 2x more calories than carbs/protein. Look for ingredients with omega-3/6 fatty acids.
Ingredients to Avoid in Your Staffies’ Dog Food
Allergy Triggers
If you’re looking for the top dog food for staffies, certain ingredients are more likely to trigger food allergies.
They include chicken and wheat. Some dogs have allergies to other ingredients like corn, soy, or gluten.
You should also avoid non-fresh meat sources. They include dried meat and meat byproducts. Remember that “fresh is best” when selecting a dog food for your Bull Terrier.
Artificial Additives
Other types of ingredients you should generally avoid include artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives.
These often trigger allergic reactions in pets.
Some examples include preservatives like Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT), Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA, and Ethoxyquin.
These are super-strong ingredients that can cause a lot of potential health problems for your pet pooch.
An irony is such chemicals are sometimes banned in human food but allowed in pet foods. You want the best for your dog/puppy staffy so make sure you don’t feed it anything you wouldn’t eat yourself.
When in doubt about a particular ingredient listed on the label make sure to research exactly what it is.
If a product includes these additives, it’s better if they’re natural ones.
This can improve your dog’s eating experience without increasing the chance of side effects.
Food Dyes
Certain additives like Red 40, Blue 2, and Yellow 5/6 have been linked to problems like allergic reactions, and behavioral problems.
Another one to watch out for is caramel color. An irony is artificial coloring appeals to pet owners instead of the pets themselves.
Rendered Fat
This is a flavor enhancement that’s often added to kibble since dry food tends to be less flavorful than wet food.
The problem is it’s usually a source of things like toxins, microorganisms, etc. Dry dog food can contain bacteria when moisture gets inside the bag.
Key Takeaways
Owning a Staffordshire Bull Terrier can be rewarding if you train and feed your pet pooch effectively.
Searching for the best dog food for staffies is a critical step to make sure they’re getting all the nutrients they need. Get the good stuff for your staff!
