Best puppy food for a whippet
A whippet puppy does best on a complete puppy food built for a small-to-medium breed, with a controlled level of calcium and phosphorus to support steady bone growth rather than the fastest possible growth. Whippets are lean, athletic dogs, not giant-breed dogs, so a large-breed puppy formula is the wrong shape of food for them even though they end up long and lanky.
Why a whippet's growth is different from a giant breed's
Large-breed puppy foods are formulated to slow bone growth deliberately, because giant breeds are prone to joint problems when they grow too fast. A whippet is a medium-sized sighthound, not a giant breed, and does not need that same deliberate slowing — what it needs is a well-balanced, complete puppy food with the calcium and phosphorus levels kept in proportion rather than restricted.
Whippets also carry very little body fat naturally, which makes it easy to under-feed a growing puppy without realising, since ribs and a visible waist are normal on this breed even in good condition. A reliable complete food fed to the amount on the pack, adjusted as your puppy grows, does more good here than trying to judge condition by eye alone.
What to look for on the label
Look for a food labelled complete and suitable for puppies of small or medium breeds, since that is the growth profile a whippet actually needs. A named meat as the first ingredient and a clear puppy or growth life-stage statement are both good signs of a properly formulated food rather than an adult recipe repurposed for a young dog.
Whippets are prone to a sensitive stomach in some lines, so a straightforward recipe without a long list of unnecessary extras is often easier on a young digestive system than something heavily fortified with ingredients a puppy does not need.
Wet, dry, or a mix
Dry puppy food is the easiest to portion accurately and is what most whippet breeders recommend as the base of the diet, since it is simple to measure out and track as the puppy's requirements change through the first year.
A little wet food mixed in can help encourage a fussy eater or add moisture for a puppy transitioning off milk, but it should not replace the dry food as the main source of balanced nutrition unless a vet has recommended feeding wet food exclusively for a particular reason.
What we stock for this breed
Everything below is in stock with us, priced with delivery worked out, and packed and posted by hand in the UK.
Pedigree Tasty Minis Puppy Treats Chewy Cubes with Chicken
Soft chewy puppy training treats with 13% chicken and added calcium, 125g
£2.25
Forthglade Complete Puppy Chicken with Liver Grain Free — 18 x 395g Trays
Sold as a case: 18 x 395g trays. A complete grain-free wet food for puppies, built on 71% chicken and 4% chicken liver
£35.89
Bakers Puppy Superfoods Chicken with Vegetables
Bakers Puppy Chicken & Vegetables dry dog food, 12.5kg, complete food for puppies from 6 weeks to 24 months
£39.15
Harringtons Puppy Turkey & Rice
Complete turkey puppy food with 30% protein and feeding bands by adult weight
£6.49
James Wellbeloved Grain Free Puppy/Junior Dry Dog Food Turkey & Veg
Grain-free turkey and potato kibble for puppies and junior dogs, evenly balanced recipe
£12.75
Wagg Puppy Treats
Puppy Treats in a 120G pack, with 23.2% protein and 7% fat and full label detail
£1.49
Burns Puppy Junior Original Chicken Rice
A complete puppy and junior food with dried chicken 31% and controlled fat at 15%
From£14.99
Lily's Kitchen Puppy Chicken Recipe — 6 x 400g Tins
Sold as a case: 6 x 400g tins. Complete 400G wet puppy chicken recipe with 67% fresh chicken
£22.79
Pooch & Mutt Puppy Bite Size Beef Jerky
Bite-size beef jerky training treats for puppies, scaled by dog size
£3.99
Whimzees Puppy
Softer dental chews for puppies over three months old, grain free and gluten free
£7.99
Burns Grain Free Puppy Duck Potato
Grain-free duck and potato puppy food with a prebiotic, for starting a new litter on a novel protein
From£16.49
Common questions
- Does a whippet puppy need a large-breed puppy food?
- No. Large-breed formulas are built for genuinely giant dogs whose fast growth puts real strain on developing joints. A whippet is a medium-sized sighthound and does better on a standard small-to-medium breed puppy food that supports steady, well-balanced growth.
- Why does my whippet puppy always look thin?
- A visible waist and some rib definition are normal for the breed even in a healthy, well-fed puppy, since whippets carry very little natural body fat. If you are ever unsure whether your puppy's weight is right for its age, a vet check is the quickest way to be sure rather than judging by eye.
- When should I switch a whippet puppy to adult food?
- Most whippets can move to an adult diet from around twelve months old, once growth has largely levelled off, though the exact timing depends on the individual dog. Your vet can advise on the right point for your puppy at a routine check-up.
- Do whippet puppies need a grain-free diet?
- Not as standard. Grain-free is a choice some owners make for a dog with a specific sensitivity, but there is nothing about being a whippet puppy that requires it, and a well-formulated grain-inclusive puppy food is perfectly suitable for most of the breed.
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Written by Matt Garnett, who runs Giddy Pets and is a lifelong pet owner — not a vet. This is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your animal. How we write these guides.