The Maltese is a small dog, between 2 kg and 4 kg, with moderate energy and a long coat. Two things weigh in the food: the puppy is at risk of a drop in blood sugar, and the breed builds up tartar easily because of its small mouth. That is why the ideal food provides high, split caloric density for the puppy, and kibble with a mechanical action that helps hold back tartar for life.
In the current My Pet Magazine analysis, the best food for the Maltese is IAMS ProActive Health Small Breed Adult (IAMS), with a technical score of 89.7/100 (🌟 Superior Quality), calculated with the My Pet Magazine IDNM/IPFI methodology across 49 dog foods reviewed in July 2026. See the full ranking ↓
What to weigh in food for the Maltese
Two fronts guide the choice of a Maltese's food.
The puppy's blood sugar. A toy-breed puppy, like the Maltese, has a small glycogen reserve and high metabolic expenditure relative to his weight — that raises the risk of hypoglycemia when he goes too long without eating. Split meals, with high caloric density, shorten the interval between one meal and the next and reduce that risk.
A protected mouth. Small mouth, crowded teeth: that combination retains more dental plaque than in larger dogs, and it is why the breed has a greater tendency toward periodontal disease. Small kibble, with a mechanical cleaning action during chewing, helps hold back part of that build-up — without replacing brushing and periodic veterinary assessment.
Once the puppy has grown, the focus shifts to rigorous portion control — a small body tolerates little margin for error in the amount of food — and to maintaining continuous support for oral health, since dental disease tends to worsen over time in toy breeds.
Criteria scored against the My Pet Magazine nutritional targets (protein, fat, calcium and caloric density ranges by size — see our methodology).
Breed profile and predispositions
The Maltese belongs to the group of toy breeds with a documented risk of transient fasting hypoglycemia early in life, associated with the puppy's hepatic immaturity. The Merck Veterinary Manual even names the Maltese among the toy breeds in which glycogen storage disease type Ia has been reported — a distinct and rarer liver condition, but one that reinforces why a puppy of the breed needs frequent meals and high caloric density while the liver is still maturing.
The breed also carries a predisposition to periodontal disease, a condition the WSAVA Global Dental Guidelines (2020) classify as the most common among the medical conditions of small animals. The nutritional implication is to prioritize small kibble with a mechanical cleaning action during chewing, combined with portion control matched to the Maltese's reduced size — without replacing brushing and periodic veterinary assessment.
Recommended foods for the Maltese
Ranked by IDNM/IPFI technical score across 49 dog foods — no manual product curation.
- 1
IAMS ProActive Health Small Breed Adult · IAMS
89.7/100 - 2
Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Small Breed · Blue Buffalo
89.3/100 - 3
Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach Small Breed · Purina Pro Plan
89.1/100 - 4
Wellness Complete Health Small Breed · Wellness
88.9/100 - 5
Diamond Naturals All Life Stages · Diamond Naturals
88.8/100
Frequently asked questions about Maltese food
- Does the Maltese need a special food?
- He needs attention to two things: the puppy's blood sugar and the teeth across life. A Maltese puppy is at risk of a drop in blood sugar, according to the Merck Veterinary Manual, and the breed builds up tartar easily because of its small mouth. A good food for a Maltese offers split calories in the puppy stage and helps hold back tartar in the adult dog.
- Why is a Maltese puppy at risk of hypoglycemia?
- A toy-breed puppy, like the Maltese, has little glycogen reserve and a still-immature liver — that makes it harder to hold glucose in the blood when he goes a long time without eating. Split meals with good caloric density reduce that risk by avoiding long gaps without food, according to the Merck Veterinary Manual.
- Does the Maltese have any specific liver condition cited in the veterinary literature?
- The Merck Veterinary Manual names the Maltese among the toy breeds in which glycogen storage disease type Ia — a rare hereditary liver condition — has been reported. It is different from the more common transient hypoglycemia in the breed, but it reinforces why the puppy needs regular calories.
- Does dry food help the Maltese's dental health?
- It helps. Dry food with kibble that has a mechanical action reduces plaque build-up compared with an entirely wet diet — periodontal disease is the most common medical condition in small animals, according to the WSAVA Global Dental Guidelines. But no food replaces brushing the teeth and going to the veterinarian.
- Why does the Maltese's mouth build up tartar so easily?
- Because it is a small mouth with crowded teeth — that retains more dental plaque than in larger dogs. Small kibble with a mechanical cleaning action helps with control, but oral care remains a routine, not just food.
Methodology
The block of recommended foods on this page is ordered by My Pet Magazine's IDNM/IPFI technical methodology, which evaluates the nutritional density and ingredient purity of each product in the active dataset for the Maltese's small-size profile — with no manual curation or brand influence. The score takes into account caloric density appropriate for the puppy and support for oral health, factors that weigh in the ranking, recalculated whenever the product dataset is updated.
The ranking on this page is a projection of the My Pet Magazine IDNM/IPFI scoring engine over the dog dataset, with no manual product curation. See the full methodology →
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