Alaskan Malamutes are unique dogs with strong working drives and athletic sensibilities. Their coat and eyes usually cause a scene wherever they go, plus their resemblance to the dogs’ ancestor, the wolf.
Why Quality Food Matters
Malamutes are highly athletic. They’ll need support for muscle tone and bone structure as well as joint health support.
They may not be great in hot weather, but their curiosity and drive make them excellent choices for athletic families in the north where there’s plenty of cold weather to make them comfortable.
Quality foods help keep them from gaining too much weight, which can put stress on the bone structure, and helps prevent skin issues that can cause irritations underneath the fur.
You may not notice there’s a problem through their dense fur until it’s a full-on situation. Foods should also support brain health and prevent rapid growth during the puppy years.
OUR TOP 3 PICKS FOR DOG FOODS FOR ALASKAN MALAMUTE
They’re powerful and brilliant. This breed isn’t usually suitable for beginning dog owners because they must be brought to heel or they’ll run all over you.
Help support their curious minds and muscular bodies with a diet filled with all the proper building blocks for health and well being. Let’s find the best dog food for Alaskan Malamutes.
Made with fresh ingredients that are safe enough for human consumption – we do not recommend making this a meal for yourself though! This formula is specially crafted with your pup’s nutritional needs in mind.
Ollie is a brand of high-quality, fresh pet food that is designed to provide pets with all of the nutrients that they need to live a healthy and happy life.
This is a nutritious, human-grade dog food crafted with real turkey as the primary protein source, perfect for promoting lean muscle and overall health.
Packed with wholesome ingredients like blueberries, spinach, and pumpkin, this recipe offers antioxidants, fiber, and essential nutrients to support digestion, immune health, and energy levels.
Free from fillers, artificial additives, and preservatives, it provides a fresh, balanced meal that’s both delicious and beneficial for your dog’s well-being.
One of the key benefits of this product is that it is made using whole, natural ingredients that are sourced from trusted and reputable farmers.
These ingredients are then cooked using a low-heat process to preserve their nutritional value and flavor. This results in a pet food that is both nutritious and tasty, which can help to encourage even the pickiest of pets to eat.
About The Company – Made by vet nutritionists and other experts, Ollie aims to provide dogs with nutrition that balanced the ease of kibble with the dense nutrition of a raw diet. Meals arrive at your door and can be served or refrigerated right away, and you can adjust delivery schedules from their website. Each recipe is crafted in Ollie’s kitchens from organic ingredients.
You will absolutely get more than your money's worth with this product. Made from real, deboned beef with potatoes and chickpeas for an exceptional flavor. Plus, it is grain free!
American Journey has produced dog food that goes to show that cheap does not have to mean poor quality. Using beef as its main source of animal protein, this formula contains 32% protein and 14% fat.
This is amazing for a budget dog food and will be more than enough to ensure your dog maintains a healthy immune system, bones, and muscles. However, some of this protein is from the vegetable source pea protein. This is harder for dogs to digest than animal protein, but shouldn't be too much of an issue for a healthy dog.
It does also use chicken and turkey meal to bolster its protein content, which could be of some concern to dogs with allergies. In those cases, you would be better off going with American Journey's limited ingredient range. Still, this formula is grain-free,
This formula does include “dried plain beet pulp” as a source of fiber. This is fine but the saponinins in it has been found to cause irritation in a minor amount of dogs' gastrointestinal tract.
First Five Ingredients:
Deboned Beef
Chicken Meal
Turkey Meal
Peas
Chickpeas
About The Company – American Journey is the house brand of known online pet products and food retailer, Chewy.com. Manufactured in the United States, American Journey products offer nutritious recipe choices ranging from grain-free to rice-mixed. All formulations are made without soy, wheat, poultry meal by-products, or any filler for a truly healthy feast.
With novel protein sources such as water buffalo, venison, bison and lamb meal to name a few. This oh-so-tasty grain free formula also offers highly-digestible carbohydrates to deliver all the energy your active doggo needs.
Taste of the Wild has produced a brilliant dog food formula a that we are not sure can be beaten at this price point. Using bison and venison as its two animal protein sources, this dog food takes its inspiration from the ancestral diet of prehistoric canines.
It contains 32% protein and 18% fat. These numbers are brilliant and far above average. A high amount of protein and fat will do wonders for supporting the growth and maintenance of your dog's muscles and bones. High-fat content is also necessary for your dog to maintain a healthy immune system.
It is worth pointing out, however, that some of the protein in this formula is vegetable-based, with pea protein and potato protein featuring on the ingredients list.
Vegetable proteins are harder for your dog's stomach to break down, but it shouldn't be too much of a concern if your dog does not have any digestive problems.
First Five Ingredients:
Buffalo
Lamb meal
Chicken Meal
Sweet Potatoes
Peas
About The Company – A family-owned brand, Taste of the Wild is dedicated to bringing pets the complete nutrition that nature intended for them. Based on a dog’s natural diet and their DNA, the company’s pet food products lets your pet savor the same flavors their ancestors once did — that of protein-rich prey. All ingredients are natural, raised humanely, and sourced sustainably.
What Customers Like
Packed with vitamins, antioxidants, and fatty acids
A high-quality, all-natural dog food that is specially formulated to support your pooch's digestive health. Made with wild-caught salmon and whitefish, this recipe provides an excellent source of protein, which helps to support lean muscle mass and overall health.
This kibble is also formulated with a range of other natural ingredients, including whole grains, fruits and vegetables, which provide essential vitamins and minerals to support your pet's overall health and well-being. Additionally, it is free from artificial preservatives, colors, and flavors, making it an excellent choice for dogs with sensitive stomachs or allergies.
The formula also contains a unique blend of probiotics and digestive enzymes, which helps to support healthy digestion and nutrient absorption. This ensures that your dog is getting the most out of their food, leading to increased energy and vitality.
First Five Ingredients:
Salmon
Whitefish
Oats
Brewers Dried Yeast
Peas
About the Company – Halo is a pet food company founded in 1986 by Andi Brown, who was inspired by her own pet's health struggles. They specialize in creating high-quality, natural pet food products made from real whole meat, vegetables, and fruits. Halo is committed to using only ethically sourced ingredients and promoting sustainable practices in the pet food industry.
What Customers Like
Premium, organic ingredients
Actively supports digestive health
New and improved recipe
All new zip lock packaging, keeping kibble fresh
Free from artificial preservatives, colors, and flavors
A delicious and nutritious wet dog food that features real shredded chicken as the primary ingredient. Fit for dogs of all sizes/breeds and keeping them in tip top shape.
This is a top-notch gourmet canned food that features real shredded chicken as the primary ingredient. This product is grain-free and made without any artificial preservatives, flavors, or colors, making it a great choice for dogs with sensitive stomachs or allergies.
The recipe is also packed with essential vitamins and minerals, providing a complete and balanced meal for your furry friend. The chicken is slow-cooked in a savory gravy, providing a delicious taste that dogs love.
Overall, it is a great option for pet owners looking for a healthy, flavorful, and nutritious canned meal.
First Five Ingredients:
Chicken (Boneless, Skinless, White Breast)
Water Sufficient for Processing
Potato Starch
Sunflower Seed Oil
Tricalcium Phosphate
About the Company – Weruva is a family-owned pet food company founded in 2006, with a focus on producing high-quality, natural, and human-grade pet food. They specialize in creating wet food recipes for cats and dogs using real meat, seafood, and vegetables. The company is committed to sustainability and ethical practices, and their products are free from artificial preservatives, flavors, and colors.
What Customers Like
Highly palatable and savory
Made with real shredded chicken
Appealing to finicky eaters
Grain-free and natural
Great option for dogs with sensitive stomachs or allergies
Common Complaints
Pricey
6. Merrick Backcountry Raw Infused Great Plains Red Recipe
This is a freeze-dried raw food that is made from real, deboned beef. It also contains rabbit and lamb meat for additional taste. The additional raw meaty bites bring more flavor and texture.
Merrick’s recipe uses bits of raw meat in their formula to ramp up the protein and encourage even picky Malamutes to eat.
The raw bits are freeze-dried and mixed in with quality kibble that includes whole veggies for vitamins, essential fatty acids for skin support, and chondroitin to keep joints healthy.
First Five Ingredients:
Deboned Beef
Lamb Meal
Salmon Meal
Sweet Potatoes
Potatoes
About The Company – Merrick is a smaller company that tests each individual recipe to ensure maximum quality. They source ingredients from reputable places and strive to produce a diet similar to what your Malamute’s wild ancestors would have consumed.
What Customers Like
Raw bits of meat
Glucosamine and chondroitin
Comes in larger bags
Common Complaints
Some Malamutes pick out raw bits and leave the kibble
Great for companions who are 18 months and older, this clean formula from Nutro is made from high quality ingredients that is tailored fit to support the needs of large breed dogs.
The first ingredient is whole, deboned lamb, providing plenty of wholesome protein while rice supports all-day energy. It’s a clean recipe and easy to digest, containing plenty of vitamins and antioxidants as well as essential fatty acids. It uses only GMO-free ingredients from trusted partners of Nutro.
First Five Ingredients:
Deboned Lamb
Whole Brown Rice
Rice Bran
Chicken Meal (source of Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfate)
Whole Grain Oatmeal
About The Company – Now that Nutro is widely available outside specialty stores, you have the chance to provide your best friend with unparalleled nutrition. All their ingredients are premium, non-GMO foods that come from only trusted providers. You know that every bag provides your Malamute with a lifetime of nutrition.
What Customers Like
Non-GMO ingredients
Joint support supplements
Clean recipe
Common Complaints
Picky Malamutes may not accept it
Packaging issues
Puppy Food
Puppies need robust yet controlled growth to prevent issue with the skeletal system. They also need plenty of essential fatty acids for brain development and guaranteed levels of calcium and phosphorus to help bones grow and protein for strong muscle tone.
Fortified with vitamins, minerals, glucosamine, taurine, antioxidants, DHA, probiotics and omega fatty acids, this advanced nutrition for puppies delivers a complete and tasty meal.
This is a nutrient-dense, grain-free dry dog food formulated to support the growth and development of puppies.
Made with high-quality chicken and turkey as the primary protein sources, this recipe helps build strong muscles and maintain energy levels.
It also includes DHA from salmon oil to promote healthy brain and eye development, along with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals for a strong immune system.
Free from grains, fillers, and artificial ingredients, this formula provides complete and balanced nutrition to help puppies thrive.
First Five Ingredients:
Deboned Chicken
Chicken Meal
Turkey Meal
Potatoes
Peas
About The Company – Wellness uses a holistic approach to your puppy’s nutrition. It controls growth, offers a balanced diet, and plenty of probiotic support for puppies just weaning. It helps your puppy develop strong, healthy muscles and bones while leaving out all those cheap fillers.
Crafted for puppies of all breeds, this wag worthy wet food features real, deboned chicken first with organic veggies and fruits in a lip-smacking gravy.
Merrick’s wet food is great for puppies who’ve just weaned or who need encouragement to eat kibble. It’s suitable alone or as an additive to your puppy’s regular kibble meal.
It uses only premium ingredients including turkey, chicken, and duck along with fresh cut vegetables and plenty of essential fatty acids for brain development.
About The Company – Merrick’s wet foods help your puppy transition from milk to solids while providing the great taste of meat and veggies dipped in broth. It uses premium ingredients for whole nutrition and contains a protein-packed meal that can help developing muscles and brain grow.
What Customers Like
Satisfies picky puppies
Has plenty of protein and fatty acids
Controls growth
Grain-free formula
Common Complaints
Messy cans
Strong smell
Senior Dog Food
Seniors need similar nutrition during their adult and senior years, but you need to watch that weight gain carefully. They’re also more susceptible to joint issues and immobility.
Senior pets have slower metabolism, hence, we should also help them stay in shape. This weight management formula contains L-carnitine as well as 20+ natural superfoods making it a perfectly balanced recipe.
Now Fresh uses a weight control formula specifically for seniors to help support their aging process. It includes glucosamine and chondroitin for joint support, plus whole, premium protein sources to keep muscle tone strong.
Essential fatty acids and vitamins support aging immune systems and eyes while good fiber sources keep digestion regular.
First Five Ingredients:
De-Boned Turkey
Potato Flour
Apples
Pea Fiber
Peas
About The Company – Now Fresh uses premium ingredients to provide seniors with nutrition that mimics the canine ancestral diet as much as possible. It uses quality recipes and a holistic nutritional approach to support your senior’s aging process through gentle nutrients.
What Customers Like
Grain-free
Weight control
Fatty acids for brain and skin health
Senior supplement support
Common Complaints
Kibble may be difficult for seniors with tooth issues
Taste may not satisfy picky seniors
3 Common Alaskan Malamute Health Issues
Malamutes are a large breed dog and do experience health issue relate to that class. They also have some unique problems of their own that you should watch for throughout their lives. Here are three critical conditions to keep an eye out for.
Dysplasia – Large breed dogs are prone to issues with dysplasia, particularly of the hips. When the joint doesn’t form correctly, it can cause the hip to pop out of place, causing pain and immobility. Malamutes are prone to these effects as athletic dogs, so it’s essential that foods support joint health and carefully control weight. Puppy foods should also prevent rapid growth that can stress the skeletal system.
Bloat –Large, barrel-chested breeds are also prone to a dangerous condition called bloat. When the stomach distends and then twists, there isn’t much time to seek treatment before it’s fatal. Malamutes should be fed smaller meals with plenty of probiotics and fiber to help ease digestion and help possibly prevent bloat. Densely nutritious foods help the Malamute eat smaller portion sizes without sacrificing energy.
Eye Issues – Malamutes are prone to two eye conditions, day blindness, and juvenile cataracts, both of which become apparent in late puppyhood. While neither situation can be prevented or cured with food, quality food can help support eye health in the event these things happen to your malamute. The effects of both conditions could be mitigated, helping your Malamute lead a long healthy life with proper treatment and dietary support.
What to Look For in a Quality Dog Food
Protein from whole, quality sources should be the first ingredient on the list no matter what food you choose. It supports muscle tone and healthy skin while giving them energy all day with. Combine with complex carbohydrates, and you’ve got a formula that can support their energy without adding excess calories.
Fruits and veggies offer vitamins and antioxidants that support the immune system and things like eye health. Fatty acids provide support for a healthy coat and skin as well as maintain peak brain function. Immune support with probiotics also helps aid digestion so that your Malamute doesn’t gain weight due to poorly digested foods.
If your Malamute develops allergies, a limited diet may help alleviate the skin and soft tissue inflammation. Reducing the recipe to a single protein source plus a handful of other ingredients helps reduce that inflammation and return digestion back to normal.
Bargain foods use a lot of cheap fillers like soy or corn. These fillers have no nutritional value and can cause allergies to flare up or inflammation. They also add empty calories which can make it very difficult to maintain a healthy weight.
Artificial flavors can cause reactions as well, but something far more common is encouraging your dog to eat more quickly, which may lead to bloat. Artificial colors are there solely for your benefit to trick you into thinking the food is healthier than it actually is. Throw away foods that include these ingredients as well.
Cheap proteins in the form of just “meat” listings or by-product meals give you no indication what kind of meat or quality is actually providing protein. Look for foods only where meat sources are specifically labeled (“whole deboned chicken).
You also may want to avoid foods with potatoes, peas, or legumes list as the first two or three ingredients. Researchers have discovered a possible link between these foods and Canine Dilated Cardiomyopathy, a condition that causes hypertrophy of the heart and the thinning of its walls. Talk to your vet about avoiding the foods altogether or just being careful.
Brands To Avoid
We know these brands are displayed prominently on your big box store shelves, but we recommend staying far away from them. They may offer cheap prices but have next to no value for long term health.
Alpo: Both the wet and dry food options use filler ingredients that can cause irritation and difficulty with digestion. Plus, Alpo has had various pet food recalls in a short period, removing all trust we might have in that brand.
Pedigree: Pedigree uses filler ingredients, by product meals, and artificial colors in most of their formulas. Plus, they’ve also been subject to many recalls over the years, making them one of our top picks to avoid.
Ol Roy: Ol Roy is explicitly made for Walmart stores, and it’s high in quantity for sure. It’s one of the cheapest foods you can get, and it shows, including almost all of our ingredients to avoid plus having a kibble that’s really tough to chew. Avoid it at all costs.
Alaskan Malamute Feeding Chart
Alaskan Malamutes can be as heavy as 75 to 100 pounds depending on genetics and sex. They do need dense nutrition to support their energetic habits, but you always want to monitor any signs of weight gain carefully.
Puppies: Your vet will probably change your Malamute puppy’s recommendations several times throughout maturity. The most important thing is that growth is controlled to protect the developing skeleton.
Adults: Adult Malamutes will receive between three and four cups of food per day typically, divided over the course of several smaller meals. Check in with your veterinarian and on the back of your food bag for individual recommendations.
Seniors: A senior Malamute will probably receive a lot of the same nutrition as younger ones, but if there’s noticeable weight gain or reduction in activity levels, your vet may decide to reduce portion sizes to accommodate.
Final Thoughts
Alaskan Malamutes are striking dogs with plenty of personality and drive. You can support that strong, independent streak with quality foods with plenty of protein and carbohydrates to keep up energy all day long. Essential fatty acids can help with soft tissue development and keep the skin in top shape.
As long as you’ve controlled your Malamute’s weight, joints shouldn’t be much of an issue, but be sure to physically check underneath the fur for inflammations in joints as well as signs of weight gain.
The Malamute body isn’t meant to carry too much weight over peak conditions, so it could be a serious issue by the time you notice through all the fur. It’s essential that Malamutes have plenty of exercise and that’s hard when they have a difficult time moving their frames. Keep them in peak physical condition, and they’ll reward you with a lifetime of stories.
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Noreen possesses a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science degree from Informatics International College. While this credential might not elucidate her passion for pets, it does demonstrate her technical expertise and diverse character.
