Best Dog Food For Great Pyrenees: Keep Your Giant Healthy

Most Great Pyrenees have long, waterproof coats of all white although some have markings of grey, reddish brown, or tan. They’re usually very zen, but when it’s time to take action, they’re quick and graceful.

If you aren’t sure what to feed your Great Pyrenees, we’ve got you covered. Let’s learn about this gentle giant and what food might be best for their diet.

Why Quality Food Matters

As a giant breed, it’s vital that your Great Pyrenees keep weight in check and receive support for joint health. Foods with tons of empty calories add weight without providing the dense nutrition your Pyrenees needs to maintain energy levels and proper muscle mass throughout the day.

Puppies and seniors need to be especially careful not to gain too much weight because it can have devastating effects on their musculoskeletal structure.

Quality foods rich in whole protein sources, complex carbohydrates, and vitamins from fruits and veggies maintain weight and keep energy levels consistent throughout the day.

 

Best Dog Food For Great Pyrenees

Let’s find your new favorite food. We’ve chosen things specific to large breeds in all stages of life, so let’s take a look.

1. Ollie Chicken Dish with Carrots

Ollie provides cooked dishes for an easier, more sustainable alternative to a raw diet. This chicken recipe provides excellent protein levels from whole, deboned chicken. Plus plenty of fruits and veggies provide vitamins and essential fatty acids for coat support.

The star ingredient, chicken, is a lean and highly digestible protein that helps build and maintain strong muscles while supporting healthy skin and a shiny coat. It’s also packed with amino acids and essential nutrients like phosphorus and selenium, which promote overall health and well-being.

Complementing the chicken are carrots, a natural source of potassium, fiber, and Vitamin A to support your dog’s eye health and immune system. Rice, rich in carbohydrates, serves as an energy-boosting base while adding protein, fiber, Vitamin D, and iron for balanced nutrition.

The addition of spinach enhances the dish with its powerful blend of vitamins A, B, C, and K, along with iron, antioxidants, and beta-carotene, promoting digestion and vitality.

Peas round out this nutrient-packed meal, offering fiber, vitamins, and lutein to support skin, eye, and heart health.

It’s a limited ingredient dish, so sensitive tummies should be fine. Meals are prepared fresh and shipped out within just a few days for you to refrigerate or freeze.

2. Stella & Chewy's Wild Red Raw Blend Kibble Prairie Recipe

Your furry friend will be taking a walk on the wild side with every bite of this exceptional kibble.

Packed with protein from a variety of premium meat sources—including chicken, turkey, quail, guineafowl, goose and duck—this recipe is crafted with a “whole prey” approach to deliver a truly wholesome meal.

By incorporating muscle meat, nutrient-rich organ meats and cartilage, it provides a well-rounded source of nutrition that mimics a dog’s ancestral diet.

But that’s not all—each bite is coated with freeze-dried raw meat for an irresistible flavor and texture, and it’s topped off with chunks of freeze-dried raw meat for added raw goodness.

This nutrient-dense recipe is free from artificial ingredients, fillers, preservatives, potatoes and legumes, ensuring a clean and natural meal your pup will love. Give your dog the rich, savory flavors he craves and the balanced nutrition he needs to thrive!

3. American Journey Salmon & Brown Rice Recipe (Large Breed)

When it comes to your dog’s diet, simplicity is key—begin with flavorful salmon, combine it with nutrient-packed fruits and vegetables and enrich it with essential vitamins and minerals.

This recipe includes Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) to support healthy brain and vision development while leaving out unnecessary additives like coloring and preservatives.

It uses fruits and veggies for antioxidants and vitamins. It uses minerals such as calcium to build strong bones that can support the weight of your full grown Pyrenees.

Brown rice and barley provide complex carbohydrates that release slowly and don't cause energy spikes. There are no corn, soy, or wheat fillers and no poultry by-product meals. Essential fatty acids round everything out to support coat and skin health.

4. Nature's Recipe Large Breed Chicken, Sweet Potato & Pumpkin Recipe 

This is a premium kibble formulated specifically for large breed dogs, featuring real chicken as the main protein source, along with wholesome ingredients like sweet potatoes and pumpkin for added nutrition.

This grain-free kibble is crafted with high-quality ingredients and is free from artificial preservatives, colors, and flavors, making it a wholesome and natural option for large breed dogs. It is designed to provide balanced nutrition to support the unique needs of large breeds, including joint health, muscle development, and overall vitality.

The inclusion of sweet potatoes and pumpkin in the formula provides a good source of fiber, which aids in healthy digestion, and contributes to a feeling of fullness, promoting healthy weight management. The real chicken in the recipe offers a high-quality protein source for muscle development and maintenance.

5. We Feed Raw Duck Patty

Naturally packed with antioxidants and crafted for easy digestion, this duck recipe has earned its place as a fan favorite among dogs and their owners.

It’s a flavorful and nutritious choice, carefully formulated by a PhD nutritionist to be complete and balanced for dogs at every life stage.

While duck takes center stage as the primary ingredient, nutrient-dense turkey is thoughtfully included to maintain a consistent calorie content across the recipe range. Duck alone would be too calorie-dense, so turkey ensures the perfect balance of flavor and nutrition.

Made with USDA human-grade meats, this food provides high-quality protein without any fillers or preservatives, ensuring your pup gets only the best in every bite.

Designed to deliver both great taste and optimal health, it’s a meal you can feel good about serving to your furry companion.

6. Merrick Backcountry Raw Infused Large Breed Recipe

This premium dog food features a holistic mix of kibble and freeze-dried raw pieces, inspired by the ancestral canine diet, delivering the taste and benefits of raw food in a convenient format.

It uses quality kibble with whole fruits and veggies, plus deboned chicken as the first ingredient. It has a good mix of both protein and essential fatty acids as well as glucosamine and chondroitin for joint health.

Enriched with omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, it promotes healthy skin and a shiny coat, while glucosamine and chondroitin support strong hips and joints. Grain-free and gluten-free, it offers a wholesome and nutritious option for your dog.

The brand uses no artificial flavors or preservatives, and the food contains no cheap fillers such as corn or soy. It’s appropriate for sensitive systems and shouldn’t cause any reactions.

Their recipes are proudly founded in Hereford, Texas, and crafted with care in USA facilities.

 

Best Puppy Food

Puppies changing nutrition needs mean you’ll probably work closely with your vet to figure out the right portion sizes and food. Great Pyrenees puppies need a lot of growth control, so choose foods specifically for large breed puppies.

7. Weruva Meals ‘n More Natural Amazon Livin'

This is a wholesome and nutritious meal designed to provide your dog with high-quality ingredients and digestive health support.

Family owned and operated, Weruva produces this premium dog food in a human food facility, ensuring the highest standards of safety and quality.

The recipe features responsibly sourced ingredients, free from corn, wheat, soy, preservatives, and artificial colors, so you can feel confident about the food you're feeding your pet.

This delectable meal is served with a savory gravy that not only enhances flavor but also helps support hydration, making it a great option for picky eaters or dogs who need extra moisture in their diet.

It also includes inulin, a prebiotic fiber that promotes digestive health, ensuring your dog’s tummy stays happy and healthy. With a focus on providing balanced nutrition, ite offers a complete meal that supports your dog’s overall well-being while catering to their taste buds.

8. Instinct Raw Boost Large Breed Puppy

Our favorite dry puppy food has bits of freeze-dried meat mixed in with premium kibble to provide excellent taste and comprehensive nutrition.

Designed specifically for puppies, this formula unlocks their potential to thrive by incorporating the benefits of raw nutrition in every bowl.

It uses a mix of whole chicken and fruits and veggies to carefully control growth while providing the building blocks for your Pyrenees puppy’s developing body.

Plus, natural DHA supports healthy brain and eye development. Sourced from the finest ingredients worldwide, this recipe is crafted to give your pup the best start in life.

It contains essential fatty acids to support skin, coat, and brain health. There are no artificial flavors and no cheap fillers. It’s easy on sensitive tummies and contains no potatoes.

Best Senior Dog Food

Seniors receive the same nutrition as they did when they were adults, by and large, but there may be some adjustments for weight or other health issues.

9. Purina ONE SmartBlend Vibrant Maturity 7+

Crafted with real chicken as the number one ingredient, this high-protein dog food is designed to help senior dogs maintain strong muscles and a healthy heart.

It features MCT-rich vegetable oil to support mental sharpness, while four antioxidant sources boost immune function.

The inclusion of glucosamine promotes healthy hips and joints for your senior dog, and with zero fillers, every ingredient is selected to support your dog’s well-being.

Omega-6 fatty acids, along with essential vitamins and minerals, help maintain a shiny coat and healthy skin. This formula also offers added calcium to promote strong teeth and healthy gums.

The combination of tender, meaty morsels and crunchy kibble delivers a drool-worthy taste and texture your dog will love, while being highly digestible to ensure they get the most out of every meal.

10. Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Senior Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe

Nutro’s senior formula is large breed specific and contains antioxidants for immune support plus glucosamine and chondroitin for joints. It uses whole, deboned chicken for complete protein and an excellent fiber balance for weight.

This recipe is carefully formulated with vitamins, minerals, and other beneficial ingredients to support the health of your large breed dog. Natural sources of glucosamine and chondroitin help maintain healthy joints for your senior dog.

The ingredients also work to promote healthy skin and coat, aid digestion, and strengthen immunity, ensuring your furry friend feels their best.

There are no artificial preservatives, no cheap fillers such as corn or soy, and each ingredient can be traced back to its source. Omega fatty acids continue to support the skin and coat while helping lubricate joints.

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3 Common Health Issues

Great Pyrenees sometimes experience problems related to their large size and their thick, long coats. Here are three things to watch out for.

• Hip Dysplasia – Hip Dysplasia is actually a genetic condition in which the hip joint doesn’t form properly. It causes the two parts of the joint to misalign, creating pain and issues with movement if progression is severe. There’s not much you can do about the condition itself, but foods with supplements for joint support can help keep those joints supple. Food should also help maintain a healthy weight because any excess pounds can exacerbate the problem and make it difficult to treat. Make sure your food is nutrient dense and not just empty calories.
• Bloat – Larger breeds are particularly susceptible to a condition in which the stomach suddenly distends during eating and if untreated can actually twist. If the signs aren’t recognized quickly enough, it leads to death. We aren’t sure what conditions trigger bloat, but we do know that carefully controlling the portion sizes and speed of eating for large breed dogs can help avoid bloat. Nutrient dense food can help here as well because your large breed dog won’t be overeating to cause bloat and may prevent it altogether.
• Skin Issues – They have a luscious coat, but food and environmental allergies can wreak havoc on its condition. Foods with cheap fillers often trigger allergic reactions in sensitive dogs, manifesting in itchy, irritated skin. Corn and soy are two big ones, but gluten, wheat, and by-product meals are others. Avoid these ingredients, which can make food much cheaper, but cause health concerns down the road. Also, look for foods that support skin and coat health with essential fatty acids from natural, not synthetic, sources.

What to Look For in a Dog Food?

Nutrient dense foods help your Great Pyrenees receive all the protein needed to maintain muscle health and complex carbohydrates to prevent energy spikes and sustain energy levels throughout the day. Empty fillers just add calories and weight.

Look for foods that have whole protein sources as the first ingredients, followed by healthy, complex carbohydrates. Vitamins and minerals from fruits and veggies are also essential for robust immune systems. Probiotics can help aid digestion while essential fatty acids provide nutrients for healthy skin and coat.

Excellent fiber count and lean protein sources can help your Pyrenees keep down eight and prevent issues with the hips and spine. Fiber is also good for promoting healthy digestion. Make sure the food you give has enough fiber to keep your dog feeling full without bloating or gaining excess weight.

Ingredients to Avoid

Cheap fillers are terrible for your dog’s health because of empty calories and potential food allergies. Avoid foods that use corn or soy as ingredients. If possible, gluten-free and wheat-free foods can also cut down on allergies. By-product meals, especially chicken, can cause problems with particularly sensitive dogs as well.

Early studies have established a tentative link between a diet full of potatoes, peas, and legumes and a disorder called canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).

This disorder is more common in large breed dogs than in smaller breeds, so use your best judgment for these ingredients. Because it’s not fully established, and we don’t know precisely what causes DCM, recommend staying away from foods that have one of those listed in the first three ingredients.

Some well-known brands use fillers to cut down on the cost of food. Beneful, Kibbles N Bits, and Ol Roy, for example, may be wallet-friendly in the short term, but you’ll end up with more trips to the vet’s office when your pet is overweight, itchy, and irritated.

Great Pyrenees Feeding Chart

Great Pyrenees adults could require up to 2200 calories per day. Puppies, seniors, and dogs with different health factors won’t require that much, but it’s essential that your Great Pyrenees not be allowed to free-feed all day long because of potential weight issues.

General feeding requirements are as follows:

• Puppies: Work with your veterinarian to establish a feeding schedule because it’s vital that your puppy not grow too quickly.
• Adults: four to six cups per day depending on weight and type of food
• Seniors: seniors should get the same amount of food they had when they were adults unless they need to lose weight or have severely restricted activity. Talk to your veterinarian to discuss the best course of action.

 

Final Thoughts

Your Great Pyrenees needs nutrient-dense food throughout its life to help control growth and weight. Pyrenees dogs need strong bones and joints to help support the weight, plus ingredients to keep their thick coat healthy and shiny. Avoiding cheap fillers is one of the best ways to ensure your Great Pyrenees is getting the right nutrition in the proper forms without empty calories.

Your gentle giant is an excellent companion, and with high-quality food, it should be able to enjoy life and provide companionship for many years.