Irish Wolfhounds are magical dogs. At once dignified and mysterious, they’ve long been defined through their status as the tallest dog breed and their serene dispositions.
They’re recovering big game hunters content to spend their modern lives lounging with the people they love most.
They’re highly graceful with the patience of a saint, but at around 130 pounds, they’re still a significant commitment.
Large breed dogs have particular health concerns you must consider when deciding what to feed them, so make sure your Irish Wolfhound has the best chance at a quality life by feeding it the right food. Let’s take a look at what that entails.
Why Quality Food Matters
Densely nutritious food gives your Wolfhound all the proteins and carbohydrates it needs to build strong muscles and maintain energy levels throughout the day without adding those extra calories.
You may save money in the short term with bargain foods, but in the long run, you’ll spend a lot more on vet visits and treatments for preventable health conditions.
OUR TOP 3 PICKS FOR DOG FOODS FOR IRISH WOLFHOUNDS
Your Irish Wolfhound needs a proper mix of nutrients without any added fillers so that weight is maintained, and stress is taken off tender joints and bones. Let’s take a look at our top picks for the best food to feed your Wolfhound to give it lifelong health.
Nom Nom creates cooked food as a balance between feeding wet food and a raw diet. If you’ve got extra dough, you can get a scrumptious meal made from premium ingredients delivered right to your door.
Your Wolfhound would really thrive on a cooked food diet, and that’s just what Nom Nom provides. It uses high-quality ingredients and are prepared in Nom Nom’s kitchens.
Servings are shipped out each week ready to be served or stored in your freezer. Whole proteins plus fresh fruits and veggies provide excellent nutritional support in convenient packaging.
The company is committed to deliver the best nutrition possible for your four-legged companion. They offer made-to-order recipes that is formulated by a board certified veterinary nutritionist in the US, Dr. Justin Shmalberg.
All meals have no fillers, by products or any artificial preservatives plus don't forget their door to door delivery service.
First Five Ingredients (Beef recipe):
Ground beef
Russet potatoes
Eggs
Carrots
Peas
About The Company – Nom Nom was created by a veterinarian who wanted to provide high-quality nutrition for pet owners everywhere. The company’s kitchens take care of preparation, delivering home-cooked meals to your Wolfhound in convenient serving sizes, and all deliveries and recipes can be managed directly from the website.
Pros
Human grade ingredients
Easy portion sizes
Meals are delivered
Crafted by Vet-Nutritionist
Door to door delivery
Cons
Delivery times may not be convenient based on your location
Requires cold storage
2. American Journey LID Lamb & Sweet Potato Recipe
Made from a novel protein, lamb. This limited ingredient kibble is paw-fect for pooches who suffer from itchy skin/allergies. A nutrient-dense and delicious formula is what this is.
Lamb is similar in taste to beef but it has a far gamier flavor. It’s a great addition to any flavor rotation, and it can be an excellent option for canines who have food sensitivities from other animal protein sources. Besides, lamb is rich in essential amino acids that are necessary for growth and beautiful skin and coat.
Your pup will enjoy real, deboned lamb as the first ingredient, which provides a single source of animal protein and a rich flavor he’s sure to love. Made with easily digestible carbohydrates like peas and sweet potatoes, this grain-free kibble is ideal for dogs with food sensitivities.
This hearty meal is made with valuable limited ingredients that contain the nutrients your dog needs, without corn, wheat, soy, poultry by-product meals or artificial colors, preservatives or flavors that can slow him down.
The crude protein content in the American Journey lamb recipe is listed as 22% minimum, while fat is at a minimum of 12%. Crude fiber and moisture are the same as the other flavors in this range, which is 6% max for fiber and 10% max for moisture.
First Five Ingredients:
Deboned Lamb
Lamb Meal
Sweet Potatoes
Peas
Pea Starch
About The Company –American Journey is owned by online pet product and food retailer, Chewy.com. It’s Chewy’s house brand and is made right here in the U.S. All meals are designed to cater to the specific and various needs of pups of varying life stages.
Pros
Single animal protein source
High-quality animal proteins
No ingredients like corn, wheat, soy, poultry by-product
Formulated with novel proteins including real smoked salmon, this grain-free recipe includes peas and sweet potatoes that deliver the highly-digestible energy your active pup needs, along with natural antioxidant support.
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 novel proteins including real smoked salmon, this dog food takes its inspiration from the ancestral diet of prehistoric canines.
It contains 25% protein and 15% 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:
Salmon
Ocean Fish Meal
Sweet Potatoes
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.
Pros
Packed with vitamins, antioxidants, and fatty acids
Notable difference in pet's coat and skin health
Picky eaters eat this
Cons
Always out of stock
Poor bag design
4. Merrick Backcountry Raw Infused Big Game Recipe
This recipe mimics this ancestral canine diet by offering pure freeze-dried pieces of raw deboned lamb that your furry companion will love. Lamb has a distinct taste that even fussy eaters love.
In the Great Outdoors, undomesticated dogs lived and thrived on a protein-rich diet made of wild game. Merrick’s Backcountry Raw Infused Big Game Recipe mimics this ancestral canine diet by offering pure freeze-dried pieces of raw deboned lamb that your fur baby will love.
With a minimum crude protein of 38%, this meal provides optimum nutrition for healthy skin and hair, tissue and muscle repair, and the development of antibodies.
Lamb has a distinct taste that even fussy eaters love, and this combination with wild boar and venison offers doggies a flavor-packed, tasty dish.
The meat-based recipe also includes a healthy amount of Omega fatty acids for a beautiful coat and healthy skin, chondroitin for cartilage and joint tissue nourishment, glucosamine for increased joint mobility, and a host of other essential vitamins and minerals.
First Five Ingredients:
Deboned Lamb
Chicken Meal
Turkey 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 Wolfhound's wild ancestors would have consumed.
Pros
Raw bits of meat
Features real deboned lamb
Glucosamine and chondroitin
Comes in larger bags
Cons
Some dogs pick out raw bits and leave the kibble
Raw bits need redistribution
5. The Honest Kitchen Whole Grain Chicken Recipe Dehydrated Dog Food
It features fresh whole grains such as barley and oats along with fresh fruits and vegetables to deliver complete and balanced nutrition. You’ll find that it is supplemented with essential vitamins and chelated minerals to ensure maximum nutrient absorption
Honest Kitchen uses a dehydrated form of food that allows cooked, human-grade ingredients without the hassle of cold storage. The Whole Grain Chicken recipe uses deboned chicken as a lean source of protein along with slow release carbs in the form of whole grains. Whole fruits and veggies support skin and joint health through their easy to mix meal servings.
It contains organic whole grains like barley and oats with fresh fruits and vegetables to ensure complete and balanced nutrition. This recipe is limited in its list of ingredients as well, which helps with digestion and reduces the risk of food allergies and sensitivities.
This recipe is dehydrated rather than cooked, so it retains more of its original nutritional value, but it needs to be rehydrated before feeding. It may take your dog some time to get used to the texture.
First Five Ingredients:
Free-Range Chicken
Organic Barley
Potatoes
Organic Flax
Organic Oats
About The Company – Honest Kitchen knows you want to feed your Wolfhound the best food available, but it’s hard to keep foods in cold storage. The company’s dehydrated options are an alternative to messy raw food diets and the empty calories of cheap kibble. The boxes are easy to store and reconstituting the food is meant to be simpler than even hauling around dog food bags.
It uses healthy fats for coat health and to support skin rebuilding. This food also has a unique blend of superfoods, living probiotics and rich omegas with real lamb leading the list.
Solid Gold’s lamb formula uses complete proteins from lamb and complex carbohydrates from brown rice and barley without spiking your Wolfhound’s blood sugar, providing give energy all day long. Whole fruits and veggies provide vitamins and antioxidants, plus healthy fats and no fillers.
It uses healthy fats for coat health and to support skin rebuilding. Oils also help your dog maintain energy throughout the day and support joints. This diet is formulated to enhance your canine's coat, sharpen his mind and boost his energy levels.
This food also has a unique blend of functional superfoods, living probiotics and rich omegas to help build strong muscles and provide your furbaby with gut health and overall immune system support.
First Five Ingredients:
Lamb
Lamb Meal
Brown Rice
Pearled Barley
Oatmeal
About The Company – Solid Gold started with a woman’s dream to feed her dogs the best food she possibly could. It’s now a trusted, holistic brand providing premium nutrition for your dog regardless of life stage.
Pros
Uses 20 different superfoods
Excellent protein content
Affordable
Cons
Comes in smaller sized bags
Not resealable
Puppy Food
Puppies change pretty rapidly during their journey to adulthood, so it’s important to discourage growth that’s too fast with a food made for large breed puppies. This allows them to grow at a pace that won’t stress joints and bones, giving them a better start at overall health.
7. Wellness Large Breed Complete Health Puppy Recipe
Wellness uses complete proteins with balanced carbs to keep up with your hyperactive pupper. It even contains an extract to help reduce odor in your puppy’s stool.
Wellness Large Breed Complete Health Puppy Deboned Chicken, Brown Rice & Salmon Meal Recipe is designed with your Wolfhound in mind. It prevents rapid growth with carefully controlled protein and calories, plus plenty of fatty acids for brain development and skin health.
Wellness uses complete proteins with balanced carbohydrates to keep up with all that puppy energy. DHA helps keep brain development on track and calcium supports growing bones. It even contains an extract to help reduce odor in your puppy’s stool, a common complaint among puppy owners.
About The Company – Wellness uses only premium ingredients to provide a holistic approach to pet nutrition, and they were one of the first to do so. It’s high-quality nutrition for long-lasting health for your Wolfhound no matter the life stage.
Nulo’s chicken, salmon, and lentils wet food is a great way to transition from nursing to real food. Whole fruits and veggies support the immune system and provide an excellent source of vitamins and antioxidants.
This Freestyle recipe uses both whole chicken and salmon for complete proteins for growing bodies. It’s grain free and uses lentils as a source of complex carbohydrates and fiber. It has guaranteed levels of DHA in addition to fatty acids for brain development, healthy skin, and coat.
Nulo proves you can have both wet food and food specifically for your large breed. It uses carefully controlled calories to prevent rapid growth and is grain free to help with sensitive tummies. It’s suitable for puppies who’ve just weaned to help them get used to solid foods.
It’s low glycemic and will help control growth. Plus, it uses antioxidants and probiotics to support digestion.
First Five Ingredients:
Chicken
Chicken Broth
Salmon Broth
Chicken Liver
Salmon
About The Company – Nulo considers your large breed puppy’s needs with ingredients intended to build strong muscles without encouraging rapid growth. The company provides densely nutritious foods previously only available at specialty stores and now available widely for all pet owners.
Pros
Large breed specific canned food
Good protein levels
Controlled calories
Cons
Difficult to store unused portions
Messy to serve
Senior Dog Food
Seniors need similar nutrition as their younger counterparts but controlling weight is your first mission. You want to make sure your senior stays trim so they can enjoy life for as long as possible without losing the ability to move.
9. Now Fresh Grain-Free Large Breed Senior Weight Management
A large breed specific and weight control formula in one. As your Wolfhound ages, this senior recipe's whole proteins and carefully controlled carbs help keep weight under control even with reduced activity levels.
Now Fresh’s weight control formula uses carefully controlled calories with whole proteins to help your senior stay at the ideal weight. It includes glucosamine and chondroitin from natural sources to provide joint support and essential fatty acids to keep cognitive function in top shape.
It uses premium proteins from quality sources such as deboned turkey plus glucosamine and chondroitin and from New Zealand green mussels. It’s grain free and free of fillers to alleviate allergies.
First Five Ingredients:
De-Boned Turkey
Potatoes
Peas
Whole Dried Egg
Tapioca
About The Company – Now Fresh uses premium ingredients to create a high-quality kibble that’s as close to your Wolfhound’s ancestral diet as possible. It has plenty of protein and supplements to help your senior Wolfhound maintain a high standard of living even in the twilight years.
Victor Senior helps you keep an eye on your older pet's weight. With their enriched formula, you can still feed the amount the dog is used to without worrying of the extra calories.
Victor also uses a healthy weight formula to prevent extra pounds from robbing your Wolfhound of its golden years. It uses an excellent ratio of fat and protein to support your senior dog’s aging process, along with ingredients to support digestion and immune functions.
With their enriched formula, you can still feed the amount the pup is used too without worrying if they are getting too much. This is beneficial in the transition stage from adult to senior. Not only that but you will also find enough vitamins and minerals that support joint, bone and tooth health to keep your dog happy and healthy.
First Five Ingredients:
Beef Meal
Whole Grain Brown Rice
Whole Grain Millet
Menhaden Fish Meal (source of DHA)
Chicken Meal
About The Company – Victor uses almost exclusively locally-sourced ingredients in its dog foods, with only 20% of ingredients coming from outside a 200-mile radius to its Texas home base. It’s a premium food designed to give your senior the best nutrition available for a more affordable price than some other premium brands.
Pros
Good protein to fat ratio
Easy to chew pieces
Locally sourced ingredients
Cons
Picky seniors may not eat it
Some bags have a higher dust content (crushed food)
3 Common Health Issues Better Food Can Help With
Large breeds have their own particular health issues associated with their size. Irish Wolfhounds also have some health concerns specific to the breed, but it’s essential that you watch out for these three common yet dangerous conditions.
Bloat – Irish Wolfhounds, like most large breed dogs, are prone to a potentially fatal condition called Bloat. This condition happens when the stomach distends and twists, causing pain and eventual death if not treated immediately.
We aren’t sure exactly what causes bloat to begin, but quality food could play a part in prevention. Dense nutrition can reduce portion sizes and help you feed your Wolfhound smaller meals throughout the day while maintaining energy levels. It can also help ease the strain of digestion through quality pre- and probiotics.
Dysplasia – Another condition common in large breed dogs, Dysplasia of the hip and elbow is a common condition found in Wolfhounds. Genetics determines whether the condition is present but a diet focused on the needs of large breed dogs can help alleviate the effects.
Food should control your Wolfhound’s weight carefully without sacrificing the protein needed to build strong muscles to support the large frame. Managing weight and maintaining muscle tone could be two of the most critical factors in alleviating the stress on the hip or elbow joint and prevent the worst effects of dysplasia.
Weight Gain – Irish Wolfhounds are naturally very lithe with a lower body fat count than that of breeds somewhat comparable in size. It makes them less tolerant of anesthesia and more likely to feel the effects of any unnecessary weight gain through exacerbating dysplasia symptoms, straining the spine, and developing conditions like diabetes.
Properly nutritious foods prevent puppies from growing too quickly like they do on high-calorie diets and help adults maintain muscle mass without adding pounds. The quality of food helps keep weight at proper levels through all stages of life, preventing some of the worst effects of large breed genetic conditions.
What to Look For in a Quality Dog Food
Quality foods should have proper protein sources from the whole ingredient such as deboned chicken or salmon. These ingredients give your dog the best building blocks for healthy muscle mass. Combined with complex carbohydrates that won’t spike your Wolfhound’s blood sugar, this can be a critical combination for ensuring energy throughout the day.
Whole veggies and fruits provide critical fiber counts that keep digestion smooth and weight under control. They contain essential prebiotics as well that cause gut flora to flourish. Antioxidants support the overall immune system and help your dog stave off inflammation responses.
Essential fatty acids are critical for brain development in puppies and help keep the skin and coat healthy. As your Wolfhound ages, they also help maintain cognitive functions. Glucosamine and chondroitin are other supplements that help repair and cushion joints alongside those fatty acids.
Bargain foods are full of cheap fillers designed to bring down the price of the food, and that spells bad news for your Wolfhound.
These foods offer nothing but empty calories and the possibility of allergic reactions that compromise wellbeing. Two frequent offenders are corn and soy, which shouldn’t be listed anywhere in the ingredients list of your chosen dog food.
Other considerations would be artificial colors and flavors designed to mask nutritionally vacant foods. Chicken by-product meals can also cause reactions and are a poor source of protein. Be sure you don’t find any of these products in the ingredients lists either.
A common way to provide a source of complex carbohydrates in place of ingredients like corn is using potatoes, peas, and legumes. Preliminary research shows a tentative link between these ingredients and a condition called Canine Dilated Cardiomyopathy.
Until we understand the connection better, we recommend talking to your vet and avoiding foods with these ingredients in the first two or three positions on the list.
Brands To Avoid
A few very common dog brands found on the bargain aisle of big box stores could be causing significant issues with your pet. While there are numerous brands out there to avoid, here are the big three.
Ol Roy: A Walmart brand with small prices and huge quantities. What it doesn’t have a huge amount of is nutrition. Corn and soy plus by-product meals make this food full of empty calories.
Kibbles N Bits: This is a shelf standard, but it doesn’t give your Wolfhound much more than corn and soy products, artificial colors and flavors, and by-product meals. Basically, everything we tell you to avoid.
Alpo: Alpo falls under the Purina brand, and while it’s primarily a wet food with heavy artificial flavors and colors, it also produces two dry foods that use all of our cheap fillers on the list. Plus, the number of recalls should be plenty to deter you.
Wolfhound Feeding Chart
Consulting your vet is a big part of helping you decide on how best to feed your Wolfhound. There are some general recommendations, however, so you can get an idea of what it takes to feed the tallest dog breed in the world.
Puppies: Wolfhound puppies need carefully controlled growth to prevent issues with joints and bones later. Your vet is likely to change feeding recommendations quickly to adjust to a puppy’s quick maturation period.
Adults: Wolfhounds don’t need as much protein as active working dogs because very few are working nowadays. Keeping protein levels at 18% or under is a good option as well as feeding several smaller meals per day.
Seniors: Seniors will receive similar portions as they did when they were younger, but your vet may decide to cut back on portion size a little bit to account for inactivity if your pet is showing signs of weight gain.
Final Thoughts
Feeding your Irish Wolfhound doesn’t have to be a headache. Going with foods specifically intended for larger breeds, plus food that has a lower overall protein and fat content can help your Wolfhound maintain weight and protect joints.
Premium foods give your Wolfhound all the nutrition needed for daily energy. Choosing more expensive food over a bargain food may not make your wallet happy in the short term, but you may end up spending less time and therefore less money at the vet later. Go with nutrient dense and give your Wolfhound the best years you can.
What Do You Feed Irish Wolfhounds?
Recommended daily amount: 4 to 8 cups of high-quality dry food a day, divided into two meals. NOTE: How much your adult dog eats depends on his size, age, build, metabolism, and activity level. Dogs are individuals, just like people, and they don't all need the same amount of food.
Are Irish Wolfhounds Good for Hunting?
Irish Wolfhounds were highly coveted in the early centuries, because they were excellent hunters, guardians, and companions. You can guess from his name that the Irish Wolfhound is a wolf hunter. He has also been used to hunt wild boar and deer. Irish Wolfhounds have also been used to hunt the giant Irish elk.
Are Irish Wolfhounds Intelligent?
Yes. This breed is generally introverted, intelligent, and reserved in character. An easygoing animal, the Irish Wolfhound is quiet by nature. Wolfhounds often create a strong bond with their family and can become quite destructive or morose if left alone for long periods of time.
How Fast Do Irish Wolfhounds Grow?
Before long, though, the size difference between the majestic giant and the bandy-legged terrier will become apparent. At six months old, a male Irish Wolfhound might tip the scales at about 100 pounds. The Wolfhound is a slow-maturing breed whose growth period can last for two years.
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An individual with a profound affection for animals, who was brought up in an environment surrounded by dogs, cats, and chickens. A self-taught enthusiast in the realm of pet care. At present, the proud caretaker of two rescued felines and two lovely mixed-breed canines.
