Best Dog Food for Weimaraners: Fueling Your Active Companion

The Weimaraner, also called Weimer or Weim for brevity, is a majestic German dog breed.

The ghost-gray coat they are known for is almost as impressive as their hunting prowess. While this breed is steadfast, unafraid and sure, they also just want to be a part of the family.

Their personality and quirks help us to fall in love with them time and again. Our part is to make sure they get our love and attention as well as the best dog food for their specific needs.

In this article, Best Dog Food for Weimaraners, we will look at the Weimaraner breed and help you pick the best dog food for each life stage.

OUR TOP 3 PICKS FOR DOG FOODS FOR WEIMARANERS

Best Dog Food for Weimaraners

Finding your specific and favorite brand will be a matter of choice and trial and error. Some dogs will like the flavors of one brand while other dogs within the breed will not.

Finding the perfect match is crucial, though. This list should help get you started.

 

1. Nom Nom Pork Potluck

First 5 ingredients: Ground Pork, Russet Potatoes, Green Beans, Squash, Kale

Nom Nom is a dog food service that provides specific recipes based on whole, natural ingredients. The difference here is that everything that goes into the dog food are ingredients that are safe for humans to consume for a more natural approach.

Nom Nom food comes in insulated, recyclable trays. Trays can be placed in your refrigerator or freezer up to 24 hours before it’s given to your dog.

Each recipe is handmade each week and portioned for you before delivery. The Porkalicious Potluck only has seven ingredients and gives you 78 grams of protein, 63 grams of fat and 56 grams of carbohydrates.

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2. Blue Buffalo Life Protection Chicken & Brown Rice

First 5 ingredients: Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Brown Rice, Barley, Oatmeal

Blue Buffalo was one of the first brands on the market with high quality, naturally sourced ingredients for dog food. They have maintained their station and proven time, and again they deserve to be noticed, loved and used.

Blue Buffalo never adds artificial ingredients and steers clear of the harmful grains that others use for filler, or to boost their content levels.

What you will find is a naturally sourced meat protein (chicken) along with easily digested grains (oatmeal, rice, etc.) along with a host of vitamins and minerals not found in some other high-end dog foods. Proper growth and bone support are inevitable with the Life Protection formula.

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3. Merrick Real Texas Beef + Sweet Potato Recipe

First 5 ingredients: Deboned Beef, Lamb Meal, Salmon Meal, Sweet Potatoes, Potatoes

Merrick is well known for the attention to ingredients, only using what is essential to get the required proteins and fats. The new formula will net your dog a minimum of 38 percent crude proteins, 17 percent minimum fats and 3.5 percent fiber.

Most Weimers love the flavors and will devour the bowl as soon as it is placed in front of them. For those looking to avoid peas or white potatoes, though, this isn’t the brand for you.

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4. Blue Buffalo Wilderness Large Breed Chicken Recipe

First 5 ingredients: Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Peas, Tapioca Starch, Fish Meal

What makes the Blue Buffalo product line unique is the fact that it is designed to satisfy the spirit of your dog’s inner wolf – it is designed to promote your dog’s health, happiness, and harmony for the duration of his life.

Every recipe is made with real meat proteins, wholesome carbohydrates, and other healthy ingredients with beneficial supplements like probiotics and chelated minerals.

The Blue Buffalo Large recipe is particularly good for your Weimaraners because it is designed to meet the unique nutritional needs of very large dogs.

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5. Wellness CORE Grain-Free Wild Game Recipe

First 5 ingredients: Duck, Lamb Meal, Chickpeas, Chicken Meal, Peas

This food is designed for dogs of all sizes and meets their needs in several ways. On the surface, it has a large kibble size that’s perfect for larger mouths. To encourage joint health throughout your dog’s adult life, this food contains glucosamine and chondroitin.

All Wellness CORE foods use grain-free, protein rich recipes infused with botanicals and supplements for optimal health. Unlike some other high-protein foods, Wellness CORE foods avoid excessive fat.

They contain probiotics for digestive health, are enriched with antioxidants, and contain Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids for skin and coat health.

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6. CANIDAE PURE Real Bison, Lentil & Carrot Recipe

First 5 ingredients: Bison, Lamb Meal, Sweet Potatoes, Peas, Lentils

This bison recipe is loaded with fresh meat and whole foods for complete and balanced nutrition that also offers good digestibility.

Not only is this formula made with a limited number of main ingredients, but the primary protein is a novel protein for most dogs which further reduces the risk for food allergies and sensitivities.

This formula features fresh bison with grain-free carbohydrates and plenty of omega fatty acids for skin and coat support. All in all, this is a natural, delicious, and nutritious recipe for adult dogs.

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7. Taste of the Wild High Prairie Puppy

First 5 ingredients: Water Buffalo, Lamb Meal, Sweet Potatoes, Egg Product, Pea Protein

Taste of the Wild brings flavors from across the country to your dog's bowl. They select various regions and pull their proteins, vitamins, and minerals from naturally occurring plants, animals and foods of that area. Considered a more exotic protein source, you will find foods like salmon, buffalo, and lamb.

This dry dog food was created with puppies in mind. It includes real buffalo as the primary ingredient along with delicious add-ons, including bison, venison, and beef that will deliver the protein your little growing Weim needs.

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8. Merrick Grain-Free Puppy Plate Recipe

First 5 ingredients: Deboned Chicken, Chicken Broth, Deboned Turkey, Sweet Potatoes, Carrots

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.

The entire formula is designed for growing puppies, especially larger breeds that grow fast, like your Weim.

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9. Nutro Natural Choice Senior Lamb & Brown Rice Recipe

First 5 ingredients: Deboned Lamb, Chicken Meal, Rice Bran, Split Peas, Brewers Rice

As your pup ages, they’ll need to consume less protein, and more fat and lamb contains a lot of healthy oils to help their skin, coat, and eyes as they get older.

This food contains lamb as the first ingredient and Nutro always believes in keeping the list of ingredients small to make everything easier to understand for the consumer. Nutro Senior formulas have all the nutrients your dog needs to continue his active and healthy lifestyle.

With glucosamine and chondroitin added for proper bone health and teeth support.  The dry food also mixes well with wet food and water for easier eating and protection of older teeth.

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10. Evanger's Classic Recipes Senior & Weight Management

First 5 ingredient: Chicken, Chicken Broth, Brown Rice, Guar Gum, Dried Kelp

Evanger's Senior wet food gives your senior the nutrition they need, and the support required for aging bones, teeth and digestion. Each container is properly formulated to include low crude fat and high crude protein ratio. Older dogs maintain a healthy appetite and active lifestyle with the naturally sourced items in the formula.

In addition to quality proteins, their products are made with digestible carbohydrates and, in many cases, fresh fruits and vegetables for nutritional balance. While each recipe is unique, the overall quality of this brand is high.

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Why Quality Food Matters

Weims are a large breed dog that grows very fast. This sporting group breed must maintain peak physical conditioning through daily exercise, and a lot of it.

A simple walk around the park isn’t going to cut it here. They need constant running and jumping and playing to keep their bodies working as intended.

The Weimaraner is a big eater and will try to eat everything you put on their plate, including the plate and the mat underneath it. Providing a rich, wholesome and high-quality food will ensure they get everything they need to grow strong and healthy.

Because they can have a tenancy to overeat, you need to watch the crude fats and crude protein levels. The puppy life stage should have more fat than any other stage, but you cannot let it become a habit.

Into adulthood, the Weim will need more crude proteins and vitamins from natural sources. By the time they are in the senior life stage, fewer proteins are okay if they are replaced by vitamins and minerals that protect teeth, bones, and muscles.

Common Health Issues

Weims have several health concerns that you should have checked out. Most honest breeders will show you papers and records of both the mother and father to help alleviate some of the health concerns. However, even the purest of gene pools don’t always protect your pup from these conditions.

1. Entropion

Eyelids are important to keep the eyes lubricated, clear of dust and debris and to help the eye recover from injuries. The eyelid, when affected by entropion, folds inward. This causes the eyelashes to rest and scratch on the eye surface.

Over time this can cause injuries to the cornea and iris which will need to be treated medically. Left untreated your Weim can experience keratitis or inner eye inflammation.

In large breeds like the Weimaraner, the most common tale-tell sign is pus or mucus constantly at the corner of the eyes. It is a genetic disease, for the most part. However, there are several other factors thought to be a secondary cause.

Poor diet, for example, can cause fat loss and muscle loss in the eye socket that can lead to the condition. The base treatment is careful monitoring and looking for a root cause. If none is found (meaning it is genetic) surgery is the only answer.

2. Hypertrophic Osteodystrophy

Hypertrophic osteodystrophy is the scientific term for bone inflammation. In large breeds, like the Weimaraner, this will affect the front legs of the growing puppy. Because the dogs grow fast, the bones need proper vitamins & minerals to grow properly.

With this condition, spurs or growths accumulate near the growing end of the bone and socket. The inflammation is non-infection, meaning it isn’t treated by antibiotics or anti-inflammatory medications.

Most commonly the episode will stop on its own, and if your puppy is prone, there may be a few episodes. During the inflammation, your puppy may become listless, lose their appetite or get a high fever. If the condition worsens or happens frequently, the dog may be left with permanently bowed legs.

During an inflammation episode, high protein and high vitamin diets are needed. You should also supplement with vitamin C and restrict exercise to walking only.

3. Less Common

There are several other conditions that are possible, though not as likely, to occur in the breed. Your vet can easily run urinary and blood tests as well as physical examinations to detect any of these conditions.

• Gastric Torsion
• von Willebrand's Disease (vWD)
• Spinal Dysraphism
• Distichiasis
• Canine Hip Dysplasia (CHD)
• Hemophilia A

What to Look for in Quality Dog Food

High-quality dog food matters. The ingredients matter and where those ingredients are sourced matters. Let’s look at what you should be looking for on the ingredient list for your Weimer.

Meat Proteins

The most important aspect is the protein. Dogs are designed to eat and process meat proteins. This means that vegetables, fruits, and berries should be secondary in their diet. Most of the crude protein and fats need to come from real meat sources.

These sources can be chicken, beef, pork, game or fowl, but should be listed as which specific protein on the label. It should also be the first ingredient with most of the total crude proteins coming from this source.

Vegetables

Aside from meat proteins, carefully selected vegetables should be used to provide natural sources of vitamins & minerals. While there is nothing wrong with extra, or added, vitamins and minerals, the bulk should come from things like sweet potatoes, white potatoes, carrots, and kale.

Fatty acids, Omega-3s, and other vitamins may come from other sources. However, most of the essential nutrients (aside from protein) should be sourced from fruits, veggies, and berries.

Ingredients to Avoid

Just as there are things to look for to include in your dog’s diet, there are a few things you should look to avoid completely.

Meat Byproduct

Anytime you see “meat byproduct” on the label: run. If the meat source isn’t listed (for example “chicken byproduct”), you should run faster. Byproduct is a food source that is essentially the waste portions of the animals at slaughter, animals that have died or become diseased and had to be put down, and expired meats added to the mixer that produces the byproduct (including the packaging it comes in).

The FDA has mandated that byproduct is non-consumable for humans. However, it is allowed for canines. Just because it is allowed, though, doesn’t mean you should allow your dog to eat it. There is zero to no nutritional value of byproduct, no proteins and can make your dog ill.

Artificial Colors and Dyes

Another thing to look for is artificial colors and dyes. You recognize these on the label as things like Blue 40, Yellow 5 & 6, and Red 2.

Not only can these additives stain your dog's fur, feet and face, they can also cause allergic reactions. While most Weimers are not highly susceptible to allergens, it is still best to avoid the chance. Allergies can develop over time, and you don’t want to see your pup react because the last meal was one too many.

 

Bad Dog Food Brands

There are several brands you should avoid. Some on the list may surprise you, as they have a well-established name and presence in our cupboards and store shelves. However, marketing being what it is, the scary truth is that you don’t want to have these foods anywhere near your dog.

Each of the following brands is known to contain one or more of the ingredients you should avoid. This includes meat byproducts, artificial ingredients and may be lacking in any meat protein at all. Using grains for the protein is just as dangerous and unhealthy for dogs as giving them byproduct every day.

• Purina Beneful
• Ol’ Roy by Walmart
• Iams
• Pedigree
• Kal Kan

Always ensure you double check the ingredient list before making a final purchase. You should also recheck the ingredients of your favorite brand regularly as recipes and manufacturing processes are known to change (such as the case with Iams).

Feeding Chart

Individual dogs will vary on when and how much they eat. Even the gobble-prone Weims are known to be picky eaters. The following information is just a guide. If you think your dog may be eating too much or not enough, seek out the advice of your veterinarian.

Puppies should have between ¾ and one full cup of food per meal. Puppies grow fast and for the first six to 12 months will need this amount three times per day.

After the 12th month, you can increase the amount to 1 cup to 1 ½ cups per meal and feed twice a day. Some Weimers will need less, while others have been known to eat up to 4 cups per day.

Seniors will also need two daily feedings of about a full cup each. The amounts and frequencies of feedings will, of course, depend on the health, age and activity level of your specific pup.

In a nutshell

When selecting the best dog food for your pet, it's important to prioritize high-quality protein sources to support their lean muscle mass and active lifestyle.

This breed also benefits from foods rich in healthy fats, like omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which promote a healthy coat and skin. Additionally, a diet with joint-supporting ingredients like glucosamine and chondroitin is essential, given their predisposition to joint issues.

Whether you opt for grain-inclusive or grain-free options, always consider your Weimaraner’s age, activity level, and any specific health concerns.

Consulting with a veterinarian can help tailor the right diet to ensure optimal health and longevity.