The best dog food for Hounds is Front of the Pack’s Air Dried Dog Food because of its high quality ingredients, expert formulation, and air drying preparation process.
Best dog food for Hound dogs (top pick)
Front of the Pack Air Dried Dog food
- Every ingredient serves a purpose in your hound’s nutrition
- AAFCO compliant
- Uses cage Free chicken and organic vegetables
- High in protein and essential vitamins
Your average commercial food for hounds contains empty calories made up of filler, preservatives, and animal byproducts that contribute nothing to your hound’s diet. This is where Front of the Pack’s Air Dried Dog food distinguishes itself.
Every ingredient in this dog food was selected by a an expert team of vets, biochemists, and animal nutritionists because it supports your hound dog’s overall health in some way. The main ingredient of this dog food is cage free and antibiotic free chicken, which serves as your hound’s source of quality protein and amino acids to support muscle development and growth.
This recipe also includes organic sweet potatoes because they contain two bioactive pigments which support a hound’s immune system and cellular health. There’s also gluten free oats which contain omega fatty acids to support skin health.
This food also has guar fiber which acts as a natural prebiotic to support digestion.
The way this dog food is prepared is also worth mentioning. It uses a special air drying process which is hot enough to eliminate harmful bacteria, but gentle enough to preserve the natural nutrients of the raw ingredients. In contrast traditional kibble is cooked at extremely high temperatures which removes some of the food’s natural nutrients.
It’s not hard to see why Front of the Pack is our first choice as the best dog food for hound dogs.
We Feed Raw
Best dog food for hounds on a raw diet
- Recipe formulated by PhD animal nutritionist and appropriate for all life stages
- Meets AAFCO standards
- Biologically appropriate food
- No recalls in the company’s history
There are three things we like about We Feed Raw: the quality of their food, the quality of their service, and their safety measures. All these attributes make this brand our first pick for hounds eating on a raw diet.
Brief history of the raw diet
Since the early 2000’s raw diets have grown in popularity among dog owners. What started as a grassroots movement has now become mainstream.
While the big kibble based pet food brands fund a majority of the research on dog food, it’s the anecdotal testimonies of pet parents that has led to the rise of the raw movement. According to many pet parents raw diets give their dogs more energy, relief from common food sensitivity symptoms, better joint and bone health, healthy digestion, and smaller stools.
Problems with feeding hounds raw meat
Balanced nutrition is one of the biggest problems with feeding hound dogs raw meals. You can’t throw your hound a slap of uncooked ground beef and call it a raw diet. Each meal needs to have the right ratio of muscle meat, organ meat, and edible bones (no not all bones are automatically edible for your hound).
Finding the right meats can be difficult, particularly organ meats. For each meal you have to measure out the ingredients and ground them up for you dog, which is time consuming to say the least.
Add on top of this the concern that raw meat carries with it an increased risk of exposure to bacteria and harmful pathogens, for both you and your hound.
How we feed raw solves these problems
We feed Raw takes all of the hassle and work out of feeing hound dogs raw meat. Each of their recipes was crafted by a PhD Animal Nutritionist to be 1) biologically appropriate, 2) meet AAFCO standards, and 3) have the right balance of meat types. Even better their food is suitable for each life stage, meaning that it works as a puppy food, a food for adult dogs, and a wholesome meal for senior dogs.
We Feed Raw also has rigorous safety standards. They use a special cold pressure preparation process which helps get rid of harmful bacteria. All of their meals are cold shipped for free. It’s also important to note that throughout the company’s 13 year history they’ve prepared and shipped hundreds of tons of raw food without a single recall.
The folks at We Feed Raw are also ready and willing to answer any questions or concerns you might have about transitioning a hound dog from kibble to raw meals. If you want to try out We Feed Raw for your hound dog you can click the button below for 20% off your first order.
Best plant based dog food for hound dogs
Wild Earth Complete Protein Dry dog food
- Over 30% crude protein
- Includes natural prebiotics, vitamins, and minerals
- Over 86% of customers cite a health improvement in their dog after switching to Wild Earth
- Humanely tested under a Supervising panel of vets and scientists
- Sustainably produced
Animal prey was the natural food for the ancestors of bluetick coonhounds, Basset hounds, bloodhounds, and just about any other type of hound dog. In fact these dogs were bred to hunt and track wild game. So why on earth would we recommend a plant based dog food for hounds?
A balanced diet from plants?
Firstly (and most importantly), because it’s nutritious. Wild Earth meets the AAFCO Dog Food nutrient guidelines for maintenance. In fact, this dog food is actually healthier than a lot of other premium dog foods.
For starters, as the name suggests, this food provides your pet with all the essential amino acids and protein they need to support healthy muscle development and growth. This is made possible by a mix of natural ingredients such as dried yeast, chickpeas, as well as pea and potato protein.
Wild Earth’s dog food also features -3 and -6 omega fatty acids as found in sunflower oil, marine micro algae, and Flaxseed. These fatty acids are essential for the skin and coat health of a hound dog.
This dog food recipe also features natural fibers and prebiotics to aid in healthy digestion. There are even ingredients here that serve as natural sources of zinc, iron, and calcium.
Enviornmental sustainability
The second reason this food is on our list of the best dog food for hound dogs, is because it’s environmentally sustainable. Plant based dog food emits less CO2 and requires less water than meat based dog foods. Traditional dog foods make up around 25% of all meat consumed in the US, so a plant based alternative is big news for the planet (not just pets!).
The 30 day money back guarentee
Wild Earth knows that switching your hound from a traditional diet to a plant based one is a huge step for many pet parents. As a result all of their dog food comes with a 30 day no questions asked money back guarantee. You and your hound dog can try out Wild Earth and if either of you isn’t happy with it you can ask for a full refund.
Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach Salmon Dog Food
Best dog food for hounds with sensitive stomachs
- Made with real salmon and oatmeal for easy digestion
- Includes live probiotics and natural prebiotic fibers to help support a dog’s digestive system
- Free of soy, wheat, and artificial flavors and colors
This natural dry dog food was formulated especially for dogs that have skin or stomach issues. The first ingredient is salmon which is rich in nutrients and high in protein. Skin allergies in hounds are often triggered by proteins such as chicken, beef, or pork; making salmon a great protein alternative for hound dogs with skin issues.
This dry food also features probiotics and natural prebiotics to help support your hound dog’s gut health. Oatmeal is used in this food instead of wheat or soy, because it’s easier on dogs’ stomachs.
Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach Salmon Dog Food also contains fatty acids which help support healthy skin and joints.
Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Grain-Free Salmon & Sweet Potatoes recipe
Best grain free dog food for Hound mix and purebred hounds
- Grain free premium dog food that doesn’t skimp on nutrients
- Salmon is the first ingredient and contains essential amino acids and protein
- Includes sweet potatoes as a grain free alternative source of fiber
If your hound is on a grain free diet because of allergies or food sensitivities, that doesn’t mean that they should have to settle for anything less than a healthy diet. Natural Balance’s Limited ingredient dog food is packed with protein, with salmon being the first ingredient.
This recipe also includes ingredients like flaxseed and sweet potatoes which contain essential nutrients needed to support a healthy immune system.
Farmer’s Dog
Best wet dog food for hound dogs
- Vet developed recipes exceed AAFCO standards
- Human grade ingredients with no filler
- Tested on humans
- Personalized plan based on your hound dog’s meeds
Wet food often gets a bad rap in dog food reviews. It’s usually viewed as a topper or supplement to dry dog food. That’s the not the case with Farmer’s dog. This high quality dog food exceeds most dry dog foods by a mile.
For starters all of Farmer’s dog’s recipes are developed by a veterinarian and exceed AAFCO nutritional standards. The goal of this pet food company is to bypass the games played on dog food ingredient labels and provide dogs with the same level and quality of nutrition that we as pet owners would feed ourselves.
Unlike with many dry dog food brands, no powders like fish meal or chicken meal go into Farmer’s dog’s foods. These meals are often made up of animal byproducts that wouldn’t be fit for consumption in any other way other than in dog food. Farmer’s Dog wet dog food is always made with real actual animal based protein. These are human grade ingredients that are fit for human consumption, not throw away trash meat.
Farmer’s Dog allows you to fill out a quick questionnaire to determine the best diet for your hound dog based on their age, whether or not they are spayed or neutered, any personal health conditions, and their overall activity level. After completing the questionnaire you are given a customized meal plan made specifically for your hound dog.
Nutritional needs of Hound Dogs
The nutritional needs of hounds will change somewhat with each life stage.
Hound puppies
Most hounds are large breed dogs, and as puppies they need a high level of quality protein to help their muscles develop. Also a high quality food with calcium is recommended to aid in bone growth. During the puppy phase an ideal dog food for hounds should have about 30% of its total calories come from protein, and around 9% from healthy fats.
Adult hounds
Protein is still vitally important for an adult hound dog, but the ratio of protein to fats they need will be less than what’s best for a puppy. The best dog foods for adult dogs will also be low in fat. As medium and large breed dogs age they are at a higher risk for health conditions like orthopedic disease, obesity, and canine hip dysplasia. Eating a balanced and low fat diet will help mitigate this risk.
