What Do I Feed My Irish Wolfhound?

Irish Wolfhound Diet

Keep it Simple, Keep it Fresh, Keep it Bonaforte.

A simple uncomplicated compound feed and raw fresh meaty bones is what we feed my Irish Wolfhounds.  A slow growth diet is of vital importance for your puppy to avoid unnecessary orthopaedic problems.

You may either own or are thinking of owning one of the largest breeds of dog, and therefore you need to be conscientious with their diet. They have a lot of growing to do, and through diet and nutrition, you can actively help keep your Wolfhound as healthy as possible.  Just remember that an Irish Wolfhound puppy gets 10,000% bigger in its first year of life.  The better the fuel, the healthier the animal. The pedigree, breeding and rearing of puppies give them a good foundation in life.  However, is just the beginning of what makes the dog; it is the continuation of this good start, the rearing and training which plays a huge role in the final health and wellbeing of your dog. 

We all have own methods and favourite ways of feeding our Wolfhounds, and in sharing mine, I am not saying it is the right way, nor the only way, but it is a diet which I have found suits my Irish Wolfhound puppies and adults alike. You need to take many factors into account: the amount of exercise that you give your dogs, the conditions in which reared, and the individual dog.  Above all with changing your dog's diet, you need to take it slowly, have patience and observe. Watch the energy levels of your dog and look for changes, observe their coat, it's shine, it's texture. Observe their overall condition, observe their behaviour and one of the most important things to observe is their poo!!  Sorry, but yes, this is an excellent indication of their health and dietary needs.

"Keep it simple, keep it fresh"  is now the foundation and mantra to keeping my hounds fit and healthy,

I like to vary my dogs’ and puppies’ raw diets for example: 

 I feed my hounds on hypo-allergenic Bonaforte's Complete, and the puppies are weaned and reared on Bonaforte’s Mother and Starter Puppy Food. Fed because the salmon is a natural source of the omega 3 oils, good for heart health, joints and digestion. Salmon is also a good source of vitamins, proteins and essential minerals: iron, calcium, selenium and, phosphorus, vitamins A, B and D; Potato has many excellent properties; they are easy to digest, containing vitamin C, potassium and vitamin B6, among others, they help relieve inflammation of intestines and the digestive system. Apart from the vitamins, minerals and roughage, potatoes also contain certain substances called Carotenoids (lutein, zeaxanthin etc.) which are beneficial for heart and other internal organs.

Included are Raw Chicken Wings (never cooked as the bones become too sharp and brittle).  These were particularly good for young puppies as it gives them something to chew and gnaw on when teething and helps keep their teeth and gums clean.  Please only feed fresh wings, ones you would eat yourself.

Raw meaty marrow bones are excellent, as these are known to strengthen the physical action of the stomach and the digestive tract. The Irish Wolfhound becomes very sated with raw meaty bones, it keeps them occupied, calm and supports their natural feeding instincts. One of the many reasons why I recommend Salmon and Potato for both puppies and adults is salmon very beneficial on many levels, especially joint health; it also contains taurine for heart health and lots of other goodies which our hounds benefit from, including collagen.  

Collagen is found in raw chicken, raw eggs and raw bones, and it is purportedly good at helping your dog maintain healthy joints and tissues, which can be a particular issue in growing Wolfhounds. Collagen also helps keep the health of skin and prevent certain skin allergies.

 At all times, monitor poo; you are looking for nicely formed ones!  If your puppy/youngster scours (diarrhoea) due to an imbalance in the diet, just go back to feeding  Bonaforte's Complete.  If the scouring is for other reasons, seek veterinary advice. 

• Your dog will require access to fresh, clean water at all times. 

• Overfeeding a puppy during the active, rapid growth period leads to skeletal problems.

• Overfeeding an adult dog will lead to obesity and serious health conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.

Disclaimer: The above suits my hounds and is based on my experiences, talking to other owners and breeders. Bonaforte’s pet food is suitable for all breeds, not just Irish Wolfhounds.

Find a balanced diet to suit your Irish Wolfhound's natural lifestyle and you

Feed a biologically appropriate balanced diet, a simple kibble and raw bones 

Overfeeding a puppy during the active, rapid growth period after weaning leads to skeletal problems.

Never leave you dog alone with a bone. Raw bone can break vulnerable teeth.
Never leave a dog with bones that splinter.

How much do I feed my Irish Wolfhound puppy or my dog?

Overfeeding adult dogs leads to obesity and serious health conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. Overfeeding a puppy during the active, rapid growth period after weaning leads to skeletal problems.

I can’t give you exact amounts as this varies from dog to dog. Personally, I like to feed to appetite, but my rule of thumb is to aim for a little bit left in the bowl. However this said you might have a greedy one, who eats what they see and becomes the size of a coffee table! It is paramount not to have an overweight hound either. Our hounds eat approximately 500grams of Salmon and Potato per day, plus raw meaty bones. (You will need to take into account the calorific values in your feed and the amount of exercise and temper accordingly.

The goal for puppies should be controlled growth – not overgrowth.

Your hound should be lean enough to feel their ribs but not to see them, and during their formative years should have the correct balance of free exercise to create a certain amount of muscle. Over feeding your puppy with far too many calories, and a diet rich in calcium and phosphorus will lead to serious health problems. So much so that rapid growth by over feeding the puppy and making him fat could result in skeletal abnormalities.

Keeping your hound lean and fit is crucial to their health. So you have to judge for yourself the amount you feed and what suits your hound.

Free exercise does not mean road walking or lead walking none of which will help build the muscle or conformation required. Allow your under a year hound the luxury of bounding around on your lawn, and when that becomes too small, drive to a park or suitable exercise area where you can let them off the lead to run around, always tailor the exercise to the dog and not to your needs for a long walk. Letting off steam in a youngster should not exceed 30 minutes at a time.

Never allow your dog to go too long without food or not feed enough, that he gets so hungry he bolts his next feed down. We all know that after a three-course meal we would not be able to exercise, so neither should your dog!

You may or may not be able to read your dog, but try and apply common sense to their diet, that we should apply to our own. If you treat your hound with human food, they will hold out and not eat their food. If you treat your hound with food which is too rich they inevitably can get loose stools.

Feeding your dog the correct nutrition, which is a good kibble, with a healthy balance of exercise, is one of your major contributions to keeping your beloved hound fit and healthy; you could be helping to prevent unnecessary allergies, heart and joint issues and reducing the possibility of bloat.

The Irish Wolfhound can have very sensitive digestion and health, reacting to the wrong foods. Be safe and use a high-quality hypo-allergenic kibble and add in healthy extras.