20 Best Large Breed Puppy Food In 2023: Reviews and Comparisons

As a responsible pet owner, you want to ensure that your dog is receiving the best nutrition possible. Choosing the right food for large-breed puppy food with chicken is especially important. Many commercial dog foods contain chicken, but if your dog is allergic to poultry or you’re simply looking for a different option, there are plenty of others. Here are the top 20 best large-breed puppy food without chicken in 2023.

It’s difficult to avoid chicken-based dog food because it appears that many dog breeds dislike beef and pork. Different protein bases are used in different dog foods, but they are not all created equal. Even some that appeared to be excellent on paper failed our dog’s sniff test!

After years of research, our team has identified the 20 best large-breed puppy foods without chicken in 2023 that not only taste good but also help keep their fur healthy. We wrote this review so you could find out what we discovered and share it with your pet!

Should You Stop Feeding Your Dog Chicken?

Unless your dog is sensitive to or allergic to chicken, there is no nutritional reason to exclude it from its diet. According to the USDA, a 3-ounce serving of chicken breast contains about 26 grams of protein and slightly more than 2 grams of fat. It also contains a lot of selenium, phosphorus, potassium, and iron.

It’s a different story if your dog develops symptoms of a chicken allergy. Food allergy symptoms in dogs are more likely to affect the skin rather than the digestive system. This makes them difficult to diagnose. Food allergies can cause dry skin, excessive itching and scratching, hot spots, and recurrent ear infections. You should consult your veterinarian about these symptoms.

What Are Your Options?

Protein is the foundation of a dog’s healthy diet. If your dog is allergic to chicken, you’ll need to find a safe and healthy substitute. Unfortunately, chicken is not the only protein that has been linked to allergic reactions in dogs. Beef, eggs, lamb, pork, and fish are among the others.

Unless your dog exhibits symptoms of an allergy to one of these ingredients, you should be able to make the switch safely. Choose a novel protein that your dog hasn’t eaten before to reduce the risk of triggering an allergy.

The following are some of the best protein alternatives to chicken for dogs:

Buffalo
Duck
kangaroo
Lamb
Mackerel
Pork
Rabbit
Salmon
Turkey
Venison

You’re off to a good start as long as the product you choose contains a high-quality source of animal protein that your dog can tolerate. You should also consider your dog’s other nutritional needs. Choose a recipe that uses whole, natural ingredients. Continue reading to see our top 20 picks for the best large-breed puppy food free of chicken in 2023.

Best Large Breed Puppy Food

Proper nutrition is critical to ensuring that large-breed puppies grow and develop normally but not too quickly. We’ve compiled reviews of the 20 best large-breed puppy foods in 2023 to assist you in finding the best food for your massive pup. Hopefully, you’ll find our suggestions useful as you select the best diet for your big baby dog.

The following are the top 20 best large-breed puppy foods for October 2023.

#1. Purina ProPlan Puppy Large Breed Chicken & Rice

Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy Dry Food is our pick for the best overall large breed puppy food. This food is high in protein from real chicken and provides plenty of fuel for your large breed puppy’s growing bones and muscles. Purina is one of the most well-known and oldest manufacturers of dog food, and this food is just one of their many high-quality options.

#2. Iams ProActive Health Smart Puppy Large Breed

Iams ProActive Health Smart Puppy Large Breed is our pick for the best large-breed puppy food for the money. Another well-known manufacturer with more than 60 years of experience. It’s a good, low-cost option for feeding your growing puppy. Although real chicken is the main ingredient, this food does contain chicken by-products, which is common in most low-cost dog foods. Although feeding by-products is not necessarily harmful to dogs, some owners prefer to avoid it.

#3. Ollie Baked Beef with Sweet Potatoes

Ollie’s is ranked third on our list of the best premium choice dog food for large breed puppies. If you’re not familiar with Ollie’s, they make all-natural, healthy dog food recipes that are designed to ensure your dog’s health. They are more expensive than other brands because they operate as a meal subscription service, but if you’re looking for fresh, raw foods or healthy baked foods like their Baked Beef with Sweet Potatoes recipe, you should give them a try.

#4. Nulo Freestyle Salmon & Turkey Large Breed Puppy Dry Food

If you don’t mind paying a little more to feed your large breed puppy, Nulo Freestyle Salmon & Turkey Large Breed Puppy food could be the right choice for you. This food not only has one of the highest protein percentages on our list, but it also comes from high-quality sources, such as wild-caught salmon. This food is also grain-free, which is a popular choice for some dog owners but is not necessarily a healthier choice.

#5. Instinct Raw Boost Large Breed Puppy

Instinct Raw Boost, which is high in protein, will help your large breed puppy build adult muscles while also developing strong bones. This food consists of a combination of dry kibble and freeze-dried raw chicken. It’s also grain-free and free of artificial colors and preservatives. This food, like most foods made with whole meats rather than by-products, is on the pricey side. With probiotics and antioxidants, this food provides your pup with both an immune boost and digestive aid.

#6. Wellness Large Breed Complete Health Chicken, Rice & Salmon

Wellness Large Breed Complete Health is made with two all-natural protein sources and an assortment of fruits and vegetables for added nutrition. This food appeals to dog owners who prefer a more natural diet free of fillers and artificial preservatives because it is made with GMO-free ingredients. Wellness has a good protein-to-fat ratio and one of the highest calcium percentages on our list.

#7. Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy Chicken And Brown Rice

Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Chicken and Brown Rice, which is also made with non-GMO ingredients, is less expensive than the Wellness diet, making it a good choice for those who value both a natural diet and their budget. This food is intended to be fed until your puppy is 18 months old, making it ideal for large and giant breeds that grow slowly. This food uses real food ingredients that are easy to identify and is free of artificial colors and flavors.

#8. Hill’s Science Diet Puppy Large Breed Chicken Meal and Oat

Hill’s Science Diet is a brand that veterinarians frequently recommend and sell, and this puppy food is made with high-quality, natural ingredients. It does not contain any artificial ingredients or byproducts, but it does contain grains such as wheat and corn. Hill’s prioritizes both safety and quality, and based on the overwhelmingly positive reviews of this food, they appear to be succeeding in all three.

#9. American Journey Large Breed Puppy Chicken And Sweet Potato

American Journey is one of the less expensive grain-free options on our list, relying on sweet potatoes, blueberries, and carrots for nutrient density. This dish’s main protein source is a whole chicken, with no byproducts. This food contains antioxidants and fatty acids, which aid in the proper development of your large breed puppy’s brain and eyesight.

#10. Holistic Select Large and Giant Breed Lamb and Oatmeal

Holistic Select contains a variety of ingredients designed to aid digestion in your dogs, such as probiotics, fiber, and digestive enzymes. However, some users report that this food upsets their dogs’ stomachs, while others rave that it was the only food their sensitive pups could tolerate. With a high protein and calcium content, this food meets the nutritional needs of large and giant breeds while also providing a high-calorie count per cup.

Large Breed Puppy Food Without Chicken

The 20 best large-breed puppy food without chicken in 2023 is one that contains a sufficient amount of the animal-based protein that your dog tolerates, as well as digestible carbohydrates, healthy fats, and essential nutrients. You have the option as long as your dog’s basic nutritional needs are met. Here are our top picks for the best large-breed puppy food that does not contain chicken.

#11. Whole Earth Farms Dog Food without Chicken

Dogs deserve the best, which is why this all-natural dog food from Whole Earth Farms is ideal. With multiple protein sources in each formula to ensure healthy digestion with every bite (and no artificial ingredients), your pup can be confident that they’re getting exactly what their body requires without worrying about reactivity or allergy issues!

#12. Instinct Be Natural Chicken-free Dog Food

Look no further than Instinct’s Be Natural for high-protein, all-natural dry dog food that will keep your pup healthy and happy. With 25% crude protein in each piece and animal proteins sourced responsibly, this is one of our favorite foods to feed them!

#13. Blue Basics Limited Ingredient Diet (Salmon & Potato)

This best large-breed puppy food without chicken contains a single protein source (salmon) as well as peas, potatoes, and pumpkin to aid digestion—ideal for dogs who have sensitive stomachs.

It contains a precise blend of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals chosen by veterinarians and animal nutritionists to support your dog’s life stage needs, immune system, and healthy oxidative balance. It also contains omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids, which promote healthy skin and coats in dogs.

#14. Diamond Naturals Dry Dog Food with Wild Caught Salmon

Diamond Naturals Dry Dog Food provides your beloved pooch with a complete and holistic diet. It’s a great large-breed puppy food without chicken, especially for those with food-related skin sensitivities. It is due to its hypoallergenic kibble, which contains a high concentration of wild salmon protein as the primary ingredient.

#15. Natural Balance Ingredient Diets

Limited Ingredients diets are becoming more popular because they can provide all kinds of nutrients to your puppy while avoiding any artificial flavors or colors. With 20% protein, this food will satisfy the energy requirements of even the most active dogs!

As the best large breed puppy food without chicken, we believe this product gives your canine everything they need to live a long and healthy life. It contains natural ingredients rich in vitamins and minerals, which help them shine and promote strong joints!

#16. Purina Pro Plan Adult Dog Food

Purina is a well-known brand of dog food, but it is only available at big box stores. We usually avoid this brand due to the possibility of our dog becoming poisoned or, worse, eating their own poop!

However, ProPlan Focus adult dry formulas are unique and far exceed our expectations (though they are far from perfect). To begin with, the high protein content, which accounts for 26% of total calories,

#17. Nature’s Recipe Adult Dry Dog Food

Nature’s Recipe dog food’s first ingredient is lamb meal, which isn’t bad considering how cheap it can be. It also contains some healthy vegetables and grains, such as oats, for added fiber—but no grain-free formula!

If your dog has chicken allergies or sensitivities, Nature’s Recipe dog food is an excellent choice. This lamb-based dish may not be suitable for them due to the presence of an ingredient that can cause allergic reactions in some animals. However!

#18. ACANA Grain-Free Dry Dog Food

The ACANA Premium Dog Food contains some excellent ingredients, but we believe it falls short. This formula’s meat comes from premium sources, including freshwater fish, giving your pup a variety of proteins all at once!

The ACANA dog food contains 60% meat and has a high protein percentage, but there’s more. We discovered a lot of hair from grinding up carcasses in the red meat blend, which you don’t want your dogs eating!

#19. Merrick Grain-Free Dry Dog Food

Our pets enjoy Merrick pet products, but some of our dogs were dissatisfied with the dry dog food. It included sweet potatoes and beef, which sounded delicious to us as well! However, it caused allergies in them, so we now understand why those who dislike this food, like me, have sensitive skin because corn is one of its ingredients (among others).

#20. Zignature Goat Dry Dog Food

The protein source for the Zignature brand food is a goat. It makes sense that it is so expensive, given that the first ingredient is listed on their label.

We love how this dog’s formula prioritizes quality proteins and is an excellent choice if your pet has allergies or sensitivities to other foods they may consume in addition to beef liver oil, which may seem like a big deal but isn’t when you compare ingredient lists side by side with those nasty artificial preservatives.

Conclusion

Purina ProPlan Large Breed Chicken and Rice, our best overall large breed puppy food, provide high nutritional value at an affordable price. Iams ProActive, our best-value option, is a convenient, low-cost food that still provides high-quality protein. Our top pick for the best dog food for large breed puppies. While the best large-breed puppy food without chicken can be a great choice for your pup, finding the right one is critical. We tested ten different brands and found Whole Earth Farms to be our favorite without chicken!

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the top five brands of puppy food?

Royal Canin Small Puppy Dry Dog Food.
Farmina N&D Ancestral Grain Chicken & Pomegranate Recipe Mini Puppy Dry Dog Food.
Royal Canin Small Puppy Wet Dog Food.
Purina Pro Plan Focus Puppy Large-Breed Formula Dry Dog Food.
Hill’s Science Diet Puppy Large Breed Dry Dog Food

What is the best vet recommended puppy food?

The Top 4 Veterinarian-Recommended Dog Food Brands

Canin Royal.
Hills Science Diet.
Purina ProPlan.
Eukanuba.

Does a large breed puppy need large breed food?

Puppies of all sizes grow quickly during the first twelve to eighteen months of their lives. A large breed puppy can gain eighty pounds or more in a year—much faster than humans! Controlling the rapid growth of large-breed puppies necessitates special consideration—this is where large-breed food comes in handy.

Is there a difference between puppy food and large breed puppy food?

The main distinction is that large-breed puppy food contains fewer calories than regular puppy food. According to pet nutritionist Mark Finke, Ph.D., larger breeds are not considered adult dogs until they are 18-24 months old.