8 Best Foods for Large-Breed Puppies, Recommended by Vets in 2025

Hill’s Science Diet is consistently popular with our vet panel. The company employs animal nutritionists to help develop their formulas and conducts research to validate their results. The result is a line of high-quality premium foods that have been formulated to meet a variety of needs, including this offering designed for large-breed puppies.

The Chicken and Brown Rice Recipe includes a high-quality source of protein (chicken is the first ingredient) and a balanced group of minerals selected to support healthy growth in large-breed puppies, including the right levels of calcium and phosphorus to support rapid bone growth. It’s also formulated with vitamin D to assist with the calcium uptake.

Just as importantly, Hill’s has “excellent quality control,” says Sonja Cox, DVM, another Chewy veterinarian, so you can rest assured you’re getting the quantities and ingredients listed on the label.

Beyond the basics, Dr. Higgs singled out a few other ingredients that will benefit your large-breed puppy, including DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid that promotes healthy brain and eye development; L-carnitine to support healthy muscle growth; and plenty of antioxidants to boost a puppy’s developing immune system. 

Finally, it also offers prebiotics. Prebiotics are a  special type of fiber that serves as food for the billions of microorganisms that live in your dog’s gut and aid with digestion, immune system health, and overall health. However, it’s worth noting that puppies with a sensitivity to chicken may react to the chicken here. In that case, talk to your vet about an alternative protein source.

“The only downside is that it does not contain glucosamine and chondroitin, which I would like to see in a large-breed puppy diet,” Dr. Higgs notes.

Highly active large-breed puppies may need more protein relative to their body weight than adult dogs. Where the ideal protein level for an adult dog’s diet is about 18%, for large-breed puppies it’s closer to 26%, depending on the breed.

Before starting your large-breed puppy on a high-protein food, consult with your vet to make sure you’re not providing too much protein for your pup. Excess protein is stored as fat, which raises the risk of obesity as well as skeletal and developmental problems in fast-growing large-breed puppies.

If your puppy does require a higher protein diet, our vets recommend Purina Pro Plan High Protein Chicken & Rice Formula.

“​​I like that this is a high-quality diet formulated to support a healthy growth rate for large-breed puppies, and it contains ingredients to support joint, brain, and dental health,” Dr. Zarrella says. 

Like other quality puppy foods, this option also includes extras like glucosamine to support joint health, the omega-3 fatty acid DHA to support brain and eye health, antioxidants for the immune system, and probiotics to maintain a healthy gut.

Digestive issues are common among puppies of all sizes, and large-breed puppies are no exception. If your pup has occasional bouts of diarrhea or vomits up their meal every so often, it’s probably nothing to worry about. However, if it’s occurring daily or increasing in frequency, check with your vet to see if switching to a food formulated for easy digestion can help reduce messy episodes.

If your pup has not been seen recently, a vet visit would be a good idea so you can have this conversation with your vet while your dog is present for evaluation. It’s best to rule out all medical reasons of stomach upset before changing diets.

Digestive upset in puppies can be caused by many things, including exploring their world through their mouth and eating things that may not be the best for them, like sticks and leaves. It can also be caused by a still-developing immune system, which leaves them vulnerable to viruses and bacteria, intestinal parasites, or eating too quickly. This diet helps calm digestive issues by including highly digestible ingredients like salmon and rice. 

This option also includes prebiotics to support a healthy gut. Your dog’s gut is full of billions of microorganisms (including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa) that aid in digestion and play an important role in immune system health. This diet contains prebiotics, which are the specialized fibers these microorganisms use as food. By including this proprietary blend of probiotics, this formula is designed to provide maximum GI support.

“Salmon and oatmeal are very easy on the tummy for sensitive puppies,” Dr. Cox explains. “Probiotics and prebiotics are fantastic for soothing GI upset.” 

Finally, Purina has fortified this option with added antioxidants to support your puppy’s developing immune system, which is heavily linked to the gut.   

One downside? “The price is out of reach for some dogs who could really benefit from it,” Dr. Higgs says.

All of the foods on our list provide the kind of complete nutrition a growing puppy needs, but our vets singled out Purina One +Plus Natural Large Breed Puppy Food as a good way to get a premium formula and nutrition at a lower price point.

Most puppies seem to find this a highly palatable option. Our reviewers singled out the delicious combination of crunchy kibble and softer bits, which “may help improve palatability for some dogs,” Dr. Higgs says. 

Like it’s pricier cousins, this food also includes added supplements like glucosamine for healthy joints, DHA for healthy brain and eyes, and even antioxidants to boost your puppy’s immune system. 

One note: This food may have too much protein for some large-breed puppies. It’s a good idea to check with your vet before switching to this option to make sure your pup will benefit.

It’s no secret that puppies expend a lot more energy than grown-ups! It can take a lot of fuel (food) to power all that running and playing. But for very active large-breed puppies, you may want to consider Eukanuba’s Large Breed Dry Dog Food. With optimized fat and carbohydrate levels to fuel your puppy’s energetic streak, this food provides all the calories and energy a growing puppy needs.

“I like that this diet is formulated for active, large-breed puppies and supports muscle/bone growth,” Dr. Zarrella says. “This diet also supports healthy brain development for optimal training.” 

Dr. Higgs calls it “a complete and balanced large-breed puppy food with calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D levels optimized for growth of these special puppies.”

It also includes antibiotics to support a healthy immune system and probiotics to support gut health.

The only possible downside?

“This diet can be cost-prohibitive for some pet parents,” Dr. Zarrella adds. Another consideration is that the joint supplements glucosamine or chondroitin are not added, which is “disappointing,” Dr. Higgs notes. Together, glucosamine and chondroitin help support healthy joint development.

“This is an affordable large-breed puppy diet with the right amount of vitamin D, calcium, and phosphorus for healthy growth,” Dr. Higgs says.

It’s also stocked with prebiotics for gut health, which may help pups avoid or minimize stomachaches. Plus, it has DHA for healthy brain and eye development, and supplements for joint health—a good find at this price point.  

The omegas for skin health are also a nice bonus, according to Dr. Cox.  

So why the big price difference? “Ingredients aren’t quite as high-quality as others on this list, but that does not mean it doesn’t provide all of the nutrients required,” Dr. Cox explains. 

In particular, the vet panels singled out the lack of antioxidants, which support healthy immune system development. Nevertheless, this is a good option that won’t be as hard on the monthly budget as some of the more premium offerings.

If your puppy turns her nose up at her current kibble, you might consider this option from Royal Canin. In general, our vets like Royal Canin’s line for its palatability—they note that some puppies and adult dogs that balk at other kibble often happily munch away at bowls of Royal Canin.

Beyond its bowl appeal, this food also has many of the high-quality ingredients you’d expect from a high-quality offering with the science to back its diets. It has been formulated with a balance of vitamin D, calcium, and phosphorus designed to support puppy breeds with an expected adult weight of 56–100 pounds (there’s a different option for the giant breeds).

It also includes DHA for brain and eye support, prebiotics to feed your puppy’s gut biome, antioxidants for immune system support, and glucosamine and chondroitin for healthy joints.

“I like that this is a high-quality large-breed puppy diet that has ingredients to help support healthy growth, brain development, and a balanced microbiome,” Dr. Zarrella said.

While praising this formula, the vets did note its higher price point: this is the most expensive option on our list. If your budget is a primary concern, it may make sense to look at another more affordable option. But if quality and palatability are at the top of the list, this is an excellent choice for your large-breed puppy.

Raising a large-breed dog can be expensive—fortunately, you can deliver high-impact nutritional support for yours at a more affordable price point with this offering from Puppy Chow.

“I like that this is an affordable, complete, and balanced option for a large-breed puppy diet,” Dr. Zarrella says. 

Even though it’s a budget pick (about $40 less than its competitors for a 30-pound bag at the time of publication), this formula has DHA for brain and eye development, as well as antioxidants to support your puppy’s developing immune system. It’s also backed by Purina, which our vets consistently praise for creating research-backed foods with a firm foundation in science.

There are some notable differences, however, in this kibble versus some of the pricier options on the list. It’s lacking some of the nutrients and supplements you find in other options, including antioxidants and the joint-supporting ingredients glucosamine and chondroitin. Also, it lists corn as the first ingredient as opposed to a protein source.

This shouldn’t be disqualifying, however. Like all the foods on this list, Puppy Chow offers a complete and balanced diet for growing puppies.

It’s “the best of the affordable options,” Dr. Tupler adds.