Featured image of bluetick coonhound dog in the garden

Have you ever considered getting a loyal and lovable but strong and energetic companion? If your answer is yes, there are several breeds of Coonhounds that check all the boxes and many more.

Coondogs are creatures of beauty and energy. It is hard to imagine a more perfect combination when it comes to the levels of affection to kids, but at the same time, it is their liveliness that makes them stand out.

This is why choosing the best food for Coonhounds is something you should always pay careful attention to. They require just the right combination of minerals and nutrients.

Top Coonhound Dog Food Compared

IMAGEPRODUCTINGREDIENTS 
Best Overall

Small Product image of Wellness CORE Original Protein Rich Nutrition
Wellness CORE
Best Overall
Deboned Turkey
Turkey Meal
Chicken Meal
Peas
Potatoes
Check Price
Large Breeds

Small Product image of Blue Buffalo Adult Chicken
Blue Buffalo
Large Breeds
Deboned Chicken
Chicken Meal
Brown Rice
Oatmeal
Barley
Check Price
Sensitive Stomach

Small Product image of Canidae Pure Real Lamb
CANIDAE
Sensitive Stomach
Lamb,
Turkey Meal
Chicken Meal
Sweet Potatoes
Garbanzo Beans
Check Price
For Weight Management

Small Product image of Blue Buffalo Wilderness Adult Healthy Weight
Blue Buffalo Wilderness
For Weight Management
Deboned Chicken
Chicken Meal
Pea Protein
Peas
Tapioca Starch
Check Price
Grain-Free

Small Product image of Whole Earth Farms Chicken and Turkey
Whole Earth Farms
Grain-Free
Chicken Meal
Dried Potatoes
Peas
Chicken Fat
Sweet Potatoes
Check Price
With Antioxidants

Small Product image of Iams Healthy Naturals
Iams Healthy Naturals
With Antioxidants
Chicken
Ground Whole Grain Sorghum
Ground Whole Grain Barley
Chicken Meal
Brewers Rice
Check Price
Adult Dogs

Small Product image of Hills Ideal Balance
Hill's Ideal Balance
Adult Dogs
Chicken
Brown Rice
Brewers Rice
Cracked Pearled Barley
Chicken Meal
Check Price

Wellness CORE - Best Overall

First Five Ingredients:

  • Deboned Turkey
  • Turkey Meal
  • Chicken Meal
  • Peas
  • Potatoes

Wellness CORE, our editor’s choice, is our #1 favorite dog food for Coonhounds. It is a perfect wholesome combination of nutrients, and it will cater for all their daily caloric needs. The recipe is formulated as the ideal combination of ingredients for this breed. This is what your furry friend really deserves!

The benefits of this brand are numerous. First of all, it boasts a high amount of protein, including deboned turkey and chicken meat. Also, it is completely grain-free.

Another important characteristic is that there are no meat by-products, artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. These undesirable ingredients are known to contribute to Coonhound allergies and other serious conditions.

Finally, your pup will truly benefit from Omega-3 fatty acids and probiotics included in the formula, enhancing the beauty of his skin as well as doing wonders for his digestion.

For our top ratings overall, see our best dog food list.

Blue Buffalo - Best For Large Breeds

First Five Ingredients:

  • Deboned Chicken
  • Chicken Meal
  • Brown Rice
  • Oatmeal
  • Barley

Blue Buffalo Formula is mainly intended for large breeds such as Coonhounds, improving their overall health and well-being. It includes real meat, fruit, and vegetables as well as LifeSource Bits, a perfect mixture of nutrients with antioxidant-rich ingredients.

This formula was designed with your active pet’s energy needs in mind because it contains carbs as well as high-quality proteins. In addition, it boosts its immune system due to its components such as vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

Last but not least, it ONLY includes whole grains, without corn, wheat, soy or any type of those nasty chicken by-product meals. Also, calcium, phosphorus, and vitamins will all work together to make your dog’s bones and teeth stronger.

CANIDAE - Ideal For Sensitive Stomach

First Five Ingredients:

  • Lamb,
  • Turkey Meal
  • Chicken Meal
  • Sweet Potatoes
  • Garbanzo Beans

CANIDAE formula is your answer to possible digestive issues of your Coonhound. The number of ingredients is limited to just 10, keeping the formula nice and neat for those delicate tummies.

What makes this brand special is its taste, based primarily on lamb as the very first ingredient. It also features whole foods with delicious flavors like sweet potatoes and garbanzo beans, all of which make this formula easy to digest.

We should point out that this blend contains vitamins, minerals, and probiotics mix, promoting healthy joints and skeleton. Furthermore, because its primary goal is to please the digestive system of your pet, it doesn’t contain grains, corn, wheat or soy.

Blue Buffalo Wilderness - Great For Weight Management

First Five Ingredients:

  • Deboned Chicken
  • Chicken Meal
  • Pea Protein
  • Peas
  • Tapioca Starch

Blue Buffalo Wilderness is a great choice for Coonhounds, keeping their weight in check. This brand is a superb choice for those pet owners whose hounds are not getting enough exercise. Its protein content is what keeps your pups in shape, assisted by fat-burning L-carnitine.

This food is every owner’s dream come true. Remember those freezing cold, rainy days of the winter when neither of you would get the workout you deserve? Think of this as your dietary supplement for the much-desired summer bodies. It is specially formulated to help your canine achieve and maintain its ideal weight.

Also, it helps reduce your Coonhound’s shedding due to its optimal balance of Omega fatty acids, maintaining your puppy’s coat and skin and helping it shine. Lastly, it will alleviate any problems with digestion owing to the lack of grain in its formula.

Whole Earth Farms - Best Grain-Free

First Five Ingredients:

  • Chicken Meal
  • Dried Potatoes
  • Peas
  • Chicken Fat
  • Sweet Potatoes

Whole Earth Farms is a well-known brand that boasts numerous sources of protein, especially focusing on chicken and turkey meat. They always do their best to emphasize the origin of the ingredients and their high quality. As the name says, they strive to obtain the best earth has to offer for your Coonhounds.

If you aim to stay as close to nature as possible, this food is the ultimate choice for you. Natural pet food is a must for every pet parent out there wishing the best for their furry friends. This brand promises high-quality ingredients and wholesome and balanced nutrition.

They achieve this by carefully selecting their food sources as well as including selected herbs in their recipe. In addition, the food doesn’t include artificial preservatives, flavors or colors which helps prevent allergies and other serious diseases.

Iams Healthy Naturals - With Antioxidants

First Five Ingredients:

  • Chicken
  • Ground Whole Grain Sorghum
  • Ground Whole Grain Barley
  • Chicken Meal
  • Brewers Rice

Your adult Coonhound will forever look for a better and healthier source of proteins to help build and maintain its muscles. With Iams Healthy Naturals, the search might be over. Their main aim is to promote using farm-raised meat, fruit, and vegetables providing your pet with the best quality.

The recipe guarantees optimal nutrition, offering premium content. It offers farm-raised chicken as #1 ingredient, improving the taste using various sources of fiber found in veggies such as tomato, spinach, and green peas.

Antioxidants and vitamins in the blend help your canine strengthen its immune system, coupled with the fact that there are no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.

This food is especially recommended for adult dogs 1 year or older and is considered to be the best dog food for Treeing Walker Coonhound.

Hill's Ideal Balance - Fit For Adult Dogs

First Five Ingredients:

  • Chicken
  • Brown Rice
  • Brewers Rice
  • Cracked Pearled Barley
  • Chicken Meal

The leading quality of Hill’s Ideal Balance is the experience of the maker and their extensive knowledge base, given the fact that the company has been around for 70 years. They know very well how to take care of your pet’s diet!

The main feature of this brand is its tagline – the ideal balance of ingredients such as fresh chicken meat and brown rice rich in fiber. Complementing this, there are essential vitamins and minerals whose sources can be tracked to fruit and veggies added to the mix.

Your Coonhounds will also benefit from flaxseed in the recipe, containing Omega-3 and 6 fatty acids. This will enhance their appearance in terms of their skin and coat quality. In other words, it will make them shine again!

We particularly recommend this food to dogs 1-6 years of age.

Common Health Problems In Coonhound Breeds

Bacterial Skin Infections

Bacterial skin infections known as pyoderma are a common issue. This is usually the case with show lines of Coonhounds, and less often with the hunting ones. The infection is recognizable because of symptoms such as itchiness, redness and even hair loss.

Fortunately, such infections are easily treatable, and your pup should quickly respond to a simple medical treatment of skin medications and oral antibiotics.

Heart Disease

This breed isn’t commonly affected by coronary diseases. In Coonhounds, it is typically the result of obesity which worsens numerous conditions, primarily metabolic and digestive disorders. The breed which frequently suffers from heart disease is Redbone Coonhound.

Another factor that contributes to the development of heart disease is an untreated dental disease which might damage multiple organs including the heart.

To prevent this from happening, you need to take good care of your dog’s health and nutrition. And if your dog is prone to coronary diseases, we highly recommend to include top-rated dog food for congestive heart failure into your dog’s diet.

Bloat

This emergency gastrointestinal issue is common in deep-chested breeds such as Coonhounds. It can be severe, and your pup might need immediate treatment.

In the beginning, your pet can start showing several symptoms such as restlessness, swollen stomach, and anxiety. The best course of action in case there are advanced signs of the condition such as shortness of breath or collapse is to take your canine straight to the vet.

See more:

Urinary Infections

Bacterial infections and bladder stones are the most prominent causes of urinary tract infections in all breeds. Dogs with diabetes and older female dogs are particularly prone to UTIs.

Depending on the cause and examination and test results, your vet might suggest antibiotics, dietary changes or fluid therapy. For diets, we highly recommend taking some of the best dog food for preventing kidney disease.

Eye Problems

Eyelid abnormalities, both entropion and ectropion, as well as cherry eye are the most typical eye diseases in Coonhounds. Both types of eye defects can be treated surgically on a temporary or permanent basis. Cherry eye disorder is congenital and comparatively easy to manage as well.

Hip Dysplasia

Hip dysplasia is by far the most common health issue in this breed. It is a significant problem, a genetical condition, for which there is no known cure. However, you can still try different treatments to make your pup’s life less painful such as exercise, physical therapy or pain medications.

Also, proper nutrition can help a dog with this condition. We recommend feeding dogs with some of the top rated food for dogs with hip dysplasia.

Image of dog Coonhound with nice necklace

How To Feed A Coonhound

Diet & Nutritional Facts

Coonhounds are active dogs, full of energy. This is why they need a protein-rich, varied diet. You won’t go wrong with meat as #1 ingredient in the food that you choose.

You should always follow the guidelines for every age group because overfeeding can cause serious medical problems.

A puppy will need up to 1600 calories per day until the age of 6 months when a slow decline in calorie intake begins. An adult, depending on the lifestyle, will require between 1400 and 1500 calories per day. On the other hand, senior dogs need more calcium and fewer calories, no more than 1200 per day.

Ingredients To Look For & Avoid

It’s all about proteins when it comes to Coonhounds and their nutrition. By far the best source is real lean meat which will sustain most of their energy needs. Also, you need to be on the lookout for meat meals, which are actually concentrated forms of meat and usually contain fewer proteins than real or wholesome options (check our top high protein dog food guide).

Other essential ingredients include fat as a source of energy, prebiotics, and probiotics to improve digestion, as well as calcium and Omega fatty acids.

Pet owners should do their best to avoid artificial colors of any kind, meat by-products of unclear or suspicious origin and addictive substances like corn syrup.

Feeding Tips

This breed tends to put on weight almost effortlessly, especially Coonhounds whose lifestyle is comparatively passive. This is why you should take great care to follow the recommended feeding chart to figure out how much to feed your Coonhound puppy:

  • Puppy up to 6 months old: 2 – 4 cups of food, divided into three meals
  • Puppy 6 – 12 months old: 3 – 4 cups, divided into three meals
  • Adult dogs: 3 – 5 cups, divided into two meals
  • Senior: 3 – 4 cups, divided into two meals

Just like any other type of hound, they like to eat so you should always be aware of their daily food intake and consider cutting down on the number of treats per day. If that doesn’t help try feeding him with any of the top rated dog food for weight loss, from our list.

See more:

Conclusion

In summary, your Coonhound is an immense source of fun and, if necessary, a hard-working hunting dog. The trick is to keep it in shape and take good care of its nutrition.

Pet owners must always bear in mind that their furry friends require additional sources of protein and energy and balance out their diets accordingly. Appropriate nutrition and following food charts will also present a powerful tool in the prevention of common diseases in this breed.

Our reviews and recommendations will help you choose just the right kind of food for your loyal companion.

Additional resources: