Your dog needs to consume a healthy diet filled with protein, vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids to build muscles. If you want your dog to be muscular, you can’t just feed them normal dog food, but instead that you need to find high-quality dog food that is tailored to build muscle.
It’s important for your dog to have strong muscles to keep up with their active lifestyle. The following high-quality dog foods provide a complete and balanced diet that adds focus on muscle gain, muscle growth, muscle mass, and bulking up. This list is compromised of the best dog food to build muscle regardless of what dog breed you have.
In a rush? Here are the Top 3 Picks:
This dog food for muscle mass has a five-star rated performance and is rated the number one online dog food. It features a meat-based only formula that is 30% protein and 20% fat. If you are serious about your dog building muscle, this is some of the best dog food that you can buy.
This hearty dog food has 535 calories per cup. Your dog will receive a complete and balanced diet when fed regularly with his food. You will also save money with this food because your dog will end up eating 50% less than they do with their current dry kibble. Otherwise, you can feed them their normal amount but have them work out more with a weighted vest for dogs to help build muscle.
This dog food for muscle gain is suitable for dogs of all ages ranging from four weeks to adulthood. Thus, you can start feeding it to your puppy as soon as you pick them up at 8 weeks old. This dog food brand has never been recalled due to its triple check system that ensures healthy and safe food for your pet.
Rich and delicious, Bully Max dog food is a five-star dog food contains multiple protein sources, nutrients, vitamins, and amino acids that provide a complete and balanced diet. Not only is this a dog food for muscle growth, but it will also adequately provide more than enough nutrition for your dog.
In addition, the combined natural ingredients promote a healthy digestive system and maintain a strong immune system. It contains 32% protein and 22% fat to ensure your dog will build strong healthy muscles. One cup of food has 481 calories so your dog will feel pleasantly full. If you’re trying to build muscle on your dog, we suggest that you feed your dog more food and provide more exercise for them.
Purina Pro Plan is arguably the most popular dog food brand in the world. It’s no surprise that the Purina Pro Plan is a hearty dog food that features 30% protein and 20% fat that helps fuel metabolism needed for maintaining lean muscle.
This sport formula is an excellent option for active dogs that need to nourish their muscles following large amounts of exercise. The number one ingredient is real chicken which provides flavor dogs and joy. This food was built specifically for working dog breeds as a dog food for bulking up. Not only will this dog food help your dog maintain their current weight, but they will also build muscle in the process.
It also contains glucosamine and EPA that helps support mobility and joint health. Your active dog will remain energetic and vibrant when eating this dog food on a regular basis. It will also help their joints in the long-term.
Crave is a grain-free adult dry dog food that is extremely high in protein derived from salmon and ocean fish. This nutritious dog food provides a complete and balanced diet that helps build muscles for any size adult dog.
The ingredients include real fish as the first ingredient which is going to provide a ton of protein as well as Omega 3 fatty acids. It’s a whopping 34% protein that is inspired by the natural diet of your dog’s wolf ancestors. This protein-rich recipe contains quality carbohydrate sources that boost your dog’s energy and help your dog maintain their active lifestyle. If your dog is underweight this is also great food to bulk up your dog.
This tasty dog food is grain-free and does not contain soy protein, chicken by-product meal, corn, wheat, artificial flavors, artificial colors, or artificial preservatives. These fillers aren’t nutritional for your dog and will often be found in cheaper dog foods. If you’re serious about your dog building muscle, you want to avoid fillers that your dog may potentially be allergic too.
Victor Classic dog food is tasty and a nutrient-dense recipe that is made with premium quality fish, pork, chicken, and beef meals. It’s an excellent option for dogs that require quality protein at high levels. This includes dogs who are growing puppies, building muscles, or pregnant nursing females.
It contains 30% protein and 20% fat, plus it’s fortified with minerals, vitamins, protein, essential fatty acids, and amino acids that are essential to a complete and balanced diet. Overall, this is a highly rated dog food for building muscles.
This superior dog food is formulated with scientifically advanced ingredients that promotes a healthy digestive and immune system. It’s going to keep your healthy, happy, and full of lean muscle.
Diamond Naturals high protein dog food for muscle mass contains real cage-free chicken and an optimal amino acid profile for extreme dog athletes that require lean strong muscles.
The ingredients include high protein, minerals, vitamins, vegetable fruits, fatty acids, and antioxidants that provide a complete and balanced diet to suit high energy needs and produce healthy skin and a shiny coat.
This dog food for muscle growth is nutrient-rich and easy to digest. It contains proprietary probiotics that thrive and survive in the GI tract which supports a healthy digestive system. The probiotics in this dog food will help ensure that this dog food is digested properly and all the nutrients are accounted for.
Diamond Naturals healthy dog food does not contain wheat, fillers, artificial colors, artificial preservatives, or artificial flavors. This dog food is made with scientifically advanced food safety protocols to ensure your dog has a healthy and safe diet. It’s one of the best dog foods to build muscle mass.
This Blue Buffalo dog food is packed with real chicken that produces a flavor that dogs love. It has an extremely high amount of protein that helps maintain and build lean muscle mass in your dog. It contains 34% protein and 15% fat which is a great ratio to build muscle if dog exercises properly.
It’s grain-free and contains healthy carbohydrates such as peas and sweet potatoes that help your dog keep up with their active lifestyle. These carbohydrates will provide your dog will lots of energy to constantly exercise.
It also contains Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids that are known for supporting skin health and producing a shiny coat. This dog food is specially formulated to contain exclusive LifeSource Bits which are a precise blend of minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants. These special ingredients were selected by animal nutritionists and holistic veterinarians. The combined ingredients are formulated to meet life stage requirements, maintain a healthy immune system, and provide a healthy oxidative balance.
This natural dry dog food does not contain wheat, corn, by-product meals, artificial flavors, artificial preservatives, or soy. This helps to ensure that you dog won’t be allergic to this dog food.
This is a great dog food for building muscles on your dog and has a calorie content of 409 per cup. Small dog breeds will only require one meal per day while medium to large dog breeds will require two meals per day of this hearty dry kibble. Of course, you can always feed your dog more if they are going to exercise more.
The keto diet has become increasingly popular among humans and now has reached the pet community. This low carb diet has less than 1 grams of net carbohydrates per cup and contains tons of protein to build muscle. It contains natural ingredients that provide a complete and balanced diet that prevents weight gain while at the same time helps your dog develop muscle mass.
Visionary has created a grain-free dog food that contains everything your dog requires for a healthy active lifestyle. The ingredients include 100% real beef and they eliminate any hooves or lips from the recipe. There are no fillers or carbohydrates added to this healthy dog food. It’s basically pure protein which can help dogs put on weight or build muscle.
Pet owners that have fed this dog food to their pets have reported rapid relief for allergies, softer and shinier coats, better digestion, improved skin issues, no bloating or gas, and less frequent poops. If you’re a believer in the keto diet, this is a great option for your dog.
This highly nutritious dog food is ideal for all life stages. The beef recipe is specially formulated to meet the nutritional needs established by the AAFCO dog food nutrient profiles.
This healthy dog food is grain-free, taurine rich, and does not contain added sugars, fructose, fruit, soy, corn, potatoes, rice, peas, carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, antibiotics, or any added hormones.
If you are looking for a clean high protein complete and balanced diet for your dog, this is the one you need!
Does your dog need to bulk up and gain weight? If your dog needs to build muscle, this powder is an excellent supplement that can be added to their dog food for muscle gain.
It contains 19 powerful muscle-building ingredients that are known for packing on muscle mass. The 100% all-natural ingredients do not contain steroids, artificial ingredients, or creatine. It’s a great natural topper that can be used on any dog food.
This muscle-building powder is veterinarian approved and suitable for dogs and puppies. It is trusted by dog owners, veterinarians, the world’s top breeders, and it’s used in the diets of K9 units around the world.
It successfully builds muscle mass, maximizes growth, and it’s 100% safe and natural to use on top of your dog’s food.
Reasons for Your Dog to Build Muscle
Building muscle is not easy for humans or dogs. Think about the effort that goes into building muscle for yourself. This usually includes a specific diet and plenty of exercises. Dogs are very similar when it comes to building muscle mass. It takes a healthy diet and exercise to build and maintain muscles.
Some dog breeds require strong muscles because they are biologically created to have a strong sturdy and muscular body. These powerful dog breeds include the American Staffordshire Terrier, American Pitbull Terrier Rottweilers, Doberman Pinschers, Dogo Argentino, Boxers, Greyhounds, Myostatin, and American bullies.
One of the main reasons your dog needs to build muscle is to keep up with their energy needs and active lifestyle. For example, a Pitbull naturally has a lot of energy they need to burn. If your Pitbull is running outside and participating in physical activities such as hiking, swimming, or running, their muscle mass won’t be able to keep up with their needs.
If you don’t provide a muscle building diet for this type of breed they will become underweight or have less muscle mass which will make it difficult for them to enjoy their active lifestyle.
Benefits of Muscle Building and Strength Exercise
Strength exercising is essential for muscular dogs to maintain a healthy body. Beneficial exercises include weighted vests for dogs, spring pole, sled track, and flirt pole. All of these exercises can be done while walking or lightly jogging with your dog. Participating in these exercises on a regular basis will help you improve your dog’s overall health as well as maintain strong and healthy muscles.
It’s important to help your dog maintain strong muscles and a healthy weight for their size. Maintaining weight reduces stress on the joints and helps your dog live a comfortable and healthy life.
As your dog ages, their joints become worn and sensitive which leads to less activity and built up energy. Dogs that can’t release their energy become stressed and filled with anxiety because they don’t have an outlet.
Often this built up energy comes out in negative ways such as excessive barking, depression, and destruction of nearby items. Many times pet parents aren’t aware of the built-up energy until they come home from work one day to find their furniture destroyed or the kitchen garbage can emptied and spread out through the entire house.
A high protein diet provides dogs with the nutrition they need to achieve overall good health including joints. When a dog’s joints work well, they feel great and can participate in physical activities as much as they like which helps them burn off energy and remain well balanced.
The exercises mentioned earlier are known for reducing fat and maintaining healthy muscles. When your dog has fat in their body it becomes a source of inflammation in joints, which can make your dog feel uncomfortable and experience pain. Proper maintenance of muscles and body weight by reducing obesity and building muscle is essential to your dog’s overall well-being.
Another benefit of increasing muscle mass is the Improvement of the overall skeletal system and the fact that it protects the joints. Strong muscles also prevent injury and protect the tendons. Since exercise burns a lot of calories it also increases the metabolic rate which results in a healthy lifestyle.
How to Increase Dog Muscle with Dog Food
Your dog requires good nutrition and exercise to maintain overall good health. Using food to help your dog gain muscle mass will reduce their fat intake, increase metabolism, lower symptoms of arthritis, and many other health benefits.
For many years scientists and veterinarians have worked endlessly to create special recipes and formulas that meet the nutritional needs for various stages of life. Historically, puppies eat foods that are high in protein content so they can develop their vital organs properly and build muscles.
As dogs grow older their kidneys can have difficulty processing high protein diets. However, dog breeds that are known to be active such as the ones mentioned earlier require protein diets and are capable of handling this nutrition throughout their entire lifetime. Protein builds and rebuilds muscle at all stages of life whether your dog is a newborn puppy, adult, or an elderly senior.
Since protein is a key ingredient for building muscle it’s often used in most canine dry dog food. Exercise and age are the main culprits that cause muscle mass to break down and require protein to be replaced.
Active dog breeds require a high protein diet filled with pure meats to maintain and build muscle mass. For this reason, dog food manufacturers created food to bulk up your dog. Many high-protein kibble bags clearly has “dog food to put on weight” and “dog food for bulking up” written on the labels, so you know you are providing your dog with a high protein diet.
How to Choose the Right Dog Food to Build Muscles for Your Pet
The first thing you need to do is visit the veterinarian to confirm that a high protein diet is suitable for your pet. Once the veterinarian confirms a high protein diet will benefit your dog it’s easy to choose the right dog food that builds muscles.
The dog foods mentioned on the list above feature the best dog foods available in the market. They all provide a complete and balanced diet as well as contain high protein. Many of the protein sources come from one animal source while others are mixed to provide ultimate protein in the diet. The ingredients are natural and beneficial for dogs but some dogs require an extra boost that requires protein powder to be added to their diet.
The protein powder mentioned on the list above features all-natural ingredients that are safe and healthy for your dog. It’s suitable for all ages but the serving size varies by age and weight. The chart on the side of the bag provides the perfect portion size for your dog.
Another great way to choose a high protein dog food for your pet is to consider their flavor choices. If your dog is wild about beef or chicken, choose those flavors for the high protein diet. This will ensure your dog will eat the entire meal since they enjoy the flavor so much.
An important factor about feeding your dog a high protein diet is to be consistent and make the diet part of a long-term plan.
Why Feed Your Dog a High Protein Diet
A high protein diet builds muscle mass and maintains healthy muscles and joints. The nutrition of a high protein diet provides support for dogs that live an active lifestyle. If your dog enjoys running around outside in the yard or at the dog park to get their energy out, you have a high-energy dog that requires a high protein diet.
While carbohydrates are important for energy needs, muscle mass is equally essential to the overall well-being of active dogs. Imagine if a high active dog doesn’t have enough muscle mass to allow their body to run around and burn off the energy, the dog would be unbalanced and ultimately become unhealthy.
You can improve your dog’s life today and help them lose weight as well as build muscle mass with the dog foods mentioned on the list above. All of the dog foods have natural ingredients and protein sources that help your dog thrive throughout their lifetime.
Start making a difference in your dog’s life today by choosing one of the powerful and nutritious dog foods mentioned on the list.
Conclusion for Best Dog Food to Build Muscle
If you want your dog to build muscle mass, then you will need to feed them high-quality dog food that is filled with protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals. In addition, you’re going to have to exercise your dog a lot to build up their muscle. This can include activities using a weighted dog vest. We hope that you enjoyed our list of the best dog food to build muscle.
Garrett loves animals and is a huge advocate for all Doodle dog breeds. He owns his own Goldendoodle named Kona. In addition, he volunteers at the Humane Society of Silicon Valley, where he fosters dogs and helps animals. Garrett enjoys writing about Doodles and believes that dogs can teach humans more about how to live than humans can teach a dog.
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