Feeding a Great Pyrenees is Expensive
“Feeding a Great Pyrenees is expensive.”
This is a comment I hear all the time from people who are not familiar with the breed. I’m often greeted with comments like,
“Did you get a second job to feed those two?”
“I can’t imagine your food bill.”
“Must be like feeding a horse!”
These comments couldn’t be further from the truth. Feeding a Great Pyrenees is not nearly as expensive as you would imagine.
Slow Metabolism
The biggest reason that Great Pyrenees do not eat as much as expected is because they have a slow metabolism for their size. In fact, they will typically eat the same amount as your average medium-large sized dog.
The effect of their slow metabolism is exacerbated by their innate laziness. Pyrs will find a spot where they can easily keep watch and nap the day away, moving only when necessary. While they do require daily exercise, they are typically couch potatoes for the other 23 hours of the day 😉
Skipping Meals
It is very common, especially in the summertime, for a Great Pyrenees to skip meals. Mauja and Atka both have stretches during the summer where they just aren’t interested in eating, even when they’re feeling well. Last summer, Mauja didn’t eat for two days. Ultimately, I had to super entice her because I was worried she would go too long without eating.
Obviously, do not force your dog to skip meals. However, do not be alarmed if your Great Pyrenees loses interest in eating during the hot, summer months. It’s completely normal and his appetite will be back once the weather begins to cool!
Natural Weight Regulation
While there are definitely some food-crazed Great Pyrenees who inhale their food, the majority of pyrs will regulate their weight on their own. They can safely “free feed” because they typically will not overeat. We try and stick with mealtimes for consistency, but we often free fed in the summer when their appetites are lacking – they never clean their food bowls.
Great Pyrenees also tend to be finicky about their food. Mauja and Atka won’t eat just any food and can be very particular. Sometimes, I’ve thought I was making their meal more enticing and they looked at me like I was crazy. Try not to be too offended if your pyr snubs his meals on occasion 😉
High-Quality Food
The most important thing when feeding a Great Pyrenees is to feed a high-quality food. A high-quality food will be free of fillers and full of completely digestible natural ingredients. It’s also important that the food contains both prebiotics and probiotics to ensure your pyr is absorbing the nutrients and digesting the food properly. When you feed a protein-rich diet without fillers, you don’t need to feed as much!
Mauja and Atka have really been enjoying the Wellness® Complete Health™ grain-free line. It has settled Mauja’s tummy and relieved Atka’s itchies. We’re all happy about that! During the stress of the move, I’ve been supplementing their regular dry food with the Wellness® CORE® Air-Dried formula. The fluffies go absolutely NUTS for this stuff! The Air-Dried food is soft and chewy, so it’s a nice change from kibble. They think it’s a super special treat and Atka does his little happy dance when I grab the bag. I’ll just keep the fact that it’s wholesome to myself 😉
Shop PetSmart Deals
The final reason our food bill isn’t ridiculous is because we shop for deals on Wellness dog food. With our recent move, PetSmart is easily accessible and I can always count on them having a great price. Even better, June and July have great deals on Wellness CORE and Complete Health products!
During the month of June, Core® dry dog food recipes are $2.00 off at PetSmart®.
Starting July 6th through the end of the month, Complete Health™ Grain Free recipes are $2.00 off at PetSmart®.
Take advantage of the deals above and be sure to follow Wellness on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest!
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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Wellness® Natural Pet Food. The opinions and text are all mine.
While I know these questions can be annoying I do think educating potential owners about the costs involved with pet ownership and the additional responsibilities and challenges that can come with different breeds is essential to long term stability. You can want a specific breed, but you have to have the financial, physical, emotional, social, etc. resources required. Knowledge is power. Ignorance sadly often leads to animals ending up in rescue.
It’s funny thought one of the rescue sites wanted to know our current expenses for the dogs. Katy is easy it pretty much doesn’t change, but with Bailey’s health his diet is never the same from week to week. I can generally estimate what I’m going to spend on her, with him it’s what ever it takes that week.
Your big puppies look so healthy and happy! I definitely would have thought they were expensive to feed, doesn’t seem as bad as I thought.
My great Pyrenees isn’t eating and is throwing up. What can I do
Cook chiken thighs, but don’t over cook. Remember to remove the bone. Pyrs can eat UNCOOKED Chix thighs with the bone. Bones that are cooker become brittle and can cause serious problems. Uncooked are soft and don’t present a problem. Of course I’m not talking about any other part of the chix, or any other animal.
Split his food up. They can eat too fast and cause troubles for their stomach.
I found a stray Great Pyrenees and tried to feed him but doesn’t seem interested. I know u said they skip meals, but I was wondering what type of food do they like the most
I have the same issue. I found a stray and he won’t eat since Thursday. He will only eat raw eggs. I can tell he is hungry, but wont eat dog food. Help
We have a 8 mounth old witf chf.will likely pass in a few mounts. Was just trying to a good food for him. So sad.
I rescued a pyr about 8 mos. I was feeding her to much and she gained alot of weight. She is wonderful but we put her on a restricted diet and she has lost about 15 lbs. She is much happier however her health is getting bad, She is almost 5. She has another ear infection hip displasia and arthritis. How can I make her well. She is very sweet and likes to be with me. She means alot to me. Please help.
I rescued a pyr about 8 mos. I was feeding her to much and she gained alot of weight. She is wonderful but we put her on a restricted diet and she has lost about 15 lbs. She is much happier however her health is getting bad, She is almost 5. She has another ear infection hip displasia and arthritis. How can I make her well. She is very sweet and likes to be with me. She means alot to me. Please help. NO THIS IS THE FIRST TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am so pleased that there is a chat group for Pyr love! Our Pyreneese Roux is allergic to chicken and corn. We switched to a chicken and grain free diet like we did with our St. Bernard and she is so much healthier! No more scratching and eating herself, and she is so much more comfortable, especially in the summer. True, she does skip meals lime the other posts suggest. She couch surfs and loves the A.C., and is happy to woof at landscapers and UPS workers throughout the day! Happy and healthy- Roux’s mom in Atlanta!
Hi! how did you find out you’re dog was allergic to chicken/corn? My pyrenees eats his paws real bad as well as his private area and the vet does not help much other than giving me spray… he gets aggressive when i try to spray his paws too like it hurts :(.
I have a great pyrenees as well. She eats every other day by choice. And even then she only eats about 1 cup of food. I leave her bowl out with plenty of food. At first i thought she didnt like her food so i switched it up so many times. I finally found one she loved but she would still eat every other day. i did a ton of research and figured out about the metabolism she has. A 40lb bag of food typically lasts her about a 6 weeks. She gets plenty of treats throughout the week for her great work.
I have 2 pyr that we took from someone who was mistreating them. They are soo afraid of people now. I have had them for 4 years and cannot get them to come around. Whenever myself or my husband try to get close to them,they run. They are slowly warming up to me but still run from me. What can I do to gain their trust. I really love them and want them to trust me as their owner. I want them to know I would never hurt them. I need help.