Gentle Giants Dog Food Review 2024

Gentle Giants dog food may sound like it’s designed specifically for large breed dogs — and it was at first, but is suitable for dogs during all life stages — from puppy to senior, small to large and everything in between. 

The owner of Gentle Giants, Burt Ward — who you may recognise as Batman’s sidekick, Robin, from the iconic TV show — is often described as going from ‘caped crusader to canine crusader.’ 

The recipes, which are said to help dogs live long and healthy lives, include high-quality protein sources alongside essential nutrients, minerals and vitamins. Plus, the range also includes grain-free options.  

Read on to find out more about Gentle Giants including what we like about this dog food and what you need to be aware of. 

There is both wet and dry food in the Gentle Giants dog food range. These can either be fed separately or mixed together for your pup. All the food is Non GMO and suitable for both adults and puppies.

Gentle Giants Dry Food

There’s not a huge amount of choice in the Gentle Giants dry food range. But, what they lack in variety they make up for in prime ingredients, including fruit and vegetables. Salmon, for example, is made with 16 whole vegetables and four whole fruits such as spinach, beets, blueberries, cranberries and apples — none of which are genetically modified. Alongside this is veterinarian-approved omega-3 fatty acids, glucosamine and chondroitin as well as vitamins and minerals. 

The food has a high protein content but this comes from meat or fish meal which is the first listed ingredient. It is argued that this is higher in protein but we would prefer if this were real meat or fish. Meat meals can contain  tissues and organs not fit for human consumption.

The Gentle Giants salmon dog food is grain free, if your dog has a grain allergy then this is useful — as long as they like salmon, of course. If you’d rather your dog didn’t eat grain free food, that leaves you with two flavors to choose from. The chicken flavor is also available in ‘Small Bite’ which is beneficial for smaller breeds.

Should you feed your dog a grain-free diet? Read our thoughts here.

Gentle Giant flavors in the dry food range are:

• Chicken
  
• Chicken Small Bites
• Beef 
• Salmon

Gentle Giants Wet Food

What we really like about the canned food is, unlike the dry food, it’s made with real meat and fish which is the first listed ingredient. It’s also made with whole fruits and vegetables which aren’t genetically modified, including sweet potatoes, apples and pumpkins. Alongside antioxidant-rich food such as blueberries these recipes include green lipped mussels. This natural source of omega fatty acid aids in joint support. 

The only issue with the canned food is that it’s all grain free, which means there isn’t an option if you prefer your dog to have grains in their diet. 

The canned food comes in a case of 12. There are four flavors to choose from — these are the same as the dry food, with the addition of turkey.

Gentle Giants wet food flavors are:

• Chicken
• Beef 
• Salmon
• Turkey

Undecided between feeding your dry food or wet food? Our guide to both options might help.

There’s a lot to like about Gentle Giants dog food — here are a few of the reasons we think you might like to consider feeding it to your pup.

No GMOs 

This dog food has no GMOs (genetically modified organisms.) A GMO is when the DNA of an animal, plant or microbe has been altered via genetic engineering. It’s typically plants that would be genetically modified in food. There are some benefits such as increasing the shelf life. However, there is also a lot of controversy around the use of GMOs and they are often deemed unhealthy and unsafe. In dogs they are believed to increase health issues, specifically tumors.  

Packed with healthy ingredients 

Among the Gentle Giants dog food ingredients are added vitamins, antioxidants and minerals — such as vitamin A, vitamin B12 and taurine. This is particularly beneficial to large breed puppies as it supports their bone development — as well as overall health. Alongside high-quality protein it includes all the nutrients they need for a healthy and active lifestyle. The recipes include whole fruits and vegetables such as blueberries, cranberries and apples. There’s also added prebiotics and probiotics.

Beneficial for giant dog breeds 

We all want our dogs to live for as long as possible — and your beloved pooch living into their 20s may sound too good to be true. But, as with all dog food, there are a few things you should be aware of and consider before changing your pups food. 

Limited options

You have limited options in the Gentle Giants dog food range. There are only three flavors of dry food and one extra flavor of canned food. If you don’t want to feed your dog a grain-free diet then you’re limited to a couple of flavors of the dry food and there isn’t any canned food option for you. 

The kibble is quite small 

This food was specifically designed with larger dogs in mind but some pet parents say the kibble is too small. They say the size is better suited to small and medium dogs while some large breed adults have trouble eating it. 

Can cause stomach issues 

Although this dog food is marketed for dogs with sensitive stomachs, one of the Gentle Giants dog food complaints by pet parents is that it causes stomach issues such as diarrhea. While some say this didn’t stop until they moved to a new food, others say this was an issue at first but they continued to feed it to their pup and it did stop. Meanwhile, others disagree entirely and say it made their dogs' stools firmer. 

“Switched to this more than a year ago, because (I) was interested in the claim of helping dogs live longer. I love my big dogs, but as we all know, larger dogs don’t live as long as little dogs. My ridgebacks love it! I have two male littermates each 120+ lbs that are 9+ yo (very special breeder) and one 3 yo female. Have not seen problems with digestion or diarrhea. They are still running and playing like puppies, like they always have.”

“This (salmon) is my preferred flavor of Gentle Giants wet food, though I mix up flavors for variety. I feed my dog (70 lb. shepherd/retriever mix who is fairly active) 1/2 a can AM and 1/2 can PM on top of Gentle Giants dry food. Her poops are regular and predictable, as well as a good texture and color. I feel that she is a happy healthy dog under this diet, with at least a noticeable difference from before starting this feeding pattern roughly 8 months ago. I am so pleased that I plan on feeding her this way for the rest of her life!”

Read more Gentle Giants dog food reviews on Chewy. 

Gentle Giants is a pet food company founded in 2008 by Burt Ward — who played Robin on the 1960s Batman TV show — and his wife, Tracy. The company manufactures dry and canned dog food that was specifically designed for large breed dogs but is suitable for dogs of all sizes.

Burt and Tracy initially set up their non-profit Gentle Giants Rescue and Adoptions. They rescue large breeds (dogs up to 300lbs) which started with Great Danes in 1994. Over 24 years they have rescued over 15,000 dogs and always have a minimum of 50 in their home at a time.

Before putting Gentle Giants on sale, Burt had already been feeding this food to the dogs he rescues. Burt’s dogs are fed up to 600 lbs of food every day and the money he makes from Gentle Giants dog food goes back into feeding these dogs.

As they don’t take a salary from the sales, they can sell their dog food for cheaper — their motto is ‘Half the price, twice the life.’ 

At the time of writing, Gentle Giants has never had a recall on any of its products.