What are the Best Dog Foods for the Borzoi?
The Borzoi, with their flowing coats and dignified demeanor, are truly a breed fit for royalty. But beneath their regal exterior lies a devoted and affectionate companion. To keep your Borzoi healthy and happy, it’s essential to provide a diet that meets their specific needs, from maintaining their coat’s luster to supporting their compact build. At Petabolix, we’ve curated expert food recommendations tailored to this unique breed.
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Breed Info
Breed Group:Hound | AKC Borzoi Profile
Ideal Weight:Female Adult: 64 to 81 pounds
Male Adult: 79 to 101 pounds
Exercise Need:15 to 25 minutes per day
Breed Summary
The Borzoi is a small yet mighty breed with a rich history tracing back to ancient China, where they were treasured by royalty. Known for their lion-like mane, flat faces, and expressive eyes, Borzoi exude an air of dignity and grace. Despite their royal roots, they are loving and loyal companions who enjoy forming deep bonds with their families. Weighing between 7 and 14 pounds, Borzoi have a compact, sturdy build that belies their petite size. Their luxurious double coat requires regular grooming and nutritional support to remain healthy and shiny. While they’re not as active as some breeds, Borzoi enjoy short walks and indoor play to stay fit. Their independent yet affectionate nature makes them ideal for quieter households, though they’re equally content being the center of attention in any setting. This breed’s unique appearance and devoted personality make them a favorite for those seeking a charming, low-energy companion.
Vet's Note
Borzoi are brachycephalic dogs, meaning their flat faces can lead to breathing difficulties, especially in hot or humid weather. Feeding them smaller, more manageable meals can reduce the risk of bloat and aid digestion. Their compact build makes them prone to back issues such as intervertebral disc disease (IVDD), so maintaining a healthy weight is crucial. Additionally, their long coat benefits from omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids to prevent dryness and matting. Eye health is another consideration, as their prominent eyes can be prone to irritation or injury.
Health Considerations
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Dental
A Borzoi's teeth and gums are always under plaque attack, which forms naturally from food particles and other bacteria. Dogs aren’t too concerned about having pretty white teeth, but dental care is critical for oral health. Bacteria in the mouth can even affect internal organs, like the heart, liver and kidneys, so there are certain things below we like to see in food or supplements to combat these threats to Borzois. Learn more about how to take care of your dog's teeth.
Recommendations:
Puffy/crunch kibbles (bigger)・ Sodium hexametaphosphate・ Treats based on solubility, not hardness -
Gut
Think of your Borzoi's gut like a diverse community of bacteria and other microbes that work together to keep the body healthy. Keeping all these balanced is very important for overall health, including digestive, mental, and immune well-being. For these reasons, we prefer Borzois food that support the gi system and supplements that contain attributes below. Learn more about how to keep a dog's gut healthy and gut and digestive health in dogs.
Recommendations:
Fermented foods・ Prebiotics・ Probiotics
Get a tailored nutrition profile for your dog
Our free nutritional assessment tool provides individualized recommendations based on your dog's breed characteristics, age, weight, body condition score, and activity level. It only takes 30 seconds to receive science-based insights to support your dog's lifelong health.
Are Fresh Food Diets Good for Borzois?
Only if they’re properly balanced.
Many well-intentioned Borzois parents spend a lot of time preparing meals at home, but health benefits are lost if meals aren’t properly portioned and balanced with all the nutrients dogs need. Recently, a few companies have done an excellent job ensuring accurate portions and nutrient balance by delivering pre-prepped fresh meals customized to the size and needs of your dog. Farmer’s Dog, Ollie and Nom Nom have each been approved by our nutrition team as delivering truly quality and well-balanced meals. They can be a little expensive (usually 3-4x more per day than kibble), but many find the added health benefits worth the cost. They do offer discounts to new customers, though, if you’d like to try one out.
Pros and Cons of Fresh Food Diets
✓ Diets balanced by Nutritionists・ ✓ Customized portions for weight control・ ✓ Superior digestive and immune health ・✕ More expensive than standard dog food
Foods We Recommend for Borzois Puppies
How long do Borzoiss need puppy food?
Until they're 12 to 16 months old.
Borzois are very focused on growing, and how we feed them should help them do just that. Since they have so much growing to do, they need higher amounts of nutrients than adult dogs, especially proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and — don’t forget — water. It’s still important to not overfeed puppies, so make sure to portion food and keep treats to no more than 10% of their caloric intake. Since balance is so important, we recommend that your young Borzois is eating food that is made just for puppies from a reputable brand.
Find the best nutritional start for your puppy
Our recommendation tool evaluates your puppy’s breed, age, growth stage, lifestyle, and health needs to identify a scientifically appropriate diet from over 10,000 options. Obtain personalized guidance to help support healthy development and lifelong wellness.
Foods We Recommend for Borzois Adults
When should Borzois start transitioning to adult food?
When they're 12 to 16 months old
From a nutrition standpoint, Borzois become adults once they reach about 90% of their expected weight. Once adults, our two key nutrition goals are balance and maintenance. We want balance because a dog’s body is responsible for a lot of things, like digestion, fighting infection, keeping muscles strong, and chasing squirrels. These are all important tasks, so we want to make sure each body function gets its share of nutrients. We also need to maintain a healthy weight. Underfed dogs are at risk for malnourishment, and overfed dogs can become obese — both of which lead to even worse problems for a Borzoi
Find the optimal nutrition plan for your adult dog
Our assessment analyzes your dog’s breed, age, lifestyle, and health considerations to recommend a scientifically selected diet from over 10,000 options. Personalized insights to help your dog thrive through adulthood.
Foods We Recommend for Borzois Seniors
When should Borzois start transitioning to senior food?
All dogs can age differently, but large dogs like Borzois can start to benefit from senior food around 6 to 8 years old
Ever watch kids running around the playground and wish you had that energy again? Yeah. Dogs get there, too. The metabolic processes in senior Borzois slow down as they age, which often means they aren’t needing quite as many calories as they did in their prime. Smart dog food companies have formulated senior diets to ease up on calories but still help them feel full and give them adequate maintenance protein. Still, like humans, everybody is different. Sometimes older dogs need just as many calories, or more, depending on how their bodies progress. So keep a close eye on their body condition, and look for dog foods made for seniors.
Support your senior dog's health with targeted nutrition
Our assessment analyzes your dog’s breed, age, and health considerations to recommend a science-based diet from over 10,000 options. Help maintain mobility, cognitive health, and quality of life.
Affiliate Disclosure:
We do not accept money to recommend pet foods. However, we do receive referral fees from online retailers (such as Chewy or Amazon) on qualifying purchases. Our recommendations are neutral, and diet recommendations are made without considering whether we will receive a referral fee.
