Pet food supplement company in Boise leads the pack in a big way

It’s good to be the big dog. In this case, it’s best to be The Big Damn Dog Co.

Unleashed only three years ago, the Boise-based business, with a focus on improving health and spurring the longevity of giant-breed canines was recently named the recipient of the 2026 Dog Food Functional Topper of the Year award. The recognition was provided through the Pet Innovation Awards, an industry program that recognizes companies and innovators around the world.

Leading this big dog outfit is Idaho native and CEO Sarah McLean, who along with her husband Jared, co-founded the thriving company in 2023 and targets the biggest of the big canine breeds.

Mixing her animal sciences degree with a healthy dose of encouragement from Jared and a huge portion of motivation from her giant-sized Great Dane, Lucy, McLean developed the award-winning formula that helps target inflammation and joint degradation, most particularly in dogs exceeding 100 pounds.

“Anything that can affect a joint’s ability to function right is what our product targets to help with,” said McLean, who spent about three years perfecting the formula that originated in tablet form and now comes in the award-winning gravy when easily mixed with water.

Little did McLean know her schooling and subsequent rescue of Lucy would help make her company a big dog in the canine supplement world.

“Going into all this originally, I was an ignorant dog owner,” she said. “I signed up for a dog, Lucy, that I did not then fully understand. I rose to the occasion and that, I believe, makes it easier for other people.”

That understanding was in both the actual size of the breed and the accompanying physical issues many lovable giant breed dogs painfully endure.

“Many people don’t realize that with these giant-sized dogs, all of your vet care and bills are higher,” she said. “All of your food costs are higher. If you’re not getting your dog appropriate joint care designed for them, then you are directly impacting what is their quality of life.”

With the enthusiasm and spunk of a big dog leading the pack, McLean set out to help give Lucy and other big breeds a better way of life. Realizing along the way that, as her dog’s provider, she must be the familiar voice a dog relies on, no matter how large a dog may be.

“If I can help someone to understand enough to make a different and informed decision, not what has always been done, but to be informed and to be the voice these dogs need, that gets me real passionate,” she said.

A graduate of Middleton High School, McLean completed her specialized equestrian studies degree program at William Woods University in Fulton, Missouri. Though she’d always professed a love for horses, she also recognized the similarities between the larger hoofed animals and the canine breed known as Danes.

“I always joked that my background was horses, but there is something similar about horses and Danes,” she said.

As fate would have it, she found Lucy through a friend, and their pairing could not have come at a better time. The dog, weighing 120 pounds at the time, was in big trouble, sitting in a kennel on death row in a shelter in eastern Idaho, a mere 12 hours away from being euthanized.

“She had been surrendered to the facility when about 1 year old, and she remained unadopted for about a year,” McLean said. “Lucy had a rough start in life. Danes are so sensitive, and their natural guardian instincts don’t do well in a shelter environment.”

Taking her out in public, McLean often heard, “That is one big damn dog,” a common phrase leading to the company name.

Soon the big dog also became a big deal for both Sarah and Jared, who were dating at the time. Winning over Sarah meant one giant package deal. “He fell in love with both of us, and now he, too, is a big dog guy,” she said.

Even more, Sarah refers to Jared as nothing short of “integral” in the product development, calling it a “labor of love” for both.

Be it humans, dogs or horses, all share vital connections in her eyes.

“There is an incredible similarity between horses and dogs and even people when it comes to their biological needs,” she said. “You’ll see a lot of trends in the human health space. Give it a few months and they’ll show up in the pet space. The reason is there is a lot of biological overlap where glucosamine helps us as much as it helps them. Peptides do the same.”

Factors that helped her develop the award-winning product after watching Lucy start to develop physical issues of her own by age 4.

Ingredients that “pull their weight” is how the company describes the food topper. Glucosamine to support cartilage maintenance, eggshell membrane to enhance flexibility and comfort, and turmeric, a potent antioxidant to support inflammation response all combine to help make life better for many larger breed dogs.

However, for McLean, the biggest difference in developing the product was increasing the total milligrams contained to 5,000 for all active ingredients. Comparatively, the make-up is far above similar products, essentially doubling the typical dose found in many other supplements designed for dogs 60 pounds and larger.

“Once we put Lucy on the higher dose her limping went away,” she said. “I figured there was something there. Beig that I had worked for a supplement company prior, I knew what it was like to make custom formulations.

“I talked with dozens of vets. And of course, we live in a wonderful age where so much information is available online. All the research and conversations came together.”

Beyond the award, The Big Damn Dog Co. is making a big impact where it really matters: Inspiring countless dog-loving customers, as well as those who work in veterinary medicine.

Their line-up of products strongly emphasizes education, advocacy and the added responsibility that comes with providing proper care for big dogs.

“It’s wonderful to see a company focus on giant breed dogs and a common issue they have with joint disease,” wrote Dr. Amanda Steffen, a doctor of veterinary medicine, in a message of support posted on the company website. “I love the mission of the Big Damn Dog Co., that they go above and beyond with testing, safety and efficacy.”

One reviewer, Ashley H., rated the product worthy of five stars, stressing how the supplement is actually “tailored” and not “marketed” to big dogs. “Their structural needs are very different, and not every one-size-fits-all product truly supports the long-term health of their joints,” she wrote. “It’s clear this product wasn’t just thrown together.”

As it turns out, being a loving dog mom to Lucy was only part of the equation for McLean.

“With my background, being an animal lover, my degree, I might have been in a little better position to embrace and to learn and to become the type of guardian I felt my dog deserved,” she said.

And a guardian she was, helping Lucy to reach almost 10 years of age before the lovable Dane made her final journey in February 2025 over The Rainbow Bridge, as many animal lovers call it. Today, Juniper, another Great Dane, has joined the McLean family.

“The company has a collaborative feeling for us within the community,” she said. “It’s truly about the big dogs, not us, and how we can do better by them. As dog owners, there is so much within our control, the influence we have to help these dogs thrive in their senior years. It’s not some certainty that these dogs have to suffer.”