Best Food To Feed A Golden Retriever Puppy

The Best Dog Food For Golden Retrievers

Though breed-specific dog food formulas might be fine for your dog, its better to understand your dogs nutritional needs and make an informed decision based on that. Considering your dogs age, breed size, and activity level will help you make the best choice.

With that in mind, these are our top picks for the best dog food for adult Golden Retrievers.

Formulated for digestibility, this holistic natural dog food recipe features real chicken as the main ingredient, acting as both a lean source of protein and a natural source of joint-supporting glucosamine and chondroitin for your Golden Retriever.

Halo Holistic Chicken Recipe Large-Breed Dog Food

This holistic crunchy dry dog food features real chicken as the main ingredient.

Pasture-fed lamb is the protein-rich foundation of this large-breed recipe, balanced with whole brown rice, whole grain oatmeal, and assorted vitamin and mineral supplements to ensure optimal nutrition.

Nutro Wholesome Essentials Large-Breed Adult Lamb & Rice Recipe

This large-breed recipe contains lamb as its main source of protein and glucosamine and chondroitin to support joint health.

Iams Proactive Health Large Breed

Primary Ingredients: Chicken, Ground Whole Grain Barley, Ground Whole Grain Corn

IAMS has been a leading brand in the dog food industry for yearsand for a good reason. They produce high-quality dog food for your Golden Retriever at an affordable price. Veterinarians recommend IAMS Proactive Health because it uses ingredients like animal protein and antioxidant-rich veggies to nourish your dog and meet their complete health needs.

Customer Review: I have two larger breeds, and this has been really good for them and cheaper than what I have fed before. Highly recommend it. Good for maintaining a decent weight too.

Rating: 4.7/5

Dog Feeding Guidelines About Changing Dog Foods

Dog feeding guidelines discourage owners from joining the Flavor of the Month Club. Most dogs are happy to stick with one brand of dog food. They’ve never been told, “variety is the spice of life.”

But if you want to try a different kind of dog food, make the change carefully and slowly. Changing foods suddenly can upset your pooch’s stomach and cause diarrhea.

The best way to make this gradual change is to mix one-fourth new food with three-fourths old food for two days, then half and half for the next two days, then three-fourths new and one-fourth old for two days.

On the seventh day you’re ready to feed him only the new food. You’re all switched over now, and your Golden will be fine.

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What If My Golden Retriever Puppy Wont Eat

There are many things that could cause a puppy to lose interest in their food, such as infections, pain, organ problems, or the way youre feeding them. Here are a few of the most common reasons why puppies stop eating as much as they should:

• Stress: Your dog could be in a chaotic home, or perhaps he is being bullied by other pets in your home like the cat. Children can abuse pets as well.
• Digestive upset or obstruction: They may eat food that they shouldnt.
• Digestive infections: There are many viruses such as Parvo, intestinal worms, bacteria, etc.

Instinct By Nature’s Variety Raw Boost Grain

If you want to start your puppy off on food that they can continue to eat as an adult, the Raw Boost formula from Instinctis a good option. It’s designed to support your dog’s health at all life stages.

With an impressive protein content of 37 percent, this food has all your dog needs to develop strong muscles. The protein comes from chicken, chicken meal, fish meal, and more. What’s unique about this food is that it contains small morsels of freeze-dried raw meat. The recipe also contains a slew of great extras.

For digestive health, there’s a dose of prebiotics. To help their immune system, antioxidants are thrown in with blueberries. Finally, to support their heart health and coat, there’s salmon oil.

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Purina Pro Plan Savor Shredded Blend With Probiotics Adult Dry Dog Food

This brand is made with a high-quality protein, and contains probiotics for digestive and immune health. With real chicken as the first ingredient , vitamin A and linoleic acid for healthy skin and coat condition, Purina Pro Plan Savor is a high-quality dog food formula.

PROS

• Well-known and reputable dog food brand
• Delicious flavor for picky eaters
• Helps to maintain a healthy weight
• Scientifically tested by veterinarians, scientists and behaviorists
• Honest and reliable information
• Animal feeding tests using AAFCO procedures to ensure a well-balanced, high-quality dog food for adult dog maintenance.

CONS

• None

Strong Bones And Optimal Growth With A Healthy Diet

The Goldie can be classed as a large breed. Puppies from this breed shouldn’t be given food that is too rich in calories so that they don’t grow too quickly. A consequence of the food containing too many calories can be the genetically determined final weight being reached or even exceeded earlier than expected, although the skeleton is not yet stable enough. This can be lead to misalignments of the limbs. Golden Retriever puppies need an adequate energy intake as well as a balanced supply of minerals, especially calcium and phosphorous.

In order to ensure healthy growth for Goldie puppies, the diet should be species-appropriate with a balanced proportion of calories, minerals, trace elements and vitamins.

Feeding recommendations for puppy food are based on the puppy’s current weight and the predicted weight of the dog as an adult. The weight of the parent animal of the same sex can be taken as a guideline. In addition, the quantity of food is adapted to the puppy’s activity level.

Also Check: English Cream Retriever Size

Puppy Old Golden Retriever 77 Days

If your 11-week-old puppy is not showing you all the trouble he can, he will. At 11 weeks old, he should consume approximately 2 cups per day. However, he might also eat as much as he can.

Make sure to sweep your floors regularly and to watch the puppy whenever hes outside. If your veterinarian is concerned that your dog ate something potentially dangerous, you should call them immediately.

Dont Give Them Too Much Of A Good Thing

Overfeeding your puppy can undo all the benefits of breed-specific golden retriever puppy food. By consuming too much food, your puppy will have elevated levels of the very nutrients that should be limited.

Additionally, overweight puppies may develop other health issues such as diabetes and heart disease. Good eating habits developed during puppyhood will lead to a healthy mature dog in the years to come.

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Training Golden Retrievers Puppies In A Happy Environment

Golden retrievers puppies are known to be a family pet, they have a lovely personality and a warm heart, they also like to be close to people, unlike some dogs, that are used to guard and live in the garden, golden retrievers puppies are also known to be Attention seeker, and if they dont receive enough attention, they may develop bad habits, such as biting or digging in the garden, and since golden retrievers puppies are very active dogs, they need to do a lot of exercises.

Exercises are very important for golden retrievers puppies, in one hand, it helps you bond with them, in the another hand, it prevents obesity, that unfortunately, many Golden retrievers puppies are suffering from, therefore, you can start teaching them easy tricks such as fetch and brings toys, so they exercise and socialize with you, which can be super important for these dogs. It is recommended to make your puppy play with other dogs and meet new people at a young age.

As I mentioned before, it is important for your golden retriever puppy to have space and a playground, like a garden, so he can both be close to you and live in your home, and exercise outside. But keep in mind that your golden puppy still needs to socialize with other dogs and people.

How Many Times A Day Should I Feed My 2 Months Old Puppy

As indicated at the beginning of this article, start by following, as much as possible, the frequency of your puppys meals instructed by his breeder.

May 6, 2020 by Karen Summers

Malnourished Golden Retriever Puppy

If your puppy is falling way below the growth chart, this is a cause for worry. More so if you are feeding him properly with the right foods. This could indicate an underlying medical condition or worms . Vet consultation is advised to resolve these conditions, failing which the puppy might have serious problems as an adult. It might have weak bones and muscles as well as a compromised digestive system. In addition, it will have stunted growth and will be way below the average of healthy golden retrievers.

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What To Look For In Adult Dog Food For Puppies

When you are buying adult dog food for your pooch, you need to look for a few things, first of all, you should always read the food label. But I know how confusing they could be, heres what to look for in adult dog food:

• Read the product name

• Avoid getting products with these kinds of names beef formula dog food or chicken formula dog food, because it will not offer the best nutritional diet for your dog.

• Now, its time to check on the ingredients, most brands put the undesirable ingredients at the bottom of their lists such as artificial fillers and colorings, so make sure to read the list till the end.

• See if its grain-free, most healthy dog foods are grain-free. Notice that grain itself isnt really bad for your dog as its used as filler, but the food shouldnt be all filler.

• Look for a product that comes with whole-food protein ingredients at the top of their list
• Foods where that the top ingredients are turkey, chicken, beef, or lamb are your best bets
• Avoid products that their ingredients begin with poultry, animal, and meat.
• Lastly, if its not AAFCO* do not bother to read the ingredients.

How To Know If Youre Not Feeding Them Enough

While overfeeding can result in various health conditions, so does underfeeding your Golden Retriever puppy. Underfeeding can cause malnutrition which can result in your puppy being unhealthy.

Some of the signs they are underfed are:

Visible Bones

One of the most obvious signs that youre underfeeding your puppy is that theyre so thin that you can see their bones. Some even appear like theyre skin and bone, with very little fat on their body. This means that theyre not getting enough nourishment from the food they eat.

Underweight

Another indicator that youre underfeeding your puppy is that they are too small or light for their breed and age. This is also a good indicator of malnutrition but this doesnt mean that larger, chubbier puppies dont suffer from malnutrition.

Low Energy

Dogs, especially puppies, tend to have high levels of energy. This is particularly true with Golden Retrievers a breed known for being highly energetic and playful. So, if you find your puppy looking lethargic, this can be a good indicator that youre underfeeding them.

Runny Stool

Just like with overfeeding, runny stool can be an obvious indicator of underfeeding and malnutrition. This is because runny stools mean that theyre not digesting their food well and therefore, cannot absorb the necessary nutrients in their food.

However, this can also be a sign of a medical condition so its best to consult with your veterinarian as well before changing your puppys feeding routines.

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What Should You Add To Kibble

In most cases, wet puppy food is not designed to provide complete and balanced nutrition in the same way as with dry kibble puppy food.

However, there can be some cases where feeding wet puppy food is advisable, either as a kibble topper or on its own.

One such case might be if your puppy is recovering from an illness or a procedure and doesnt have much appetite.

Wet food is quite palatable.

Wet food can also add more moisture to your puppys diet to make sure she stays well-hydrated.

Wet puppy food can be a tasty treat to liven up mealtimes. Weve reviewed our favorite dry and wet foods for Golden Retriever puppies here.

You can also add scraps such as meat, scrambled organic eggs, organic vegetables and fruits, canned pumpkin for healthy digestion, or probiotics such as yogurt.

So How Do You Choose The Best Food For Your Golden Retriever

In a recent 2019 FDA dog food update about grain-free dog food that contained legume seeds, lentils, potatoes or peas as main ingredients, dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs was linked to grain-free dog food formulas.

Dilated cardiomyopathy is becoming more common in dogs on grain-free diets that as a breed are not predisposed to DCM. This includes the Golden Retriever!

In grain-free formulas there is often a high level of potato. FDA medical records indicate that dogs with DCM had low levels of taurine which may result in DCM. Dogs fed diets that included exotic proteins, and that were grain-free resulted in higher rates of DCM.

Heres what the FDA had to say. To better characterize diets reported in DCM cases, product labels were examined to determine whether the product was grain-free , and whether the products contained peas, other lentils including chickpeas and beans, or potatoes . Because so many products contained peas and/or lentils, a category was created for peas and/or lentils. More than 90 percent of products were grain-free, and 93 percent of reported products had peas and/or lentils. A far smaller proportion contained potatoes, via FDA

Animal protein sources in the reported diets varied widely, and many diets contained more than one protein source. The most common proteins in the reported diets were chicken lamb and fish however, some diets contain atypical protein sources such as kangaroo, bison or duck. No one animal protein source was predominant.

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When Should I Feed My Golden Retriever

Golden Retrievers should have scheduled times to eat daily. The scheduled times will help them with their energy levels and keep them healthy.

You can schedule their eating times as to what works best for your schedule. For example, feeding them before you leave for work and then when you get home.

As a puppy, they will eat three times a day, so you will need to find times in those first few months to feed them more often. When they are an adult or senior, the scheduling of feeding times will be easier because they will only eat twice daily.

What We Feed Our Golden

Oliver had a few different brands of food that he ate as a puppy.

First, we started him off on one of the brands listed in the graph above that is correlated with DCM.

Once we heard about the study we switched to another brand, although he didnt like that at all.

Then we switched to another brand that he just sort of liked.

Finally, after talking to a few veterinarians and golden retriever breeders, we decided to test out Royal Canins Adult Golden Retriever food , which has been his favorite food so far.

If we were to have another puppy, we would definitely start with the Royal Canin Golden Retriever Puppy food.

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Eukanuba Large Breed Adult Dog Food

Eukanuba Large Breed Adult Dog Food is another top choice of our staff veterinarians. This brand of dog food provides a balanced nutritious meal that fuels an active lifestyle. The ingredients support healthy brain function and lean muscles.

Below is a feeding chart for Eukanuba adult dog food.

Eukanuba Large Breed Adult Feeding Chart

Eukanuba Adult Dog Food is like Royal Canin in that it provides precise amounts of food based on the level of exercise for that day. On the back of the bag, it explains how much food you should give for low, moderate, and high activity.

Creating A Consistent Feeding Schedule

Golden retrievers are one of many breeds that have no qualms about eating until they burst and thats why you should know how much to feed a Golden Retriever puppy before you adopt one.

If they have access to food, often they will just eat endlessly. This is why having a consistent feeding schedule for your golden retriever is so important.

Having a set amount of food given on a set schedule will help train your puppy to know when to eat. Controlling the amount is key in ensuring that your puppy does not put on any excess weight. This will also help keep his digestion regular, reducing the amount of gastric upset he might experience.

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What Human Foods Can A Golden Retriever Puppy Eat

There is a lot of human food that golden retrievers can eat in moderation. Humans consume protein, fats, and fiber. Dogs can eat these foods as well. Proteins like fish, eggs, beef, turkey, chicken, and salmon.

They can also have vegetables that are cooked and carbs in small proportions like pasta. They can even eat some dairy products.

Please keep that in mind that golden retrievers tend to gain weight, so it is always better to feed them more protein.

The vegetables are also good because they provide much-needed fiber for the digestive system, but give them carbohydrates only in small amounts, especially if they do not exercise that much.