What Is The Best Golden Retriever Food
The food you give your dog has a major impact on their health, especially when you are dealing with a Golden Retriever puppy, this large breed dog is prone to both hip and elbow dysplasia, so it is important you feed him golden retriever food that contains all the nutrients so he can grow into a healthy adult and reduce the risk of health problems.
Golden Retriever puppy food wont necessarily eliminate these risks from your beloved dog but it will set him off with the right nutrition to help him face whatever health issue they may face in the future.
To help, we listed the best food for Golden Retriever puppy as well as adult
Eukanuba Breed Specific Adult Retriever Dog Food
This food contains quality proteins that come from animals. This facilitates strong muscles and keeps the lab in fighting fit shape. The main reason I am choosing Eukanubas dog foods for golden retrievers is that it adds a great deal of calcium. Since Golden Retrievers are so prone to bone-related illnesses, combining this mineral in their daily diet lets me know that I am doing all I can to keep their skeleton strong.
For Golden Retriever-parents whose concern is dentistry, this is an ideal choice as a dietary staple. This kibble adds value through the structured tartar removal system. The food itself abrades the tartar from the teeth.
Pros:
- Keeps the Golden Retrievers teeth strong
- Uses animal-based protein for strong muscle
- Works to keep bones and joints in good shape
Cons:
Blue Buffalo Wilderness Natural Puppy Food
Puppyhood is a very impressionable stage in canine development. In order to set the stage for a lifetime of health, it is critical that we provide all the essential nutrients for our young dogs. This recipe covers all bases and is a great staple for the puppy years.
The food avoids all instances of preservatives and artificial additives .
Chicken is the key ingredient in the recipe. Generally, for junior doggies of all breeds, this is a very easy to digest protein that agrees with the system.
The meal came to be with veterinarian consultation- particularly the kernels which feature antioxidants and vitamins for strong immune function.
This food is specifically for puppies, meaning it features all the essential ingredients for this life stage. We favor this option because it kickstarts the doggy diet in a direction that is free from additives and filling agents.
While there is a lot of nutritive value, the food itself is fairly high in calories. Keep to the feeding chart when administering meals to foster a healthy weight.
Pros:
- Avoids additives, by-products and preservatives
- Features meat as the primary ingredient
- Holds antioxidants and balanced vitamins/minerals
Cons:
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Purina Pro Plan Shredded Blend With Probiotics
This cost-effective choice lets us health conscious canine-parents provide a quality diet on a budget.
I favor this dog food for your Golden Retrievers because of its unique inclusion of rice as a carbohydrate source. This high in fiber, yet low on the glycemic index, carb option provides long-lasting energy for your tail-wagger friend.
Keeping energy sustained is key in weight management.
The food also features probiotics to promote easy digestion. Dogs favor this choice for its texture, since the kernels are crunchy yet also contain tender, shredded components.
The food provides easy to access nutrients. That said, comparably to other Golden Retriever diets, it is relatively high on the caloric spectrum.
To ensure proper weight management of your doggy, always check the feeding chart. This food is one of the options that is suited to both early adult and senior-aged retrievers.
Glucosamine and chondroitin feature as ingredients to help joint health. A plethora of other vitamins and minerals are supplemented into the diet, while the overall food remains low in sodium.
As an option to cover all bases and sure up overall health, this is a great choice.
Pros:
- Features rice as a carbohydrate source for long-lasting energy
- Combines significant vitamin and mineral supplements
- Features probiotics for healthy internal flora
Cons:
Diet Plan For Adult Golden Retriever
After your Golden Retriever is a year older, you should start giving it a meal two times a day. Further, you must ensure that your pal gets enough amount of protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals in each meal. Besides this, start adding some healthy natural snacks to the diet plan of your Golden Retriever as treats.
In addition, dont forget to include omega-rich foods in its diet for the proper growth of a healthy skin coat and fur. Moreover, you can start mixing dry food with wet food and give it to your dog to get the benefits of both foods.
However, make sure you dont include harmful human foods in your dogs diet, as mentioned above.
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Best Dog Food For Golden Retrievers Faqs
Q: Do Golden Retrievers Require Special Food?
A: That depends on the age and size of your dog. Puppies and senior dogs should eat food thats specially designed for their age. However, adult golden retrievers can eat almost any dog food unless they are under specific medication.
Q: How Much Food Should You Give a Golden Retriever?
A: Dogs are unique and different in terms of age and size. It is therefore impossible to predict a perfect serving for every golden retriever. You can start with the feeding amount recommended on the package then proceed to increase or decrease the amount depending on your dogs feeding needs.
Q: When Can You Safely Introduce Adult Food to Your Grown-Up Adult Retriever?
A: Golden Retrievers puppies stop growing and start to be considered as adults after they reach 12-24 months. Only then can you switch from puppy food to adult food. Doing so earlier increases the risk of permanent hip damage.
Holistic Select Senior Health
Primary Ingredients: Chicken Meal, Chickpeas, Peas, Lentils, Dried Ground Potatoes, Chicken Fat, Dried Molasses Beet Pulp
Caring for a senior Golden Retriever requires a special diet tailored more to an aging dogs needs. This dry kibble from Holistic Select uses a blend of essential nutrients to support your older dogs joint health, bone strength, digestive system, immune system, skin, and coat.
Customer Review: My finicky Golden Retriever likes this food, and it is made from healthy ingredients.
Rating: 4.7/5
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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.
Blue Buffalo Wilderness Duck Recipe Grain
Top 5 Ingredients: 1. Deboned Duck, 2. Chicken Meal, 3. Peas, 4. Pea Protein, 5. Chicken Fat
A wilderness-focused diet is the best choice for retrievers with sensitive stomachs and a high craving for a natural diet. With Blue Buffalos Wilderness Duck Dry Food, that diet can be executed perfectly. The dog food incorporates a variety of all-natural and wholesome ingredients such as meat, fruits, and vegetables that provide lots of amino acids, vitamins, minerals, omega fats, and other micronutrients necessary for a dogs health.
More than that, the dog food is also focused on high-digestibility and features a grain-free recipe. It uses real deboned duck meat as the primary protein source, which is both easily digestible and filled with nutrients. And with its Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, the dog food will also help nourish your retrievers skin and make their fur shinier.
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Our 2022 Golden Retriever Feeding Guide
Golden Retriever Puppies A Golden Retriever puppy is surely one of the cutest puppies in the world. Youll have a hard time resisting one of these adorable pups if he wants something. Most Golden Retrievers are dead set on fetching, so be prepared for hours of fun as you toss balls and sticks for your new pup.
As far as how much to feed your Golden Retriever puppy, lets take a quick look at a Goldens average weight as he grows . Of course, these are only estimates. You should weigh your puppy often to see how s/he is growing. Your vet can also keep track of your puppys weight gain and growth when you take him or her in for vaccinations. Female puppies usually weight a little less than male puppies.
At 3 Months: 23 lbs
At 6 Months: 52 lbs
At 9 Months: 61 lbs
At 12 Months: 68 lbs
Considering these weights, and your Goldens size as an adult, we can figure how much you should be feeding your puppy. As mentioned earlier, we recommend feeding a large-breed puppy food for Golden Retriever puppies. As you can see, Goldens grow quickly as puppies. A good large-breed puppy food can provide the proper nutrition and keep your puppy from growing too fast. If your puppy grows too fast, or is too chubby, he is more likely to have problems with his hips or problems with arthritis later in life.
0-3 Months: 4-6 Meals Daily Totaling 1221 Calories
3-6 Months: 3-4 Meals Daily Totaling 1221-1501 Calories
Golden Retriever Allergies & Food
If your dog is displaying symptoms of a food allergy, it could be caused by any food they consume, from wheat to meat. The best treatment is to visit your vet and discuss an allergy test or an elimination diet. There are also a number of dog foods for allergies that eliminate common dietary culprits.
Not sure if your dog has allergies? Remember that allergies can develop at any age. Here are signs you should get in touch with your vet:
- Itchy skin
- Swollen ears, lips, eyelids earflaps
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Golden Retriever Feeding Guide For Seniors
As your Goldie gets older he will become less active and will need fewer calories to stay on his ideal weight. Your pooch will be considered a senior when he is eight years old, so make sure to tweak his diet around this age.
An older Golden Retriever will need around 900 calories per day served in two equally spaced meals. However, if your senior dog needs to lose some weight, you will have to put him on a diet and lower his calorie intake.
You should talk with your vet and see if there is a need to transition your pooch to senior dog food at this point or not. Food for older dogs has fewer calories and is supplemented with glucosamine and vitamins that are beneficial for older dogs. However, many seniors continue to eat regular food without any side effects, but you should check just in case you need to change his diet.
Best Dog Foods For Golden Retrievers Adults & Puppies
When it comes to your Golden Retriever, you always want whats best for them. After all, your goldens are members of the family, right? So you want them to be happy and healthy at all times. That is why its so important to feed them good quality food that gives them everything they need. The only question is, how do you know which food that is?
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What About Taurine Deficiency
Studies suggest that Golden Retrievers are at risk to develop a taurine deficiency that may have a dietary component. Most dogs produce this amino acid on their own, so its not considered an essential nutrient. Pups that develop a deficiency can develop a heart disease known as Dilated Cardiomyopathy or an enlarged heart.
In 2018, the FDA opened an investigation to determine if grain-free and legume-rich dog foods contribute to DCM. The results are inconclusive, but these formulas may not provide sufficient taurine to animals with a genetic predisposition for deficient production. In most cases, DCM linked to diet is treatable and may be reversed with heart medications, a change in diet, and supplementation with taurine.
When People Find Out We Make Our Own Dog Food At Home They Always Ask Us What About A Raw Diet So Let’s Get That Out Of The Way First
There are LOTS of thoughts and theories on feeding your dog a raw diet especially a dog that is living with kidney disease. Our vet however, was personally opposed to feeding a raw diet due to the fact that dogs, just like us, are very susceptible to food poisoning. Besides that, a raw diet can be tricky to get just right! You run the risk of giving your dog a horrible belly ache by mixing a raw diet with cooked treats, so if you decided to go raw it is important to have both raw meals and raw treats planned for your pup at all times. NO MIXING the two! Since raw and cooked foods digest at different rates any combination of the two can wreak serious havoc on your pup’s gut which can lead to some pretty unpleasant situations for you – if you get my drift.
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Chicken Soup Dry Dog Food
Chicken Soup Dry Dog Food is one of the easiest dog foods to prepare. Its rich in antioxidants and vitamins to promote the overall health and vigor of your dog. With turkey as the main ingredient, this dog food is rich in protein needed for strength and muscle build-up.
Its also perfectly balanced with fiber-rich carbohydrates that keep the dog full for long, while also aiding in healthy digestion. Made with natural ingredients, this adult dog formula is slow-cooked to retain the delicious taste and flavor. It is also rich in omega 6 & 3, to give your dog beautiful and healthy skin and coat.
Benefits
Holistic select senior dry dog food meets the nutrition needs of every dog leading to a happy and healthier dog. Made with the right amount of protein, fat, fiber, and vitamins, this perfectly balanced dog food promotes the overall health and vigor of your dog.
Made in the USA, this dry dog food is specially formulated for senior dogs that require high protein and carbohydrates diets. It is enriched with natural fiber to promote healthy digestion and Omega 3 fatty acids for healthy skin and coat.
Besides that, its grain-free and carefully made with the finest natural ingredients to sustain the overall well-being of your pooch.
Benefits
Best Dog Food For Golden Retriever Seniors
Your Golden Retriever friend has reached the old age of 8 or 9, so whether your pooch has some illnesses or still seems pretty healthy, these dog food brands have ingredients that will equip his mind and body to keep going.
Royal Canin Size Health Nutrition Large Aging 8+ Dry Dog Food
Top 3 ingredients: Chicken By-Product Meal, Brewers Rice, Wheat
Aside from protecting your dog against joint-related problems like arthritis, this recipe is gentle on the stomach and prevents muscle loss. It also promotes intestinal and cardiac health.
Get a complete look at this recipe by .
Instinct Raw Boost Senior Grain-Free Freeze-Dried Raw Pieces Dry Dog Food
Top 3 ingredients: Chicken Meal, Chicken, Tapioca
This kibble and freeze-dried raw food mix is fortified with nutrients and omega oils for heart health and to keep bones healthy. You can add some water to soften the food or serve it dry a fun way to change things up for your old boy.
Get a complete look at this recipe by .
Nutro Wholesome Essentials Large Breed Senior Dry Dog Food
Top 3 ingredients: Chicken, Chicken Meal, Whole Brown Rice
This corn-, wheat-, and soy-free recipe for older dogs with sensitivities contain natural sources of glucosamine and chondroitin. It includes antioxidants to boost their immune system.
Get a complete look at this recipe by .
Purina ONE SmartBlend Vibrant Maturity 7+ Adult Formula Dry Dog Food
Top 3 ingredients: Chicken, Rice Flour, Corn Gluten Meal
Get a complete look at this recipe by .
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Choosing The Best Dog Food
The best dog food for your dog is ultimately up to you to decide. As an owner, you are the one who sees your dog on a regular basis. If your dog produces firm, healthy stool, is active and fit, and has a healthy appetite, then your dog food is probably working just fine.
Your veterinarian is a valuable resource to you during this process. They know more about pet nutrition than the average owner, and they also have access to research and resources that owners do not have. Your vet can help you narrow down your options and should be more than happy to help you find the answers to your questions about your dogs food.
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Taste Of The Wild Premium
If you want quality food for your pup, you might want to consider this TOTW Premium formula. It has real smoked salmon as the number one ingredient. As such, the formula is rich in amino acids and protein for lean and strong muscles.
On top of that, it also contains added minerals and vitamins from vegetables and fruits. Its rich in superfoods, antioxidants and fatty acids for healthy coat and skin.
All the ingredients come from sustainable and trusted sources around the world. It contains no corn, wheat, grain, filler, or any artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives.
One of the best things about this food is that its highly digestible. Its also rich in probiotics that survive and thrive in the gastrointestinal tract. Another thing worth mentioning is that it contains no eggs, so its suitable for pups that have a sensitivity to eggs.
Pros:
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