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Good Dog Food For Golden Retrievers

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Special Considerations For Feeding Golden Retrievers

What Our Golden Retriever Puppy Eats | RAW DOG FOOD!?

Every dog needs to have good quality, digestible protein in his diet. The protein should come from animal sources such as meat, fish, and poultry. Per AAFCO , adult dogs need a minimum of 18 percent protein in their diet.

Puppies and pregnant/lactating females need a minimum of 22 percent protein. If your Golden Retriever is very active and engaging in activities such as agility or hunting, he would need more protein.

Also Read: Best Dog Food For Puppies

Golden Retrievers are not considered quite the chow hounds that their cousins Labrador Retrievers are but they still enjoy their food quite a bit. With many Goldens it is important to watch their weight, especially as they get older and become less active.

A young adult Golden Retriever weighing 75 pounds typically needs about 1778 calories per day. A neutered or very sedentary dog might require slightly fewer calories. If your dog is extremely active or engaging in serious work such as hunting you will need to increase his calories.

Regular exercise throughout his lifetime is good for your Golden even in his senior years. As with many large dogs, some Golden Retrievers can have issues with hip and elbow dysplasia or arthritis. Inactivity and weight gain will worsen these conditions. Carrying extra weight makes any joint problems worse.

Staying active and trim can help your older dog feel better and lengthen his life.

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

Nutritional Needs Of Golden Retrievers

Any diet you give your Golden Retriever must first contain balanced ratios of protein, fats, and carbohydrates.

Moderate to High Protein

They may not be as muscular as Pitbulls, but Goldens are an athletic breed that needs quality protein to support their muscles.

Look for dog food that contains over 20% crude protein content. Puppies have more significant protein needs, while senior dogs need less.

Lean animal proteins provide the best support for your Goldens muscles. The best dog food formulas list real meat as one of the first ingredients.

Low to Moderate Fat

Golden Retrievers should not eat diets with a fat content that exceeds 20%. Although they are not as food motivated as other retrievers, they can still pack on the pounds when fed too many calories.

But, healthy fats are vital for their skin. Goldens have a unique, long, flax-colored coat that depends on oil production to stay healthy. Dog foods that feature omega-3 fatty acid sources will help keep him shiny and support his brain and cardiac health.

Digestible Carbohydrates

Dogs can easily digest carbohydrates. But high levels of sugars in the diet can cause obesity and diabetes.

Golden Retrievers are active dogs that need some carbohydrates in their diet to provide energy. Unlike small dogs, large breeds can store carbohydrates as glycogen in their muscles. They do not need to eat high amounts in every meal consistently.

Vitamins and Minerals

DHA and Taurine

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Taurine Deficiency In Golden Retrievers

Past publications and research suggest that Golden Retrievers may be genetically predisposed to taurine deficiency, which is well-documented as potentially leading to DCM, via FDA.

Veterinary cardiologist Dr. Joshua Stern from the University of California at Davis has been studying the rise in cases of DCM in Golden Retrievers, including a potential dietary link. Many cases of DCM in Golden Retrievers are taurine-deficient.

Pet owners who suspect their Golden Retrievers may be affected may wish to consult their veterinarian to discuss checking taurine levels or conducting an echocardiogram.

For more on this, visit: https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/news-events/fda-investigation-potential-link-between-certain-diets-and-canine-dilated-cardiomyopathy#cases

Special Considerations For Golden Retrievers

Best Food for Golden Retrievers with Allergies

Golden Retrievers are very active. They are most active as puppies and young adults but they need exercise throughout their lives. Walking, swimming, and good, long runs provide excellent exercise for these sporting dogs. Because of their high level of activity, they do need quite a few calories in their daily food.

Golden Retrievers can be prone to hip dysplasia and some other health issues.

Golden Retrievers are one of the breeds that has been connected to food-related dilated cardiomyopathy . The FDA is currently investigating a possible link between grain free dog foods and a heart condition called dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs. At this time there is no firm conclusion about a connection but you may wish to consider these findings when choosing a food for your Golden. The FDA has not advised anyone to stop feeding grain free dog foods. However, they have suggested that owners might cut back on foods with high amounts of peas and some other ingredients that have been used in place of grains.

Some Golden Retrievers have developed food allergies. Do watch your dogs health and reactions after meals, especially if you have recently changed dog foods. If you notice anything unusual, consult your veterinarian.

Read Also: Golden Retriever Puppy Feeding Schedule

What Is The Best Dog Food For Golden Retrievers

After owning a Golden Retriever, its always your responsibility to ensure you have fulfilled its dietary requirements. As you know, diet is a crucial area that one has to trend on well when it comes to dogs. When choosing the best dog food for golden retrievers, you have to factor in many parameters. As you know, the move you decide to make will determine whether you will be spending most of the time with your Golden Retriever in the veterinary clinic or playing the game of fetch with it around the yard.

So its a decision you should never make in a rush.

With that said, you can decide to use wet or dry food for your Golden Retriever. Either diet should provide enough calories for your adult or puppy Golden Retriever. All you need to know is the pros and cons of each diet. For example, wet food is the best dog food for Golden Retriever puppies as it is palatable, moisture-rich, and easy to chew compared to kibble.

However, the more they grow, they will need dry kibble as it has a rough texture that helps clean their teeth, its durable, and contains more calories.

However, the best wet or dry food for Golden Retriever puppies should not contain many calories that might promote uncontrollable growth, leading to skeleton issues like misaligned limbs.

With that, Golden Retriever puppies need a minimum of 18% of proteins in their diet necessary for their muscle growth, and also, it should have enough micro and macronutrients.

Wellness Core Grain Free Senior Dry Dog Food

Best Dog Food for Senior Golden Retrievers

A portion of good senior dog food has extra nutrients to help protect joint health as well as healthy digestion. Wellness Cores senior dog food is available in formulas with or without grain, and weve chosen grain-free food as our best pick for senior golden retrievers. In addition to glucosamine and chondroitin for joint health, Wellness Core has both prebiotics and probiotics. And because senior dogs often have slower metabolisms, its a little less calorie-rich than other adult dog foods.

Each cup contains 359 calories, as well as 32% protein, 6.5% fat, and 12% fiber to help maintain a healthy weight. The protein comes from deboned turkey as well as chicken meal, and its full of the antioxidants and taurine that your golden retriever needs. Remember to adjust meal size to your senior dogs activity levels, but most golden retrievers will need about 3-4 cups a day.

Flavor: turkey and chicken

Sizes: 4 lbs., 12 lbs., 24 lbs.

Grains: none

Also Check: Reputable Golden Retriever Breeders In Pa

Feeding Your Golden Retriever Puppy

Although it can be overwhelming to choose which type of food to feed your Golden Retriever puppy, its a very important decision.

To help make that decision, talk to your veterinarian and your breeder, and consider the study mentioned about DCM.

Also consider how long the brand of food has been around, whether or not there have been any recalls of that brand, and if there is any research behind it.

What do you feed your Golden Retriever puppy?

Have any questions about what to feed them?

Let me know in the comments below!

And if you liked this article, check out the Complete Guide To Raising A Golden Retriever Puppy.

P.S. Getting a Golden Retriever Puppy? Get the gameplan for raising them right with the Golden Retriever Puppy Handbook.

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Royal Canin Golden Retriever Breed Specific Dry Dog Food

Puppy Evening Routine | Raw Food Diet | Golden Retriever Puppy

Our second super snack is designed exclusively for golden retriever tums, easily snagging second place on our crunchy list.

Even the shape of this kibble is tailor made to suit the straight muzzle and scissor chomping style of golden retrievers. Amazing, right?

Brimming with nutrients that ensure a lustrous coat, your retriever will be looking sharp, and thanks to the taurine, EPA, and DHA content, this food is amazing for your golden guy or gals ticker too.

Its never easy on you or your woofer when doggy weight problems strike, but with precision ratios of proteins and fats, this kibble can help your retriever shed or gain weight faster than other diets.

The caloric content is measured out perfectly for a retrievers specific dietary requirements.

Unfortunately, the meat content is made up of byproduct meal and fats, but that may actually be beneficial to retrievers with weaker digestive systems.

Real meat can be too rich for some dogs and cause stomach upsets. Perhaps it would be a good idea to mix this kibble with wet food with a higher meat content, giving your dog the best of both worlds.

Pros

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Symptoms Of Dcm May Include The Following:

  • Weakness
  • Fainting
  • Coughing

If your Golden Retriever shows any signs of DCM, consult immediately with your veterinarian. Improvements in DCM take from 3-6 months. Your veterinarian may recommend taurine supplementation. Its always best to consult with a veterinary cardiologist if your Golden Retriever has DCM.

Nutritional research indicates that taurine is generally not considered an essential amino acid for dogs, because these animals can synthesize taurine from cysteine and methionine. Nearly all the grain-free products had methionine-cystine values above the minimum nutritional requirement of 0.65 percent for adult maintenance food for dogs published in the AAFCO Official Publication , via FDA

Dog Food For Golden Retrievers Buyers Guide

If you have a golden retriever then you should count your lucky stars because your golden retriever will always be there for you when you need a hug, theyll protect you with their own life and will always be there to share joyful moments. Their fluffy fur is perfect for snuggling up in front of the tellie, and who can resist that adorable face?

Goldies are the perfect family dog because they love kids and can teach them a lot about kindness and compassion.

We know very well that its difficult for most pet owners to choose the right kind of dog food for their pups because there are a lot of different dog foods out there. The best way to narrow down the dog foods to choose from is to educate yourself about your golden retrievers nutritional needs before you start looking at the different dog foods.

You should be aware of any health conditions that your pet may be prone to so that you can buy food that will help to prevent those conditions while supporting optimal health.

Here are a few pointers to help you out.

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Diamond Naturals Adult Dry Dog Food For Golden Retriever Diet

View on Chewy |

Diamond Naturals is manufactured by Diamond Pet Foods, which uses the finest ingredients to produce unique recipes. This adult food was first manufactured on August 19th, 2004. The first five ingredients are Chicken, Chicken Meal, Whole Grain, Brown Rice, Cracked Pearled Barley, and Peas with a caloric content of 327 Kcal/cup and a protein content of 23%. The fat content is 13% while the fiber and moisture content is 4% and 10% respectively. This meal contains probiotics and antioxidants that promote digestive health and protect from oxidative damage.

High-quality protein from real, cage-free chicken promotes a lean muscle mass while omega fatty acids boost the skin, coat, eye, and brain health. The highly digestible proteins also promote gut health. The feeding guidelines are given based on the weight of your dog with dogs weighing 40-60 lbs requiring 2 ½ to 3 cups daily while those weighing 60-80 lbs need 3 to 4 ¼ cups. Larger dogs weighing 175 to 200 lbs need 7 ¼ to 8 cups daily.

This diet is suitable for dogs with sensitive stomachs as it contains no fillers. It is the perfect choice for Golden Retrievers as it has Glucosamine and Chondroitin for joint and hip health. This recipe is formulated with grains hence you should not give it to dogs with grain sensitivities

Pro Plan Bright Mind Adult Dog Food Dry Dog Food For Golden Retriever Diet

Best Dog Food for Golden Retrievers: 5 Vet Recommended ...

As the name suggests, this food from Nestle Purina Petcare promotes brain health. Nestle Purina Petcare was started in December 2001 and it has grown widely. This diet, essential for a bright mind, was first produced on January 2nd, 2015 for all breed sizes. The first five ingredients are Chicken, Poultry By-Product Meal, Rice, Whole Grain Corn, and Corn Gluten Meal. The caloric content of 423 Kcal/cup boosts energy levels while the protein value of 29% promotes muscle health. The fat content is 14% while fiber and moisture values are 3% and 12% respectively.

This superfood is crafted with botanical oils that improve the mental reasoning of senior dogs. It is also fortified with omega fatty acids, probiotics, and EPA for skin health, proper digestion, and mobility. The food also contains linoleic acids and vitamin A for lustrous skin and shiny coats. Dietary fiber aids in the maintenance of a healthy weight. Dogs weighing 3 to 12 lbs need to 1 cup of this food daily while those weighing 13 to 20 lbs need 1 to 1 ¼ cups. The food is suitable for dogs with weight problems. Golden Retrievers are better on this food as it is enhanced with Glucosamine which promotes joint health. This diet is grain-inclusive hence care should be taken to lower negative reactions to the food.

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The Ultimate List: Best Dog Food For Golden Retriever

This post may contain affiliate links. We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.

Golden Retrievers are like golden orbs of sheer delight. From the moment theyre born, the Golden Retriever puppy is a sweet and silly ball of concentrated fun. Theyre friendly, incredibly smart and love being with other animals, adults, and children. This large breed is easy-going and a pleasure to have around but they do have special dietary requirements that need to be taken into account.

The Golden Retriever puppy is a rambunctious pooch with a voracious appetite, and goes through puppy food as soon as you put it down in front of him. However, as they get older their energy levels drop but their appetites remain the same, which is why a lot end up overweight or even obese.

The right diet for this large breed, from the Golden Retriever puppy phase to full-grown adult, will help keep your dog lean and active, and prevent, or at least slow down, hereditary joint problems like hip and elbow dysplasia.

Contents & Quick Navigation

The trickiest thing when it comes to the correct diet for Golden Retriever dogs is his changing needs. Also, the breed is prone to developing allergies to any foods in their diet and these can include protein or grains found in pet food. More often than not, these allergies show up as skin irritations.

Because his diet is dependent on his age, our list of recommended dog food for Golden Retrievers includes something for every stage.

What Are The Best Dog Foods For Golden Retrievers With Diabetes

The best dog food for diabetic Golden Retrievers is those that aid in regulating blood sugar levels. The following are the best foods for diabetic Golden Retrievers:

  • Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Recipe is suitable for dogs with diabetes as it is low glycemic. The first five ingredients for this meal are Water Sufficient for Processing, Pork By-Products, Chicken, Pork Liver, and Chicken By-Products.
  • Dr. Hareys Paradigm Green Dog Food is suitable for diabetic dogs as it is low glycemic and low in carbs. The main ingredients are Broccoli, Green Beans, Bone Broth, Red and Green Bell Pepper, and Cabbage

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Health Concerns For Golden Retrievers

Unfortunately, Golden Retrievers can have certain genetic health concerns that owners should keep in mind. Here are some common diseases and illnesses that many Golden Retrievers can encounter over time.

Dog Cancer

Golden Retrievers tend to develop cancer more than many other dog breeds. Therefore, its important to choose food with natural ingredients. It should also be free of additives and artificial flavors.

Tumor cells also thrive on carbohydrates, so its important to feed your Golden Retriever a diet with fewer carbohydrates.

Dog Obesity

These dogs are also prone to becoming overweight and obese. In fact, a 2013 survey showed that over 60% of surveyed Golden Retrievers were overweight.

Diet plays a crucial role in keeping your Golden Retriever at a healthy weight. Again, avoid foods with high amounts of carbs, and make sure to look at the calories in the dog food to make sure its at a reasonable amount.

Make sure that youre in good communication with your veterinarian about your dogs weight. Your veterinarian can help you determine a healthy dog food formula for your dog and provide recommended portions that your dog should eat. Veterinarians are one of your best resources to help your Golden Retriever eat a healthy diet and avoid unnecessary weight gain.

Atopy and Food Allergies

If you suspect that your dog has a food allergy, consult with your veterinarian to see if you can pinpoint what foods are causing an allergic reaction.

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