How Long Should A Golden Retriever Puppy Eat Puppy Food

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.

General Golden Retriever Adult Food

Overfeeding your Golden Retriever can lead to obesity and health problems, so make sure you are keeping them on a healthy, scheduled diet to help them live their best life. Below is a general feeding chart for adult Golden Retrievers.

Golden Retriever Adult Feeding Chart

This is a general feeding chart guideline. Be sure to consult with your veterinarian to find the best feeding schedule for you and your Golden. They will be able to tell you exactly how much to feed your Golden based on their individual dietary needs.

Feeding your Golden Retriever high-quality food will give them the best nutritional value to live a healthy life. Cheaper dog foods have a lot of fillers in them that provide them no nutritional value, so you may have to feed them more of it for a meal.

Always look on the back of the dog food for their recommended feeding chart and give your Golden those amounts. A visit with your veterinarian about which food is best can be extremely helpful also.

Below are some of our top choices of food with feeding charts.

What Is A Good Golden Retriever Feeding Schedule

For a Golden Retriever puppy, the best feeding schedule is one in the morning, noontime, and in the evening. For example, you could feed their first meal at 7:00 am, lunch at noon, then dinner at 5:00 pm.

Planning their mealtimes around your mealtimes will often make it easier for you and the puppy. Make sure to give them plenty of time after eating to got to the bathroom a couple of times before heading to bed. Hopefully, this will help them sleep for a longer period.

After about six months, your Golden Retriever can go down to two daily feedings. This usually occurs once in the morning and once in the evening. They can usually last about 12 hours between meals. If it goes past 12 hours, they could become nauseated.

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Wellness Large Breed Complete Health Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe

Formulated to support your dogs hip, joint, and digestive health, this nutritionally-balanced recipe will also help your dog maintain a healthy body weight. Fresh chicken and chicken meal provide a concentrated source of protein with wholesome grains for essential nutrients.

Wellness Large Breed Complete Health Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe

Formulated without meat byproducts, fillers, or artificial preservatives, this recipe features deboned chicken, whole grains, and a mix of fruits and veggiesincluding sweet potatoes, blueberries, and apples.

If food allergies and sensitivities arent a factor, this dry dog food recipe is a protein-rich source of quality nutrition. It also contains limited fat and calories to help your Golden Retriever maintain their weight as they get older.

Victor Senior Healthy Weight Dry Dog Food

This weight management dry dog food is intended for senior-aged dogs and contains ingredients to help support their joint health.

Best Food For A Golden Retriever Puppy

Quality nutrition sets your Golden Retriever puppy up for a long and healthy life. Here are our top picks for the best food for a Golden Retriever puppy.

This dog food will support your Golden Retriever puppys growth and development without going overboard on fat or calories. The recipe features fresh chicken and digestible brown rice.

Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Large-Breed Puppy Recipe

Featuring deboned chicken as its first ingredient, this puppy recipe offers a wholesome balance of protein, whole grains, and vitamins and minerals.

Made with fresh chicken as a lean source of protein and chicken meal to provide glucosamine and chondroitin, this dog food for puppies will get your Golden Retriever off to a healthy start in life.

Nutro Ultra Large-Breed Puppy Recipe

This chicken-based puppy recipe is formulated to support the energy needs of young Goldens and other large breed puppies.

All dogs have the same basic nutritional needs when it comes to protein, fat, and essential nutrients, but there are some disparities among breeds of different sizes.

To learn more about the nutritional needs of large dogs, check out our guide to the best dog food for large breeds.

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Know How To Tell If A Golden Retriever Is At A Healthy Size

The greatest lesson we can teach you is to learn what a healthy SIZE looks and feels like for your Golden Retriever. Notice that I dont say Weight.Weight is deceiving. It can change. As a puppy grows it changes all the time. You must be able to feel a dogs side to determine if your dog is at a healthy size or not. You have to look THROUGH their coat and feel the actual fat that they have. Your dog could look great to you, but after further investigation could be too thin or too fat.

Heres the key.Feel the skin located on the rib cage/side of your Golden Retriever. How thick is that skin/fat? Your goal is for that skin to be as thick as a sweater. If it feels like a t-shirt then your Golden Retriever is too skinny. If it feels like 2 sweaters then your Golden Retriever is too fat. You may say, But my Golden Retriever only weighs 67 lbs! The actual weight means littlehow fat is your Golden Retriever? You do not want your Golden overweight because, as mentioned before, it leads to many problems like dysplasia, heart issues and even cancer. It also voids our warranty if a Golden Retriever is found to be overweight.

Review the picture to the right. Most people would say the Golden in the top photo is too skinny, but the truth is that the top Golden Retriever is at a healthy weight.

Should I Feed My Golden Retriever Table Food

Feeding your Golden Retriever table food is not the best practice but can be done in moderation. Some table foods are healthy for them such as blueberries and plain yogurt.

Just be aware that feeding them too much table food can throw their entire diet out of whack. They may not be getting enough vitamins and minerals like they do from their dog food.

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How Much To Feed A Golden Retriever Puppy

Golden Retriever puppies should eat three to four times a day until they are six months old at scheduled intervals. They require more calories and frequency at this young age. It is not best to feed them extra food as they could become overweight. They should be lanky with long legs at this stage in life.

Feeding Your Puppy On Kibble

Commercial puppy dry kibble is still the most common choice puppy owners make. If you choose this option, you want to look for a puppy food that advertises two things:

• It is a puppy formula.
• It offers complete and balanced nutrition.

Many golden retriever breeders also advise seeking out a meat/protein meal kibble versus a chow kibble. How can you tell one from the other?

• Protein or meal kibble will have protein as the first few ingredients .
• Chow kibble will list grains or cereals as the first few ingredients.

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Feeding Length Of Your Golden Retriever Puppy

For Golden Retrievers you should monitor the amount of time they take to eat. In general, you should give them about 20 to 30 minutes to complete a meal.

If for some reason he is unable to finish in that amount of time, then remove the remaining food and give him the amount he was able to eat. It is not advised to use the leftover kibble from the last meal to the next meal you give him.

If hes completing all the kibble in less than a half-hour, you can increase the amount just a bit. It is a good practice to feed your puppy in the same place every day without distractions so that he can focus on his meal.

Homemade Food For Golden Retriever Puppy

Two Rules for preparing a puppy food

Rule 1

Ensure that all the vitamins and nutrients are available to your Golden Retriever puppy. The homemade food should be Nutrient-rich

Rule 2

Dont forget this Ratio of 70% Protein+20% Complex Carbohydrates+10% Fruits and Vegetables.

Whatever you prepare, dont forget these Thumb Rules.

Protein :

Choose good quality meat and poultry. Feeding organic meat can be highly beneficial. You can also include a small portion of organ meat such as liver, kidneys, and heart. Include fish like Salmon to provide Omega 3 fatty acids to your Golden Retriever puppy.

You can also choose lentils such as Split yellow and Split red which are good sources of protein. Dont overfeed lentils as it might cause flatulence. Small amounts of them are good for your Golden Retriever puppy. On the whole, dont forget the fact that your Golden is primarily a meat-eater.

Carbs:

Include Complex Carbohydrates such as brown rice, oats, whole wheat and sweet potatoes which fulfil the energy requirements of your Golden Retriever puppy.

Vegetables and Fruits:

Small quantities of vegetables and fruits such as carrots, beet pulp, green beans, apples, and pumpkins are beneficial. Dont overdo them. Avoid feeding corn as it may lead to weight gain which further causes joint problems especially in Golden Retrievers.

Calcium and other Nutrients:

One common question everyone has in their minds after bringing in home a new puppy is

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What About Growing Puppies

A puppys needs for protein and calories are higher than an adults. However, large-breed puppies need to be kept on a calorie-controlled diet to prevent them from growing too quickly.

According to AAFCO nutrient profiles, they also need lower calcium and phosphorus levels to reduce the risk of joint issues. So, yes, its good to look for a Golden Retriever puppy food thats right for your growing pup.

Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy Food

Purina Pro Plan Large Breed is our top choice of puppy food for Golden Retrievers. It provides a complete, healthy, nutritious diet to your puppy. The number one ingredient is chicken which helps development of strong muscles and healthy body functions. Our staff veterinarians highly recommend this puppy food.

Below is Purina Pro Plans feeding chart for a Golden Retriever puppy.

Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy Feeding Chart

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But My Golden Retriever Puppy Is Still Hungry

Golden retrievers are really smart dogs. Your pup will learn quickly that mealtime is fun and tasty.

If your puppy snarfs down every morsel in 30 seconds and acts like hes still starved, dont rush to serve up another portion.

You may want to invest in a slow-feeder bowl, puzzle or a treat ball that will extend the mealtime fun.

When in doubt, always defer to your veterinarians guidanceif your puppy is truly underweight, you may need to increase the portion size.

Otherwise, try adding enrichment to mealtimes instead.

What Are The Differences Between Puppy Food & Adult Food

Since puppies are growing and adults are just maintaining their weight, they have different dietary needs.

According to AAFCO, puppy food should have at least 22.5% protein, compared to 18% protein for adult food.

And for fats, puppy food should have at least 8.5% fats, compared to 5.5% for adults.

As far as when to switch from puppy food to adult food, talk to your veterinarian.

Theyll likely recommend making the switch when theyre done growing at about one year old.

To see a list of other milestones your puppy will hit check out this timeline of Golden Retriever puppy milestones.

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How Much To Feed Your Golden Retriever

June 3, 2019 by Karen Summers

This page has guidelines and a chart with information on how much to feed a Golden Retriever. There is also info on how to keep your puppy and your adult at his or her optimum weight. Scroll down to find growth charts to make sure your puppy is growing at the proper rate and is within the right weight range for his age. If you are looking for information on what to feed, go to How to Choose a Dog Food.

Puppies Grow Too Fast BEFORE They Grow Fat

Most American dogs are overweight and many American large breed puppies are growing too fast, subjecting them to skeletal and joint problems, some of which may not actually show up until later in life.

Unlike with human children, a puppy that is overfed will grow too fast before they grow too fat. Ive seen examples of this many times with two puppies from the same litter raised in different homes. A good example is where a smaller puppy at 10 weeks was overfed and his growth was compared to a puppy that was correctly fed.

Control the Growth of Your Puppy

If you have a puppy that doesnt have especially large parents and he/she is growing into what you think is going to be a large dog, consider that you may be feeding your puppy too much . The growth of your puppy needs to be controlled.

You Should Be Able to Feel Ribs But Not See Them

Dont underfeed your dog either. You should be able to lightly feel your dogs ribs. A dog shouldnt be so thin that you can see his/her ribs, even when your dog is wet.

What To Do If Your Golden Eats Too Fast

What if your goldenâs still hungry after eating? As long as his weight and health are fine, donât give in to those pleading puppy eyes.

Goldens are generally eating machines and wonât regulate the amount of food they ingest.

If he eats too quickly, you can buy a bowl thatâs like a maze or puzzle to slow him down. Thereâs also a stainless steel ball you can buy that you put into his current food bowl to slow him down.

Eating too quickly can lead to digestive upsets and even bloat, which can be deadly.

I rescued my golden retriever Riley when he was about six months old.

To say that he ate as if it were his last meal would be an understatement. He had a voracious appetite.

I bought one of the maze bowls to slow him down. The kibble is placed between each section of the bowl, and he had to forage for his food.

It worked! He ate at a more normal pace. And he didnât have any stomach upsets.

Of course, dogs should be given free access to fresh water. But itâs inadvisable for them to drink large amounts right after or before eating as they may bloat.

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How To Feed Golden Retriever Puppy

The first thing that comes to our mind after bringing in home a Golden Retriever Puppy is How to feed a Puppy? How many of you know that the fact that the first step of Puppy illness is laid in its digestive system? A poorly functioning digestive system is the root cause of all illness in your pet.

Since ages Dogs and humans started living together so closely, and sometimes we forget the fact that they are animals. Just look at its Teeth. Proper Puppy nutrition starts with a proper understanding of its digestive system.

Calorie Needs Decrease Around 1 Year

When your Golden Retriever puppy turns 1 year old, they should be most of the way done growing. That means its time to switch them to an adult dog food thats less calorie-dense than puppy food.

While overfeeding your puppy can cause joint and bone problems, overfeeding your adult Golden Retriever causes even more problems. Obesity is just as damaging to dogs as it is to humans.

Some health issues that can be caused by obesity in dogs can include:

• Heat intolerance
• Liver disease or dysfunction

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How Much Should I Feed My Golden Retriever Puppy

A Golden Retriever puppy will have to be fed three meals a day until he is six months old, at which time you can feed him twice a day. Meal size can vary from one puppy to the next, but the average three-month-old Golden puppy will eat two cups of food a day. At this time, you should divide the food into three meals and serve it in the morning, noon, and evening.

What If My Puppy Is Still Hungry

In general, Golden Retrievers are eating machines. They will happily eat their way to an unhealthy 100 pounds if you let them.

One way to slow down your puppys eating is to put a clean rock in their food bowl. If they must work food out from around it, they wont be able to scarf their food as quickly.

Puzzle bowls are another great way to slow down your Golden Retriever puppys eating.

Also, consider using low-calorie vegetables as treats for your Golden Retriever puppy. They will help your puppy feel full with less risk of them growing too quickly or getting fat.

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