Choosing The Right Method Of Feeding
When learning how to feed a Labrador, youll realise there is more to feeding a dog than just the contents of his food bowl. Your family needs to be considered as a whole. The feeding method you choose needs to fit in to your lifestyle and current circumstances.
I fed raw to my dogs for many years. But I did not do this and could not have done this, when my kids were little. Nowadays, I sometimes feed kibble, if circumstances demand it. But prefer to feed raw whenever I can. Remember, many dogs thrive on kibble, and many dogs thrive on raw. Choosing the best dog food for Labs may also depend on your own circumstances.
Best Overall Puppy Food: Purina Proplan Large Breed Puppy Food
Purina ProPlan Large Breed is the best choice for your Golden Retriever puppy, as it provides a complete, healthy, and nutritious diet.;The number one ingredient is chicken which provides the protein your puppy needs for strong muscles and healthy body function. This food comes highly recommended from our staff veterinarians.
This puppy food has added minerals such as calcium and phosphorus to build strong bones and teeth.;It includes other natural sources of glucosamine to supplement joint and cartilage health.
The ProPlan brand is the highest quality line of Purina dog food apart from the prescription diets. We found there are added omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil and antioxidants to support the immune system, brain development, and vision of your puppy. This food meets many nutritional needs of individual puppies.
Top Ingredients:
- Highest quality line of Purina dog food apart from the prescription diets
- Comes in the flavor chicken and rice with chicken as the #1 ingredient
- Supports immune system, brain development, and vision
- Available in two sizes 18lb. and 34lb.
This puppy food provides many health benefits to your Golden Retriever through natural ingredients that will help them grow healthy and strong during their first couple years of life.
Should The Puppies Be Treated For Worms
“The common intestinal parasites are transmitted to puppies either across the uterus before they are born or through the mother’s milk after birth.”
The common intestinal parasites are transmitted to puppies either across the uterus before they are born or through the mother’s milk after birth. Puppies can be treated for worms as early as two weeks of age, but it is more common to treat them when they are three and six weeks of age. It is important that accurate weights are obtained for the puppies so that the proper dose of medication can be used.
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Expert Tips For Canine Nutritional Management
- Understand your Goldens activity level
- Age plays a role when choosing a formula
- Your dogs breed needs to be taken in to consideration
- Assess your dogs medical condition
- Consult with your veterinarian for the best nutritional advice
- Look for brands that assist with nutritional management for dogs with medical conditions.
- Dog food formulas need to be tested using the AAFCO feeding trial testing methods instead of by formulation
- The nutritional adequacy statement needs to be on the label
- The dog food formula that you choose needs to be complete and balanced
- The formula needs to be for the correct life stage of the dog
When it comes to choosing the best dog food for your Golden Retriever, keep in mind that a high-quality dog food will have better results in helping to keep your Golden healthy than a lower quality dog food.
Goldens may have diseases which are heavily impacted by their diets like inflammatory bowel disease or atopic skin diseases. These can be helped by feeding the correct diet, since Goldens with health conditions will need to follow a diet that is appropriate to their medical conditions. Always consult with your veterinarian for advice before changing diets.
What A Typical Day Looks Like
Beyond special recipes, I try to keep it simple and feed my Golden Retriever puppy the necessary protein and whole ingredients they need. You can modify the amount of food depending on their caloric needs and how they react to the food. Heres what I feed my puppy throughout the day:
Breakfast
I give my puppy two eggs, a banana, and two of the best supplements for homemade dog food. These provide an excellent source of protein and healthy carbs, with the supplements providing vitamins and minerals dogs need.
Lunch
Lunch is simple and protein-filled since this is what dogs need the most. I give my puppies a pound of ground meat, either turkey or beef, as this is leaner and healthier for dogs.
Dinner
Dinner is a bit similar to breakfast, but this time, adding chicken, pork, or salmon with mixed vegetables. Sometimes, I add some sweet potato without its skin, though you dont need to do this!
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What Makes Food High
Dogs are omnivores, so a good dog food will have a mix of meat, grains, fruits, and vegetables.
Theyll have few preservatives, added sugar, salt, or artificial colors.
The protein will come from readily available sources such as chicken or beef, and not exotic or boutique sources like kangaroo or venison .
Make sure to choose a puppy food that is approved by the Association of American Feed Control Officials .
On the label, it will say is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles.
AAFCO has strict standards for dog food and decides whether or not it is suitable to be sold as advertised.
Now heres a common misconception about dog food: animal byproducts are bad.
According to the AKC, quality, regulated animal byproducts can be good for your dog.
These byproducts can include organ meats or entrails, which often contain more nutrients than, say, plain chicken breast.
Of course, some foods may contain non-regulated byproducts, like hooves, intestinal contents, or even manure, so its important that you choose a reputable dog food.
Another misconception is that dogs should eat grain-free diets, which well cover later.
Is There Anything Else I Should Note During These Early Weeks
You should monitor the puppies’ growth. Most puppies will double their birth weight in the first seven to eight days. Electronic kitchen or postal scales are ideal to monitor weights. A trend indicating increasing weight is more important than accurate weights. Be sure to record the puppies’ weights so you can identify any changes as soon as possible. If a puppy or puppies fail to gain weight or lose weight, this is cause for alarm. Contact your veterinarian for instructions as puppies that begin losing weight may perish within 48 hours if the condition is not reversed.
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Can You Free Feed Your Goldendoodle Puppy
Free feeding is the process where you set the daily allowed amount of food out for your dog and he just eats it as he goes throughout the day.
This can work well for some dogs, especially ones who have more self-control and knows how to listen to their stomachs. This is not the cast with a Goldendoodle puppy.
The puppy is going to eat the entire allotment in the first meal and then later when he is hungry again, he is going to look for food. Puppies need three meals a day and should not be free-fed.
Recommended Serving Amounts For Homemade Dog Food
As a general rule, dogs will eat around 2 to 3 percent of their ideal body weight in fresh food daily. Larger breeds may need as little as 1 1/2 percent, and smaller breeds may need as much as 4 percent.
This works out to be approximately:
- 2 pounds of food per day for a 100-pound dog
- 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of food per day for a 50-pound dog
- 1/2 to 3/4 pound of food per day for a 25-pound dog
- 5 to 6 1/2 ounces of food per day for a 10-pound dog
There is much variation in what the ideal amount should be as it depends on how much your dog weighs and how active she is.
I feel that the best approach is to feed and watch; if your dog is losing weight, give more, and if your dog is gaining weight, give less.
For our pugs, we feed a scoop each in the morning and a scoop each in the evening, plus all their supplements.
We have an easy system for this: homemade food is refrigerated in a sealed container with a measuring cup , and all the supplements are lined up together in a cupboard in the kitchen. Keeping your ingredients organized and accessible will make feeding time fast and smooth.
Compared to feeding commercial food, where you might scoop out kibbles or open up a can, feeding homemade food with all the supplements takes maybe 10 seconds more. And even if it took 10 minutes more, fresh wholesome food for our furbabies is worth it.
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How Much Water Should A Golden Retriever Puppy Drink
Golden Retrievers are known to be naturally, highly active dogs and because of this, they drink a lot of water. In general, Golden Retriever puppies require approximately one-half cup of water every two hours. You should observe your puppy to ensure that he is drinking the right amount of water.
It is a good thing if your Golden Retriever gets lots of exercise and if he likes to drink a lot of water after getting exercise. They are a breed that is expected to be engaged in physical activity daily, so this is not an issue.
Some Suggested Foods For Your Adult Golden Retriever
The following list contains some foods for you to consider for your golden. Remember that if you feed a high-quality food to your dog without fillers, you often can feed less.
A general guideline Ive found when choosing a food is to make sure that it has specifically-named ingredients, not vague, generic ones. So lamb meal would be preferable to the generic term meat meal.;
The same is true of preservatives and other ingredients.
I feed my golden a food thats been recommended by many reliable sources such as the Whole Dog Journal and thats been well-rated by the Dog Food Advisor.;
I wont name it just because its one of many choices and what Ive found to be great for my dogs may not be for yours.;
And I also considered various foods before making my selection. My dogs are doing well on this food.
You dont need to break the bank to find a great food. Goldens love their food and eat a lot because of their size. So Im providing a wide selection of price points to select from..
Im listing the top-five adult and puppy formulas for large breeds and links to the Dog Food Advisor and Chewy so that you can see additional information regarding these foods and their ratings.
The Dog Food Advisor is a public service website designed to help you make a more informed decision when buying dog food.
The write-ups are taken from those found on the Dog Food Advisor website.
The links will also lead to information regarding additional high-rated foods.
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How To Read A Dog Food Label
To help make an informed decision about what youre feeding your golden, youll need to read the food label.
But food labels can be a little vague and confusing, so below is an explanation of what some of these terms mean, according to the Merck Veterinary Manual and the;AKC.
Ingredients are listed in order of weight
The first ingredient listed is the ingredient that theres the most of in the food, while the last ingredient is the ingredient that theres the least of.
There is one caveat though.
Ingredients are listed in the exact type that theyre added in.
For instance, flaked corn, ground corn, and kibbled corn could be sprinkled in an ingredient list and not be listed as the first few ingredients, but in reality, if you were to add them all up , you might find that this food is made mostly of corn.
The same goes for chicken, chicken meal, and chicken byproduct.
Meat vs. Meat Meal vs. Meat Byproduct
Lets say youre looking at a food label and you see chicken, chicken meal, and chicken byproduct.
Chicken means that its chicken muscle, skin and/or bones.
Chicken meal means that its essentially ground and dried chicken muscle, skin and/or bones.
Chicken byproducts means that its byproducts .
Chicken byproducts meal means that its essentially ground and dried byproducts.
The quality of these ingredients can vary widely, so be sure to talk to your vet about this and choose a reputable brand of food.
Common Problems With Feeding A Golden Retriever Puppy
Dog parents may encounter a number of problems while attempting to feed the puppy. This may include allergic reactions to the foods they are given and puppies not liking their food. It may be that your puppy doesnt like their kibble.
This may be because youve changed their food up too many times or too abruptly. You may also be giving them table scraps.
Remember that cooked bones are not good to give your dog because they may splinter. Whenever your puppy is not eating, it is likely that there is some problem with the food or their health. At this point, you should pay a visit to your vet to ensure that everything is ok.
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Week Old Goldendoodle Puppy
Looking at a 2 week old Goldendoodle puppy, you should not be feeding this puppy any regular dog food. At this age, the puppy should still be with his mother,nursing rather than eating puppy food.
If there is another issue with your puppy and he cannot get milk from his mother, then you will need to talk to your vet about what kind of foot that you can give a Goldendoodle puppy at this age in order to meet his nutritional needs.
It is not going to be regular dog food, however. They need a special formula alternative without their mothers milk.;
Healthy Puppy Food For Large Breeds
- As a member of our grain inclusive series of dog foods, NutriSource® Large Breed Puppy Recipe is formulated to meet AAFCO guidelines for all life stages.
- NutriSource® grain inclusive formulas deliver compact nutrition and include prebiotics and probiotics to help support a healthy gut.
- Balanced Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids along with L-Carnitine, taurine, choline chloride and DL Methionine supplementation to promote heart health make NutriSource® grain inclusive formulas stand out.
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| Divide the amount shown into 2 3 feedings daily. Add approximately ½ cup for every 10 lbs. over 100 lbs. . |
Amount of food consumed will vary based on activity level, age, breed, and environment. Standard 8 oz. measuring cup holds approximately 3.6 oz of NutriSource® Large Breed Puppy Recipe. At 5-7 months and again at about 12 months, your puppy will automatically reduce the amount consumed. This is due to a natural reduction in growth rate and the reduced need for calories. Consult your veterinarian if you believe your dog is too thin or overweight. Remember it is important to have clean, fresh water available for your dog at all times.
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But Why Is Homemade Food Specifically Beneficial For Golden Retrievers
The NZ Veterinary Nursing Association reports that Goldens Retrievers are among the dog breeds highly prone to developing food allergies.
Why is this important to know? Well, food allergies in Goldens tend to manifest themselves on their skin, most likely into a condition known as Atopic Dermatitis. This allergy skin disease is common in Golden Retrievers, and it can cause mild to severe itching, which, as a result of scratching or rubbing, often leads to further skin damage, irritation, infection, and discomfort.
Reducing allergic reactions start with a diet that has the vitamins, fatty acids, and minerals to decrease inflammatory responses, and homemade dog food has those critical components. Whats more important is that home cooking for your dog allows you to pick only those ingredients that you know wont cause an allergic reaction on your Golden Retriever.
If you dont know what foods your Golden Retrieve is allergic to, read our Dog Allergy Test guide, so you can identify which foods to avoid in his next meal.
Purina Pro Plan Adult Dog Food
The top five ingredients in this formula are chicken, rice, whole grain wheat, poultry by-product meal, and soybean meal. It has a minimum protein of 26 protein percent.
The formula also has live probiotics to support healthy digestion.
Pro Plan Adult Shredded Blend combines a hard kibble with tender, pieces of real, shredded chicken for enhanced flavor and texture. Its a more cost-effective formula than some that are higher-ranked.
It has live probiotics to support healthy digestion as well as omega-6 fatty acids for healthy skin and coat.;
It contains no artificial colors or flavors.
Although this formula is highly-ranked and has been a favorite with consumers, please note that it contains poultry by-product and soybean meal, both of which are often considered to be inferior ingredients.;
But apparently many consumers have found that their dogs are doing well on this food.
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How Often Should You Feed It
If you take a newborn puppy then for the first three months you should give meal three times a day and later on just feed twice a day as long as you have your dog. The perfect schedule is to feed the morning meal around 6 to 7 am then at noon around 12 and dinner by 5-6pm.
To get a little easy side in training, dont feed after 5 or 6 and restrain from giving water after 7 pm. If required, you can give an ice cube to chew on and around 10 pm take your puppy for a walk.