How Much Food To Feed A Puppy Golden Retriever

Choosing The Right Formula

It is better to feed those formulas to your pups which have been specifically developed for growing puppies. If the formula has been developed specifically for the growing needs of puppies, it will be mentioned on the package.

You should avoid those foods which do not have meat listed as the first ingredient. If, for instance, you see a package with corn or meat by-products listed as the first ingredient, you should not purchase it.

When And How To Change The Feeding Of Puppy To Adult

When your Golden Retriever is anywhere from 18 months to 24 months old, you should switch to adult dog food. The large breed puppies take a bit more time to attain adult development, and by two years of age, many of them are still growing.

Whenever your puppy reaches six months, you should begin feeding him twice per day, but you should keep him on puppy food until he reaches adult age.

It is always better to do this gradually as an abrupt switch may not be ideal. If you feed your dog twice per day, you can start giving him adult food mixed in with the one he is used to.

Common Problems With Feeding Golden Retriever Puppies

It is better to offer three or meals per day in order to avoid potentially life-threatening gastric problems. Unfortunately, many Golden Retriever owners dont realize that their breed is susceptible to gastric problems that can require emergency care.

Gastric dilatation or volvulus is a common problem in larger dog breeds. While it is not understood exactly what causes the problem, it is well known that breeds with deep-chest are more susceptible and golden retrievers are one of them.

Volvulus or gastric dilatation can occur when there is a large buildup of gas due to large meals. The stomach will dilate due to an accumulation of food and gas and a point may be reached when the excessive food and gas cannot get expelled. The stomach may get distended until it eventually twists and ruptures. The ability to breath is negatively affected since the pressure on the diaphragm may not permit the lungs to expand adequately. There will also be decreased blood flow to the stomach.

If your pup is suffering from volvulus or gastric dilatation, it might show the following symptoms:

• Stretching awkwardly
• Fainting

If you see these symptoms you need to rush your golden retriever pup to the veterinarian and provide it emergency care.

In order to reduce the chances of gastric dilatation, you should feed your puppy at least three meals per day. It is better not to feed older puppies two meals each day so that the chances of gastric dilatation are minimized.

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What To Look For In A Good Golden Retriever Food

To ensure that your Golden Retrievers basic nutritional needs are met, its best to choose a large-breed dog food formulated for her life stage.

Here are some other things to look for when choosing a good dog food for your Golden Retriever:

• Wholesome, natural ingredients with no fillers, byproducts, or artificial additives
• Rich in lean protein from high-quality animal sources like poultry, meat, and fish
• Limited fat and calorie content to control growth in puppies and maintain lean mass in adults
• Controlled calcium and phosphorus levels with glucosamine and chondroitin for joint health
• Nutritionally complete and balanced formulas, according to AAFCO nutrient profiles

Besides making sure your Golden Retrievers food meets these requirements, you should also check to see if it comes in a bigger kibble size. Large and deep-chested breeds have a high risk for bloat which is exacerbated by eating too fast or eating too much at oncebigger kibble means that your dog gets the same nutrition in smaller portion sizes.

How Often Should You Feed Your Puppy

A golden retriever puppy is still growing and needs quality nutrition. Ideally, feed your puppy three times a day, including early in the morning, midday and early in the evening. Try not to feed your puppy or offer water after 7 p.m. as this will impact housetraining. When your puppy is about 11 or 12 weeks old, you can switch to twice-daily feedings.

When feeding your golden retriever puppy, try to keep a quiet environment with no distractions and allow about half an hour for your puppy to eat its meal. If it eats very fast, try placing an obstacle in the dishs center to slow the dog down.

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How Much To Feed A Golden Retriever Senior

Golden Retriever seniors will need about 900 calories or about 20% less than adult dogs to stay at their ideal weight. Golden Retrievers are seniors at about 8 years old. When entering old age, they may benefit from eating a food with less fat and fewer calories.

During the senior years, Golden Retrievers will become more sedentary therefore not requiring as much food as before. They should still be eating two meals a day, but not as much. There are many senior dog foods out there that help them with maintaining a healthy weight.

As your Golden Retriever progresses from old dog to older dog, you may notice them losing weight and requiring more calories in this stage of life. The fat content in their diet may need increased. Talking with your veterinarian would be a good choice if you notice your Golden losing weight.

There are some senior dog foods that provide the right healthy eating habits for this stage of life. Below are our top choices for Golden Retriever seniors.

How Often Should I Feed My Golden Retriever Puppy

Growing puppies have different nutritional requirements than adult dogs, and they require more frequent feedings at different stages of development. Depending on age, heres how much you should feed your Golden Retriever puppy:

Golden Retriever puppies get all of their nutrients from their mother when they are born. However, its safe to start the weaning process onto a new diet from three to four weeks old.

Puppies in the early stages of development need enough calories, protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals to support rapid growth and development and set them on the road to a healthy life.

Heres a Helpful Video on How Often Dogs Should Eat, from Puppies to Adults

Since Golden Retrievers are a medium-large breed, they should be fed large-breed dog food, even puppies. Large breed dog food is actually essential for your Goldens health.

Heres the deal

Large breed foods have a higher protein content and lower calcium, phosphorus, and fat content. It is nutritionally designed to keep them from growing too quickly, leading to debilitating conditions like hip and elbow dysplasia.

While adult dogs can thrive on one meal a day, most Golden Retriever owners tend to feed their dogs twice a day. This makes it easier for the dog to digest the food, control hunger, and avoid life-threatening bloat . My dog would much rather eat twice a day.

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How Much To Feed An Adult Golden Retriever

When golden retrievers reach adulthood, theyre typically between 55 and 75 pounds. They usually reach adulthood somewhere between 12 to 18 months old, but it can vary based on the individual dog. Typically, he will not need the same amount of food once he is 12 to 14 months old.

The amount of food that an adult golden retriever should be eating every day can vary considerably. A less active dog will need about 1,000 calories daily, while a very active dog or a nursing mother can need 2,000 or more.

Once your golden retriever is an adult, here are the general feeding amount guidelines:

• For females: 2 to 2 and a half cups per day
• For males: 3 to 3 and a half cups per day
• For nursing females: 5 to 6 cups per day
• For active males: 4 cups per day

These amounts are applicable if you are feeding your dog a high-quality food like Taste of the Wilds Grain-Free Salmon with the right amounts of all the essential nutrients, as well as carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Once again, if youre feeding your dog cheaper food, you will need to give him more because of the higher amount of fillers and fewer calories.

Your dog should be fed twice every day, with the meals being equally spaced. Whatever amount he should be eating per day should be divided into two for each meal. Usually, you will want to feed your dog once in the morning and once in the evening.

How To Switch Food Brands

The other day I was talking to someone who was complaining that her puppy was having lots of stomach issues.

She said shed tried several different food brands and her puppy had problems with all of them!

Well, in this case, its probably not the food thats the problem

Its the fact that she kept switching foods so quickly!

Dogs have sensitive stomachs so if you want to switch foods, you need to do it slowly.

You should take about a week to transition from the old food to the new brand.

For example, on day one, their meal might be 10% new food, 90% old food.

On day two, their meal might be 25% new food, 75% old food.

Youd slowly add in more new food, and give them less of the old food, until youve fully made the switch.

And this rule applies whether youre switching to a different brand of puppy food, or switching them from puppy food to adult food.

If you dont make this transition slowly, youll probably be dealing with a lot of diarrhea.

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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.

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.

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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.

Ask Your Veterinarian For Puppy Feeding Guidance

Right now, you are probably thinking How will I ever figure out which food is best for my new puppy?

Here, we strongly recommend involving your veterinarian in the selection process.

With so many different brands and formulas available for puppy owners today, it can feel nearly impossible to choose the best puppy food for golden retrievers on your own.

Most importantly, as these pictures of young and adult golden retrievers illustrate, your golden retriever puppy is going to eventually be a big dog.

Numerous research studies show that maintaining strict control over bone growth and weight gain in puppyhood can have a measurable impact on adult health and life span for big dog breeds.

You want to choose a puppy food that will keep your puppys growth and weight gain healthy and stableneither too slow nor too fast.

Your vet can be an invaluable source of wisdom and guidance here.

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How Much To Feed A Golden Retriever Puppy And When To Feed It

It is a bit tricky to determine the right amount of food your Golden Retriever puppy should eat every day. Every dog is different, and the amount of food you should feed depends on many factors. Like age, the weight of the puppy, activity level, quality of food, etc. However, there are some general guidelines and rules you can follow to ensure your puppy stays healthy.

Provide Quality And Healthy Food

First and foremost, your Golden Retriever puppy should be fed the best quality food. Kibble diet, Raw Diet or Homemade diet it doesnt matter, whichever you choose, the important thing is the quality of ingredients. Chose food with organic ingredients without any fillers and additives as they are bad for your dogs health.

Feeding Schedule

Golden Retriever puppies have small stomachs, but their appetite is insatiable due to their activity and high energy consumption. Therefore, for the first six months, you need to feed them three times a day. After six months of age, you should feed them two times a day. The best practice is to make the feeding schedule and stick to it. Your Golden Retriever puppy should eat at the same time every day in the same spot. For example, you could set up your feeding schedule like this:

• Breakfast at 7 a.m.
• Dinner at 6 a.m.

How Much To Feed My Golden Retriever Puppy?

It is important to notice that female Golden Retrievers should stay on 3 cups of food per day after six months.

How To Know If My Puppy Is Skinny?

Male Golden Retriever Weight Chart

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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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.

Do Golden Retrievers Need Special Dog Food

According to the Merck Veterinary Manual, adult dogs require a minimum of 18% protein in their diet, and puppies need at least 22%. Protein provides the building blocks for strong muscles in puppies. And in adults, it supports lean muscle maintenance. For most dogs, higher protein content is a good thing.

Fat provides your dog with a concentrated source of energy in the form of calories. It should make up at least 8% of the diet for puppies and 5% for adult dogs. This is where your Golden Retrievers needs start to differ.

Small dog breeds have a faster metabolism and need a higher concentration of calories in their diet. For large breeds like the Golden Retriever, however, excess calories can lead to unhealthy weight gain. Obesity increases the risk for other issues like bone and joint problems. As such, Golden Retrievers need a protein-rich dog food with low-to-moderate fat and calorie content.

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