How Often To Feed Golden Retriever Puppy

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

Can Golden Retrievers Eat Bones

Just like other dog breeds, Golden Retrievers can eat raw meaty bones. Raw bones are a good source of minerals and nutrients that can help satisfy your Golden Retrievers appetite.

However, many vets believe that giving your dog a bone isnt worth the serious health risks. So if you prefer to do so, be careful enough to give your dog the right kind of bone. There are also bone alternatives that you can check out.

Is It Better To Feed Grain

Some people reason that since dogs and their coyote relatives thrive on a highly carnivorous diet in the wild, it is much better to avoid grains for optimum health of canine pets.

This reasoning is definitely true if your pup is sensitive to grains. There are several symptoms which indicate intolerance to grains such as skin problems, bloating, itching, loose stools, and fatigue. If you see these symptoms or suspect that your pup is allergic to grains you should take your pup to the veterinarian and explain your concerns.

On the other hand, if your pup is thriving on a formula that includes grains then it may be better to continue with this recipe.

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Best Diet For Golden Retrievers: Nutrition Types And More

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If you are adopting a Golden Retriever as your first dog, you might wonder, what do you feed your dog, what do they need to keep healthy, and what do they like to eat? And even if youre an experienced dog owner, you might sometimes wonder what the best diet is for Golden Retrievers?

The best diet for Golden Retrievers is a high-quality protein-rich diet consisting of 18-22% protein. Dogs can also get nutrients from vegetables, fruits, and grains. However, they should have the right amount of protein, fats, vitamins, minerals, and fiber for optimum health and lifespan.

This article will explore:

Tips On Feeding Your Golden Retriever Puppy

To ensure that your new Golden Retriever puppy is receiving enough nutrition and is as healthy as possible, here are some tips you can follow.

• Once you transition them to kibble, try adding a bit of water to soften the food so they can chew it and allow them to digest the food more easily as well.
• Add wet dog food. Wet food can make the kibble more appealing for puppies, allowing them to eat it more easily. However, dont forget to count this in your puppys calorie intake as well as not doing so can result in overfeeding.
• Check with your veterinarian about the right amount of food to feed your particular puppy. While it was discussed how much you should feed your puppy, its still ideal to have them checked by your vet to ensure that youre feeding them the right amount.
• Stick to high-quality dog food. Similar to humans, its best if you give them high-quality dog food that doesnt have too many fillers as its ingredients. This will keep your puppy healthy and happy, reducing the chances of over- or underfeeding your puppy.
• Count the dog treats as well. Dog treats have calories in them too so ensure that youre counting them in your puppys daily calorie intake. Make sure you dont feed them too many treats as this can also result in them being overfed.

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Creating A Consistent Feeding Schedule

Golden retrievers are one of many breeds that have no qualms about eating until they burst and thats why you should know how much to feed a Golden Retriever puppy before you adopt one.

If they have access to food, often they will just eat endlessly. This is why having a consistent feeding schedule for your golden retriever is so important.

Having a set amount of food given on a set schedule will help train your puppy to know when to eat. Controlling the amount is key in ensuring that your puppy does not put on any excess weight. This will also help keep his digestion regular, reducing the amount of gastric upset he might experience.

What Is The Best Dog Food For A Golden Retriever

Here are some quick recommendations for good foods for adult golden retrievers that I have tried and tested over the years with no issues. They are not perfect, but they are very good.

• Royal Canin golden retriever soft dog food

Of course, I prefer homemade foods whenever possible, and you can check my full guide on golden retrievers foods for every age here. If you are going for homemade foods, which I believe should always be part of your dogs diet, make sure it never includes any of these 18 human foods that dogs should never eat.

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Now Let’s Break Down The Recipe For My Easy Homemade Dog Food Shall We

The recipe box below contains a printable version of my go-to recipe for homemade dog food, which consist of lean ground sirloin, brown rice, carrots, hard boiled eggs, parsley, and a few tablespoons of oil that is high in Omega’s. But sometimes, especially since social distancing, I’ve found that it is helpful to have a list of easy substitutes for when ingredients run low. Plug in or swap out any of the items below based on what foods your pup likes/needs and what you have on hand to create your pup’s ideal dog food flavor profile.

How To Choose The Best Golden Retriever Puppy Food

Golden Retrievers are large dogs. As adults, they will stand between 21 and 24 inches tall, usually weighing between 55 and 75 lbs. And, a good quality puppy food will support this intense growth over their first 12 months. But, how do you choose from the many options available?

When you first bring your Golden Retriever puppy home, they will need to eat the same food they were eating at the breeders home. If youre transitioning them to a new food, do so gradually over the course of a week. Changing abruptly from one food to another type can cause stomach problems and digestive upsets.

Puppies need a balance of certain nutrients and vitamins to support their growth not just as much food as possible. In fact, simply giving as much food as possible is linked to certain joint-related health problems. So, when searching for a high quality puppy food, there are a few key ingredients you might want to search for. This includes a real meat source, and the correct amount of nutrients like calcium and iron.

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Should I Feed My Golden Retriever Table Food

Feeding your Golden Retriever table food is not the best practice but a small amount of dog healthy table food is fine. Some example table foods that are healthy for them are carrots, 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. You will need to reduce the amount of dog food they get and table food should never be more than 10% of their diet.

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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American Journey Large Breed Chicken And Sweet Potato

Rating:

Large Breed Chicken and Sweet Potato is one of 14 dry recipes evaluated in our review of the American Journey product line.

• First 5 ingredients: Deboned chicken, chicken meal , turkey meal, peas, chickpeas
• Type: Grain-free
• Profile: All life stages
• Best for:Golden retriever adults and puppies

American Journey Large Breed Chicken acquires the majority of its meat protein from poultry. Dry matter label analysis reveals the recipe contains 33% protein, 13% fat and 45% estimated carbs which yields a fat-to-protein ratio of about 40%.

This large breed formula also contains a prebiotic. Prebiotics can help support the growth of healthy bacteria in the large intestine for better digestion. An exceptional, budget-friendly option. Easily recommended.

Sample buyer reviewI have four furry children from small to extra large, all picky in their own way : Treats, bones, & obviously food. All four of em absolutely loved this brand! Theyve been on it for only a week, & I can already tell how healthier their coats look, & a bit of needed weight loss.

Why Is Large Breed Puppy Food Important

Breed-appropriate chow is essential. Large breed formulas are made to offer enough sustenance, nutrients, and vitamins to a larger dog like a Golden. Smaller dogs have different needs than larger breeds. Smaller breeds tend to reach full growth sooner than larger dogs like the Golden. These bigger breeds need a diet formulated to support growth, boost bone health, build their immune systems, build coats, skin health, and build strong muscles.

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Are Golden Retrievers Carnivores

Many people presume dogs to be pure carnivores, but are they just meat-eaters?

Golden Retrievers are not carnivores but omnivores. While protein makes up most of a dogs diet, the domesticated dog can digest and use plant-based foods for essential nutrients. They also have blunt molars capable of grinding up fibrous plants and intestines that can digest non-meat foods.

Through thousands of years of domestication, dogs have adapted to a starch-rich diet. Theyve developed into omnivores, showing that they can survive on a wide range of foods rich in essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

The domesticated dog is known to be a direct progeny of the grey wolf. This research revealed that wolves were true adaptive carnivores, while modern dogs have many digestive and metabolic traits associated with omnivores.

Now Lets Break Down The Recipe For My Easy Homemade Dog Food Shall We

The recipe box below contains a printable version of my go-to recipe for homemade dog food, which consist of lean ground sirloin, brown rice, carrots, hard boiled eggs, parsley, and a few tablespoons of oil that is high in Omegas. But sometimes, especially since social distancing, Ive found that it is helpful to have a list of easy substitutes for when ingredients run low. Plug in or swap out any of the items below based on what foods your pup likes/needs and what you have on hand to create your pups ideal dog food flavor profile.

Meat || Lean ground beef, ground chicken, ground white or dark meat turkey, & ground pork are all great options. Just be sure to make sure that any meat you feed your animals is free of seasonings when purchasing! Dogs living with a kidney disease diagnosis need meals that are lower in phosphorus so for us a lean ground beef like ground sirloin is best the way to go!

Eggs || Eggs are one the top 5 allergens for dogs and the yolks are very high in phosphorus -which you want to limit in dogs with kidney disease. But, eggs are also one of the highest quality forms of protein you can feed your pet! Ultimately, a hard boiled egg is Hoochs favorite thing on the planet so, with our vets approval we opted to leave them in his food.

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How To Know If Youre Feeding Them Too Much

As mentioned, puppies, especially Golden Retriever puppies, should appear lankier than youd expect, not chubby.

This means that they should have a slimmer profile wherein you can feel the ribs when you touch them but not see them. They should also have a bit of a waist.

Therefore, overfeeding your puppies can result in several health conditions that will become more apparent as they grow older.

Some of the conditions they can develop due to overfeeding are:

• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Bloating

They will also end up having shorter lifespans because of ill-health. So, how can you tell when your puppy is being fed too much?

Overweight/Obesity

Dogs, especially puppies, have strong appetites but this doesnt mean that you should always feed them when they are. Puppies, in general, dont often recognize that theyre already full so theyll keep eating as long as the food is readily available.

This can result in them being overweight or sometimes even downright obese which you can tell when theyre too large or heavy for their breed.

Body Condition Score

As mentioned, puppies arent supposed to be round and chubby they have to have a bit of waist to them. Aside from this, you should be able to feel their ribs without seeing them. Their figure should be an hourglass one.

Soft Stool

Effect Of Neutering/spaying On How Much Food Your Golden Retriever Eats

Neutered/spayed dogs tend to get fat twice as easily as intact dogs.

Studies have shown that neutering/spaying may increase your Golden Retriever`s appetite for more food. Also, your Golden Retriever`s physical activity decreases after neutering/spaying. These factors lead to weight gain.

Neutering may lead to more weight gain in male Golden Retrievers because neutered dogs roam less .

Therefore, the amount of food that you give to a neutered Golden Retriever should be reduced after you neuter your Golden Retriever to prevent weight gain.

Use our Golden Retriever food calculator to calculate how much food to feed a neutered/spayed Golden Retriever.

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How Much Sleep Do 8

Eight-week-old Golden Retrievers need around 18 hours of sleep each day.

Good sleep helps your puppys brain and body develop properly.

Oftentimes, a puppy that is wild and bitey is in fact overly tired and in need of a nap.

It may seem like they need more exercise to drain that crazy energy, but they actually need sleep.

Using crates and pens can help ensure that your puppy is getting enough sleep at night and throughout the day.

Many two-month-old Goldens are not good at putting themselves down for a nap, even when they really need it.

So, you may need to step in and help your puppy settle in for some sleep.

Make sure that their crate or pen is nice and comfy before you put them in for a nap, so they are more able to relax and fall asleep.

Every puppy is different, so yours may prefer a nice cushy bed, or they may actually like laying on the bare floor.

You can take note of what kinds of surfaces your puppy lays on around the house and then recreate that in the crate or pen.

Covering the crate or pen with a blanket can also help make sleep easier for a two-month-old puppy, as it cuts down on the visual stimulation.

Products like Adaptil spray or diffuser, and the Snuggle Puppy toy can also help a puppy settle in for sleep.

When you see your puppy plopping down for a nap, or if theyve been up for a while and its time for rest, gently pick them up and put them in their pen or crate.

Playing Classical music can also help a puppy feel more calm and able to sleep.

Royal Canin Golden Retriever Adult Dog Food

Royal Canin Golden Retriever Adult Dog Food is specifically tailored to Golden Retrievers. It contains nutritious ingredients that target healthy skin and coat, cardiac function, and ideal weight. This is another top choice of our staff veterinarians.

Below is a feeding chart for Royal Canin Golden Retriever adult dog food.

Royal Canin Golden Retriever Adult Feeding Chart

If you are looking for a dog food that gets down to the precise amounts, then Royal Canin is for you. They are extremely specific on the weight of your Golden Retriever and the number of cups per day.

The range of amount of food can be explained by your dogs average activity level. If your Goldens activity is very high , you should feed them the higher amount. If their activity for the day is lower, you can feed them the lower amount that day. Normal house pets, going on occasional walks should start with the lower end of the range.

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