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The health of a dog starts with nutrition and the food they eat. This especially applies to Golden retrievers. According to experts if your dog is eating high-quality food they have a lesser chance of getting seriously sick down the road. However, how do we know what the best dog food for Golden retrievers is? Is there a special kind of food we should give our Golden retrievers? And then there is the question everyone is asking, should you feed your dog raw food or is kibble okay?
Hills Science Diet Perfect Weight Dry Dog Food
You need look no further than the giant image of a very smiley golden retriever on the front of this dry food pack to know its an ideal snack for yours.
Full of balanced proteins and fats this food is designed to get your bundle of joy into shape and develop lots of lean muscle to stay that way.
There are no artificial flavorings, colorings, or preservatives used whatsoever in this blend, making it a truly healthy option for your retriever.
You can expect to see positive changes to their weight as quickly as 10 weeks.
This is a great affordable food to start your dog on to transition them from prescription snacks.
Its gentle enough not to disturb their stomach culture too much, making it a pretty handy treat for older dogs that arent as active who are in and out of the vet.
If your golden retriever prefers their dried food soaked, Dr. Hills dog food is slightly more absorbent than other dry foods on the market, making them a more succulent treat.
This extra swelling also makes for some extra tasty frozen snacks too.
Pros
Health Issues And How Diet Can Help
Golden Retrievers struggle with a predisposition to a variety of health concerns. Goldens are one of my favorite breeds to treat in the vet clinic. But unfortunately, many have to make frequent visits. Thankfully, proper nutrition can help reduce their risks.
Allergies
Dogs can suffer from allergic reactions, just like people. Skin allergies, environmental allergies, and food allergies can drastically decrease your pups quality of life.
Golden Retrievers are predisposed to these reactions. And diet is an essential aspect of managing allergies in dogs.
If your Golden suffers from allergies, choose a limited-ingredient dog food. These options feature simple recipes and a single protein source to limit the risk of exposure to potential allergens.
Formulas that are free of soy, corn, or wheat are also excellent choices for sensitive pups.
Hip and Elbow Dysplasia
Nearly all large breeds can be affected by hip and elbow dysplasia. This abnormality impacts the anatomy of the joint and leads to severe arthritis.
Poor nutrition and rapid growth as a puppy can increase the risks of this disease. Make sure growing Goldens eat a diet with adequate levels of calcium and phosphorus. These minerals play an essential role in bone development.
If your Golden Retriever suffers from arthritis, added glucosamine can help ease joint discomfort.
Aortic Stenosis
Feeding your Golden Retriever a diet low in crude fat but high in healthy omega-3 fatty acids can help manage this diseases risks.
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When Should Golden Retriever Puppy Switch Food
Changing Golden Retriever puppy food to adult food is one of the most crucial parts of your beloved dogs life and it can actually cause a permanent injury if its done incorrectly.
Most puppies dont stop growing and arent ready to switch Golden Retriever food until they reach 12 to 24 months of age, in other words, the best time to switch food for Golden Retriever puppy is when the dog is nearing their adult height, keep in mind that other dogs mature at different rates depends on how large the breed, the larger the dog, the more times its going to take him to mature to full size.
The Dangers Of Beg And Grain
We touched on this earlier, but in recent years, DCM has increased in golden retrievers, according to this study.
There seem to be two potential causes of this.
When they surveyed what these dogs were eating, more than 90 percent of products were grain-free, and 93 percent of reported products had peas and/or lentils.
So when choosing which food to feed your puppy, you may want to think twice before you decide to go grain free.
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Do Golden Retrievers Need Grain In Their Diets
Many Golden Retrievers can benefit from grain in their diets because it is an excellent nutrient. Grains are carbohydrates that give energy, plus they are full of other nutrients like antioxidants and fats . However, not all dogs can tolerate wheat or grain in their diets. Many dogs have allergies to grains, so they need grain-free diets. However, they can still benefit from other carbs like veggies to get their carbs.
Wellness Core Natural Grain
Wellness CORE Grain-Free contains a formula specifically focused on protein. Pitbulls need protein! How can you go wrong? The Original Formula for Large Breeds contains 34% protein and 12% fat for optimal energy and body maintenance. The protein is sourced from deboned chicken, chicken meal, and turkey meal. You wont find any meat byproducts or fillers. You will find, however, antioxidants, omega fatty acids, glucosamine, and probiotics. All ingredients are real and natural, such as flaxseed and blueberries.
The added glucosamine hydrochloride and chondroitin sulfate support hip and joint health which is important to prevent the commonly-found hip dysplasia. Therefore, this may be the best dog food for your Pitbull if he shows signs of hip dysplasia or if you are looking to prevent hip dysplasia in a young adult dog.
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Purina Pro Plan Sport All Life Stages Performance 30/20 Chicken & Rice Formula Dry Dog Food
Top 5 Ingredients: 1. Chicken, 2. Rice, 3. Whole Grain Corn, 4. Fish Oil, 5. Fish Meal
Athletic dogs deserve a specific diet crafted to boost their performance. And that diet is precisely what the Purina Pro Plan Sport Performance 30/20 Dog Food aims to provide. It features a unique blend of 30% proteins and 20% fats that prompts muscle growth and nourishment while amplifying your golden retrievers energy level with fats.All of the dog foods ingredients are of the finest quality, including real chicken for proteins and numerous sources of fats. Moreover, the dog food also contains a bunch of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and glucosamine, which ensure that your retriever gets a complete and holistic diet.
Nutrition For The Outside
One of the most visible components of your dog is its fur.
Youve probably noticed that a nice, shiny coat gets a lot of attention from dog lovers! Nutrition plays a vital role in this area.
A large percentage of the protein your puppy takes in goes towards maintaining the coat. Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids are also essential for healthy skin and fur.
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A Taste Of The Wild Dry Dog Food With Roasted Bison And Roasted Venison For Golden Retriever Adult Dogs
| Key Features |
|---|
| Main Ingredients: Water buffalo, lamb meal, chicken meal, sweet potatoes, peas, potatoes, chicken fat , egg product, roasted bison, roasted venisonType: Dry |
| Whats Best About It | Flaws But Not the Deal Breakers |
|---|---|
| Contains no meat by-products, fillers, or artificial preservatives | Its pretty expensive |
| Balanced nutrients deliver a complete diet packed with the minerals that will promote the healthy growth of your Golden Retriever | Feed in a specified amount as per instructions, or else it can cause health concerns |
| Antioxidant-rich ingredients support strong immune systems and defend against allergies | |
| This food contains flax seeds that are enriched with fiber and Omega-3 fatty acids to help support healthy digestion and a shiny coat | |
| Your puppy will easily transfer to this adult food because of the same flavors |
American Journey Large Breed Salmon And Sweet Potato Recipe
Top Ingredients: 1. Deboned Salmon, 2. Turkey Meal , 3. Peas, 4. Chickpeas, 5. Sweet Potatoes
American Journey has a good range of large breed dog food, but your Golden Retriever will really like this one. With deboned salmon and turkey meal as the key ingredients, this particular product will take care of your dogs overall health. Aside from a high dose of quality proteins, your dog will get enough carbs to keep chasing its tail all day. You get all the nutrients including Omega-3 and 6 fatty acids, and there is plenty of DHA, glucosamine, and chondroitin. Not to mention, the grain-free formula is suitable for sensitive ones as well.
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What Do Golden Retriever Puppies Eat
The best food for a golden retriever puppy is made with high-quality natural ingredients and has high levels of protein. Make sure the food is complete and balanced for daily feeding and formulated to meet the nutritional needs of large breed puppies. Depending on your pups preferences and needs, you can feed kibble, canned food, or a raw diet to your pup.
How Often Do You Need To Feed Your Golden Retriever
If you are a dog owner, you may have noticed by now that dogs require special attention and nutrition, and it is important to avoid overfeeding them because it may be causing them more harm than good, especially if you are dealing with Golden Retriever, this special breed is prone to many problems such as hip dysplasia, skin conditions, cancers, and obesity, if you werent careful with their nutrition, so it is essential for their well-being health to know how much food they require.
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Why You Dont Want To Overfeed Your Golden Retriever Puppy
Golden retrievers are prone to hip and elbow dysplasia and they love eating.
Those two statements may sound random, but they are related.
According to the Banfield Pet Hospital, overfeeding your golden retriever can cause them to grow too fast and increase their risk of hip dysplasia.
To make sure you dont overfeed them, use a measuring cup when dishing out their food and never free-feed them.
Does My Golden Retriever Need Supplements
For a healthy lifestyle, vets often recommend supplements for dogs. The main supplements that a golden retriever need is
- Anti-oxidants
- Essential phytonutrients
- Calcium
These are some of the supplements that a golden retriever needs to meet its daily nutritional requirement. A good quality dog food for golden retriever contains all the essential nutrients.
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Pros And Cons Of Different Dog Food Types
To help you decide on the best diet for your Golden Retriever, heres all the above information in handy tables for you to easily visualize the pros and cons of each food type:
| Dry Dog Food |
|---|
| Regular health checks recommended | More expensive |
Before transitioning your Golden Retriever from one type of food to another, I recommended you talk to your veterinarian about the individual benefits and risks.
At The End Of 2019 During Our Yearly Vet Check We Received The Devastating News That Our 11 Year Old Dogs Blood Work Showed That He Was In Stage 4 Kidney Failure
Honestly, I was a basket case, how on earth did we miss this? He seemed like he was just dealing with some symptoms of getting older frequent urination, sometimes excessive water drinking. It definitely didnt feel like life threatening symptoms. As much as the diagnosis was a shock, the price tag of the prescription diet he would need to eat for the remainder of his life was pretty horrifying too!
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What Makes The Best Dog Food For Golden Retrievers
The Golden Retriever is a large-breed dog with a long body, soft medium-length coat, and a characteristic golden or golden-red color. Goldens excel at retrieving, swimming and hanging around the house. They typically live 11 years on average.
Goldens tend to be more moderate in energy level, depending on their personality. Some are go-go-go while others would prefer to be couch potatoes. Most prefer to spend their time playing fetch, Frisbee, swimming and snuggling.
Goldens tend to be very bonded to their family but friendly with strangers. They make the perfect companion for the active, outdoorsy family, ready to go on a hike or to the beach at a moments notice.
Golden retrievers also tend to be chow hounds and may want to eat you out of house and home. They can easily become counter surfers jumping on counter tops in the kitchen for an unsupervised snack or get caught chomping on a discarded apple core on the sidewalk.
Their healthy appetite can be a blessing and a curse. Most Goldens are not picky eaters, so they will typically enjoy any dog food you decide to give them. Golden retrievers are one of the easiest breeds to overfeed. Ive met many that are bottomless pits and will continuously beg or scavenge for whatever food you can provide.
That being saidit is important to prevent your Golden from becoming overweight or obese, and that starts with finding the best dog food for Golden Retrievers.
How Much And When Should You Feed Your Dog
This will vary from dog to dog, but a general rule of thumb is for every 10 lbs your dog weighs they should be fed roughly 1 cup of prepared food.
For our 80 lb Hooch, that means 2 meals a day each containing 4 cups of food. It is important to note that, dogs with kidney problems often feel better when fed several small meals throughout the dayrather than just one or two large meals, so you may find that you need to adjust your feeding schedule as time goes on accordingly to keep your pup comfy!
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How Can You Tell If Your Golden Is Thriving On Their Food
Its not hard to tell if your dog is thriving on their diet. Signs to look out for include,
- A shiny coat
- A consistent, healthy weight
- Healthy, regular stools
- Plenty of energy
If your dog is getting itchy or flaky skin, vomiting or suffering from diarrhea, they might not be getting on well with their food. However, these issues could be caused by a range of other potential health problems, so take your dog to the vet for a check-up.
What Do The Terms On The Label Mean
The labels on pet foods can be confusing. Learning what the terms mean can help you decipher which one is a higher-quality product.
The terms on a label are listed in descending amounts of ingredients. So the first few listed are found in larger amounts than those at the bottom of the items listed on the label.
And check the best by date to be sure that the food is fresh.
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Eagle Pack Adult Large And Giant Breed Dog Food
Rating:
Eagle Pack Large and Giant Breed is one of 7 dry recipes evaluated in our review of the Eagle Pack product line.
- First 5 ingredients: Chicken meal, pork meal, ground brown rice, oatmeal, rice
- Type: Grain-inclusive
- Profile: Maintenance
- Best for:Adult goldens
Eagle Pack Large and Giant Breed Adult obtains most of its animal protein from chicken meal and pork meal. Dry matter label analysis reveals the recipe contains 28% protein, 13% fat and 51% estimated carbs resulting in a fat-to-protein ratio of about 48%.
We like the inclusion of multiple probiotics to promote healthy digestion and flaxseed to help deliver above-average omega fatty acid content for better joint health. Highly recommended.
Sample buyer reviewWe used grain free before, but the risks led us to go wheat/soy free instead. Eagle Pack is fantastic. Our 6 year old Lab loves it and her coat is shiny shes eaten nothing but Eagle Pack since she was 4. She is a very active dog who retrieves every day, yet she thrives on amounts at the low end of Eagle Packs recommendation. Of the super dog foods, EP is consistently less expensive and yet we find it fully equal in taste and performance to the most expensive brands. We are committed users.
How Much Water Should A Golden Retriever Drink
Moreover, the amount of water your pal needs every day depends on its activity level, size, weather, food type , weather, health conditions, etc. Further, since wet food has a high moisture content , your dog needs lesser water when you use wet food in its diet.
Besides this, it is better to include more water in your pals diet if it is overweight to prevent illness and ensure its regular activity. Generally, a Golden Retriever needs to drink about 30 ml of freshwater every day for each pound of its weight. Thus, when the dogs mostly rely on dry food, you need to increase their water intake.
However, when your dog avoids drinking water, you need to add more moisture to its diet or use a water fountain to encourage it to drink water. Along with this, dont forget to regularly switch the water of its water bowl with fresh water.
Further, you can also ensure that your dog gets all the essential nutrients through some easily available kitchen foods. Do you know about them?
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