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.
What Foods Are Bad For Golden Retrievers
Most dog food brands are perfectly safe for Golden Retrievers, but there are some things to avoid. Grain-free diets have been directly linked to heart disease in Golden Retrievers, though ironically theyre often the first diet to be recommended. We also recommend avoiding any dog food that is low in quality but budget-friendly, as theyre most likely made with cheap filler ingredients.
People food should absolutely be avoided, especially if its been cooked with onions, spices, and other potentially toxic ingredients. If you must feed your Golden any people food, it should only be small chunks of white chicken meat or cooked beef, with no spices or flavors added. People food is not healthy for dogs and should not be fed to your dog, no matter how much he begs.
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.
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Feeding Your Puppy A Homemade Diet
While they might sound very similar, the BARF diet is not the same as the homemade diet, which is typically a cooked human food diet.
Here, you simply must work closely with your veterinarian to ensure your puppy is receiving sufficient nutrients.
Including the right calcium-to-phosphorus ratio, which is critical for bone growth and skeletal development.
Homemade Food For Golden Retriever Puppies
A Golden Retriever puppys diet varies from that of an adult Golden Retriever.
As Golden Retrievers age, they will require fewer daily calories. The AKC notes that senior dogs require 20% fewer calories than adult dogs. Puppies, on the other hand, need about twice as many calories per pound of body weight as an adult dog of the same breed according to the American College of Veterinary Nutrition .
A Golden Retriever puppy homemade diet should contain a proper balance of proteins, carbohydrates, fat, minerals, water, and vitamins as explained in our nutritional guidelines above.
Be sure to contact your veterinarian about your puppys diet. They will be able to give you expert advice and suggestions.
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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.
Top Joint Supplements For Golden Retrievers
Although there are no specific feeding requirements for a Golden Retriever, it is very important that you feed your Golden a suitable diet that is age appropriate and meets all their daily nutritional and energy needs. A premium, balanced Large Breed Adult Dog Food from reputable pet food brands should provide tailored nutrition that your Golden needs. Premium large breed formulas contain balanced levels of protein, fat and carbohydrate plus vitamins, minerals and antioxidants for health and wellbeing. We also stock Large Breed Puppy Dog Food for growing Goldens.
As some conditions are specific to Golden Retrievers, there are breed specific diets that can help reduce the likelihood of disease. Royal Canin Golden Retriever Adult contains taurine and omega 3 to support healthy cardiac function. It is also rich in omega fatty acids to protect the skin, and has adapted calorie content to reduce obesity. Plus, this diet has a tailored kibble shape to encourage chewing. For puppies, Royal Canin Golden Retriever Puppy is available to support healthy growth and development specific to this breed.
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What About A Mixture Of Dry And Wet Foods
Both wet and dry foods bring something special to your pets. So, there’s nothing wrong with feeding them with both.
However, you shouldn’t mix both wet and dry foods in a single meal. Rather, you should serve your dogs with wet and dry food at different intervals .
When you adopt this feeding method, you should ensure that the amount of food they take does not exceed the required energy, calorie, and nutrient they need daily.
Moreso, if your pet has digestive problems, it is best to stick to one type of food, especially if your pet nutritionist recommends it. Switching between both foods, in this case, may cause diarrhea, constipation, and other health issues.
Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy Food
Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy Food is also a great choice of puppy food for Golden Retrievers. This food contains high-quality ingredients and is made in the USA. It supports healthy brain development that increases the intelligence and trainability of your Golden Retriever. This food is highly recommended by our staff veterinarians as well.
Below is Eukanubas Large Breed Puppy feeding chart.
Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy Feeding Chart
| Puppy Age |
|---|
| 3 5/8 Cups Per Day |
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Do Puppies Need Smaller Bowls
Ideally, every dog should have two bowls adapted to its size, breed and its eating habits too. Please bear in mind too that its better for your pet to drink from a large bowl rather than a smaller one. In order to get a feel for the right sizes, calculate the approximate volume of food served at each meal.
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.
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What Size Bowl Should I Get For My Dog
As I have mentioned in other blogs, the food bowl should only be as large as necessary for a pets snout to comfortably lick or grab the food. No dog, not even a Mastiff, needs a 9 inch diameter food bowl. Chihuahuas, toy poodles, and cats need little more than a food bowl the size of a tiny dessert parfait cup.
General Golden Retriever Puppy Food
Because puppies need a diet specifically designed to meet nutritional needs for normal development, all puppies should be fed a puppy food. Feeding them adult food will not give them the adequate nutrients needed at this age.
Below is a general chart for Golden Retriever puppy feeding.
Golden Retriever Puppy Feeding Chart
| Puppy Age | |
|---|---|
| Six to Seven Months Old | 3 ½ to 4 Cups Per Day |
This chart is just a general guideline for feeding your puppy. Be sure to ask the breeder what they were feeding the puppy and use that exact food. There is also a feeding chart on the back of the dog food bag that you can follow as well. Also, speaking with your veterinarian about this is a good idea.
Below are some other feeding charts that are from our top puppy foods article Best Puppy Food for Golden Retrievers .
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Heres What Petfoodology Tufts Had To Say:
However, recently, some astute cardiologists noticed higher rates of DCM including Golden retrievers and in some atypical dog breeds. They also noticed that both the typical and atypical breeds were more likely to be eating boutique or grain-free diets, and diets with exotic ingredients- kangaroo, lentils, duck, pea, fava bean, buffalo, tapioca, salmon, lamb, barley, bison, venison, and chickpeas. Even some vegan diets have been associated. It has even been seen in dogs eating raw or home-prepared diets, via Dr. Lisa Freeman, DVM, PhD, DACVN, Tufts University.
How Much Should A Golden Retriever Eat Daily
On average, an adult Golden Retriever will eat between 2 and 3 ½ cups of food per day. However, the exact amount of food varies from one dog to the next and depends on age, activity level, weight, health problems, and quality of food.
Furthermore, neutered golden Retrievers need fewer calories compared to their unaltered counterparts, and nursing females will have to eat more to maintain their weight and produce milk for the puppies.
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Can Golden Retrievers Be Left Alone
Golden Retrievers can be left alone for up to 4 hours maximum, depending on their socialization, training, background, previous experience, health, and age. Puppies should not be left home alone for longer than one hour for each month of age, which should never exceed the maximum of 4 hours.
| 4 5 3/4 cups per day | 3 1/3 4 1/2 cups per day |
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.
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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.
Feeding A Golden Retriever With Good Quality Foods: Retriever Dog Food Ingredients To Look For Include:
1. Meat and/or meat meal provides protein for growth, and repair of body tissues and organs . It provides strength and flexibility in muscles and forms the essential components of the blood, hormone and immune systems. Good quality proteins are recommended to be the top or main ingredient in Retriever dog food.
2. A small selection of healthy grains brown rice, whole oats or barley. Carbohydrates are not an essential nutrient for dogs however, they can be useful in the diet as, when broken down during digestion, they become glucose and are used as energy.
3. Vitamins and minerals ensures complete nutrition.
4. Vegetables and fruit provide essential fiber for good digestion.
5. Healthy fats fat is a major source of energy producing twice the calories of protein or carbohydrates. It helps the body absorb and transport certain vitamins and is essential for reproduction and pregnancy. Fat provides insulation and maintains skin health. It protects and waterproofs the coat hairs via sebum secretion.
6. Natural preservatives many natural preservatives provide the fat soluble Vitamin E.
7. Prebiotics can be helpful when it comes to healthy digestion.
Read the package of Golden Retriever food the ingredients will be listed according to weight. The top ingredient will also be the main ingredient in the Retriever dog food.
You must provide plenty of fresh water to your Golden throughout the day.
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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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Golden Retriever Homemade Food Tips
Once you decide on a recipe for your Golden, its time to make it. We recommend following these tips.
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Final Words: All You Need To Know About Feeding Your Golden Retriever
Each and every dog has unique nutritional needseven if they belong to the same breed.
I hope that I helped you figure out the best dog food for Golden Retrievers.
But, always keep in mind that you should never make tweaks or adjustments to your doggys diet without consulting the vet. The thing is that the vet is a trained professional who knows more about your dogs dietary needs.
Over-feeding your dog may not feel like a big thing right now, but it can have severe health consequences later in life.
Let me know in the comments section if you have any questions or concerns. Ill help you right out!