What To Feed My Golden Retriever

Blue Buffalo Wilderness Grain

Primary Ingredients: Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Peas, Pea Protein, Tapioca Starch, Menhaden Fish Meal

Blue Buffalo is one of the most popular dog food brands on the market, thanks to its high-quality ingredients and remarkable results. With a combination of healthy proteins, fruits, vegetables, and more, this dry dog food will encourage healthy muscle development in your Golden Retriever as well as strong teeth, a healthy heart, and improved skin and coat texture.

Customer Review: Bought this for my dog, Wilbur, and he loves it. Looking at the ingredients makes me feel that I have purchased a quality product for my guy.

Rating: 4.7/5

Is There A Need Of Special Natural Snacks To Feed Your Golden Retriever

According to the Merck Veterinary Manual, adult dogs require a minimum of 18% protein. But the puppies need at least 22% protein in their diet.

Fats are a concentrated source of energy for your pet. The puppies need 8%, and an adult needs only 5% fat in their diet. Excess calories and fats in the diet increase the issues of obesity and bone and joint problems.

Therefore, you should give your Golden Retriever a protein-rich diet with low or moderate calorie and fat content.

Purina Pro Plan Sport Formula Dog Food

PetListed Verdict:

Purina Pro Plan Sport is made specifically for active dogs perfect for a healthy, lively Golden. This food blends 30% protein and 20% fat for lean muscle, as well as EPA and glucosamine for joint heath . A number of customers have also noted that their dogs coats have become shinier by using this option. Pro Plan Sport is available in varieties including chicken, salmon & rice, and turkey.

Key Details:

• Available in multiple recipes: grain-free chicken, chicken, salmon, and turkey
• EPA, Glucosamine, Amino Acids
• Meat is the #1 ingredient
• Suitable for any age, from puppy through senior
• Made in the USA

PetListed Verdict:One of the highest rated products we examined, Taste of the Wild is an all natural, grain free dog food with real salmon as the first ingredient. The food is packed with other healthy ingredients including fruits, vegetables, superfoods, and a probiotic for optimal immune and gut health.

Key Details:

• Grain free, with no corn, wheat, or fillers
• Salmon is the first ingredient
• All natural with no artificial flavors or colorings
• Includes vitamins, minerals, and probiotics for digestion health
• Salmon oil provides marine sourced Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids
• On the pricier end of dog foods, considering the ingredients

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How Much Food Should Golden Retriever Puppy Eat

For a Golden Retriever puppy to become 6 months old, a special feeding schedule of three meals a day is required until then. According to the Golden Lab Alliance website, dog food sizes vary among dogs from one week to 10 months. But three-month-old Goldens generally consume two ounces per day of food.

Best Dog Food For Small And Large Breeds

Small breed dogs and large breed dogs have different nutritional needs. Large breed dogs are more prone to musculoskeletal problems than smaller breeds, and so they often require large-breed dog food with different balances of certain nutrients to promote musculoskeletal health, especially as puppies. Small breed dogs, on the other hand, can choke on large-sized kibble and have their own nutritional requirements that can be accommodated with a small-breed dog food. Research your dogs breed to find out if there are any additional nutritional requirements you should be aware of.

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The 7 Best Dog Foods For Golden Retrievers

Golden Retrievers are famously upbeat, loyal, and intelligent animals. Whether as a companion or addition to a family with small children, Goldens continue to be one of the top pet choices for millions of families around the country.

The food you give your dog has a major impact on their health and wellbeing, so its important to choose the right option. To help, we researched hundreds of products and thousands of verified reviews to find the 7 best dog foods for Golden Retrievers available now. Heres our list:

Avoid Overfeeding A Golden Retriever

For those who have Golden Retrievers at home, how to avoid overfeeding a Golden Retriever is an important issue. You have probably noticed that no matter how much food you put, your Golden Retriever wants to eat more and acts like he is on the brink of starvation! Because dogs are usually greedy, they often dont know when theyre full. Especially for delicious food, it will never eat enough. However, eating too much can have a bad effect on your dogs health. A lactating Golden Retriever mother should not control how much she eats. Because breastfeeding mothers need to eat a lot, in order to ensure adequate milk. When a golden dog mother has indigestion, we can give him some medicine such as lactase to help digestion, but do not give him less food.

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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.

Best Food For Golden Retriever Puppies

There are so many options for Golden Retriever puppy food that it can be quite overwhelming.

And when you add in the strong opinions people have about dog food, the confusing marketing about whats good and whats bad, and the importance of choosing a high-quality food it can be downright scary to pick a food for your pup!

But heres the good news: this article will make this decision much easier for you.

Youll see two studies to help you choose the best food for your Golden Retriever puppy, as well as learn what makes a good dog food, what to avoid, and get answers to the most common food questions Golden Retriever puppy owners have.

Now before we dive in, heres a quick note: the best resource for deciding what to feed your golden retriever puppy is your veterinarian.

They know your puppy best and are most knowledgeable about their health needs.

Alrighty, now lets dive into that first study!

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Royal Canin Golden Retriever Soft Dog Food

PetListed Verdict:

Looking for a high-quality wet food for your Golden? This Royal Canin canned option is similar to the dry kibble seen earlier on our list, and is specifically formulated for the needs of Golden Retrievers over 15 months of age.

Key Details:

• Soft food in a loaf sauce
• Formulated for Golden Retrievers 15 months and older
• Heart healthy ingredients including taurine and L-carnitine
• Can be fed alone or mixed with dry dog food
• Includes dozens of essential vitamins and minerals

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Never Trust Your Golden Retriever

Never decide how much you feed your dog based on how hungry your Golden Retriever is. Golden Retrievers are notoriously food orientedmore than any breed I have personally come across. They love foodI mean they LOVE food. Most Golden Retrievers will eat and eat and eat if allowed to and will become morbidly obese if permitted.

Please remember thisunless your dog has a major health issue like a thyroid problem, if your dog is obese it is YOUR FAULT! This might sound blunt, but its very important to know that you alone are responsible for teaching proper behaviors and habits in your puppy. You have the ability to limit your dogs intake and you should take advantage of that opportunity daily.

Goldens will almost always overeat if given the opportunity, so you cannot trust their appetite. I have had many emails from clients saying things like You dont understandmy dog is always hungry. Most Goldens eat like theyve never eaten a day in their life, rarely chew their food and beg for more.

We even have had Golden Retrievers that eat so fast they vomit EVERY mealand eat it again. For those dogs, we implement a couple of strategies, since eating and throwing up is not healthy. First, soak their food with water moments before feeding them. You dont want the food to sit in water for long because the dry kibble is actually good for cleaning their teeth. This little technique of filling their bowl up with water forces them to slow down while eating .

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How To Feed A Golden Retriever Puppy

You can feed your golden retriever puppy for a long time. Golden Retrievers will need to be careful about how long they take for their food. They should be allowed to finish their meals in about 20-30 minutes. If he is unable or unwilling to finish, you can remove the food and give him only the portion that he can eat. Remaining kibble from a previous meal should not be taken with you to another meal. If your puppy finishes all his kibble in a matter of minutes, you can increase the amount …

What Type Of Food Should I Give My Golden Retriever

Nowadays, dog food selections are on the increase than ever before. While the variety of products offers food options for every pet breed, dog owners are spoilt for choice.

You may be wondering which type of food is right for your Golden retriever.

Let’s get this straight!

The best type of food depends on variables like your pet’s age, weight, and activity level. That’s not all your lifestyle and preferences may also be a major influence on your dog’s feeding choices.

To help you make smarter decisions, let’s shed light on the different types of food you can feed your pet.

Superfoods w/ Salmon

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What We Feed Our Golden Retriever

Oliver had a few different brands of food that he ate as a puppy.

First, we started him off on one of the brands listed in the graph above that is correlated with DCM.

Once we heard about the study we switched to another brand, although he didnt like that at all.

Then we switched to another brand that he just sort of liked.

Finally, after talking to a few veterinarians and Golden Retriever breeders, we decided to test out Royal Canins Adult Golden Retriever food , which has been his favorite food so far.

If we were to have another puppy, we would definitely start with the Royal Canin Golden Retriever Puppy food.

The Dangers Of An Obese Golden Retriever

Obesity is rampant in Golden Retrievers and especially English Cream Golden Retrievers. MOST Golden Retrievers I have come in contact with are obese. Obesity causes beaucoup problems in Golden Retrievers and is one of the main reasons Goldens get hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, heart problems and even several types of cancer. Many people believe dysplasia is simply genetic. That is perhaps only 50% true. Genetics are very important and because of that Recherche Goldens only breeds Golden Retrievers that are in the top 20% of Golden Retrievers in hip scores.

Not only do our Golden Retrievers NOT have dysplasia, but they have very tight hips. This is accomplished by purchasing English Golden Retrievers with generations of healthy parents. But genetics only account for roughly half the reason dogs get elbow or hip dysplasia. The other major causes are diet and exercise. If you run 10 miles a day with your Golden Retriever, especially while young, then your Golden Retrievers chance of getting dysplasia goes up dramatically. If your dog is obese and carrying around 20% more weight than he/she needs to, they are at a significantly higher risk of dysplasia. Its so important that Recherche Goldens voids their warranty if the Golden Retriever in question is found to be obese.

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Week Old Golden Retriever Puppy

A 2 week old golden retriever puppy is going to just have opened his eyes for the first time to see the world around him. At this age, he will not be able to walk far as he is still uncoordinated with his front and hind legs.

His food source should entirely be his mother, who should have easy access to her puppies, in addition to being well-fed herself. Nursing mothers need a high-calorie diet.

If you notice that there are pups in the litter not gaining weight as quickly as others, talk to your vet about supplements.

So How Do You Choose The Best Food For Your Golden Retriever

In a recent 2019 FDA dog food update about grain-free dog food that contained legume seeds, lentils, potatoes or peas as main ingredients, dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs was linked to grain-free dog food formulas.

Dilated cardiomyopathy is becoming more common in dogs on grain-free diets that as a breed are not predisposed to DCM. This includes the Golden Retriever!

In grain-free formulas there is often a high level of potato. FDA medical records indicate that dogs with DCM had low levels of taurine which may result in DCM. Dogs fed diets that included exotic proteins, and that were grain-free resulted in higher rates of DCM.

Heres what the FDA had to say. To better characterize diets reported in DCM cases, product labels were examined to determine whether the product was grain-free , and whether the products contained peas, other lentils including chickpeas and beans, or potatoes . Because so many products contained peas and/or lentils, a category was created for peas and/or lentils. More than 90 percent of products were grain-free, and 93 percent of reported products had peas and/or lentils. A far smaller proportion contained potatoes, via FDA

Animal protein sources in the reported diets varied widely, and many diets contained more than one protein source. The most common proteins in the reported diets were chicken lamb and fish however, some diets contain atypical protein sources such as kangaroo, bison or duck. No one animal protein source was predominant.

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How Much Tlc Should I Feed My Golden Retriever

• Here are a few guidelines on how much to feed. On average, our adult Golden Retriever females eat about 2 cups per day of the TLC dog food linked below. Our boys will eat on average about 3 1/2 cups per day. We have had larger boys who have eaten close to 4 or even 5 cups per day during periods of heavy activity.

Feeding adult food will rob your puppy of important nutrients.

Four feedings a day are usually adequate to meet nutritional demands.

Large breeds should be fed unmoistened dry food by 9 or 10 weeks small dogs by 12 or 13 weeks.

36 months: Sometime during this period, decrease feedings from four to three a day.

Why Raw Food Is The Best Diet For My Golden Retriever

When deciding on what is the best Golden Retriever food, it’s important to consider the canine anatomy and digestive system. Dogs’ digestive tracts have not significantly evolved from when they were undomesticated wolves, and are best suited to fresh, high-protein prey-based diets. We call this ‘species-appropriate nutrition‘ and is what a natural, raw diet seeks to replicate.

A dogs stomach is not anatomically designed to digest and ferment carbohydrates . Even grain-free kibble often contains high levels of starchy carbs, including legumes, peas & lentils. Feeding this to a dog puts their system under pressure, creating metabolically stressful insulin, glucagon and cortisol spikes throughout the day as well as causing inflammation and putting strain on vital organs, leading, in some cases, to a host of serious health conditions.

There’s no doubt the canine species is resilient, and despite eating a diet which isn’t providing the natural components they may need, they will adapt and survive for some time. Still, there’s a world of difference between surviving and thriving.

Whether you choose Prodog Raw’s no fuss, no-nonsense raw dog food or you decide to create your own DIY raw food recipes at home, you can be sure the move to a natural species-specific diet will fuel well-being for your dog regardless of breed.

Read on to find out more of why raw food is the best food for your Golden Retriever

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What Is The Best Food For Golden Retrievers

In the table below, youll find the top five best food formulas for your Goldy. We chose these products based on our thorough research and advice from the experts.

Ingredients:

Chicken Meal, Brown Rice, Oatmeal, Dried Beet Pulp, Chicken Fat , Egg Product, Brewers Dried Yeast, Natural Chicken Flavor, Menhaden Fish Meal, Lecithin, Menhaden Fish Oil, Kelp Meal, Sea Salt, Flax Seed, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Canola Oil, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Ferrous Sulfate, Potassium Chloride, L-Lysine, New Zealand Sea Mussel, Dl Methionine, Ascorbic Acid, Glucosamine, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate, Garlic Powder, Vitamin E Supplement, Biotin, Niacin Supplement, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Acetate, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Citric Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Zinc Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganous Oxide.