Golden Retriever Feeding Guide

Hello there, fellow pet parents! Welcome to my ultimate guide to feeding Golden Retrievers.

In this guide, I will cover how much to feed a Golden Retriever, how often to feed your Golden Retriever, when to feed your Golden Retriever, what foods to feed your Golden Retriever, what foods to avoid feeding your Golden Retriever, and other questions you may have about your Golden Retriever’s nutrition.

You can read the article to the end or go through the table of contents below and jump to the section that answers the questions you have on your mind.

Firstly, golden retrievers make lovely pets, but this breed is prone to skin problems and other health problems. You have to be careful of what you put into your dog’s mouth to prevent frequent trips to the veterinarian.

I have created this ultimate guide to feeding your Golden Retriever for curious and new pet parents to solve your dog’s nutrition problem. Based on my personal experience working for a veterinarian, I will go into detail on any feeding questions you may have.

Let’s jump into the article.

Golden Retriever Nutritional Requirement

Great Danes are large dogs that require specific amounts of nutrients to grow healthy. Like other dog breeds, if some of these nutrients are present in excess amounts or less, it would end up endangering the overall health of your dog.

Your Golden Retriever’s meal should primarily consist of fats, proteins, carbohydrates, fiber, and vitamins to meet their nutritional requirements for a healthy lifestyle.

The large size of a Golden Retriever will require adequate and quality nutrients to maintain its body weight and strong bones to support its massive frame. Anything short of this can result in many health problems and prevent your dog from reaching its peak size.

Your Golden Retriever’s protein source must be animal protein like chicken, turkey, lamb, and beef. Their fat source can be fish oil or vegetables. Their source of fiber can come from wholesome, healthy vegetables like cabbage, carrots, sprouts, and broccoli.

Nutritional Requirement for a Golden Retriever Puppy

The diet of a Golden Retriever puppy should consist of 23–30% protein, 12–28% fat, and 3-5% fiber. Golden Retriever puppies are incredibly energetic and have a high metabolism. They grow very fast and will require quality nutrients to keep up. They require protein for building healthy muscles and minerals for strong bones; carbohydrates for energy; and fats for maintaining a healthy fur.

Nutritional Requirements for an Adult Golden Retriever

The meal plan for a mature and adult Golden Retriever should consist of 25–30% protein, 40–50% carbohydrates, 10-15% fat, and 4.5% fiber. At this stage, Golden Retrievers are most active and will need protein and carbohydrates to keep their weight and energy level optimal. However, you should avoid overfeeding your pet at this stage, as golden retrievers are prone to obesity and will develop health complications.

Nutritional Requirement for a Senior Golden Retriever

Your senior Golden Retriever is less active at this stage than at previous stages. Your pet’s food at this stage should consist of 30–50% carbohydrates, 30–40% protein, 10–20% fat, and 4.5% fiber. They will need more minerals and vitamins in their food to keep their immune system and bones healthy.

Factors Affecting The Feeding of a Golden Retriever

Some factors will affect the diet of your Great Dane, such as the size of the breed, its age, its activity level, and its underlying health conditions.

Let’s take a quick look at those factors before we jump into the quantity of food to feed your dog.

Size consideration

The average length of a male Golden Retriever is 23 to 24 inches, and they weigh about 65 to 75 pounds (29 to 32 kg). Females are about 21 to 22 inches tall and weigh about 55 to 65 pounds (25 to 29 kg).

Male Golden retrievers are generally bigger than female Golden retrievers, which means that the male will require a larger intake of calories than the female to stay healthy and strong.

Age consideration

Golden retriever puppies will require more calories during their growing stage due to their high metabolic rate. They need to be fed a lot if you want them to grow into strong, healthy dogs.

Adult Golden retrievers should not be fed more often than puppy Golden retrievers. The adults have a slow metabolism that can lead to stomach bloating and indigestion if they’re fed excessively.

Your senior Golden Retrievers will be less active and require fewer calories than when they were younger. Doing otherwise might lead to obesity and other serious health problems.

Activity Level

Athletes are required to maintain a strict diet compared to non-athletes, so you should also keep your Golden Retriever away from certain foods if you want to maintain its athletic abilities.

You wouldn’t want to feed your Golden Retriever a meal high in fat and sodium, like cheap fast food, which would make him sluggish and lethargic.

These fast foods don’t contain the nutrients that would make your dog perform to the best of their abilities and make them slow to learn new tricks or obey your commands.

Health Consideration

Golden retrievers are prone to certain health issues, which should be addressed in their diets if you want to manage or prevent them from developing those issues.

Some health issues that affect your Golden Retriever include allergies, heart disease, eye issues, hip dysplasia, cancer, hypothyroidism, or a bad temperament.

These health problems could be avoided or mitigated by eating or avoiding certain foods from the start, rather than treating them as they arise.their

It might be tempting to cut corners and go for the cheapest food. But engaging in such an act in the long run could lead to pain, seeing your Golden Retriever sick, frequent visits to the vet, and thousands of dollars in expenses.

Golden Retriever Feeding Amount

Your Great Dane, just like any other dog breed, will require different amounts of food according to their stage of development. The amount of food a puppy will need will be different than the amount of food an adult will need to meet their nutritional requirements.

Feed your puppy Golden Retriever 1-3 cups of food per day with 1200-2000 kcal; feed your adult Golden Retriever 2.63-4 cups per day with 1300-1700 kcal; and feed your senior Golden Retriever 2-2.5 cups per day with 900-1000 kcal.

I will provide you with charts below to help you plan your dog’s meals from its puppy years to its senior years. However, this meal plan is not one-size-fits-all. It’s just a general guideline that should be followed based on your dog’s needs and recommendations from your vet or dog nutritionist.

How Much to Feed a Puppy Golden Retriever

For your Golden Retriever puppy to grow into a healthy adult, the meal should be high in protein and low in fat, which can be obtained from animal meat.

A Golden Retriever puppy should be given 1-3 cups of food per day that contain 1200-2000 kcal of nutrients based on its age, weight, size, gender, and physical activity.

The Golden Retriever puppy diet will contain more protein and fat for growth and energy. The diet must also contain micronutrients like vitamins A, B, C, D, E, and K.

Age	Daily FoodQuantity (Cups)	Kilocalories (Per day)	Protein	Fats
2 – 3 months	2—3	650 — 1660	25 – 30%	18%
4 – 5 months	3 – 4	1200 – 2000	25 – 30%	18%
6 – 9 months	2.75 – 4	1300 – 2000	25 – 30%	18%
10 – 12 months	3 – 4	1500 – 2300	25 – 30%	18%

Following the above guidelines will aid in bone development and muscle growth, as well as strengthen their immune system to combat common bacteria and viruses that can cause health complications.

How Much to Feed an Adult Golden Retriever

The nutritional requirements of an adult Golden Retriever differ from those of a puppy. To avoid obesity, a mature Golden Retriever’s food should contain a lower percentage of proteins and fats. This is done by reducing the feeding frequency to two times per day.

An adult Golden Retriever should be given 3.5–4.5 cups of food per day that contains 1300-1700 kcal of nutrients based on its age, weight, size, gender, and physical activity.

The feeding requirement for your adult Golden Retriever below

Age	Daily Food Quantity(Cups)	Kilocalories(Per day)	Protein	Fats
1 – 7 years	3.5 – 5	1300 – 1700	30%	15-20%

How Much to Feed a Senior Golden Retriever

Senior Golden Retrievers, due to old age, cannot synthesize protein efficiently anymore, so they require a diet rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals.

Geriatric Great Danes are often plagued with health issues. Some of these issues can be alleviated by supplementing your senior dog’s diet with vitamins and minerals to help revive his or her weakened immune system and fragile bones.

Senior and geriatric Golden Retriever puppies should be given 3.5 cups of food per day that contains 1,300 to 1,600 kcal of nutrients based on their age, weight, size, gender, and health issues.

The feeding chart requirement for your senior Golden Retriever is given below:

Age	Daily Food Quantity(Cups)	Kilocalories(Per day)	Protein	Fats
7 years and above	3.5	1300 – 1600	20%	10%

You can continue giving your senior Golden Retriever the same food you give your adult Great Dane, only in a smaller quantity as they don’t need as many calories as adult dogs. However, you should still consult your vet or pet nutritionist to be on the safe side.

Golden Retriever Feeding Frequency

Your Golden Retriever’s meal frequency will vary the same as the feeding amounts, which are majorly dependent on its age. Below is a list of how often to feed your Great Danes:

How Often Should You Feed a Golden Retriever Puppy

• During the weaning process or at 8 weeks old and below: feed them four times a day at equally spaced intervals.

• 8 weeks to 3 months old: feed them four times a day at equally spaced intervals.

• 4 months to 12 months old: gradually transition to feeding them three times a day with equally spaced time intervals.

Age	Optimal Feeding Times
3 – 6 months	7:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m., and 10:00 p.m.
12–18 months	8:00 a.m., 2:00 p.m., 8:00 p.m.
2 years and above	8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.

How Often Should You Feed an Adult Golden Retriever?

You should feed your adult Golden Retriever twice a day, with 12 hours of spacing between meals. One in the morning and one in the evening is ideal.

How Often Should You Feed a Senior Golden Retriever?

You should feed your senior Golden retriever two times a day except given a specific schedule by a vet.

Golden Retriever Feeding Schedule

• Golden retriever puppies should be free-fed or fed in the morning, afternoon, evening, and night due to a faster metabolism in comparison to their adult colleagues

• Adolescent Golden retrievers should be fed in the morning, afternoon, and evening to help them transition properly into an adult.

• Adult and Senior Golden retriever should also be fed in the morning and the evening unless stated differently by your vet or pet nutritionist.

As a general rule, you should feed your Great Danes a few hours before going to bed in the evening, so they have enough time to digest the food before going to sleep.

In total, we shouldn’t spoil our companions with treats as they may grow too attached to them. Treats should be heavily used as a reward when training your Great Dane.

Age	Optimal Feeding Times
3 – 6 months old	6:00 am, 11:00 am, 4:00 pm, and 9:00 pm
12 – 18 months	7:00 am, 12:00 pm, and 5:00 pm
2–8 years	7:00 am, 7:00 pm
8 years and above	7:00 am or 7:00 pm if fed once a day; 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. if fed twice a day.

The Kind of Food To Feed a Golden Retriever

The food you feed your Golden Retriever should specifically cater to large breeds and contain the required nutrients necessary for a strong and healthy dog.

The kind of food to feed your Golden Retriever includes dry dog food, wet dog food, home-cooked food, and Biologically Appropriate Raw Food (BARF) to ensure your dog eats a balanced diet.

Let me touch on these few points to help you understand what to feed your dog:

Dry Dog Food: Dry dog food, or kibble, is a portion of commercial pet food made by grinding and mixing up ingredients like meats, grains, and nutritional additives, which are then shaped into little kernels and cooked at high temperatures to remove the water content. Dry dog food contains more carbs, less fat, less water, and sometimes less protein. Dry dog food is often recommended by vets due to its lower cost, dental health benefits, convenience, weight loss support, and playtime perks.

Wet Dog Food: Wet dog food, or canned food, is made by mixing up and cooking the ingredients before adding or extracting varying amounts of water. Unlike dry dog food, wet dog food contains more water, fewer carbs, more fat, and often more protein. They are recommended by veterinarians due to their high water content, taste, ease of eating, and high nutritional profile.

Home-Cooked Diet: Home-cooked diets are a great option for pet parents who are not into commercial dog food and want to go the extra length to prepare a meal for their furry companion. Feeding your dog a home-cooked meal gives you control over its nutrition and can put your mind at ease knowing that you are always providing the best care for your dog.

The BARF Diet:Biologically Appropriate Raw Food is a diet that includes raw meat, raw eggs, crushed animal bones, fruits, vegetables, probiotics, and other natural ingredients. BARF diets are used as a substitute for processed foods with preservatives. However, consult your vet before feeding your pet a raw diet to avoid health complications from harmful substances.

The Kind of Food to Avoid Feeding Your Golden Retriever

We should take caution before giving whatever food we’re eating to our Golden Retriever. They have large appetites, which makes it tempting to hand them whatever we find ourselves eating.

There are certain human foods, fruits, and vegetables to avoid feeding your Golden retriever because these foods contain toxins that are harmful to your pet that could lead you to frequent trips to the vet.

Human food to avoid feeding your Great Dane includes chocolates, coffee, gums, peanut butter, candies, cooked bones, etc.

The fruits and vegetables to avoid feeding your Golden retriever include grapes, avocado, garlic, onions, etc.

You should always check the ingredients on the food label to see if these ingredients are present in the food. Or you can simply consult a vet or pet nutritionist to check the ingredients with them.

When To Transition Your Golden Retriever From Puppy Food To Adult Food

You should transition your Golden Retriever puppy from puppy food to adult food when he’s around 10–12 months old.

Transitioning your adolescent Great Dane from puppy food to adult food is an important stage in your dog’s development. Puppy food contains more calories and nutrients than adult food to meet the nutritional requirements at that stage of life.

Transitioning needs to be gradual by introducing adult feed bit by bit until you get to 100% adult feed.

However, feeding your adult Great Dane puppy food will fill them with more protein and fat than their body requires and will lead to obesity due to the high fat content the body doesn’t need for optimum growth.

Day	Puppy Food	Adult Food
Day 1 – 2	75%	25%
Day 3 – 4	50%	50%
Day 5 – 6	25%	75%
Day 7 – 8	0%	100%

WhY Your Golden Retriever Is Not Eating

Your Great Dane will not eat if it has one or a combination of the factors listed below:

Illness, dental problems, stomach sensitivity, changes in hormone levels, medication, constipation, time of day, spoiled food, anxiety, dehydration, stress

Great Danes can be picky eaters; one way to combat this is to make their food a mixture, like kibble mixed with some quantity of B.A.R.F. However, you should see the vet as soon as possible if your Great Dane consistently refuses to eat and drink.

Why Your Golden Retriever Is Always Hungry

Golden retrievers, like other large dog breeds, are big eaters. Other reasons may be a deficiency in some nutrients, learned behaviors, too much stress, or a lack of food training.

Excessive exercise will make your dog’s body burn faster, thus making them hungry after such exercises. Worms could be another reason your dog is always hungry.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do golden retrievers eat a lot?

Golden retrievers eat a lot, but this should not be encouraged as they are prone to obesity, which can cause a host of health issues in your dogs. This is why proper feeding and a schedule need to be in place to train your dog.

Can Golden Retrievers become vegetarians?

As a whole, Golden retrievers can live on a vegetarian diet as long as their diet consists of enough nutrients, proteins, fats, and calories to meet their nutritional requirements.

However, you should consult a pet nutritionist or veterinarian to plan a vegan diet for your dog breed to prevent health complications that can arise from an uncertain practice.

Can Golden Retrievers eat bones?

Golden retrievers can eat bones as they contain a great deal of minerals that meet their nutritional requirements. Also, eating bones will strengthen your teeth and gums as well as improve dental hygiene.

However, you should follow some guidelines laid down by the American Kennel Club before giving bones to your Golden Retriever. One of the guidelines is to throw away the raw meat bones given to your furry friend after three to four days.

What human food can I feed my Golden Retriever?

You can feed your Golden Retriever different types of human foods, such as beef, chicken, pork, turkey, salmon, tuna, and eggs. They can also eat noodles, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, unsalted peanuts, parsnips, and other foods such as rice and pasta, yogurt, cheese, and peanut butter.

What fruits and vegetables can I feed my Golden Retriever?

Golden retrievers can eat many types of fruits, such as strawberries, apples, bananas, raspberries, peaches, mangoes, pears, blueberries, plums, melon, pineapple, oranges, and kiwi fruit. They can also eat vegetables such as pumpkin, carrots, peas, corn, cauliflower, spinach, cabbage, broccoli, and more.

Should You Give Your Golden Retriever Supplements?

Your Golden Retriever doesn’t need to be given supplements if you feed him a commercial diet that meets his nutritional requirements. However, you may need to feed them supplements if you feed them home-cooked meals as recommended by your vet or dog nutritionist.

Final Thoughts

There is a particular science to feeding your beloved Golden Retriever so that they can live a healthy and happy life. Note that following a strict feeding pattern can help boost your dog’s immune system and prevent obesity.

Options such as dry, wet, raw, and homemade diets are all great for Golden retrievers. You can free-feed your Golden retrievers as puppies, but you have to draw up a strict plan as they go on. It is also essential to know what foods are healthy and should be avoided, as some are toxic.

However, if you desire more information on how to take care of your Golden Retriever, you should contact the nearest vet for information on essential nutrients, and you can also see a pet nutritionist for a regimen schedule for your pet.