Golden Retriever are family dogs, they are outgoing, easy to train, and spread happiness with their joyful behavior.
Being a pet parent, it’s your responsibility to look after their diet and provide them with high-quality food. Whether your Golden Retriever is a puppy, adult, or senior, you need to feed him the correct amount of food enriched with all the essential nutrients.
We have done some footwork and prepared a Golden Retriever feeding chart and guidelines of feeding tips that will help you to feed him.
Let’s dig in to get all the relevant information related to your Golden’s feeding habit and health.
Contents
How Much to Feed Golden Retriever Puppy-Feeding Chart
In the initial days, just like other puppies, the Golden Retriever puppies’ nutrient demands are satisfied by mother milk. When they reach the 6th week, it is suggested to switch to high-quality puppy-formulated food.
Since they are at the growing stage, it is advisable to feed them at least thrice or four times a day. This helps to meet the daily nutrient requirement and let their body fully grow.
Even, we have prepared a Golden Retriever puppy feeding chart, which will help you to feed your pup the correct amount of food and calorie ratio. This will help you to keep a track of their daily calorie intake ratio and prevent you from overfeeding them.
For example, If you are raising a younger Golden Retriever puppy, the first step to selecting the feeding ratio is to check the weight. Suppose he weighs around 6-15 pounds, it is recommended to feed him 1 3/4 cups daily and the total calorie intake ratio should be 673 kcal per day.
As your puppy will grow, his calorie intake ratio will vary, and his body will require more food for better development of his body.
Note:- Before adding puppy-formulated food for your furry pal, it’s suggested to consult the vet, they will guide you to better options. If you are feeding your furry pal for the first time, then it’s more apt to seek advice and then buy food.
Adult Golden Retriever Feeding Ratio
The Golden Retriever’s body fully develops when they turn 2 years old. During adulthood, their body demands more food and calories to meet their stamina level. During that stage, their metabolism also works properly, so you don’t need to worry about digestion issues.
It is recommended to feed them high-quality food enriched with all the essential nutrients. It’s true their body demands more food, but you need to cut down the feeding frequency from four times a day to time a day.
You can refer to our adult Golden Retriever feeding chart which is bifurcated into life stages, weight, and activity level. This will help you to feed him with the correct amount of food and provide a healthy life.
For instance, you are raising an adult Golden Retriever whose weight is around 55-65 pounds and who is super active by nature. In such a case, it is recommended to feed 10 2/3 cups daily and the calorie ratio should be 4146 kcal per day.
Note:- Golden Retrievers are prone to skin allergies. First, you need to find out what your pup is allergic to. Then, accordingly, you can select adult dog food for him.
Senior Golden Retriever Feeding Ratio
At the age of eight, the Golden Retriever reaches their senior hood. It has been noticed that as they grow old, their activity level decreases, and they are more prone to the obesity issue. This is because they will stop their daily exercise and keep on ingesting more and more food.
This is one of the reasons you should keep an eye on his diet and be strict with his meals. S, do not feed him any extra treats or anything, just follow the per day chart to provide them a healthy life.
We have prepared a PDF of a senior Golden Retriever feeding chart, which will guide you on how much food and calories should be given to your pup.
Like if your oldie Golden Retriever’s weight is around 65-75 pounds and his activity level has decreased as compared to early. Then in such a case, it is recommended to feed him 2 3/4 cups daily and a calorie intake ratio should be around 1117 kcal per day. In this way, he will not gain unwanted fat and will live a healthy life.
Note:- Consult the vet before switching to senior dog food because for large breeds there are dedicated different senior dog food which should be given to meet their body requirements.
Golden Retriever Feeding Tips
Medium-sized golden retrievers weigh on average 55-75 pounds, with females at the lower end of the range. Their height can range from 21-24 inches tall. In addition, they have a broad head, short ears, deep chests, and very muscular structures.
To maintain this body of your furry pal, you need to feed him the correct amount of amount on time. For that, you need to follow the major factors which will help you to fix the feeding schedule and select the feeding ratio.
We have jotted down the major factors, like nutrient guidelines, weight, activity level, and foods to avoid, which one should consider while feeding their pup.
1. Nutrients Guidelines
The nutrient factor is one of the major ones, that pet parents cannot overlook while purchasing food for their furry pal. This is because it’s very important to feed them high-quality food. They solely rely on you and if you will not look after their diet then it will create health issues for them.
PetMD states, “Golden Retriever puppies should be fed a large-breed, high-quality puppy formula that contains grain until they are a year of age. Once they reach maturity, they will need to be transitioned to a large-breed, high-quality adult formula containing grain over five days to avoid an upset stomach.“
Here is the list of nutrients Golden Retriever needs for the better development of their body.
- Protein
- Calcium
- Carbohydrates
- Fiber
- Fatty Acid
- Vitamins and Minerals
With age, their nutrient requirements will vary. The vet will inform you when you take him for the check-up or at the time of switching the food, etc.
One common mistake pet parents do is while parenting larger breeds, they think they should be given a high percentage of nutrients. But, no it’s not true, if you keep on providing them with high nutrients their speedy growth will impact their joints and muscle which will lead to other health issues.
2. Weight Consideration
As we know, Golden Retriever have the habit of keep on eating, whatever they will see they will ingest it. Being a pet parent, it’s double your responsibility to have a track of your pup’s diet.
Even after providing him with two times meals, you will notice they will demand more treats and will behave like they are hungry. This is the reason it is suggested to keep a track of their weight and accordingly fix the feeding ratio.
You can refer to our Golden Retriever feeding chart, it is divided into weight, activity level, and life stages.
Suppose your Golden Retriever’s weight is around 66-75 pounds, and regularly goes for a walk, and exercises then in such a scenario you can feed him 4679 kcal per day. But, if he is a lazy one then it’s recommended to cut down the calorie ratio, i.e., go for 1871 kcal per day.
Note:- If you keep on feeding him without any physical activities, then you are just gaining fat, which will lead to health issues in the future.
3. Activity Level
The Golden Retriever has working ancestors, this is the reason these dogs have a high energy level. To meet that stamina, their body needs more food and calories.
In fact, it’s important to take them out for a walk, jog, and carry out daily exercises to prevent them from gaining unwanted fat.
For instance, if you are raising an adult Golden Retriever with super activeness. It is suggested to feed them high calories as their metabolism will be able to take it and not create issues in digestion. The Golden Retriever, with a weight of 55-65 pounds, should be fed around 4146 kcal per day.
In a very rare case, you will find a Golden Retriever with low activeness, in such case, it is recommended to feed fewer calories because with low activity levels their body won’t be able to digest the food.
Note:- The Golden Retriever is a family-oriented breed, they like to play games and explore new places. So, it’s recommended to make them exercise for at least two hours per day.
4. Foods to Avoid
Golden Retrievers are curious breeds, they have that tendency of exploring everything. And try to eat human foods or other things, which are not suitable for their health.
Furthermore, they are prone to skin issues, so it’s important to feed them high-quality food. In addition, keeping an eye on their diet helps to prevent them from ingesting toxic stuff.
Here’s a list of toxic ingredients/ foods, which your Golden Retriever should never eat.
- Chocolate
- Onion and Garlic
- Grapes
- Raisins
- Caffeine
- Alcohol
- Avocado
- Black Walnut
- Blue Cheese
- Hops
- Macadamia Nuts
- Yeast Dough
While selecting food for your Golden Retriever, make sure the ingredient list is free of toxic ingredients. In this way, you can feed high-quality food to your pup, and will be able to maintain his skin and health.
Note:- You can refer to our Golden Retriever feeding chart to get an idea of how much food and calories, should be given per day.
FAQs
How much should a Golden Retriever eat daily?
Well, Golden Retrievers are prone to skin allergies, so it’s important to feed them high-quality food enriched with all the essential nutrients. If you are raising an adult Golden Retriever, who has a high activity level. As Grrmf Says,”A golden will normally eat about two cups of premium food per day. It can be adjusted a little more or less based on activity level and metabolism.“Then It is suggested to feed them 4 cups daily to meet their body requirements.
How much should a 7 month old Golden Retriever eat?
Well, a seven-month-old Golden Retriever is at the older puppy stage, where he requires more food and calories to meet the development of the body. It is suggested to feed them 3 cups per day. Make sure food is divided into four equal intervals, and keep a track of his calorie ratio.
Why is my Golden Retriever always hungry?
One of the reasons could be, Golden Retrievers are super active. They like to play, go for a walk, carries out all physical activities. So, their body needs more food to match their energy level. Another possible reason could be, they like to eat and get attracted to tempting treats.
How often does a Golden Retriever need to poop?
Generally, dogs poop once a day, and in very rare cases, you will notice two or three times a day. So, if your Golden Retriever, poops once a day, it’s a healthy sign.
Go check out CatLovesBest for their unbiased reviews and recommendations on cat products and accessories.
Well, It’s a Wrap!
Here, concluding our blog on Golden Retriever feeding chart-how much to feed. We have provided you with the basic tips for feeding your Golden Retriever correctly, enriched with nutrients.
Remember, Golden Retrievers are prone to obesity and skin allergies. So, it’s important to feed them correctly and keep a track of their calorie to prevent them from any health issues.
You can refer to our PDF of a Golden Retriever feeding chart, it is bifurcated into life stages, weight, and activity level. So, that you don’t jumble up while feeding your furry pal.
Happy feeding your furry pal!
Julia is a Board Certified Veterinary Nutritionist, practicing veterinarian in a non-profit animal hospital and feline sanctuary located in Rochester, NY. She is also a full-time veterinary advisor at DogLikesBest. She focuses on writing healthcare-related topics including dog foods, treats, veterinary diets, food for specific healthcare features, etc. Moreover, any article on DogNeedsBest that has to concern feline health in any way, goes under her scrutiny before being published.
