I know that you are a bit confused with a few questions that are hitting your head as now you have got a new best friend home. I was the same as you when I adopted Max a year back, with a bunch of queries and was totally confused with the feeding chart, what to feed, feeding schedule, how much to feed, and many more!
Well, this guide that I’ve written is quite helpful and when you’ll read till the last section all your thoughts that you are carrying now will vanish!
Like one of your chief doubts would be ‘How much to feed a Golden Retriever puppy?’ Yes, it’s obvious like no matter how much food you serve your Golden, he would definitely eat all you serve (they are big eaters), so you need to give him the proper amount of food, diet, and feeding if you want to grow your Golden Retriever Puppy in a healthy way. You should not overfeed your Golden as it can result in health consequences.
You should know that when to feed your Golden Retriever, how much to feed because it is essential for your puppy’s health. Goldens are prone to many health problems and the solution for this is to feed your pup with a perfect plan!
Well, I will take you from the beginning, it’s not rocket science! And follow the right feeding guide and there you are!
So, let’s start from a clean slate!
If you are in a hurry have a look at this ‘Table of Contents’ section this would help you to reach directly at the particular topic you desire.
Table of Contents
When To Feed A Golden Retriever Puppy?
A Golden Retriever Puppy and an older dog would not have the same nutrition requirements, according to their age, weight, energy, and health you have to prepare their feeding plan.
For proper growth and development, you have to feed him good quality dog food. Feed your golden puppy regularly 3 times a day and never overfeed him because that can lead to obesity and joint problems.
Till your puppy is 6 months old you should serve him 3 times a day, as a puppy requires more calories for their growth 3 times a day is must then when he is 6 months older you can feed him 2 times a day for the rest of the life.
As a new pet parent, they feed their Golden Retriever Puppy extra food so that the puppy gets more chubby in fact in the puppy phase your goldie should be lanky.
How Much To Feed A Golden Retriever Puppy?
Your favorite question! Well, it depends on how many months older your Golden Retriever is! You can refer to this table for more detailed info on this question.
This is the table that represents how much to feed a golden retriever puppy respective to how many months older they are!
| Your Golden Retriever Puppy (Age) | Number of Cups a Day |
|---|---|
| Two Months Old | 1 ½ cups a day |
| Three Months Old | 2 cups a day |
| Four Months Old | 2 ½ cups a day |
| Five To Six Months Old | 3 cups a day |
| Six To Seven Months Old (male pups only) | 3 ½ to 4 cups a day (females should stay on 3 cups/day) |
The above golden retriever feeding chart/food chart was just a general guideline, but when your Golden Retriever Puppy is totally new to you, I mean on day 1!
You should ask the breeder that what was he feeding, then for a few weeks you should feed him the exact thing, later you can start off with good quality dog food.
The food that you’ll be feeding has a guideline that is either mentioned at the back of the food bag and you can follow that too or else you can take a piece of advice from your vet.
You should follow the puppy feeding schedule, as a puppy requires extra calories for proper growth and development.
Remember to feed your pup 3 times a day and on month 7 start feeding 2 times a day.
Moving on….
What To Feed A Golden Retriever Puppy?
This is also important, which food brand and what type of food you are feeding your Golden Retriever Puppy is also essential to consider.
Kibble
Kibble is one of the easy ways to get basic nutrients into your Golden Retriever puppy. It is one of the common choices that pet parents make.
If you are looking for the best kibble bags around then make sure that the kibble you are getting has a puppy formula and offers complete and balanced nutrition!
But I just want to warn you that there are few cheap quality adulterated kibbles available in the market so don’t go for those, that can harm your golden’s health.
If your puppy is undergoing any skin allergies then make sure you check out this article which I wrote a month back! Skin allergies are now very common and you should be conscious of the allergens too, well you can have a look at the Best Dog Food For Golden Retrievers With Skin Allergies.
Coming back to the point!
Numerous Golden Retriever breeders recommend meat/protein meal kibble vs chow kibble. Now, what’s the difference in this?
Meat/Protein kibble has chicken, meat, or bone meal as the primary ingredient, and the Chow Kibble has cereals as the primary ingredients for instance corn, soy, wheat and etc.
Kibble and Wet Dog Food
You should add a little wet food to your kibble which is also recommended by most of the dog breeders and vet so that the meal your golden eats has moisture in their diet which helps your puppy to stay well hydrated.
So, Kibble + Wet food can be served to your pooch and it will be a tasty treat too (as it is quite palatable)!
You can add more small pieces of ingredients from your side to the bowl for instance scrambles organic egg, organic veggies, and fruits, or probiotics such as yogurt!
Make sure you don’t overfeed! Also by adding wet food we maintain the calories that we are feeding our golden!
Raw/BARF Diet
Well, BARF stands for Bones And Raw Food Diets, raw food is something that a few people & vets are against feeding it to a puppy but there are its potential benefits & risks!
But make sure first you take the advice of your vet before feeding your Golden Retriever Puppy!
Benefits like healthier skin, high energy, shinier coat, good health and etc. Risks like an unbalanced diet, bacteria in raw meat/food, can cause harm to the digestive tract, and a few more!
As I told you that have a conversation with a vet and then make your move towards Raw/BARF Diet for your Golden Retriever.
Homemade Diet
Well, some people consider giving homemade food to their doggy, and few not but while making your pooch’s meal at home you need to have proper consideration of the nutrients and ingredients that you are adding which don’t have bone, the bacterial risk for a raw diet.
A veterinary provided recipe should be followed which will help your Golden to feed a nutritionly complete meal.
For sufficient intake of nutrients, you should include the right calcium-to-phosphorus ratio, which is significant for bone development and skeletal growth.
Maintaining A Healthy Puppy Weight Of Your Golden Retriever Puppy
A puppy grows faster, no doubt! But nobody loves an overweight or underweight puppy so make sure that your feeding schedule is proper and you have to monitor your pooch’s weight on a regular basis when your Golden Retriever is in the puppy phase!
Overweigh can develop health and orthopedic problems in your Golden!
Monitoring your pup’s weight is really important, and make sure you don’t ignore that! Monitoring and adjusting the diet accordingly, you should be able to feel but not see your pup’s ribs! (If the ribs get harder, cut back the food a little, and if it is prominent increase the amount of food that you feed.)
If your puppy is obese then make sure you check out this article which I wrote a month back! Best Weight Loss Dog Food For Golden Retrievers
Also, you can define your pup is overweight or not by letting your Golden Stand and you just need to observe the abdomen, if the abdomen is round and bulgy then your puppy is overweight and if the back is all good no bulginess then its good.
Regular visits to your vet is recommended!
Don’t Feed These Things To Your Golden Retriever Puppy
Some foods that we human beings eat are harmful for your Golden, so you have to be aware of it and have not to serve these things to your Golden Retriever puppy!
Before going to the main list where I’ve mentioned that what not to feed your Golden Retriever, you must check this short YouTube Video which explains to you 11 Dangerous Foods that your dog should never eat.
These things are dangerous and harmful for your Golden, so avoid giving these below-listed things to your pooch!
- Alcohol
- Avocado
- Hops
- Xylitol
- Sodas
- Chocolate
- Coffee
- Raw or Undercooked Meat and Eggs
- Bones
- Raisins
- Grapes
- Scallions
- Shallots
- Onions
- Garlic
- Chives
- Citrus Fruits
- Fatty foods
- Macadamia Nuts
- Nuts
- Bread/Yeast Dough
- Moldy Foods
- Milk & Other Dairy Products
- Salty Food
And the food chemicals which are mentioned below, if these are in your dog food’s formula that you are feeding your pup, these chemicals can harm your Golden Retriever’s health.
- Ethoxyquin (EMQ), This is a chemical used for pesticides and you don’t want to feed pesticides to your doggy so make sure this chemical is not included in your dog’s food. Ethoxyquin is already banned in Australia and in the European Union. It is also used in pet foods to preservations, and EMQ’s commercial name is “Stop-Scald”.
- Propylene Glycol is used in some dog food to preserve moisture. FDA has banned this substance in cat food as it causes anemia in felines.
- BHT & BHA that is Butylated Hydroxytoluene and Butylated Hydroxytoluene respectively. These chemicals are carcinogenic according to the WHO.
- Propyl Gallate, a type of xenoestrogen and it can lead to several types of cancers. It is used to protect oils and fats in products from oxidation.
- Tertiary Butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), it causes cellular DNA damage & stomach tumors. It’s an additive to preserve processed food, but this antioxidant has a controversial reputation better to not have in your dog’s food!
Few of these chemicals are artificial preservatives and avoiding these would be a great step otherwise these chemicals can cause health issues in your Golden Retriever. Instead going for natural preservatives is a good choice, common natural preservatives like mixed tocopherols (Vitamin E), ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), and rosemary oil.
I hope that you are now quite aware of what to feed and what not to feed your Golden!
Moving on…
Growing From The Puppy Phase Calorie Needs To Decrease
When your Golden Retriever Puppy turns one year old, their growing phase has just been done. Now, it’s time to switch to adult dog food that is less calorie dense compared to puppy food!
It’s hard to transition the food that you are feeding him since last year, so for Transitioning to a New Food I have added another section below which will help you in changing the food!
As you pup grows into a adult dog his needs change to match your dogs need, you should switch from puppy to adult dog food.
Make sure you don’t overfeed I’ve already mentioned a lot of health diseases that can be caused by overfeeding.
Transitioning To A New Food
This is quite tricky, make sure you don’t feed the new food 100% in the bowl on Day 1, he will definitely not eat it.
There’s a best way to transition your dog’s old to new food by the following method!
| Days | Amount Of Food |
|---|---|
| Day 1 to Day 2 | I served him 80% Old Food & 20% New Food |
| Day 3 to Day 4 | I served him 50% Old Food & 50% New Food |
| Day 5 to Day 6 | I served him 20% Old Food & 80% New Food |
| Day 7 | I served him 100% New Food |
You can follow this method, I learned this method when I bought a skin allergic dog food for my Golden Retriever. At the back of the food bag, they mentioned this method for transitioning and I implemented it!
But you can try this, or can take a piece of advice from your breeder or vet!
Talk To Your Vet
As the info mentioned above is accurate and you can follow, I’ve given my 100% and have written this article on the basis of research! Our most of the blog posts are research oriented and a few experiences based!
Nevertheless, having a chat with your vet can clear more doubts of yours about how much to feed a golden retriever puppy? Your pup may have some different nutritional needs and a piece of advice from your vet is really helpful!
Regular visits to your vet is recommended!
Our Top 5 Food Recommendations
Now you can go with these 5 Best Puppy Food Recommendations. As of now you are clear with what and how much to feed a Golden Retriever Puppy have a look at these 5 best puppy food.
Last update on 2024-04-03 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
FAQ
Is It Better To Feed Grain-Free Food To My Puppy?
Grain-Free food is expensive compared to traditional dog foods but it is equally beneficial for your puppies. But if your doggy is sensitive to grains then Grain-Free Food might cause diseases like dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), life-threatening heart disease in dogs. Few Golden Retrievers pups love having Grain-Free dog food and hence for them this formula in dog food is essential, avoiding it is not a good idea! Having a talk with your vet will help you a lot because the Grain-Free formula in dog food is not suitable for every dog breed!
How Much Should A 6 Month Old Golden Retriever Eat?
Well, if your puppy is 5-6 Months Old then feed him 3 cups a day. In the 7th month, you should cut down 1 cup, and feeding him 2 times a day is recommended for the rest of his life.
How Long To Feed Golden Retriever Puppy Food?
Till your Golden Retriever is not 1 year old you have to feed him the puppy food then once he is gown up to 1 year old you can switch to adult dog food! Transitioning from your puppy food to adult food is quite difficult you can refer to the above section where I’ve mentioned the easiest way to transition your dog food.
How Many Calories Should A Golden Retriever Puppy Eat?
When your pup is 6 months old he will be needing about 1350 calories a day. Now as he is at 1/2 of his adulthood he needs 1350! For more information related to calories, you can check out this calorie chart by PlatoPetTreats.
Last Words
I hope that you were helpful and have left with zero thoughts left! If you have any questions leave a comment below and I’ll be there replying to you!
This question (How Much To Feed A Golden Retriever Puppy?) have might be troubling you but I’m assured that this article has got you and have must be lifted at least 90% of your headache!
I’ve published a 5 chapter guide on ‘How To Take Care Of A Golden Retriever – The Definitive Guide’ give it a read!
Stick to a specific schedule and feed your Golden Retriever a perfect amount of food and don’t let him gain excess weight. Create a consistent feeding schedule.
Recommended –7 Best Dog Bed For Golden Retrievers
