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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 what’s good and what’s bad, and the importance of choosing a high-quality food… it can be downright scary to pick a food for your pup!
But here’s the good news: this article will make this decision much easier for you.
You’ll 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, here’s 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 let’s dive into that first study!
Most Popular Food For Golden Retriever Puppies
If you ask what to feed your puppy in a Facebook group, you’re going to get a variety of contradicting answers.
To help you cut through the noise, we asked 600 Golden Retriever owners what they feed their Golden Retrievers.
Here’s what we found:
- Purina Pro Plan
- Royal Canin Golden Retriever (mostly “Golden Retriever Puppy“)
- Hill’s Science Diet
- Raw
- Blue Buffalo
You can see the full results of the study here.
Now, let’s go to the next study.
The Dangers Of BEG And Grain-Free Diets
In recent years, DCM (dilated cardiomyopathy) has increased in Golden retrievers, according to this study in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.
There seem to be two potential causes of this.
- Taurine deficiency
- Eating BEG (Boutique, exotic-ingredient, and grain-free) diets
When they surveyed what these dogs were eating, “more than 90 percent of products were ‘grain-free’, and 93 percent of reported products had peas and/or lentils.”
So when choosing which food to feed your puppy, you may want to think twice before you decide to go grain free.
Now you know what the most popular foods are, and which ones to avoid, let’s get into some of the most common questions Golden Retriever puppy owners have about food.
Here’s a table of contents for you:
- Why you need to feed your Golden Retriever Puppy a high-quality food
- How to read a dog food label
- Golden Retriever food-related health issues
- How much (and when) you should feed your Golden Retriever puppy
- Why you don’t want to overfeed your puppy
- Should I feed my Golden Retriever a raw diet?
- Puppy food vs. adult food
- Do Golden Retriever puppies need vitamins?
- What we feed our Golden Retriever
- How to switch food brands
Why You Should Feed Your Golden Retriever Puppy High-Quality Food
Controlling what (and how much) your Golden eats is one of the most important things you can do when it comes to their health.
And although many Goldens have lived healthy lives on Walmart brand pet foods, feeding them high-quality food will stack the odds of them being healthy in their favor.
Here are some benefits of feeding them a high-quality food:
- Healthy and beautiful coat (that you won’t want to stop petting)
- Healthy bones and joints
- Healthy heart
- Healthy digestive system
- Healthy skin
- Fewer allergies
That’s a lot of health benefits, right?
Now high-quality food can be a little on the expensive side, but chances are likely that you’ll save more money in the long run on vet bills.
What Makes Food “High-Quality”
Dogs are omnivores, so a good dog food will have a mix of meat, grains, fruits, and vegetables.
They’ll have few preservatives, added sugar, salt, or artificial colors.
The protein will come from readily available sources such as chicken or beef, and not exotic or boutique sources like kangaroo or venison (as you saw in second study mentioned above).
Make sure to choose a puppy food that is approved by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO).
On the label, it will say “(Name of product) is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles.”
AAFCO has strict standards for dog food and decides whether or not it is suitable to be sold as advertised.
Now here’s a common misconception about dog food: animal byproducts are bad.
According to the AKC, quality, regulated animal byproducts can be good for your dog.
These byproducts can include organ meats or entrails, which often contain more nutrients than, say, plain chicken breast.
Of course, some foods may contain non-regulated byproducts, like hooves, intestinal contents, or even manure, so it’s important that you choose a reputable dog food.
Another misconception is that dogs should eat grain-free diets.
As you saw in the second study mentioned above, that can actually be very harmful for your dog and cause DCM.
How To Read A Dog Food Label
To help make an informed decision about what you’re feeding your Golden, you’ll need to read the food label.
But food labels can be a little vague and confusing, so below is an explanation of what some of these terms mean, according to the Merck Veterinary Manual and the AKC.
Ingredients are listed in order of weight
The first ingredient listed is the ingredient that there’s the most of in the food, while the last ingredient is the ingredient that there’s the least of.
There is one caveat though.
Ingredients are listed in the exact type that they’re added in.
For instance, flaked corn, ground corn, and kibbled corn could be sprinkled in an ingredient list and not be listed as the first few ingredients, but in reality, if you were to add them all up (they are all corn, after all), you might find that this food is made mostly of corn.
The same goes for chicken, chicken meal, and chicken byproduct.
Meat vs. Meat Meal vs. Meat Byproduct
Let’s say you’re looking at a food label and you see “chicken”, “chicken meal”, and “chicken byproduct”.
“Chicken” means that it’s chicken muscle, skin and/or bones.
“Chicken meal” means that it’s essentially ground and dried chicken muscle, skin and/or bones.
“Chicken byproducts” means that it’s byproducts (organs, bones, etc).
“Chicken byproducts meal” means that it’s essentially ground and dried byproducts.
The quality of these ingredients can vary widely, so be sure to talk to your vet about this and choose a reputable brand of food.