Wondering How Much to Feed a Golden Retriever Puppy? We will elaborate on How much a golden retriever puppy should eat daily. Also, we will share with you some information on maintaining a healthy puppy weight.
Knowing what type of food they should eat, how much they should eat and how often they should eat is a necessary part of owning a golden retriever. There are some general guidelines for you to follow in this article.
How Often Should You Feed Your Puppy?
Until eight weeks, a puppy should remain with his mother and littermates. Three to four meals in a day are important for an eight-week-old puppy.
So you can split the suggested amount accordingly and feed it every day after the same time intervals. In this way, he can digest the food easily because he is used to the food every day at the same time.
Moreover, this is also a great source of energy if the food is given to the dog every day after the same time intervals.
After that, until the dog gets 5 to 6 months old, feeding your Puppy 3 times a day is advised. You should, of course, feed the Puppy at the same time every day, and you can split the total amount per day.
It is normal to feed the dog twice a day when it gets above 6 months of Age. Furthermore, it would help if you fed your dog every day at the same location so that it could focus on eating.
Remember that the location should be distraction-free because the young golden puppies can easily be distracted.
Another great tip is giving your Puppy only 15 to 20 minutes to eat. After that, pick up the leftover food. It’s common for puppies to learn to eat while the food is down.
You should consult a vet if your dog misses a couple of meals or the dog has no interest in the food. There are chances that something might be wrong.
Don’t Free-feed
Don’t freely feed your golden retriever because if there is plenty of food in front of it all the time, it will probably overeat and become overweight.
An increase in weight can easily cause some possible health problems. Also, the golden retriever becomes overweight often.
It is impossible to properly house train a dog if you always leave his food in his bowl on the floor. You won’t be able to anticipate when he will defecate if you always leave his food on the floor.
Switching the Food of Your Dog
The first few weeks after you get your Puppy, feed him the food the breeder or rescue fed him. After that, if you want to change his food, do so over at least ten days.
Add more of the new food each day and subtract more old food.
It will take about five days for him to eat half of the new and half of the old food. Add new food and subtract old food until he is eating everything you have chosen.
It will help prevent stomach upsets and diarrhea if you switch foods over such a long period.
Puppy Feeding Amounts Based on Age
Many golden retriever breeders and other knowledgeable people recommend the following amounts:
- A two-month-old puppy needs about 1 12 cups of food per day.
- For a three-month-old puppy, two cups of food per day should be sufficient
- Puppies aged 4 months should be fed about 2 12 cups a day
- You should feed three cups a day to a five to six months puppy puppy
- A six- to seven-month-old male Puppy needs about 3 12 to 4 cups of food a day (female puppies need about 3 cups).
- Puppies that are eight months old should be adjusted based on their growth.
When to Feed a Golden Retriever Puppy
It would be best to feed your Puppy 3 times a day when you first bring them home. Puppies require large calories to fulfill their needs for growth, but they have small stomachs, so they need food often after short periods.
As I told you earlier, when your Puppy turns six months old, start feeding him twice a day. After that, they continued feeding him two times a day throughout their life.
Free feeding can lead to obesity since it is hard to see how much your dog eats. For puppies, the last meal of the day should be 90 minutes before bedtime so that they can digest their food and go potty.
How Much to Feed a Golden Retriever Puppy?
It is important to feed your golden retriever the right amount of food. Overfeeding is dangerous as it can cause bone and joint problems due to increased weight.
There is a problem with the people that think that puppies should be chubby, but the puppies should be lean.
You should feel your Puppy’s ribs when it is standing up. Moreover, your Puppy also must have a visible waistline.
If you can’t see your Puppy’s ribs but can feel them, then it is the perfect weight for your Puppy.
It is very difficult to say how much food you should feed your golden retriever puppy.
Feeding amounts will depend on the weight of your Puppy and the quality of the food you buy. Cheaper foods tend to use a lot of fillers, so you may need to feed more.
Dangerous Foods for Golden Retriever Puppies
Here is a list of some dangerous foods for golden retrievers that might surprise you. You should avoid giving your Golden Retriever puppy the following foods:
- Fruits of citrus trees (in large quantities)
- The coffee
- Foods high in fat
- Onions, garlic, or chives
- Raisins and grapes
- Nuts macadamias
- Dairy products (may upset the stomach)
- Drinking alcohol
- The caffeine
- A chocolate bar
- A nut
- Foods containing salt
- Artificial sweetener Xylitol
- Dough made from yeast
Maintaining a Healthy Puppy Weight
Keeping your Golden Retriever at a healthy weight cannot be easy. You may be worried that your Puppy is too skinny.
Your Puppy may grow too quickly, which is a bigger concern.
Maintain constant weight monitoring and adjust your Puppy’s diet accordingly. You should be able to feel, but not see, the Puppy’s ribs.
Cut back a little on the food when your Puppy’s ribs become harder to feel. If they become more prominent, feed more.
The amount of calcium and phosphorus in your Puppy’s diet is also important. Too much calcium or phosphorus can make your Puppy grow too fast.
Calcium and phosphorus levels shouldn’t exceed 1.5% and 0.9%, respectively, in puppy food.
What Nutrients Does A Golden Retriever Puppy Need
It’s a little-known fact that different dog breeds require different nutrition. This is because dogs have unique builds, features, and genetics.
As playful, energetic, and intelligent dogs, golden retrievers are no different. They have beautiful coats that make them stand out. Their nutritional requirements are as follows:
Protein
Ideally, golden retrievers should eat a diet that contains at least 30% protein. Anything less than this can be considered a protein-deficient diet.
Because they are active dogs, they require more protein to maintain their muscles than other breeds of dogs. They can obtain this protein from chicken, fish, beef, or any other source of animal protein.
Fat
A Golden Retriever’s diet should contain between 12 and 18% fat. Many people believe this fat level is unhealthy, but the truth is that a certain amount of fat is needed to perform bodily functions.
The best fats are healthy fats in meats such as salmon and chicken, such as Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids.
Carbohydrates
The amount of carbohydrates in dog food is a point of contention since many believe dogs do not need carbohydrates. However, dog food needs at least 20 – 25% carbohydrates.
If your dog is not that active, you should reduce this amount because you do not want an overweight Golden Retriever. If these carbohydrates contain fiber, your dog would be much healthier.
Fiber
Your Golden Retriever needs fiber in his diet because it helps to maintain good gut health. Fruits and vegetables provide soluble and insoluble fiber.
Beets, pumpkins, carrots, apples, and broccoli contain this mineral, which regulates his digestive system.
Always avoid feeding your Golden Retriever foods that contain fillers like soy, corn, or wheat.
What Human Foods Can A Golden Retriever Puppy Eat
There are some foods that golden retrievers can eat. The same foods humans consume, such as fish, eggs, beef, turkey, chicken, and salmon, can be eaten by dogs.
Dogs can eat dairy products. Also, they can eat cooked vegetables and carbs in small amounts, just like pasta.
Remember that golden retrievers tend to gain weight, so they should feed them a protein diet.
Also, vegetables are good because they provide fiber for the digestive system but do not provide a lot of carbohydrates, especially if they do not exercise very much.
FAQs
How much should a 10-week-old golden retriever puppy eat?
A 10-week-old golden retriever puppy should eat at least 1/2 cup of food 3 times a day.
How much should you feed a golden retriever daily?
It is normal for goldens to eat about two cups of premium food per day. It can be adjusted more or less based on their activity level and metabolism.
Conclusion
Hopefully, we have provided you with enough information regarding How Much to Feed a Golden Retriever Puppy?
Raising and feeding a golden retriever puppy is not an easy task. There are a lot of things that you must look upon. After reading this post, feeding a golden retriever shouldn’t be one of them.
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