Since Golden Retriever is one of the most popular dog breeds, everyone desires this dog breed. But parenting these high-maintenance dogs is a huge responsibility. So, you should be well aware of the diet plan with training, exercise, and grooming routine to ensure a qualitative lifestyle for a Golden Retriever.
So, how to make a diet plan for a Golden Retriever. Generally, to make an effective diet plan for your Golden Retriever, consider the age, physical activities, and health condition of your dog. Besides this, knowing your dog’s food preference, how much it needs to eat, and how often it must eat are vital factors that you must consider while planning your Golden Retriever’s diet.
Since Golden Retriever is a special dog, it becomes a vital part of your family after you bring it home. Therefore, as an owner, you want to give the best for your pet. So, to help your pal grow well and live a longer and healthier life effective diet plan is essential.
Thus, I will discuss and disclose an effective diet plan for your Golden Retriever according to its age further in this article. But before that, let us know about the harmful food and essential nutrients for your Retriever.
Harmful Foods For Your Golden Retriever
Since a Golden Retriever has a different digestive system than humans, all human foods aren’t beneficial for these dogs. Further, these dogs find difficulty digesting some food that halts the metabolism, digestion, and excretion process. Besides this, these foods result in various digestive problems like constipation, diarrhea, vomiting, bloating, and allergic reaction.
Therefore, it better to keep your pal away from foods like:
- Avocado
- Grapes and raisins
- Xylitol
- Chocolate
- Soda
- Mushrooms
- Nuts and nutmeg
- Broccoli
- Unripe tomatoes
- Tea and coffee
- Onions and garlic
However, it is best to skip human foods from your Golden Retriever’s diet. Thus, if you need to include them in the diet plan, try consulting with the Vet before.
What Are The Essential Nutrients For Golden Retriever?
Since Golden Retriever is a needy dog, it needs adequate love, care, and attention from its owners. Besides this, there is a long list of nutritional requirements for this breed if you want to ensure a happier lifespan. Furthermore, the calories in dog food are due to various essential nutrients that promote the growth and development of your pal.
However, the amount of nutrients required for your pet varies according to height, age, level of activity, intensity of exercise, etc. Thus, it is vital to check whether the food you are feeding your pal meets up with its daily requirement or not. So, while choosing food for your pal, look for these things:
| Essential Nutrients | Required Amount |
| Crude fat | 17% |
| Omega-6 fatty acids | 3.25% |
| Omega-3 fatty acids | 2% |
| Crude fiber | 4.5% |
| Crude protein | 29% |
| Water content | 50% |
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are a great source of energy for both humans and dogs. Thus, without an optimal amount of carbohydrates in your pal’s diet, it cannot function properly. However, the amount of carbohydrate that your pal needs depend on its age, activity, size, and intensity of exercise.
Moreover, carbohydrate is responsible for the formation of glucose that promotes optimal brain activity of your pet. Further, it also helps to provide enough energy for physical activities, exercise, and training. So, without carbohydrates, your pet becomes lazy, weak, and exhausted.
Protein
Since Golden Retrievers love playing, they can play with the kids all day. Thus, they are prone to injuries. And thus, proteins are the best nutrient for building and repairing tissues, muscles so that your pet can recover quickly from those injuries.
Besides this, proteins also play a vital role in producing hormones, enzymes, hair, and new skin cells for the healthier life of your dog.
Apart from being an essential nutrient that helps a lot in your pal growth and development, proteins also provide enough calories for your pet to keep him active, happy, and lively.
Fat
Just like other nutrients, fats are vital for your pal’s development. Therefore, you need to make sure that your dog’s food contains at least 18% fats.
However, most owners have a falls assumption that fats might degrade their dog’s health. Further, in contrast to this myth, your pal needs an optimum amount to perform its daily activities. Along with this, fats are also vital for the growth and proper functioning of tissues, muscles, and nerves of your Golden Retriever.
Therefore, if you want to make your pal glossy, healthy, active, and more appealing, you must include omega-rich foods in the diet plan of your Golden Retriever.
Vitamins
Since vitamins are one of the most vital nutrients for your pal, they are crucial during the growing stage. And thus, they help for the development of your pal’s teeth and bone.
Apart from this, vitamins are essential for healthy skin, skin coat growth, and a stronger immune system. Therefore, your pal needs a healthy mix of Vitamins A, B, C, D, E, and K in its diet.
Moreover, since homemade foods are a great source of vitamins, you should consider mixing them with dog food while making a diet plan for your Golden Retriever.
Minerals
Like humans, dogs also need food equipped with phosphorus, sodium, magnesium, zinc, iron, potassium, and calcium for a healthier and happier life. Moreover, these minerals transport oxygen in the bloodstream.
Further, they also maintain the balance of the fluids inside and outside the body cells in your dog. So, minerals assure proper functioning and development of the organs in your Golden Retriever.
In addition, minerals also promote hormone production, muscle function with bone and cartilage formation so that your pet grows properly and lives an active life.
Water
Since dehydration can lead to illness in your dog, water is vital for them. Therefore, it is essential to manage your pal’s body water content above 15 percent.
Besides this, Golden Retrievers have a thick skin coat that makes them more vulnerable to heat. So, your pal needs to drink enough water to maintain its homeostasis. Thus, you should ensure that your pal’s water bowl has fresh water throughout the day.
Furthermore, giving excess water prevents the chances of overfeeding and malnutrition. As a result, your pet will be less susceptible to chronic diseases. Hence, water is one of the vital nutrients in your dog’s diet.
So, do you know how much water should you give your pal?
How Much Water Should A Golden Retriever Drink?
Moreover, the amount of water your pal needs every day depends on its activity level, size, weather, food type (dry or wet), weather, health conditions, etc. Further, since wet food has a high moisture content (70-75%), your dog needs lesser water when you use wet food in its diet.
Besides this, it is better to include more water in your pal’s diet if it is overweight to prevent illness and ensure its regular activity. Generally, a Golden Retriever needs to drink about 30 ml of freshwater every day for each pound of its weight. Thus, when the dogs mostly rely on dry food, you need to increase their water intake.
However, when your dog avoids drinking water, you need to add more moisture to its diet or use a water fountain to encourage it to drink water. Along with this, don’t forget to regularly switch the water of its water bowl with fresh water.
Further, you can also ensure that your dog gets all the essential nutrients through some easily available kitchen foods. Do you know about them?
Foods That Fulfill Your Golden Retriever’s Nutritional Requirement
Although, commercial food claims its benefits. Yet, some kitchen foods can be the best to ensure that your Golden Retriever is getting all essential nutrients in its diet. However, just mix these foods in your pal’s regular diet plan, and you will for sure notice a difference in its health.
| Core Nutrients | Foods | Percentage Required |
| Carbohydrate | Brown rice, sweet potato, oatmeal, millet, chickpeas, rye, barley | 45% |
| Proteins | Eggs, fish, chicken, beef, milk | 30% |
| Fats | Chicken fat, pork fat, fish oil, canola oil | 25%
|
| Minerals | Vegetables, molasses, fish, beans, wheat bran, bone meal, organ, and muscle meat | 15% |
| Vitamins | Spinach, carrots, liver, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, fish oil, turnip greens, eggs | 20% |
What Is The Ideal Weight For Your Golden Retriever?
Generally, the ideal weight of your Golden Retriever depends on various influencing factors from age, type of breed, sex, and environmental condition. Furthermore, Goldendoodles weigh lesser than the English breeds a typical Golden Retriever. Thus, ideal weight in different growing stages varies a lot as per the breed type.
However, the ideal weight of a typical Golden Retriever is as follows:
Ideal Weight Of A Male Golden Retriever
Since a male Golden Retriever has a larger body frame, it is taller and heavier than the female. So, the ideal weight of a male breed as per its age is as follows:
| Age | Weight Range (pounds) | Percentage of Adult weight |
| 7 weeks | 4-17 | 12% |
| 8 weeks | 5-17 | 13.5% |
| 9 weeks | 8-17 | 16.5% |
| 10 weeks | 10-22 | 20.5% |
| 11 weeks | 12-25 | 23% |
| 3 months | 16-43 | 30% |
| 4 months | 25-44 | 41% |
| 5 months | 27-57 | 55% |
| 6 months | 29-72 | 60% |
| 7 months | 32-77 | 66% |
| 8 months | 49-85 | 75% |
| 9 months | 45-77 | 83.5% |
| 10 months | 50-77 | 86% |
| 11 months | 55-77 | 93% |
| 1 year | 65-77 | 93% |
| 2 years | 65-80 | 100% |
Ideal Weight Of A Female Golden Retriever
As we know, a female Golden Retriever is shorter and weighs a little less than a male. But once it reaches its first heat cycle and delivers puppies, its weight increases drastically. Thus, after it is one year old, it is heavier than most male dogs.
| Age | Weight Range (pounds) | Percentage of Adult weight |
| 7 weeks | 5-17 | 13% |
| 8 weeks | 5-17 | 14% |
| 9 weeks | 8-17 | 17% |
| 10 weeks | 10-22 | 21.5% |
| 11 weeks | 12-25 | 24% |
| 3 months | 16-33 | 31.5% |
| 4 months | 22-44 | 43% |
| 5 months | 25-52 | 57% |
| 6 months | 27-61 | 61.5% |
| 7 months | 31-67 | 64% |
| 8 months | 40-70 | 74% |
| 9 months | 44-68 | 74% |
| 10 months | 52-68 | 86% |
| 11 months | 52-80 | 93% |
| 1 year | 55-90 | 100% |
| 2 years | 55-90 | 100% |
Besides this, a pregnant Golden Retriever weighs 50% more than the adult, while a senior dog might weigh 15-25% lesser than the adult.
However, do you know how to make a diet plan and feed a Golden Retriever in different stages of its life?
Diet Plan A Golden Retriever
Since the nutritional requirement of a Golden Retriever varies according to its age, it requires different amounts and types of nutrients in each stage of its life. Therefore, you should ensure that your dog is getting a sufficient amount of nutrients at each phase.
Thus, to ease your struggle with the diet plan of your Golden Retriever, you can read further to take reference:
Diet Plan For Golden Retriever Puppy
Like humans, a Golden Retriever puppy also solely depends on its mother’s milk during the early phases of its life. Thus, you shouldn’t separate a puppy from its mother until it is eight weeks old.
Further, if your puppy is avoiding its mother’s milk, you can switch to puppy milk available in the market, like Hartz Powdered Puppy Milk Replacer, Meyenberg Whole Powdered Milk, etc. Besides this, you can start introducing your puppy to dog food by mixing it with an adequate amount of water that makes it easier to swallow.
Diet Plan For Adolescent Golden Retriever
Usually, once a Golden Retriever puppy grows above 12 weeks of age, it reaches its adolescence stage and teething. So, in this stage, you should start giving your pal some healthy chewing options like fish skin, chicken bones, etc.
Furthermore, start giving your pal dry food mixed with an enormous amount of water. Besides this, you can also use wet foods for your Golden Retriever. In addition, try adding some vegetables to the dog food while preparing your pet’s meal to ensure that the meal has all the essential nutrients.
However, be careful that your pal’s food is not too dry. Thus, always maintain a run-in consistency.
Diet Plan For Adult Golden Retriever
After your Golden Retriever is a year older, you should start giving it a meal two times a day. Further, you must ensure that your pal gets enough amount of protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals in each meal. Besides this, start adding some healthy natural snacks to the diet plan of your Golden Retriever as treats.
In addition, don’t forget to include omega-rich foods in its diet for the proper growth of a healthy skin coat and fur. Moreover, you can start mixing dry food with wet food and give it to your dog to get the benefits of both foods.
However, make sure you don’t include harmful human foods in your dog’s diet, as mentioned above.
Diet Plan For Senior Golden Retriever
Like humans, the functions of organs start declining, and your pal becomes more inactive and ill as it grows older. Besides this, senior dogs are also susceptible to several health issues like eye diseases, cancer, thyroid disorders, joint problems, cancer, ear infections, etc.
Therefore, as your pal gets older, it needs a lesser amount of food. So, you need to cut down fats, proteins, and fibers from your dog’s diet after it is two years old. Further, you should give more emphasis on wet dog foods, milk, and water.
Along with this, you can also prepare the meal by mixing chicken broth with pumpkin, carrots, green beans, and fish oil for your senior dog. Don’t try to overfeed or starve your pet. So, include foods that are easy to digest and filled with vitamins and minerals in your senior Golden Retriever diet plan.
Moreover, as explained earlier, your dog’s needs vary according to its age. So, what might be the food requirement of your Golden Retriever?
Food Requirement According To The Size And Age Of Golden Retriever
Generally, based on the age of your dog, the amount of food it needs varies. Therefore, you should change your diet plan according to the age of your Golden Retriever. However, to help you ensure your pal gets an adequate amount of food, I am disclosing a table with food requirements according to the age and weight of Golden Retriever:
| Weight of Golden Retriever | Food Requirements According To Age Of Golden Retriever | Calories/ Day | |||||
| 2 months | 3-4 months | 5-7 months | 8-12 months | 12-18 months | 18- 24 months | ||
| 3-10 lbs. | 50-100 gms | 100-150 gms | 100-400 | ||||
| 10-30 lbs. | 75-125 gms | 150-200 gms | 300-900 | ||||
| 30-60 lbs. | 120-150 gms | 200-250 gms | 250-300 gms | 300-350 gms | 900-1000 | ||
| 60-80 lbs. | 150-250 gms | 200-300 gms | 250-350 gms | 350-400 gms | 1020-1300 | ||
| 80-100 lbs. | 250-350 gms | 300-450 gms | 350-500 gms | 400- 600 gms | 1100-1400 | ||
| 100-125 lbs. | 300-500 gms | 350-650 gms | 400- 650 gms | 500-700 gms | 1300- 1500 | ||
| 125-150 lbs. | 350- 650 gms | 400-750 gms | 450-800 gms | 500-900 gms | 1400-1600 | ||
| 150-175 lbs. | 350-750 gms | 450-800 gms | 500-900 gms | 650-1000 gms | 800-1150 gms | 900-1300 gms | 1600-1870 |
However, after you know about the food requirement of your Golden Retriever, you might be thinking about what type of food to include in your pal’s diet. Aren’t you?
What Type Of Foods Should You Give Your Golden Retriever?
Furthermore, with the hype in demand of Golden Retriever, the dog food options are also increasing. Thus, you will find many dog foods that claim they are best for the growth and development of your pal. However, based on the amount of water content, there are usually two types of food. i.e.:
Dry Food
Generally, dry foods are lower in water content. Thus, you can store these foods for a longer time. Besides this, these foods are cheaper and convenient to use if you have more than one pet in your house.
In addition, the dry foods come in bite-size so that your pal can get the required nutrients from eating small portions daily. However, based on the method of preparation, there are two types of dry food:
- Kibble– prepared at a higher temperature of more than 120ºC.
- Cold Pressed foods– produced using a lower temperature. Hence, it helps to retain the nutrients, aroma, vitamins, and flavors in food.
Wet Food
Usually, wet foods are the best food options for a puppy that is just weaning off its mother’s milk and trying to get familiar with dog food. Since these foods contain about 60-65% moisture, it is easier for a teething puppy to chew and swallow.
Besides this, wet foods are palatable that most dogs prefer to eat. Moreover, the high water content helps to maintain an optimum fluid level in your dog’s body.
However, the drawback of these foods is that your pal needs to eat more portions to get the required nutrients from wet foods. Along with this, they are more likely to stick in your pet’s teeth that promotes dental problems.
Therefore, I prefer mixing these two types of food to get the benefits of both foods. Moreover, you can mix up these foods in equal portions or the ratio of 2:1 according to your preference and include them in the diet plan of your Golden Retriever.
Treats
Besides the regular dog food, treats are also vital in the diet plan of your Golden Retriever. Moreover, most owners fail to include treats in their pet’s diet plan. As a result, it leads to health problems like diabetes, obesity, thyroid diseases, etc.
Furthermore, Golden Retrievers love eating and are always hungry. Thus, treats can be the best way to encourage your pal to follow your orders. However, using natural snacks as treats in the diet plan is a convenient way to reward your pal and promote its healthy lifespan.
So, how to prepare a diet plan for your pal? I know you might be struggling with this question ever since you bring your pet home. Thus, to ease some of your stress, I have some diet plans for your Golden Retriever. Therefore, as you read further, you will get to know them.
Diet Plan Of A Golden Retriever According To Age
Like humans, your Golden Retriever food preference and requirements vary according to its age. So, you should also make adjustments in your diet plan as it gets older. Therefore, to help you, I have a diet plan for your pet:
| Age of Golden Retriever | Food | Supplements/ snacks | What To Feed | How Much To Feed | |
| Dry | Cereal | ||||
| Up to 2 months | 2 times | 3 times | Water, chicken broth | Mother’s milk or milk replacers like lactol or baby dog milk | 4-5 times a day, 30-60 ml milk in each meal via feeding bottle. |
| 3 -6 months | 3 | 2 | Chicken, pork, milk, brown rice, barley | Starter dry food and homemade foods. Like boneless chicken rice, curd rice, etc. | Three times a day, mix dry food with water and run-in blender if puppy can’t chew, feed 70-125 g total in a day in divided meals. |
| 7-10 months | 2 | 1 | Chicken fat, carrot, chickpeas, milk, sweet potato, pumpkin | Junior/puppy variant of any reputed brand and homemade food. | 2-3 times a day. Give dry kibble. You can even mix it with gravy food. Ensure your dog gets 175g of food daily. |
| one year old | 1 | 1 | Pork fat, fish oil, canola oil, eggs, brown rice, barley | Adult dry dog food and homemade food like rice, chicken, soya rice, curd rice, chicken veggie, etc. | Twice a day, at least 130–190 gram food daily. |
| Above 2 years | 1 | 0 | Eggs, milk, oatmeal, millet, broth, fish oil | Wet dog food mixed with milk, chicken broth, boiled vegetables, etc | Once a day 150 grams a day depending on its weight |
Weekly Diet Plan For Your Golden Retriever
Now, as you know the need of your pal according to its age, you might want to prepare a weekly diet plan. Don’t you?
Further, since a weekly diet plan ensures your Golden Retriever gets all the nutrients, it is best. For this, you can take help from the following diet plan that I made for my pet.
| Day | Morning | Afternoon (after training) | Evening |
| Sunday | ½ cup of dry mood + ½ wet food with 2 cups of water | 1 cup of dry food t ½ cup of wet food 1ith enough amount water | Beef broth mixed with chicken and veggies like chickpeas, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin |
| Monday | ¼ cup of dry food+ 1-2 drops of coconut oil+ brown rice | 2 cups of wet dog food with 1 cup of water | Boiled or steamed chicken+ carrots |
| Tuesday | Oatmeal with pork fat | 2 cups of dry food with 2 cups of water | Milk |
| Wednesday | Milk and millet mixed | 2 cups of Dry food with fish oil and water | 1 cup wet food mixed with beef broth |
| Thursday | Eggs + wet dog food+ veggies | Brown rice, steamed chicken, boiled pumpkin or carrots | Oatmeal, fish oil, and chicken broth |
| Friday | ½ cup of dry food+ 2 cups of chicken broth | 2 cups of Wet food + water | Carrot, pumpkin, sweet potato, egg, and millet |
| Saturday | Green beans+ brown rice | 1 cup of wet food + ½ cup of dry food+ 2 cups of water | Milk |
Furthermore, you must remember that each cub contains 250 grams. Thus, you can either increase or decrease the quantity of food according to your dog’s requirements. But don’t leave its bowl with food all day.
Also, change the diet plan of your dog every week to find the one that suits it.
What Are The Best Food For Golden Retriever?
Further, after the immense popularity of Golden Retriever, these dogs have become a member of most houses. Besides this, much more people are planning to own this beautiful dog. So, taking this into concern, you will find different types of dog food in the market.
However, the best among them with the good reviews are as follow:
Weight Loss Food For A Golden Retriever
Since your Golden Retriever loves eating, it is more likely to get obese. And although obesity results from overeating, you can’t starve your pet. Can you?
Thus, there are some foods in the market to help a Golden Retriever in weight loss. Along with this, they also provide all the essential nutrients for your pet to keep functioning. Thus, they are:
- Health Extension, Little BitesCanidae PURE Grain Free, Limited Ingredient Dry Dog Food
- Instinct Raw Boost Grain-Free Recipe
- Natural Balance Fat Dogs Low-Calorie Dry Dog Food
- NUTRO NATURAL CHOICE Small Bites Adult Dry Dog
- WELLNESS CORE Marrow Roasts Natural Grain-Free Dog Treats
Weight Gain Food For A Golden Retriever
Owing to your Golden Retriever’s love for food, it is less likely to be underweight. But sometimes, due to diseases and past abuse, these dogs can be skinny. Therefore, to maintain their ideal weight, there are some weight gain foods in the market. Such as:
- Hill’s Science Diet
- Bully Max The Ultimate Canine Supplement
- Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Natural Adult Dry Dog Food
- Purina Pro Plan Large Breed & Giant Breed Dog Food
- Blue Buffalo Wilderness High Protein Natural Dog Food
- Purina ONE Grain-Free, Natural Pate Wet Dog Food
What Are The Health Risks Of An Inappropriate Diet Plan In Your Golden Retriever?
Moreover, food plays a vital part in making your Golden Retriever healthy, happy, and active. So, if you fail to manage its diet plan, your pal may suffer from various health issues like:
- Decrease in lifespan by two years
- Cancer
- Weakened immunity
- Arthritis
- Heat intolerance and more likely to get cold in winter
- Soft tissue damage that leads to bone and joint defects
- High blood pressure
- Heart diseases
- Respiratory problems
- Arthritis
- Diabetes
- Kidney and liver disease
- Digestive disorders (bloating, constipation, diarrhea, allergies, etc.)
Furthermore, I hope this article helped you in making an effective diet plan for your Golden Retriever.
Summing up, Golden Retriever is an expensive and high-maintenance dog breed. So, it needs constant attention, care, and love. Thus, you must be very conscious while parenting this breed.
Besides this, food plays a critical part in strengthening your bond with your pal. Moreover, if you manage to give your pet healthy and adequate food, it loves and adores you. Hence, you should ensure your pal gets all the essential nutrients in enough quantity.
However, you might give your pal more food due to its pleading attribute and a contagious smile that may lead to obesity. Thus, be careful not be overfeed them.
I hope you enjoyed reading this article, and it was informative enough to help you get closer to your pal.
If you have any suggestions, please share them through comments.
