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Getting a golden retriever is obviously the first step to owning a dog. He turns out to be everything you wished for, loyal and certainly your new best friend. But as you should know by now that dogs have specific diets tailor-made for them and Golden Retrievers are no exception.
As a concerned pet dog owner you have decided to find the best form of nutrition your golden retriever would need to live healthily. In here, you’ll get well informed about how to go about feeding your golden retriever.
Although, you should take into consideration that when you’re switching your dog’s diet you should not do so suddenly. Take your time and slowly ease into it so as not to rush in with new stuff and upset their gut system.
Types of Dog Foods
There are several types of dog foods and are namely; dry, moist, fresh and dehydrated. With the golden retriever being a large breed dog they would need a lot of moist foods. The Dry foods function to keep your dog’s teeth clean because of its abrasive texture.
Giving your dog foods that are of low-quality ingredients can prove unhealthy and may contribute to different health issues like obesity and inflammations as well as arthritis and in more severe irredeemable cases, cancer. So you see why it is important to get your dog the best kinds of foods. These foods that you get for them should be wholesome and in some cases organic foods are a very good option. Foods for your golden retriever should be highly packed with protein.
The Golden retriever dogs are at risk of developing hip abnormalities if they are on a high calcium diet. So avoid feeding foods high in calcium content.
The Golden retriever dogs have a steady growth increase for about 1-2 years. So do not switch up their diet to the adult dog formulas too soon.
The Adult Golden Retrievers can be fed any kind of kibble ranging from the high-quality ones or the kibbles that are made specifically for the very large breed dogs.
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) stated from thorough research that the large-breed dogs have way shorter lifespans than the small-breed dogs and are tagged seniors at about five to six years.
The Food And Drug Administration on investigation, has recently found out that dogs that eat foods that are tagged “grain free” have been found to develop heart and blood vessels abnormalities popularly known as the Canine Dilated Cardiomyopathy.
Also dogs that are not genetically predisposed to developing the Canine Dilated Cardiomyopathy but get this disease anyways, have been found to be regular consumers of foods that have lentils, peas, legumes and potatoes. These foods are not grains but have been shown to trigger this ailment on increased consumption.
While doing your own research, it is advisable to consult your veterinarian or your dogs nutritionist in order to find out which foods are best for your golden retriever. There are so many choices of dog foods to pick from just make sure you make the healthiest decision for your Golden.
What The Labels On Your Dog Food Packs Mean
The labels that are tagged to your dog foods show you what the essence of the food is all about. Knowing and understanding the meaning of these terms help you make an informed decision on the type of food you should be getting.
The terms that are written on the label are enumerated in descending amounts of the ingredients it contains. The first few contents that are listed are found in much bigger amounts than the ones that are listed at the bottom.
Here are a few foods byou should look out for when on the hunt for food for your Golden.
Meat
Meat is highly packed in protein and can be in various forms like beef, chicken, pork, lamb, or fishes like salmon. This here is meat from animals without any water having being extracted.
A Meat Meal
This includes actual meat from animals, their skin, and bones alike. This can be very nutritious. This meat is from animals that have had water already extracted from them.
The Meat By-Products or Poultry By-Products
This includes the proteinous but non-meat part of the animal. These by-products include what is left from an animal after the meats that are intended for consumption have been removed. These by-products are in form of blood, heads, spleens, stomachs, the lungs, kidneys, the bones, beaks, feet, feathers, as well as the intestines.
The Whole Meats and Named Protein Meals
These meats have about 70% of moisture before cooking and they are protein like chicken, beef, lamb and salmon.
The named protein meals, like the lamb meal, have a lot of the moisture removed and then made into a kibble. As a result meals have a lot more protein content than the regular whole meals.
The Fish Meal
Fish meal is a cleanly ground tissue of fish either with the oil extracted or not.
Ground Corn
Ground corn has its kernels ground into fine or crispy forms
The Brewers Rice
These are small rice kernels that have been separated from the larger ones of milled rice.
Brown Rice
Brown rice is the unpolished rice left over after the kernels have been removed.
Soybean Meal
The Soybean meal is very nutritious and is gotten from soybean oil.
Organic Foods
These foods are void of antibiotics, preservatives and artificial materials.
Here are Some Suggested Foods for Your Golden Retriever
• Wellness Core Grain-Free Large-Breed Dog Formula
Its major food ingredients contain deboned chicken, lentils, peas and chicken meals. This dog food recipe is rich in protein content and contains about 34% of protein in them. It is free of grains, and has high levels of glucosamine and chondroitin that function to improve healthier bones in large breed dogs.
The kibble size of this recipe is bigger and is very much compatible with the jaws of large breed dogs like your golden retriever.
This Dog food pack has the perfect amount of fats present to keep your dogs weight in check.
This dog food recipe is void of any kind of artificial flavors, colorings and preservatives making it a safe and healthy choice for your Golden retriever.
• The Blue Buffalo Wilderness Adult Large-Breed Chicken Formula
Its major ingredients are: the deboned salmon, peas, and tapioca starch, chicken meal, pea protein. It is rich in protein and on analysis is made up of a minimum of about 32% protein.
This dog food recipe is an excellent option for dog foods with high protein content. It has an amazing blend of vitamins and minerals that include phosphorus and calcium needed to keep your golden retriever bones healthy and strong.
In it are the fatty acids of Omega-3 and Omega-6 that are found in generous amounts in fish meals and flaxseeds. These fatty acids function to maintain a healthy coat on your golden retriever making it have a glistening natural sheen.
This dog food recipe is void of grains and gluten and does not contain any artificial flavors or preservatives. It is rich in proteins fat and carbs and the trio combo all in the right amounts, helps keep your dog healthy and strong.
The antioxidants present in this formula help your golden retriever resist infections and diseases. In addition to this formula is glucosamine and chondroitin that helps develop strong bones and teeth.
• The Now Fresh Grain-Free Large-Breed Adult Formula
The major ingredients in this one are: de-boned turkey, potatoes, eggs, peas, and potato flour. It is rich in protein content and contains a minimum of about 27% protein.
It contains extra nutrients such as glucosamine and chondroitin that help in the development of strong bones, hips and joints in the larger-breed dogs. Alongside, they also have antioxidants that improve resistance to diseases and infections keeping your golden retriever healthy.
This dog food formula is void of artificial colorings, preservatives and artificial flavors making it safe for consumption.
The Now Fresh Grain-Free Large-Breed Adult Formula also contains probiotics that aids digestion easily. There is absence of gluten, wheat and soy components to check for allergens.
• The Merrick Backcountry Raw Infused Large-Breed Adult Formula
Its major ingredients here are: deboned chicken, chicken meal, turkey meal, and potatoes, This food is evidently rich in protein as protein sources from the chicken and turkey meals contributes about a minimum 38% of the protein in this dog food recipe.
The Merrick Backcountry Raw Infused Large-Breed Adult Formula recipe includes extra nutrients like the glucosamine and chondroitin that put their use to developing stronger hips and joints in large-breed dogs like your Golden retriever.
This dog food formula, also contains good fatty acids in the likes of the Omega-3 fatty acids that function to make your dog’s coat healthy and looking beautiful.
It is rich in antioxidants gotten from veggies and fruits and functions to develop your dog’s immune system, improving resistance to diseases and infections.
Whenever you are at an impasse on what best to feed your golden retriever, you can always look to this article for help if you need further assistance always consult your vet so you can make informed decisions.