Puppy Food 101
Volume 18: How to Choose Food for Your Golden Puppy
So you put down a deposit on a puppy and will soon be bringing home your new bundle of golden joy. Now you need to start preparing. Bringing home a puppy is almost like bringing home a newborn human baby. It’s a big commitment and there’s a lot of planning that needs to be done beforehand. One of the most important factors you need to decide on is what kind of food to feed them. Your puppy’s food is what fuels them and helps them grow. It is essential to their development to choose the right formula of food for them.
Before taking your puppy home, the breeder will let you know what kind of food they are already feeding them. You will need to buy this exact type of food to ensure their tummy does not get upset when switching them to a food that you want them to consume. When or if you switch their food, make sure you do it gradually. Start with providing them with more of the old food they have been eating and add a little bit of the new food each day. It may take up to a week to fully transition into the new food.
There is a lot of research that needs to be done in order to decide which brand or type of diet is best for your puppy’s growing body. First thing you need to do when searching for the perfect food is to ensure it is labeled as large breed puppy food. Puppy food has additional ingredients that puppies need that adult food does not have. Large breed food is best for golden puppies because it will provide the right ratio of calcium and phosphorus so their bones develop properly and will help prevent joint disease (Gallagher, 2013). Large and giant breeds are dogs that typically get to 70 and 100 pounds as an adult (All Things Dogs). Also ensure the food has an essential fatty acid, DHA. Puppy food should have more DHA in it than adult dog food. DHA is important for your puppy’s eye, ear and brain development (Gallagher, 2013). Another interesting fact, “studies have shown that puppies fed diets high in DHA have increased memory and trainability (Gallagher, 2013).”
Make sure the food is high in calories to support puppy’s growth and high energy (Gallagher, 2013). When reading the label, the ingredients are listed in order of predominace of weight and the first ingredient should be a meat source (All Things Dogs). “You should avoid ingredients like carrageenan, propylene glycol, food dyes, corn syrup, xylitol, ethoxyquin, butylated hydroxytoluene and hydroxyanisole and sorbitol. These have all been linked with a range of health issues (All Things Dogs).” Your puppy’s food should have at least 30% protein and 8-9% fat content (All Things Dogs). They will also need food with calcium of no more than 1.5% (All Things Dogs). When choosing the brand of food, do your research and ensure it has gone through Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) feeding trials (Gallagher, 2013). Feeding trials are where researchers feed the formula of food to dogs to determine if the food has any deficiences (Gallagher, 2013).
When selecting your puppy’s food, steer clear of grain-free formulas since they may cause heart problems in golden retrievers. You can learn more about the possible dangers of grain-free dog food through Volume 17 of The Golden Pupper below.
Now that you know what to look for in your puppy’s food, you can feel confident you are feeding them the right formula. Your puppy’s food is very important to their growth and development. As always, The Golden Pupper is not a replacement for professional veterinary advice. Always consult your veterinarian to discuss the right solutions and diet for your golden retriever.
References
All Things Dogs. How to choose puppy food for a new dog – A complete guide. Fetch! Pet Care. https://www.fetchpetcare.com/blog/how-to-choose-puppy-food-for-a-new-dog-a-complete-guide/
Gallagher, A. (2013 August 20). 6 Tips for choosing healthy puppy food. PetMD. https://www.petmd.com/dog/centers/nutrition/slideshows/tips-for-choosing-puppy-food