9 Best Dog Food for Golden Retrievers (Updated for 2021)

Good Fat & Protein Levels 

With a protein count of 34%, your Golden Retriever pup will be getting enough to maintain muscle mass and keep them strong enough to do what they have to do during the day. The fat count is at 12%, which is on the lower side but should be great for Golden Retriever and Catahoulas who get moderate exercise. If your Golden Retriever is one who loves to exercise and spends a lot of time being active, you may want to get them something with a slightly higher fat count for more easy-to-access energy during the day. 

Great Additions For Golden Retrievers  

The glucosamine and chondroitin levels in this dog food are good for providing a bit of support to joints to your Golden Retriever. There is also added vitamin A and E, which is always helpful. Omega fatty acids assist in keeping your Golden Retriever’s golden locks sleek and flowing, so they always look as healthy as they feel.

Great Nutrients To Sustain An Active Lifestyle 

17% fat will provide your Golden Retriever with enough energy to do his thing, while 38% protein will keep those muscles in prime condition for exercise. It also has higher levels than average of glucosamine and chondroitin, which will go a long way towards keeping their joints supple and ready for action at any time. 

Freeze-Dried Raw Bits Added 

This is also a tasty option for your Golden Retriever, as it’s a mix between dry kibble and freeze-dried raw meat bits. This is a great intro to raw food, and it will provide a little bit of difference in texture and taste, so it’s great to entice fussy eaters to get through their bowl of food.

Super Protein & Fat Levels For Aging Pups 

The protein and fat levels are lower than average, which is to cater for aging Golden Retriever dogs who are less active than they used to be. 27% protein is super for maintaining muscle mass as they grow older and get less use, and 11,5% fat is great as none will go to waste as your pooch spends less time bouncing around and more time chilling out. 

Supplements For Seniors 

Joint-strengthening supplements are even more essential as your Golden Retriever ages, and the glucosamine and chondroitin counts are at a great level here. L-carnitine is a wonderful thing to see in a senior dog food, as it assists in converting fats into energy and help with regulating energy levels. 

DHA is also a fantastic senior supplement. It’s a staple in Golden Retriever puppy foods as it helps the brain and eyes to develop, but for seniors, it helps keep their aging brain sharp, and helps prevent their eyes from deteriorating too quickly.

Ingredients To Help Hypothyroidism 

One of the most important things in dog food for hypothyroidism is the quality of ingredients. Fruits and veggies bring a dose of vitamins and minerals that are super helpful, and chelated minerals help with digestion. Beef can be a problem for pups with this condition, so it’s best to avoid it. 

This Golden Retriever dog food (in particular, the salmon and sweet potato recipe) is great for dogs with hypothyroidism as it contains a variety of fruits and vegetables including sweet potatoes, peas, chickpeas, carrots, and blueberries (which are great antioxidants). It also avoids beef entirely, which is great. You’ll also find a nice dose of kelp, which is a fantastic addition as it stimulates the thyroid to do its thing. 

Other Helpful Ingredients For Your Golden Retriever  

In addition to the things that are helpful for hypothyroidism, you have a splash of joint-fortifying supplements to keep those joints strong and supple, and high Omega fatty acid levels to make sure your Golden Retriever’s coat and skin stay soft and hydrated, and DHA to promote eye health and prevent eye problems.

High-Quality Ingredients  

These treats only have two ingredients each, with the exception of the sweet potato treats which contain only sweet potato. The two meaty flavours consist of only two – chicken and mixed tocopherols (a natural preservative), and beef liver and pea protein (a binding agent with antioxidant properties). With between 450and 600 treats per bag, you’ll be getting your money’s worth! 

Low Calorie 

With less than one calorie per treat, these are perfect to use as frequently-fed training treats, or simply a good-boy treat between meals. Because Golden Retrievers can gain weight easily if they aren’t exercised enough, a low-calorie treat is a fantastic thing to have a stash of. You can feed your fluff a multitude of these during a day, guilt-free. 

Puppy-Perfect Nutrition 

With 16% fat and 38% protein, your puppy will get enough fat to give them the energy to explore and do puppy things, and enough protein to build those little muscles into strong, supportive ones. The calcium/phosphorus ratio is great to help bones grow at the rate they should, so they grow tough and not brittle. 

You’ll also find DHA and EPA, which are fatty acids that help puppy eyes develop as they should, as well as brain tissue growing in the right way. The other Omega fatty acid levels are super for sleek, shiny coats, and the glucosamine and chondroitin numbers are great to prevent bone and joint problems.

Great For Retrievers 

Not only are the protein and fat counts right in the middle of the range for Golden Retrievers, but this dog food also avoids both chicken and beef, which is great for dogs who suffer from food allergies and hypothyroidism. It also contains kelp, so if your Golden Retriever does have low thyroid function, this will give it a bit of a boost. 

Pros & Cons 

You’ll find a nice dose of DHA in this food, as well as high levels of Omegas. This is a skin and coat recipe, so the Omegas are the focus and will help your pup to look and feel great. 

The only downside is the lack of glucosamine, but it’s readily available as a supplement. You’ll just need to find a supplement that your pooch will eat without fussing!

Nutrition-Dense 

Considering there are far fewer ingredients in these than average, they still bring all of the nutrition your pooch needs to be healthy and bouncy. You’ll find real meat and a variety of fruits and vegetables on the list, with 31% protein and 17% fat in each recipe. 

Range Of Flavours 

You’ll be able to choose between five different flavours here – Beef & Pumpkin, Duck & Pear, Lamb & Apple, Pork & Squash, and Turkey & Greens. No matter what your pup’s preference, whether it’s due to allergies or intolerances or simply personal taste, you’ll find at least a few options here that will suit them.

Human-Grade 

This means that if you forgot to go past the store to get dinner on your way home, you could make yourself a serving of this and be perfectly fine with it. That’s a clear indication that this food is super healthy and contains nothing it shouldn’t, so you can be sure your pup will be getting only goodness in every mouthful. 

Feeding It To Your Pup 

One cup of this contains 160 calories, 11% protein, and 5% fat. That’s not likely to be enough for any Golden Retriever, so you’ll need to feed your pooch a few cups of this at a time, which will up those calories and put them in the right range for protein and fat counts. 

Because you’ll be feeding them a good bit at a time, this food can become pricey as it won’t last as long as a bag of kibble. If you like fresh feeding though, you won’t find a better option.