The Golden Retriever is one of the most popular dog breeds in the world, and it’s not hard to see why – this medium-sized dog breed is friendly, loyal, playful, and obedient – yep, I just described the perfect dog didn’t I?
But you already know that, after all, you’re the one researching the best dog foods for your Golden Retriever Puppy!
Whether you’re already the proud owner of a pack of these golden-colored pooches, or just about to welcome your very first dog into your home, it’s vitally important to be aware of the health implications of their lifestyle.
The Golden Retriever is prone to health conditions relating to their weight; therefore, it’s even more important for this breed to be kept at a healthy weight.
Best Dog Food for a Golden Retriever Puppy
1. NUTRO PUPPY
NUTRO PUPPY
Features
- Contains twenty-four (24) 3.5 oz. easy peel trays of NUTRO PUPPY Grain Free Wet Dog Food Bites in Gravy Tender Chicken, Sweet Potato & Pea Recipe
- Real chicken is the first ingredient in this delicious protein rich wet puppy food
- Grain free dog food that’s rich in nutrients and full of flavor for your small to large puppies
- Made with non-GMO ingredients*
- NO corn, wheat, or soy, NO chicken by-product meal, NO artificial preservatives, flavors, or colors
Golden Retriever puppy food should have a healthy balance of fats and proteins for controlled growth. We don’t want our puppies to grow up too fast! Firstly, we want them to be cute and puppy-like forever!
But more importantly, we don’t want their growth to be too rapid and cause complications in their joints. Nutro Puppy is specially designed with your large breed puppy in mind.
Key Specifications
- Main Ingredients – Quality protein, whole grain rice
- Flavors Available – Chicken & Turkey, Lamb
- Easy to Digest – YES
- Why We Recommend – Specialised for large breed puppies with a balance of protein and fats
Not only is this rich in nutrients but it has a taste your puppy will love. Made with meat as the first ingredient, it also provides a healthy mix of fats, omegas, and complex carbohydrates to keep your puppy energetic and thriving every day.
It’s cooked to the highest standards and ingredients for it are sourced globally from trusted farmers.
It doesn’t include any chicken by-product meal, soy, artificial flavors, or preservatives, and every morsel is healthy for your pooch.
Pros
- Made with real meat as the #1 ingredient
- Offers complete nutrition for your growing puppy
- Promotes healthy skin and coat with omega fatty acids
- Has balanced fat and protein for optimal growth
- Ingredients sourced from trusted farmers
- No chicken by-product meal, soy, artificial flavors or preservatives
- Provides a complete and balanced diet
- An excellent accompaniment to dry food
Cons
- Consistency can vary and may seem too runny
Due to its stew-like consistency, Nutro Puppy would make an excellent topper to dry food. Its balanced nutrition and yummy texture would perfectly complement any dry food for an even healthier and more balanced diet. So why not experiment with this alternative way of serving this food to your puppy?
2. Purina Pro Plan
Purina Pro Plan
$31.80 in stock
Features
- Twelve (12) 13 oz. Cans - Purina Pro Plan High Protein Puppy Food Pate, Chicken and Brown Rice Entree
- Pro Plan DEVELOPMENT puppy dog food specially formulated for puppies up to 1 year old and includes DHA for brain and vision development
- Purina dog food for puppies offers a great taste with chicken as the first ingredient while providing the high-quality protein he needs to build lean muscles
- Chicken and rice dog food for puppies helps support a healthy immune system and nourishes his healthy skin and coat
- Wet dog food pate provides 100 percent complete and balanced nutrition for puppies and has no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives
Dog food for a Golden Retriever puppy needs to be highly digestible and absorbable but also containing a generous mix of protein and healthy fats. The Purina Pro Plan satisfies these requirements very well.
Key Specifications
- Main Ingredients – Chicken and highly digestible rice
- Flavors Available – Chicken & Rice
- Easy to Digest – YES
- Why We Recommend – Made with a special formula that helps kickstart your puppy’s major organs and bodily systems
The Pro Plan line is a specialized line from Purina catering to your dog’s different needs from when they are a puppy to when they become a senior. The specialized nature of this food is the reason why it has made it on our list.
Made with chicken as the first ingredient and liver as the second! This product will provide such richness of nutrients to your growing puppy. Organ meat is a great option for any puppy’s developmental stage and even more so with larger, more active breeds such as the Golden Retriever.
Pros
- Real chicken is the #1 ingredient
- Made with easy to digest rice
- Nourishes the brain and vision development
- Rich in omega fatty acids for healthy skin and coat
- Helps develop your puppy’s growing organs and key systems
- Supports a robust digestive system and immune system
- Provides a complete and balanced diet for your puppy
- No artificial flavors, colors or additives
- Has a taste that your puppy will love!
Cons
- Contains meat by-products
- Higher price-point
- Can be too rich for some puppies
Specialized for puppies, the Purina Pro Plan formula will take care of your Golden Retriever’s skin and coat, digestive system, immune system, and developing his vision. It does this within the wide spectrum nutrition available for your puppy with every feeding.
3. Hill’s Science Diet
Hill's Science Diet
Features
- A large breed puppy food specially made with an optimal level of calcium for controlled bone growth
- Uses a balanced set of minerals to promote strong bones and teeth in large puppies. Caloric content: 3970 kcal/kilogram(394 kcal/cup)
- Uses DHA from fish oil to support healthy brain and eye development for growing dogs
- High-quality protein helps your large pup build and maintain lean muscle
- Made in the USA with global ingredients you can trust
Hill’s Science Diet provides clinically-proven biology-based nutrition for your puppy.
Key Specifications
- Main Ingredients – High-quality protein, wholesome oats, fruits and vegetables
- Flavors Available – Chicken, Lamb, Chicken Meal
- Easy to Digest – YES
- Why We Recommend – Supports controlled joint and bone growth which is very important for your puppy’s development; Provides biology-based nutrition
Large breed puppies have a unique need for controlled development. The last thing you want is for your Golden Retriever puppy to grow too fast for his bones and joints to keep up. Therefore, it is important that the calories to protein to fat ratios support a gradual optimal growth. Hill’s offers this perfect blend of science and nutrition with their “Science Diet” line of products.
Made with calcium, glucosamine, and chondroitin – this formula is perfect for your puppy’s bone and joint development.
Controlled calories will also make sure that there isn’t any extra weight gain and that those strong bones and joints won’t be under any extra pressure from excess fat during the developmental stage. Moreover, your puppy’s immune health is catered for by Hill’s clinically proven blend of antioxidants.
Pros
- Chicken is the #1 ingredient
- Supports controlled joint and bone growth
- Clinically proven antioxidant complex for immune health
- No preservatives, or artificial colors and flavors
- Made with natural ingredients sourced globally
- Fortified with vitamins, nutrients, and amino acids
- Natural sources of glucosamine and chondroitin for bone and joint health
- Made in the USA to the highest standards
- Sealed for freshness
Cons
- Quality can vary from batch to batch
Hill’s Science Diet is made with no preservatives or artificial colors and flavors. All ingredients are sourced globally from the best sources and whipped up into a great product in the USA where manufacturing can be controlled, making sure it satisfies the highest standards.
4. NUTRO WHOLESOME ESSENTIALS
NUTRO WHOLESOME ESSENTIALS
Features
- Contains one (1) 30 lb. bag of NUTRO NATURAL CHOICE Large Breed Puppy Dry Dog Food, Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe for large breed puppies up to 18 months old; real chicken is the ingredient
- Made with non-GMO ingredients; no chicken by-product meal, corn, wheat, or soy
- High quality protein source is the ingredient in the delicious dry kibble
- Supports brain and eye development in your large breed puppy with omega-3 fatty acids like DHA
- Natural sources of glucosamine and chondroitin; formulated to support healthy joints.Supports healthy immunity with essential antioxidants.Cooked in our USA facilities with the finest ingredients from around the world
Nutro Wholesome Essentials has been crafted to support the growing needs of puppies between the age of 1 to 12 months.
Key Specifications
- Main Ingredients – Chicken, Oats, Vegetables
- Flavors Available – Chicken
- Easy to Digest – YES
- Why We Recommend – Made with farm-raised chicken and whole grains as a nutritious source of fiber
Made with farm-raised chicken as the first ingredient and then fortified with nutrients and vitamins, this food has all the building blocks that your Golden Retriever needs to develop into a healthy happy adult cuddle-machine.
Nutro focuses on the use of fiber in their food. Fiber is important because it is crucial to optimal digestion and absorption of nutrients. While this food is affordable, it doesn’t mean that the taste and quality have been compromised.
It is produced with all-natural non-GMO ingredients in-house, satisfying the highest of standards and food manufacturing controls. This way, you are sure to be feeding your puppy one of the best and most wholesome foods on the market.
Your puppy will even look healthy when on this product. It is enriched with fish oil which is an excellent source of omega fatty acids to promote healthy skin and a beautiful golden coat.
Pros
- Made with farm-raised chicken as the #1 ingredient
- Specialized for large breed puppies ages 1-12 months
- Whole grains aid digestion and provide dietary fiber
- No artificial flavors, colors, or additives
- Contains fish oil for a source of omega fatty acids
- Made in-house, satisfying the highest standards
- Made with non-GMO ingredients
- No corn, wheat, or soy protein
- No chicken by-product meal
- Affordable but does not compromise on quality
Cons
- Can cause sensitivities in some puppies
- Quality can vary from batch to batch
With this much goodness in every feeding, you really cannot go wrong with the Nutro Wholesome Essentials.
5. Eukanuba
Eukanuba
Features
- FOR LARGE BREED PUPPIES: Eukanuba Puppy Large Breed Dry Dog Food is complete and balanced nutrition for large breed puppies up to 15 months old with an expected adult weight over 55 lbs
- SUPPORTS MUSCLE GROWTH: High-quality animal protein and optimized levels of calcium and phosphorous support muscle growth and bone health in active pups
- HEALTHY BRAIN FUNCTION: Clinically proven levels of DHA support healthy brain development for smarter, more trainable puppies
- SUPPORTS GROWING PUPPIES: Fat and carbohydrate levels provide concentrated energy beneficial for growing puppies
- HIGH-QUALITY PROTEIN: High-quality chicken is the first ingredient for protein that powers their day
What we like about Eukanuba is that it contains optimized DHA levels, naturally sourced from fish oil that promotes brain health, quick thinking, and as a result, you get a highly trainable puppy.
Key Specifications
- Main Ingredients – Chicken, egg, rice
- Flavors Available – Chicken
- Easy to Digest – YES
- Why We Recommend – Contains clinically proven DHA levels from fish oil that comes in handy while training your puppy
During the early stages, it is paramount that dogs are trained well as these are their “formative years” and can be the difference between having a good obedient puppy or a Tasmanian Devil on your hands! So bring on the tricks and treats!
It takes special care in including fiber and all the nutrients required for easy absorption of this decadent and balanced food. With fiber made from beet pulp and a prebiotic, you can be sure that your puppy is digesting and absorbing nutrients optimally.
Help your Golden Retriever grow strong lean muscles with high-quality, animal-based proteins, and maintain healthy skin and a shiny coat with the omega fatty acids available to your pooch in every bite.
Pros
- Meat is the #1 ingredient
- Optimal DHA levels from fish oil to make your puppy more trainable
- Contains specialized fiber from natural beet pulp
- With probiotics to optimize nutrient absorption
- Contains omega fatty acids for healthy skin and coat
- Promotes brain development
- Aids strong immunity
- Optimal joint and bone development for your growing Golden Retriever
- No artificial flavors, colors, or additives
Cons
- Quality can vary from batch to batch
- May cause some allergies in sensitive puppies
With all these benefits, Eukanuba is amongst the better options on the market for your large breed puppy.
Bottom Line
Drum roll, please…. And the winner is……
Hill’s Science Diet made by a dog food company with a history of making exceptional products – this puppy food certainly lives up to that outstanding reputation, and then some!
As their name suggests, they utilize science to ensure that their dog foods are packed full of everything a growing puppy needs to turn into a healthy and happy adult dog.
The very first ingredient in this pup food is chicken! This is then combined with oats, fruits, vegetables – and a multitude of vitamins and minerals.
Heavily fortified with calcium, glucosamine, and chondroitin – to counteract the common issue of Golden Retrievers growing too fast for their bones to support.
The Review
Best Dog Food for Golden Retriever Puppy
Feeding your retriever puppy a nutritious and balanced diet is essential! The dog foods recommended in this review are all suited to a golden retriever puppy.
Review Breakdown
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NUTRO PUPPY
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Purina Pro Plan
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Hill's Science Diet
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NUTRO WHOLESOME ESSENTIALS
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Eukanuba
Best Dog Food for Golden Retriever Puppy DEALS
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