How Much Food Should An 18 Month Old Golden Retriever Eat?

[goldee]

Hi,

I have an 18 month old Golden Retriever and i am wondering what is the best amount to feed her and if she gets fed too much!

When she went to the vets a few months ago, they advised that she could loose a few kilos. Back then we used to give her fritz type meet (were were told this by the puppy school we went to). The vet advised that it is actually very salty/fatty, so we have stopped giving it to her all together.

She gets a small bowl of porridge for breakfast, some biscuits and meat for lunch and a meal in the evening. The bowls are not large dog bowls either. She doesn't always eat the breakfast or lunch though. (in the dinner it is a mixture of mince and vegetables. She doesn't get much tid bits. She has a rawhide bone every few weeks, but it takes her 3-4 days to get through it (it is about 20cm long). She also gets daily walks for a minimum 30 minutes to an hour. Most of these walks are at the beach where she runs and swims constantly (She's a water baby!).

However, I am constantly getting told that she is fat. I dont see it. She has a lot of hair! Where her ribs are they bulge out a bit, but just before her back legs, where it dips in (waist) she looks slim. If you feel on the side, it is her ribs, there is nothing to grab on to! When she has a bath or goes for a swim, she comes out looking scrawny!

Should i be cutting anything out food wise?

I am also aiming to take her back to the vets to get her weighed as well.

Thanks for any advice.

[megan_]

Regardless of her weight, I'd change her diet. It sounds more like a human diet, not a balanced diet for a dog.

I'd stick to 1 - 2 meals a day at her age, I don't see the point of lunch?

I'd ditch the porridge (not much nutritional value for a dog, no wonder she is snubbing it). What mince are you feeding her? Mince that is just meat isn't a great meal for dogs as it won't have enough calcium.

I'd go for a good quality dry food (Black Hawk, Nutro etc), with some raw meaty bones. If you want to feed veges for some reason, they need to be pulverised as they won't be digested otherwise. If your vet thinks she needs to lose weight then chances are she does. A few kilos is a lot of extra weight for a dog her size (it would be like you lugging around an extra 15 kgs!).

ETA: Gently press her sides, do you clearly feel her ribs? If not, chances are she is overweight. Bear in mind that the majority of goldies that you see would be overweight too, so it can be easy to think that your dog is a normal weight.

Edited September 28, 2011 by megan_

[**Super_Dogs**]

I agree fluffy goldens can sometimes look bigger than they actually are. My mum’s golden is like this

I would start with reducing the number of meals per day. It is recommended to feed a puppy 2 meals a day until they are 12 months while they are growing, and then after this if you choose, just feed you dog 1 meal a day.

I would also ditch the porridge as it is offering no added nutritional value. So just your biscuits and meat twice a day. If she is still not eating both meals, just feed her once a day.

Hope this helps

.........Megans post came though while I was posting and it seems we have some of the same ideas..........

Edited September 28, 2011 by buddy1

[poodlefan]

If your vet has told you your dog is overweight, my guess is she is probably seriously overweight.

An adult dog does not require 3 meals a day. Porridge has little or no nutritional value for dogs. I'd stop that for a start.

If you place the flat of your hand on her ribs can you feel her ribs without having to press hard? If you can't she can afford to trim down.

I would suggest you start feeding a quality kibble OR a raw meaty bone once a day and leave it at that. I feed two meals of bones then a meal of kibble.

[goldee]

Regardless of her weight, I'd change her diet. It sounds more like a human diet, not a balanced diet for a dog.

I'd stick to 1 - 2 meals a day at her age, I don't see the point of lunch?

I'd ditch the porridge (not much nutritional value for a dog, no wonder she is snubbing it). What mince are you feeding her? Mince that is just meat isn't a great meal for dogs as it won't have enough calcium.

I'd go for a good quality dry food (Black Hawk, Nutro etc), with some raw meaty bones. If you want to feed veges for some reason, they need to be pulverised as they won't be digested otherwise. If your vet thinks she needs to lose weight then chances are she does. A few kilos is a lot of extra weight for a dog her size (it would be like you lugging around an extra 15 kgs!).

ETA: Gently press her sides, do you clearly feel her ribs? If not, chances are she is overweight. Bear in mind that the majority of goldies that you see would be overweight too, so it can be easy to think that your dog is a normal weight.

I did tell the vet what i fed her, and apart form the Fritz, she didn't say there was anything really wrong with it. She isn't overly keen on tin dog food which is why we give her mince. After we stopped giving her the fritz, i think she lost a bit. She was getting way to much of it (wasn't aware that it was that fatty).

And yep, if we press her sides, you can clearly feel her ribs. There isn't any fat to grab on to.

I was told to include vegetables into her meals. I never did before.

I agree fluffy goldens can sometimes look bigger than they actually are. My mum’s golden is like this

I would start with reducing the number of meals per day. It is recommended to feed a puppy 2 meals a day until they are 12 months while they are growing, and then after this if you choose, just feed you dog 1 meal a day.

I would also ditch the porridge as it is offering no added nutritional value. So just your biscuits and meat twice a day. If she is still not eating both meals, just feed her once a day.

Hope this helps

Yeah, im not to fussed about the porridge. She tends to go to my parents place and they give her food because they think she 'must be hungry!'. Im not even sure where or how we got started on it.

I might try just busicuits for lunch and then meat/buscuits for dinner. It is usually tin dog food for lunch and she doesn't always eat it. (she doesn't get breakfast and lunch every day tho).

thanks

Edited September 28, 2011 by goldee

[goldee]

If your vet has told you your dog is overweight, my guess is she is probably seriously overweight.

An adult dog does not require 3 meals a day. Porridge has little or no nutritional value for dogs. I'd stop that for a start.

If you place the flat of your hand on her ribs can you feel her ribs without having to press hard? If you can't she can afford to trim down.

I would suggest you start feeding a quality kibble OR a raw meaty bone once a day and leave it at that. I feed two meals of bones then a meal of kibble.

Thanks. She isn't seriously overweight. From the advice of the vet it sounded like it came from giving her fritz, which we've stopped.

Yep, sure can. Dont have to press hard at all. You can feel her ribs very easily. I have a hard time grabbing any fat. When she is wet, she is skinny as anything.

But thanks for the tips (and other repliers) about the food. We've been trying other food options for her. A friend has a GR and they prepare meals with meat,vegies, rice etc and have it all pre packaged up, so we've given that a shot. She eats it but i dont know if she is getting anything good out of it.

I use Supercoat kibble, which is one of the cheaper brands. She really liked Purina Pro Plan, but last time i checked it was $60 for a bag even smaller!

Can you freeze bones? (If i buy some weekly and then take them out each day etc). We give her cooked mince. Is it better raw or other type of meat?

thanks.

Edited September 28, 2011 by goldee

[poodlefan]

I use Supercoat kibble, which is one of the cheaper brands. She really liked Purina Pro Plan, but last time i checked it was $60 for a bag even smaller!

Can you freeze bones? (If i buy some weekly and then take them out each day etc)

thanks.

With Supercoat, you're spending most of the money on stuff that comes out her back end. With a better quality kibble you feed less so it lasts longer.

Yes, you can freeze bones. By bones by the way, we're talking about fully digestable bones like chicken wings and carcasses.

[goldee]

I use Supercoat kibble, which is one of the cheaper brands. She really liked Purina Pro Plan, but last time i checked it was $60 for a bag even smaller!

Can you freeze bones? (If i buy some weekly and then take them out each day etc)

thanks.

With Supercoat, you're spending most of the money on stuff that comes out her back end. With a better quality kibble you feed less so it lasts longer.

Yes, you can freeze bones. By bones by the way, we're talking about fully digestable bones like chicken wings and carcasses.

That probably explains why my lawn is covered in droppings! I just bought a new bag, so when it runs out i will try a better brand.

Thanks, i'll look in to it. She had chicken necks as a pup.

On this site i had a look at the breed info for a GR and it said the weight was "Weight 25-35 Kg (approx)". At her last weight check she was 28kg.

[Mason_Gibbs]

My adult lab gets a cup of canidae kibble a day, a roo bone and 250g of meat, thats prob around what your goldie should eat per day, my dog is looking like he has gained some weight so i will probably cut his kibble down to half a cup per day

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

http://www.brunswickcentralvet.com.au/weight-ideal-bodyweight-range-for-your-dog-breed

The ideal weight for a female is usually less than for a male. So the above link suggests 27 to 31ish kg. I think they may have converted from american pounds, because of the fractions in their list. They also have a system for doing a score courtesy of a commercial dog food supplier.

So if your bitch is now 28kg but was heavier, then maybe you're about right now, but she was fat when the vet saw her last.

If I'm worried about my dog's weight, I adjust the amount I'm feeding (including treats) by about 10% up or down according to fat/skinny. I don't think she's going to let me ever stray into the too skinny side of things. A friend who likes her dog to feel satisfied has started feeding him light so he has a good shape/weight now. Before she switched to low calorie food (plus training treats) he was definitely on the cuddly side.

[goldee]

http://www.brunswickcentralvet.com.au/weight-ideal-bodyweight-range-for-your-dog-breed

The ideal weight for a female is usually less than for a male. So the above link suggests 27 to 31ish kg. I think they may have converted from american pounds, because of the fractions in their list. They also have a system for doing a score courtesy of a commercial dog food supplier.

So if your bitch is now 28kg but was heavier, then maybe you're about right now, but she was fat when the vet saw her last.

Thanks, but that was her weight when we went to the vets. She just said she could loose a couple. But when i told her we give her fritz, she said that was probably why. I have to go back and get her weighed again.

[megan_]

You could try black hawk ( there is a thread about it). It is premium and most probably cheaper than what you feed now. You can get it delivered.

You can freeze bones. Lamb necks, chicken wings and frames are good options. If you want to feed mince ( I wouldn't, meaty bones are a healthier alternative) then feed chicken Pet mince which contains bones so she gets calcium. But NEVER cook it as cooked bone can cause all sorts of problems).

A pre- made diet of normal mince, rice and veg wouldn't contain enough calcium for a dog.

[GoldenGirl85]

There is no magic amount she should be getting fed. At the moment my girl is on 4 cups a day of Royal Canin, so I'm about to change her over to Black Hawk to help the hip pocket a bit...I know 4 cups a day seems like a lot, but she is struggling to maintain a healthy weight of 25kg if she doesn't have that much...hopefully this new food will change that

[Aziah]

Don't feed her lunch then tea if you feel you need to feed 2 meals a day then feed breakfast and tea (no lunch).

Get a decent dry food and feed that along with raw meaty bones.

[RiverStar-Aura]

I agree. At 18 months your GR should not be having 3 meals a day. 3 meals is recommended for growing pups and at 18 months, I should imagine your girl is fully grown.

My guys get breakfast and dinner because this is how we've always fed our animals and my recommendation for 2 daily meals is to work out their daily allowance then split that in two (1/2 for morning and 1/2 at night). Zeus (14.8kg beagle x JRT) gets 1/4 cup of Royal Canin Sensible for breakfast and dinner and is a gorgeous size. He's muscly and toned and not an inch of fat anywhere.

My other dog Kirah is still a pup so at 5 months she's still on 3 meals a day -- which I'll cut back to 2 once she hits 6 months. At present she's only 4.7 kilos (Aussie Terrier) and fully grown should be around 7 to 7.5 kilos. She's on Royal Canin Small puppy food with the occasional chicken neck because I find feeding dry easier.

I've always fed my dogs on kibble with the occasional bone/carcass weekly because I find it far less confusing than feeding raw. I know what quantities to feed (and if it seems too much, it's easy to cut back) and I know they're getting the right nutrients. I'm still in the process of learning about raw diets but while I'm still learning, I'm sticking with kibble.

So I agree with the others. Find a premium quality dry kibble that you're happy with and go with that. Add in bones/carcasses weekly and only feed twice a day!

Hope that helps!

[Nekhbet]

there is too little protein in that diet. Instead of fiddling with so many additives get a GOOD dry food and add some raw meaty bones. Royal Canin make a Golden Retriever food why dont you give it a go?

[raineth]

porridge is absolutely loaded with carbohydrate, much more than a dog needs.

Good luck with getting her to a good weight

[monique.c]

I have a 14 month old male Golden Retriever, he weighs 37kg but it quite tall for a Golden and is not overweight.

I feed him 3 cups of Black Hawk a day. He loves it and is in great condition. It isn't too expensive either, about $85 for 20kg including delivery and you don't have to feed as much as you do with Supercoat...

[kirst_goldens]

my goldie bitch is small- and at 8 months is 22kgs so i dont think 28kgs is alot for a golden really - i would still change her iet i HATE supercoat it is nasty rubbish... i feed nutro and love it, i also feed mince and i dont worry sbout calcium amounts as she gets raw meaty bones and also dry food so she has plenty in there :)tinned food is 80%water so ur wasting ur money on that, a cheap way to buymince is to get minced chicken frames my btcher sells it for 10kgs for 10 bucks! bargain!

[goldee]

I have a 14 month old male Golden Retriever, he weighs 37kg but it quite tall for a Golden and is not overweight.

I feed him 3 cups of Black Hawk a day. He loves it and is in great condition. It isn't too expensive either, about $85 for 20kg including delivery and you don't have to feed as much as you do with Supercoat...

my goldie bitch is small- and at 8 months is 22kgs so i dont think 28kgs is alot for a golden really - i would still change her iet i HATE supercoat it is nasty rubbish... i feed nutro and love it, i also feed mince and i dont worry sbout calcium amounts as she gets raw meaty bones and also dry food so she has plenty in there :)tinned food is 80%water so ur wasting ur money on that, a cheap way to buymince is to get minced chicken frames my btcher sells it for 10kgs for 10 bucks! bargain!

Thanks for the replies. I dont think my girl is overweight now but i do think what i feed her needs to be better. Its probably more of convience at the moment than anything. At The supercoat bag i buy is $30, so its more than twice the price. I've been in to pet stock and was shocked at how much the big bags were! But i would rather buy her something that is better for her and that she eats! I dont think she likes the supercoat that much so i wouldn't be surprised if i wasted most of it. There is a place that will deliver pet food so i am going to try that. They have all types of bones.

Thanks for the tip about the butcher. I will see if any ones around here have that! That is excellent. I can pay that for not even 1kg! Do you cook the mince or does she eat is raw?

Edited October 6, 2011 by goldee