Golden Retriever Care and Feeding

For your Golden Retriever to feel well, he needs a good, balanced diet and a good care. You will be responsible for his pantry and you will hear as many comments about food and feeding as there are dog owners and vets. Not even scientists have come to a conclusion concerning this issue. But one thing is for sure: there is a relation between the diet and diseases.

Dogs Shall Not Eat Meat Alone: Although dogs belong to the carnivore species, in their natural habitat they don't only eat meat. They prefer to eat the stomach of the animals they have killed, in which they find undigested vegetable residues. A dog's denture is made strong enough to bite into big pieces of meat and he feels satisfied if he has to make an effort when he eats. Therefore, it would be convenient that you not only give him food in the form of puree or cut in small pieces; instead, once in a while give him big chunks of fresh meat and stomach. If you decide to make a diet based on meat and vegetables, you should include the following basic nutrients in exact proportions:

Meat: red meat, stomach (raw), lamb, poultry (cooked).
Cereals/cornflakes: oatmeal, cooked noodles, cooked rice.
Vegetable/fruit: legumes or pod fruit are not permitted, but you can give them raw carrot, salads, vegetable juice and apples.
If you want to prepare your dog's food yourself, you need to have a solid knowledge about the composition and quantities of the nutrients. If you don't have that knowledge, frequently the meals won't have the necessary results. A badly balanced diet can lead to growth disorders or, in the development of the skeleton; it can produce deficiencies on one hand; and on the other, obesity. A well prepared home meal is not necessarily cheaper than a balanced meal you buy in the shops. To prepare the food yourself, you need time. You need well proportioned vitamin and mineral supplements, and most of all the calcium and phosphate need to be balanced.