Husnain Farooq

Dec 27, 20196 min read

Can Golden Retrievers Eat Chicken?

Adorable, happy darlings of the canine family that is also considered as a “Perfect Family Dog,” the Golden Retriever has a ravenous appetite. But as a part of the large-sized family, their meal should contain a balanced with little to no salt and sugary ingredients.

But what about carbs and proteinous foods like chicken? Can Golden Retrievers eat chicken?

The answer is Yes, Golden Retrievers can eat chicken. In fact, including chicken in their daily meal is actually suggested by Veterinarians and other dog organizations. They would need a protein-based meal every day to keep their energy high and body safe.

Chicken is a good source of protein! Go ahead and let them eat chicken if your Goldens love and enjoy eating chicken.

In America, there is a high percentage of dogs, especially Golden Retrievers that are either overweight or obese. This calls for serious attention since it can lead to different health problems and even death in some cases.

Let’s look at the details below to learn information about the Golden Retriever’s appropriate meal plan and its positive effects.

Recommended Food Ingredients for Golden Retrievers

As Golden Retrievers are part of the large-sized breed, they should have different meal plans than the puppies. Whether you’re going to give them dog food, package meal, homemade, or something others made for them, make sure they have the following:

Meal that has natural ingredients, unseasoned nor unflavored, and with no fillers.
Meal that is rich in protein or the majority of the nutritional value should contain a high percentage of it. This could be a chicken meal, deboned meat, and thereof.
Meal that has rich in fiber like the approved veggies and fruits. Even healthy whole grains are fine.
Meal that has low-to-moderate calories, fat, calcium, and phosphorus.
Meal that is approved by The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) or any local government and non-government Food and Animal Bureaus.

Did You Know? As Golden Retrievers are large-sized furry creatures, avoid giving them salty and sugary foods as it attracts more fleas, danders, and dandruff to them.

4 Common Dog’s Health Problems Associated with Foods

#1 Allergies

Even though Golden Retrievers are recommended to eat foods rich in protein and even grains, some could still end up being allergic to these.

Bringing them to the Vet would enable them to check what kind of food they are allergic to and whatnot. In case, they could suggest other sources of protein like trade poultry instead of beef or land instead of fish.

Some common Food Allergy indicators are:

scratching
runny eyes and nose
red and itchy ears
sneezing
vomiting diarrhea
snoring
swollen paws
hair or coat loss
scabs and/or flaking skin
excessive nipping and chewing

#2 Bloating or Gastric Dilation Volvulus (GDV)

Bloating or Gastric Dilation Volvulus (GDV) commonly happens to a deep-chested dog such as the Golden Retriever. This is caused when they take enlarged meals that cause your pet’s stomach to twist and get filled with fluid, gas, and food, expanding it.

The bloating or swelling would cause the other organs to get affected. This can damage the blood flow, breathing pattern, and the stomach itself

This requires immediate veterinary attention. In the worst-case scenario, a young beloved Golden Retriever can die.

This situation can be avoided if you try to segregate their meal thrice or twice a day instead of a single large-portion size. Meals shouldn’t get soaked or wet. Make sure they don’t have intensive physical work an hour before and after their meal.

#3 Obesity

Just like what we discussed before, they are prone to rapid weight gain and obesity. They also prone to other health problems such as muscle and bone weakness, cancer, heart problems, and diabetes if their diet is not appropriately controlled.

They shed their life expectancy when there’s a sudden increase in weight. The International Organization, Health for Animals blamed the owners of giving too many unhealthy foods for the Golden Retrievers, yet less exercise or any physical work for them.

What you can do is to cut out portions of meals or treats, feed them healthy alternative snacks, reduce foods that are high in calories, fats, and carbs. And as they are an active dog, make sure to take them for a walk or play with them to make them lose weight and show that you care.

#4 Unexplained Weight Changes

Some cases happen when Golden Retrievers change its weight even though they aren’t overeating nor eating less. This includes exercising too much or too little. If this situation occurs, call for your Vet’s help.

It is sometimes caused by medical problems such as Cricopharyngeal Dysfunction or the enlarged esophagus. This causes them difficult to swallow, low thyroid function or fluid retention, and even kidney disease.

Other Health Problems where food can help are Cancer, Aortic Stenosis, Hip and Elbow Dysplasia, Eye Problem, Hypothyroidism, and Von Willebrand’s Disease.

A Run-Through Golden Retriever’s Appetite

Golden Retriever’s daily meal should depend on their age, size, breed, and activity.

For the 1st month, let your Golden Retriever puppy drink mommy’s milk or any puppy milk alternatives.
For the 5th week, try adding not-so solid foods or with a soft texture onto their meal.
Up until the 9th week, you can feed your Golden Retrievers, four times a day.
For the 2nd and 3rd month, lessen their food intake to two meals per day.
For the 4th month, make it two meals a day.

Chicken meat is one of the many sources of protein and fat. And usually, adult dogs require at least 18% of protein and 5% of fat in their diet while pubs need at least 22% of protein and 8% fat. But your Golden Retriever’s body begs to differ.

Golden Retrievers are large breeds of canine that requires a little number of calories (including calcium and phosphorus). High intake of calories can lead to an unhealthy body and prone to different health issues such as bone problems. But they need a protein-rich meal such as Chicken and a low-to-moderate fat and calorie count.

As Golden Retrievers are adorably energetic and active dogs that require much exercise than the other breeds, make sure you don’t overfeed them. This can make them inactive, sleepy, overweight, or even obese.

Their average weight is between 55 to 75 pounds or 24 to 34 kgs. For this reason, it is said that the National Research Council of the National Academies recommended that they eat around 989 to 1272 calories for inactive Golden Retrievers. Whereas, 1353 to 1740 calories are allowed for those who love to play and move around.

Retrievers that are aged and have muscle and bone problems are required to take in fewer calories than usual, so they won’t have a hard time moving around.

Did You Know? Golden Retrievers are trained initially as a working canine breed that requires a high level of energy. This is why if you aren’t an active person, you might as well not get a Golden Retriever or be prepared to change your sedentary routine.

There should always be a scheduled feeding rather than guessing when should they eat next. Also, make sure that for the first three months, they should eat thrice a day. But once after these months, they should only eat twice a day to avoid possible health risks.

Never let your Golden Retriever eats the following:

Raw Eggs
Sodas
Raw or Undercooked Meat
Coffee
Bones
Chocolate
Bread Dough
Milk
Shallots
Alcohol
Scallions
Hops
Avocado
Xylitol
Grapes
Moldy Foods
Raisins
Salty Foods
Onions
Macadamia Nuts
Garlic

Even if they are attracted to our mixture and combination of food ingredients or no matter how adorable their “please-share me that” look, avoid giving these to your Golden Retrievers.

My Final Thoughts

These sweet, adorable, and loyal Golden Retrievers have their own nutritional needs as well. Their meal must contain high protein and low to moderate fat to keep up with their energetic and healthy bodies. This means that the lean meat from Chicken can be eaten and is beneficial.

Remember, they are trained first as a working dog, which means they don’t prefer just laying around the house and keeping still. It’s best if you, as the owner, are educated enough on what food to serve them best.

You also need to know the ingredients to look out for, how their bodies should be taken care of, and the possible health problems associated with it. Doing so, you can raise the sweetest and discipline Golden Retriever there is!

References

#Dogs

Pet Blog