# How much dog food does a male golden eat



## Bgate9

Hi,
I am getting a new golden puppy in April. I am now trying to find a good brand of dog food for him and would like to know how much they eat. I am trying to price out how much money this guy is going to cost me. I was thinking Abady or Fromm, any recommendations would be much appreciated.


Thanks
Brian from NH


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## solinvictus

Welcome to the forum Brian. 

Every single dog is different on the amount of food they will need to be a happy, and healthy adult dog.

Usually, with the better brands of food (which may cost more per bag) the dog actually eats less than the lower quality brands.

As adults many goldens eat 1 cup of kibble twice a day but there are lots of goldens that need 2 cups of kibble twice a day. So, each dog is an individual and each kibble has a different calorie content it would be a guess.


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## Almanac

I have the same question, same situation.

How much does 2 or 4 cups per day equal in pounds per month? How long does X lb bag of dog food last you. *For one golden retriever*. I see a lot of answers of people saying for my 4-5 dogs.. etc.. I mostly wanted to know for 1 dog.

I know it is different depending on how much you feed, but what I'm wondering is a general rule of thumb like 2 cups twice a day = lbs per month.


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## jenlaur

I agree, each dog is different. We feed Fromm. Our 57 lb. female eats 3 1/2 cups a day. Our 64 lb. male eats 3 cups a day. Both are pretty active.


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## wenryder

Our pup is 6 months and about 43 lbs; he eats Fromm Family Gold Large Breed Puppy. He eats about 3.5 cups a day, and a 35lb bag of food usually lasts about 7 weeks.


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## HiTideGoldens

The lbs/month will vary based on the type of food you buy since some are heavier or lighter. I think a better question would be how many calories per day, that way you can compare apples to apples when looking at foods.

Our 16 month old boy eats 1260-1470 calories per day (ETA: this is a total of 3-3.5 cups per day of Acana Grasslands), depending on how much activity he had that day and if he's looking skinny or not. We don't give treats often, so that's a pretty fair calculation of his calories. He is fairly young still and very active though, and my understanding is that most adult dogs eat less calories than that once they are fully mature.


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## Megora

I feed our golden 1.5-2 cups a day. Keep in mind that this is all he needs based on what else he eats throughout the day (handouts, treats). It is also based on the type of kibble he eats. 

If you feed fromm or any grain free type brands, you probably need to feed double just to maintain a healthy weight on your dog.

I buy a 15lb bag every 1.5 months. <- We are going slower than that right now because I'm giving him about 1/2 cup of a different type of kibble per day. I'll be close to 2 months by the time I buy another 15lb bag. <- I would not want to keep a bag of dog food in storage longer than 2 months, because that ups the chance of your dog eating moldy food and getting digestive issues.

The 15lb bag is $30. And I also buy a $12 5lb bag of something else. <- give or take, $42 every 2 months. 

The important thing to remember - what you spend on dog food is worth it if you have a healthy dog afterwards.


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## CarolinaCasey

My 8 month puppy just ate through a 30 lb bag of dog food in 37 days. He was being bed 3.5 cups per day. Sometimes I'd use a handful of food here and there as treats or in my pocket during a walk... but not too often.

I've just increased to 4 cups total a day.


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## Riley's Mom

Bgate9 said:


> Hi,
> I am getting a new golden puppy in April. I am now trying to find a good brand of dog food for him and would like to know how much they eat. I am trying to price out how much money this guy is going to cost me. I was thinking Abady or Fromm, any recommendations would be much appreciated.
> 
> 
> Thanks
> Brian from NH


Hi Brian, 
I see you live close by. I'm in Danville. Be sure to check out State Line Pet they have the best prices around. My Riley has always eaten 2 cups of food a day. I change up his food every 4 months or so. He eats a super premium food. Where are you getting your puppy from?


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## Lilliam

Max gets 3 cups a day, 1 for breakfast and 2 for dinner.
On weekends and on the days I work from home he gets his breakfast in his Kong Wobbler. He gets totally excited when he sees me getting it out.


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## Willow52

My guy is now eating 3 cups/day. I buy the 33 lb. bag of Innova Large Breed. It lasts a little over a month. The $49.88 I spend per bag seems like a lot but it's really only costing me less than a $1.00/day to feed Hank. Not too bad considering what a Starbucks costs!


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## Ljilly28

My past housmate feeds his Chessie Abady, and she is turing 14 and still hiking.


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## GinnyinPA

Ben eats Blue Buffalo chicken and brown rice - four cups a day at the moment. He acts as if he's starving all the time, but his weight has been pretty stable at 69-70 lbs. We also give him training treats and peanut butter kongs.


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## Ninde'Gold

My 90lb male eats 1 - 1.5 cups in the morning and again at night.


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## MittaBear

Chester eats about 3.5 - 4 cups a day of Fromm 4 star line. It usually lasts us about a month.


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## Goldenmomma

I feed my boy (somehow he's 3 years--not my tiny baby anymore) about a 1 1/4 cups twice a day. I also add a tbl of pumpkin twice a day. A tbl of plain yogurt in the morning. And about 1/2 cup of green beans at night. He is eating Nutro Natural Choice Sensitive Stomach. He also gets cookies. I try to keep his weight at 86 lbs. We'll be back to walking once the weather turns to Spring. He would walk anytime, but I'm not being dragged in rain, snow, etc. by two energetic goldens no matter how cute they are. Enjoy the puppy times! My little boy still thinks he's that 5 1/2 lb pup as he sits on me.


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## Bgate9

*food*



MittaBear said:


> Chester eats about 3.5 - 4 cups a day of Fromm 4 star line. It usually lasts us about a month.


 
Fromm is one of the foods I am considering. About how many pounds per month does 3.5 - 4 cups of food equal?


thanks


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## ChiPack

I agree that it will vary on the dog. Our golden girl, Reagan, eats 3.5 to 4 cups a day and she is 60 pounds. She's very active and very lean.

Walter, who is a golden mix, is 59 pounds and he only eats two cups a day (he is disabled with a less active lifestyle).


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## GinnyinPA

You said you're trying to figure out a budget - don't forget there are a lot of other things to include in your dog budget than just food. I was told to expect to spend about $100 month on a healthy dog. You have to include food, toys, treats, training and routine vet visits. That's aside from the initial money you'll spend for the adoption fee, getting a crate, a bed, toys, and shots.


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## Rebroland

Hi Brian from NH. I'm also from NH  

I currently feed my 10 Month old 75 lb golden 4 cups of Purina Pro Plan Puppy for Large Dogs. He eats 2 cups twice a day and a 35 lb bag lasts us around a month. 

From reading this forum and from chats with my neighbors, I'm switching today to Taste of The Wild. (He just finished his last bag of Purina.. yayy!!) so we'll be adjusting the feeding, I'm sure. 

I was shocked that it's actually the same price to purchase the TOTW from the local petstore than it was to purchase Purina from Petco. (around $45) and so worth it to have a better quality food. 

I also have heard about State Line Pet and that they have really good prices.. so you may want to check them out too!


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## Goldenmomma

I realized that I hadn't answered your question about budget. $100 a month is not unheard of. I can't walk out of Petsmart or Petco without spending around $100, but both of my goldens have sensitive stomachs. Remember not only dry food, but cookies as well. Any training once your pup is bigger is another expense to consider as well as any vet bill. All three of mine are due next month and I know that I won't get out of the office without spending $200. Also count on a groomer bill as well. Good luck and remember "love of a golden, priceless."


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## iansgran

A Golden will eat as much as he can wrangle out of you.
If cost is an issue, the reviews of the Costco Kirkland food are really very good for the price.


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## EonDarkStar

*Help?*

I'm looking for how many ounces/pounds a day an adult Golden Retriever would eat, not cups. Anyone have any idea?


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## spruce

cup=8 oz, so 2 cups a days would be one pound.


when you guys say you give your dog a cup....what do you use to measure? if measuring cup, to you just fill to the one cup line or go over?


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## CharliedogsDad

I use a measuring cup. Charlie gets 2.5 cups in the morning and 2 cups around dinner time. He's on Purina One LBP right now but he's a year so it's time to switch him over to adult food.


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## bowdense

Riley's Mom said:


> Hi Brian,
> I see you live close by. I'm in Danville. Be sure to check out State Line Pet they have the best prices around. My Riley has always eaten 2 cups of food a day. I change up his food every 4 months or so. He eats a super premium food. Where are you getting your puppy from?


Where is State Line Pet? I am in Southern Maine. I wonder if it would be worth the trip?


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## bowdense

spruce said:


> cup=8 oz, so 2 cups a days would be one pound.
> 
> 
> when you guys say you give your dog a cup....what do you use to measure? if measuring cup, to you just fill to the one cup line or go over?


I use a measuring cup. Right now Remington eats close to 4 cups a day. Just switched from Blue Buffalo LBP to Canidae ALS. He will be 6 months old on 12/3.


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## HiTideGoldens

EonDarkStar said:


> I'm looking for how many ounces/pounds a day an adult Golden Retriever would eat, not cups. Anyone have any idea?


It really depends on the nutritional breakdown of the food and on the dog itself.....I'm not sure anyone could give you reliable general information on this. We generally go through about 1 large bag of Acana Grasslands per month for Jack. It weighs about 30 lbs. so that would make it approximately a lb per day for Jack. But our Chloe eats a just slightly more than half of what Jack does, so the same size bag lasts significantly longer for her.


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## Megora

spruce said:


> when you guys say you give your dog a cup....what do you use to measure? if measuring cup, to you just fill to the one cup line or go over?


Measuring scoop. 

I bought the whole set (1/3 scoop, 1/2 scoop, 3/4 scoop, 1 cup scoop) and use the different ones if I'm adding or cutting. That was the measurement is always exact.


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## mylissyk

You should start off feeding your new puppy the same dog food the breeder is feeding him. Change it after you've had him a few months.


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## OutWest

Bgate9 said:


> Hi,
> I am getting a new golden puppy in April. I am now trying to find a good brand of dog food for him and would like to know how much they eat. I am trying to price out how much money this guy is going to cost me. I was thinking Abady or Fromm, any recommendations would be much appreciated.
> 
> 
> Thanks
> Brian from NH


I'm laughing because I asked the same question when I joined this forum! I was trying to buy a food bucket that my dogs couldn't get into and needed to know the size to buy. I'm not going to answer b/c I think others on here know much more than I. Have fun with your pup, and be sure to post pictures. We're all GR puppy crazy here.


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