Make sure your Golden is on a “Safe” Food
Updated 3/5/2022
This is our current “Safe/Approved Foods” list. We will do our best to keep this page up to date. Due to the fact that Golden Retrievers are one of the breeds that are associated with food-related DCM (dilated cardiomyopathy), it is important that you are extremely careful about what you feed your dog/puppy. This is the main reason I have created a “Safe” Foods list in the first place. For the health of my puppies, I require that you ONLY feed one of the brands/formulas noted below for the Health Guarantee that I provide to stay valid. The only caveat to this requirement is if your veterinarian prescribes a veterinary diet food such as Purina, Royal Canin, or Science Diet. Any prescribed food can only be purchased through a veterinarian or with a written prescription.
Ultimately, Your Choice
I cannot MAKE you feed specific foods. Nonetheless, please understand that I do the research and keep up to date on those foods that are correlating with DCM cases. REMEMBER – Just as I state in my Feeding Goldens article, Cost DOES NOT equal QUALITY when it comes to dog foods. I do not want you to go broke trying to feed your puppy/dog. Still, I want to make sure you are feeding a “safe” food to limit the risk of DCM.
I have used many of the puppy foods on the list below, most commonly, Purina Pro Plan, Science Diet, Purina One, Bil-Jac, and Iams/Eukanuba, and Royal Canin. There are people who SWEAR BY Royal Canin. There are also those that prefer Science Diet since it was the only Veterinary brand for many years. You can choose to feed any of the foods listed below based on what you feel is best for your dog.
All of the foods I have listed below are currently in the “safe” list for food associated DCM. The foods associated with DCM are growing exponentially as more tests are done and more cases are found. PLEASE be careful when you decide what to feed your puppy! Once the studies can pin point the EXACT issue, I feel the “safe” dog foods will grow.
Standing Suggestions
All of our puppies will go home on a mixture of Purina Pro Plan Puppy Shredded Chicken and Rice and Science Diet Lamb Large Breed Puppy Food. You need to keep your puppy on these two foods until he/she is 12 weeks old. After that point, if you want to change foods, make sure that you change them to two of the approved foods below. **We still suggest you choose two of the foods mentioned below and mix them to help make sure your puppy gets the optimal nutrition. Make sure each food is a different manufacturer (Ex: Purina and Bil-Jac)**
Additionally, do not feed your puppy/dog on a schedule if you do not have to. Dogs know how much they need no matter what the back of the bag states. If you start your puppy off with free feeding, you should never have issues with overeating. If you want to start feeding an adult this way, it is a MUCH longer process, but it is possible. Finally, if your dog is getting a little too heavy, you change the food, not the feeding process.
CAVEAT:
If you are a puppy owner and have been feeding one of the foods we recommend and we find out that it needs to be taken off the list, your pup’s guarantee WILL NOT be in danger. We will still happily support our health guarantee. We understand that this information is changing every couple of months. Additionally, it has been shown that dogs with food associated DCM often “recover” when put on a “safe” food. (Ex: I used to suggest a specific formula Victor. Although the recipe I used is not the one associated with the cases found, I have not yet put any of them on this list until I can do additional research).
When I started this page, I only went off those foods that were approved by the WSAVA. However, I have done a great deal of research on this topic. If the suspected food ingredients are peas, lentils, potatoes, and “designer” additives, then these are not the only safe foods. Additionally, there are some foods made by the “safer” manufactures that contain pea proteins in some of their foods. I recommend staying away from those recipes and do not have them listed on this page. I am constantly adding and removing foods from this list only due to their ingredients. As a result, this is not a full list, but if the food is not on this list – MAKE SURE to look at the ingredients of the food you purchase.
“Approved” Puppy Foods
Purina:
Purina Pro Plan® Puppy
Large Breed Chicken and Rice Formula with Probiotics (Chewy)
Chicken and Rice (Chewy)
Lamb and Rice Formula – (Chewy)
Shredded Blend Chicken and Rice Formula – (Chewy)
Purina ONE®SmartBlend®
Puppy Chow
Complete Chicken and Rice (Chewy)
Large Breed Dry Puppy Food (Chewy)
Tender & Crunchy with Real Beef Dry Dog Food (Chewy)
Iams
Proactive Health® Smart Puppy Large Breed (Chewy)
Smart Puppy Original (Chewy)
Eukanuba®
Large Breed Puppy Food (Chewy)
Lamb 1st Ingredient Dry Puppy Food (Chewy)
Royal Canin®
Golden Retriever Puppy Food (Chewy)
Large Breed Puppy Dry Dog Food (Chewy)
Hills Science Diet® Puppy
Chicken Meat and Oat Recipe-Large Breed (Chewy)
Lamb Meal and Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food – Large Breed (Chewy)
Victor
Purpose Nutra Pro (Chewy)
Bil-Jac
Puppy Select Chicken Recipe (Chewy)
Large Breed Puppy Chicken Recipe (Chewy)
Approved All Life Stages Foods
Purina Pro Plan® All Ages Sport
Salmon and Rice Formula – Performance 30/20 (Chewy)
Chicken and Rice Formula – Performance 30/20 (Chewy)
Beef and Rice Formula – Performance 30/20 (Chewy)
Small Bites 27/17 Lamb and Rice Formula (Chewy)
Chicken and Rice Formula – Active 27/17 (Chewy)
Chicken and Rice Formula – Active 26/16 (Chewy)
Approved Adult Foods
Purina
Pro Plan Adult® Complete Essentials
Lamb & Rice Shredded (Chewy)
Beef & Rice Shredded (Chewy)
Chicken & Rice Shredded (Chewy)
Turkey & Rice Probiotic Dry Dog Food (Chewy)
Salmon & Rice Shredded (Chewy)
Pro Plan Adult® Large Breed
Chicken & Rice Formula (Chewy)
Shredded Blend Chicken & Rice Formula (Chewy)
Specialized Beef & Rice Formula High Protein (Chewy)
Purina ONE® SmartBlend®
Small Bites Beef & Rice Formula Adult Premium Dog Food (Chewy)
Chicken & Rice Formula Natural Adult Dog Food (Chewy)
Lamb & Rice Formula Natural Adult Dog Food (Chewy)
Small Breed Lamb & Rice Formula (Chewy)
Purina ONE® True Instinct®
High Protein with Real Chicken & Duck Dog Food (Chewy)
Blend of Real Turkey & Venison Dog Food (Chewy)
High Protein with Real Beef & Salmon Dog Food (Chewy)
Real Salmon & Tuna Dog Food (Chewy)
Beyond® Adult
Simply Farm-Raised Chicken & Whole Barley Recipe Dry Dog Food (Chewy)
Simply Pasture-Raised Lamb & Whole Barley Recipe Dry Dog Food (Chewy)
Beneful® Adult
IncrediBites Small Dog Dry Food with Farm-Raised Chicken (Chewy)
Originals Dry Dog Food with Natural Salmon (Chewy)
Originals Dry Dog Food with Farm-Raised Chicken (Chewy)
Playful Life Dry Dog Food with Farm-Raised Beef (Chewy)
High Protein Dry Dog Food With a Blend of Real Chicken and Beef (Chewy)
Prime Dry Dog Food With Farm-Raised Beef (Chewy)
Protein Rich Dry Dog Food With Natural Lamb and Venison (Chewy)
Originals with Real Beef Dry (Chewy)
Dog Chow® Adult
Complete Adult Dry with Chicken (Chewy)
Complete Adult Dry with Real Beef (Chewy)
Little Bites Small Breed Dog Food (Chewy)
Tender & Crunchy with Real Lamb Dog Food (Chewy)
High Protein Recipe With Real Lamb & Beef Flavor (Chewy)
Iams™ Adult
Chicken and Whole Grain – Minichunks (Chewy)
Lamb and Rice Minichunks (Chewy)
Chicken and Whole Grain – Large Breed (Chewy)
Lamb and Rice – Large Breed (Chewy)
Proactive Health High Protein Chicken & Turkey (Chewy)
Eukanuba® Adult
Large Breed Dog Food (Chewy)
Lamb 1st Ingredient (Chewy)
Large Breed –Lamb 1st Ingredient (Chewy)
Royal Canin® Adult
Golden Retriever Adult Dry Dog Food (Chewy)
Large Adult Dry Dog Food (Chewy)
Hill’s Science Diet® Adult
Chicken & Barley Recipe dog food (Chewy)
Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Recipe dog food – Large Breed (Chewy)
Chicken & Barley Recipe dog food – Large Breed (Chewy)
Victor
Classic Hi-Pro Plus Formula (Chewy)
Select Beef Meal & Brown Rice (Chewy)
Purpose Performance Formula (Chewy)
Classic High Energy Formula (Chewy)
*Realtree MAX-5 PRO (Chewy)
Bil-Jac
Picky No More Medium & Large Breed Chicken Liver Recipe (Chewy)
Adult Select Chicken Recipe (Chewy)
Large Breed Adult Chicken Recipe (Chewy)
Approved Senior Foods
Purina
Pro Plan Adult 7+®
Bright Mind Chicken & Rice Formula (Chewy)
Complete Essentials Shredded Blend Chicken & Rice (Chewy)
Purina ONE® SmartBlend®
Vibrant Maturity 7+ Senior Dog Food Formula (Chewy)
Hill’s Science Diet®
7+ Perfect Digestion Small Bites Chicken, Whole Oats & Brown Rice Recipe (Chewy)
7+ Perfect Digestion Chicken Dry Dog Food (Chewy)
6+ Large Breed dog food (Chewy)
7+ Chicken Meal, Barley & Rice Recipe dog food (Chewy)
Iams™ Mature Adult
ProActive Health Original (Chewy)
Large Breed – ProActive Health (Chewy)
Eukanuba® Senior
Large Breed Dry (Chewy)
Lamb 1st Ingredient (Chewy)
Chicken (Chewy)
Medium Aging 10+ – Up to 55 lbs – (Chewy)
Adult 7+ – Medium – Up to 55 lbs – (Chewy)
Bil-Jac
Senior Select Chicken & Oatmeal Recipe (Chewy)
Approved Specialty Foods
Purina
Pro Plan Adult ®
Cognitive Health Chicken & Rice (Chewy)
Sensitive Skin & Stomach Salmon & Rice Formula (Chewy)
Large Breed Sensitive Skin & Stomach Salmon & Rice Formula (Chewy)
Pro Plan Adult ® Weight Management
Shredded Blend Chicken & Rice Formula (Chewy)
Chicken & Rice Formula Dry Dog Food (Chewy)
Purina ONE® SmartBlend®
Digestive Health Formula with Real Chicken Dog Food (Chewy)
Healthy Weight High Protein Formula Adult Premium Dog Food (Chewy)
Joint Health Formula Adult Premium Dog Food (Chewy)
Sensitive Systems Formula Adult Premium Dog Food (Chewy)
Beneful
Healthy Weight with Farm-Raised Chicken Dry Dog Food (Chewy)
Royal Canin®
Large Joint Care Dry Dog Food (Chewy)
Iams™ Healthy Weight ProActive Health
Original Chicken Adult ($29.94/29.1#)
Chicken Large Breed Adult (Chewy)
Eukanuba®
Fit Body Weight Control Large Breed (Chewy)
Hill’s Science Diet®
Healthy Mobility™
Small Bites dog food ($60.99/30#)
Large Breed dog food (Chewy)
Perfect Digestion™
Salmon, Whole Oats, and Brown Rice Recipe Dog Food (Chewy)
Large Breed Chicken Large Breed Chicken (Chewy)
Small Bites Chicken, Brown Rice & Whole Oats Recipe Dog Food (Chewy)
Chicken, Brown Rice, & Whole Oats Recipe (Chewy)
Bil-Jac
Reduced Fat Chicken Recipe (Chewy)
Sensitive Solutions Whitefish Recipe (Chewy)
You Should NEVER feed the following:
— RAW or BARF diets
— Fromm
— Blue Wilderness
— Orijen
— Blue Buffalo
— Taste of the Wild
— “Designer” foods like Nutrish
— Any Grain Free Foods (unless medically necessary – which is uncommon).