Foods To Feed Your Golden As Preventative Medicine

At times you might say “well, there is no guarantee that my Golden will get cancer, have heart issues, develop cataracts, have hip dysplasia, have skin issues, or suffer from luxating patella.” But there is also no guarantee that your Golden will not develop one or more of these things either. And if your Golden does develop one or more of these health issues it could be very expensive to treat, not to mention reduce your dog’s quality of life.

That’s why we are talking about prevention today. Specifically, foods that can act as preventative medicine for your Golden. These foods are specifically chosen based on health issues that are common in the Golden Retriever, such as those listed above.

Raw Meat

Feeding your dog a diet of raw meat on a daily basis is some fo the best preventive medicine. A raw diet is what a dog is meant to eat, not processed kibble. A raw, species-appropriate diet will help to prevent many health issues and, likely, increase your dog’s lifespan.

Here is why, meat provides dogs with the vitamins, fats, minerals, and amino acids they need to thrive. Meat is a great source of the amino acids required for a dog’s heart, joint, digestive, and overall health.

Different meats like beef, lamb, goat, rabbit, chicken, pork, and turkey all offer slightly different nutrient profiles. This makes it important to feed your dog as much variety of proteins as you can. In this way, you will provide your dog with maximum nutrients and be able to avoid any deficiencies or excess.

Additionally, feeding a raw, species-appropriate diet is a great way to reduce your Golden’s risk of cancer. Cancer cells love to feed on carbohydrates, which are abundant in kibble. However, a species-appropriate, raw diet will have little to no carbs included in it. This will help to prevent cancer from forming and can help to starve any cancer that may be present.

Raw Bones

I’m sure you have heard that feeding a dog bones is very dangerous. And, yes, feeding cooked bones can be very dangerous. But raw bones are a whole different story. They are excellent for promoting dental hygiene, building muscle, providing calcium and phosphorus.

Here is the difference: cooked bones have a lot of the moisture removed, this makes them very hard, harder to digest, and more likely to splinter. This can lead to broken or fractured teeth and a perforated bowel. On the other hand, raw bones contain all of their natural moisture, are very digestible, and very unlikely to splinter.

Raw Organs

Raw organ meats are like natural multivitamins for your Golden. They are much more useful to your dog’s body than the synthetic vitamins added to kibbles. Additionally, organs contain a balance of nutrients that makes all the other nutrients more useable.

Raw organs that you might feed your Golden include brain, liver, kidney, pancreas, spleen, heart, and more. Each has its own unique blend of nutrients. Organs from different proteins can also offer slightly different nutrients. It is important to offer a variety of organs from a variety of protein sources for maximum benefit.

Foods Rich In Glucosamine

Goldens can be prone to joint issues including luxating patella, hip dysplasia, and arthritis. This is where feeding foods rich in glucosamine can come in handy. Glucosamine is a necessary nutrient for joint health.

Feeds rich in glucosamine include raw joints like knucklebones and chicken feet. Raw trachea is also a wonderful option providing lots of fun chewing and loads of glucosamine. Oxtails and pig’s tails are also great options that are healthful for your dog’s joints.

Green-Lipped Mussels

Green-lipped mussels are another food that is great for your Golden’s joint health. They can also be beneficial to heart and eye health. This is due to the fact that green-lipped mussels are high in omega-3 fatty acids (good for heart and eyes) as well as glucosamine and chondroitin (good for joints).

Green-lipped mussels can be eaten fresh, but more likely you will find them freeze-dried. Sometimes you can find whole freeze-dried mussels. Or you can feed it as a freeze-dried powder.

Bone Broth

Bone broth is also good for joints due to its high glucosamine content. Bone broth is also wonderful for repairing and maintaining your pup’s gut health. It contains necessary minerals, amino acids, and nutrients that will help your dog feel good and be healthy. In fact, bone broth is a great thing to feed your dog is he isn’t feeling well. If he doesn’t feel like eating he will likely still eat bone broth.

Probiotics

Probiotics are excellent for repairing and maintaining gut health. You have likely heard of the microbiome. The microbiome is made up of tons of tiny microorganisms bacteria, fungi, viruses, yeasts. Some are beneficial and help your dog create hormones, digest his food, and fight off bad microorganisms these are called probiotics. Indeed, feeding your Golden probiotics can be a great way to boost your dog’s immune system!

Probiotic-rich foods include kimchi, kefir, fermented broths, raw goat milk, and raw caw milk. You can also find probiotic supplements that are made for dogs. It is a good idea to rotate the kind of probiotic that you give to your dog.

Prebiotics

Prebiotics are the food that probiotics eat. The more you feed the probiotics, the happier they will be, the happier the probiotics the better your Golden’s immune system. Prebiotics are generally insoluble fiber. Fiber that your dog’s system can’t break down and use, but the microbiome can. Bananas and dandelions are great prebiotics.

Small Fatty Fish

Heat health and eye health are both heavily impacted by the amount of omega-3 fatty acids in the diet. You can give your dog an omega-3 supplement like krill oil or fish oil, but care should be taken to select a supplement that is high-quality and has not gone rancid. A better option is to feed your dog raw fatty fish a few times a week. Good options include sardines, mackerel, and anchovies.

Veggies To Detox

We live in a pretty toxic world these days. Chemicals with unknown health risks are everywhere. This is why it is important to help your dog detox. A build-up of toxins in the body can lead to cancer, fatty tumors, and other health issues. Vegetables like celery, dandelion, cilantro, and cruciferous veggies can all help your dog detox.

If you choose to feed your dog vegetables be sure that they are either lightly steamed, pureed, or fermented. This will make the vegetable much more digestible to your Golden.

Turmeric

Turmeric is a wonderful spice that has impressive antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It can be beneficial for preventing cancer, joint issues, and much more. You can give your dog a turmeric supplement or make golden paste. Golden paste is made in such a way that it makes the turmeric more usable to your dog.

Ginger

Is another spice that has wonderful benefits. It is anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, helps joints, and the digestive tract. It can be a great addition if your dog is suffering from nausea or often has digestive upset.

Summary

Don’t let this list overwhelm you. Yes, it is best if you can feed your dog raw meat, raw bones, and raw organs every day. But, you can easily rotate the other items on the list since you are using them for preventive medicine and not to treat anything.

For instance, you could get a jar of green-lipped mussels this month, once it is used up you could get a probiotic supplement and use it up, next you might make a batch of turmeric paste and use that up, etc.

Prevention is the best kind of medicine and adding certain things into your Golden’s diet is a great way to prevent a myriad of health issues in your dog. Of course, it is always best to listen to your dog and change his diet and supplement regime based on what he is telling you.