An adult golden retriever of 30 kg, neutered and moderately active, needs about 833 kcal a day, which is about 731 g of our Chicken recipe. For this breed, how much matters more than what: in UK veterinary records goldens are recorded as overweight more often than Labradors, even though they don't carry the gene variant that makes many Labradors so hungry. And there is a second, less familiar issue that does concern the type of food: golden retrievers are the breed most represented in reports of heart disease possibly linked to certain grain-free diets.
It depends on which standard you read. The American Kennel Club standard gives 29.5-34 kg for males and 25-29.5 kg for females (65-75 and 55-65 lb). The FCI standard, which applies across Europe and names Great Britain as the breed's country of origin, is the one behind what many people call the ‘English’ golden: under ‘size and weight’ it gives only the height at the withers, 56-61 cm for males and 51-56 cm for females, and no weight at all.
So there is no ideal weight for a golden that you can simply read off a chart: two dogs of the same height can carry different amounts of bone and muscle. The reliable reference is body condition. On the WSAVA 9-point body condition scale, 4-5 is ideal: ribs you can feel without pressing, a waist visible from above and a tummy that tucks up when seen from the side. Under a golden's long coat, check with your hands rather than your eyes.
On weight, they fare even worse. In a Royal Veterinary College study of the clinical records of 22,333 dogs seen by UK vets in 2016, golden retrievers had about 2.6 times the odds of being recorded as overweight compared with crossbreeds: third after Pugs and Beagles, and ahead of Labradors (1.7 times), despite the Labrador's reputation as the greediest dog of all.
The genetics make this more surprising. In 2016 a University of Cambridge team found a variant of the POMC gene, carried by about one Labrador in five, that is linked to higher weight and stronger food motivation. Among the dogs of other breeds tested were 55 golden retrievers, and none carried it: outside the Labrador, it turned up only in Flat-coated Retrievers. A golden that eats everything in sight can't be explained by that gene; as the authors of the overweight study note, alongside genetics, the way a dog is fed and exercised at home may play a part.
Then there is neutering. The Golden Retriever Lifetime Study follows pet goldens in the United States: among the 2,764 dogs analysed, neutered dogs had a 1.6 to 2.2 times higher risk of becoming overweight or obese than intact ones, whatever age they were neutered at. Whether and when to neuter is for you and your vet to decide; for the bowl, it means recalculating the portion afterwards, which is why the feeding chart below has separate columns for neutered and intact dogs.
It hasn't been proven, but goldens are at the centre of the question. Between 2014 and April 2019 the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) received 515 reports, covering 560 dogs, of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM: an enlarged heart that pumps poorly) in which diet was suspected to play a role. The breed most represented was the golden retriever, with 95 cases, ahead of mixed breeds and Labradors. More than 90% of the products reported were ‘grain-free’, 93% contained peas and/or lentils and 42% potatoes or sweet potatoes. The FDA stressed that reports alone are not enough to establish cause and effect, and noted a reporting bias for goldens: breed social-media groups and campaigns raised awareness of the issue and urged owners and vets to report cases. Since December 2022 it has stopped publishing updates until there is meaningful new science.
A University of California, Davis study adds detail. Of 24 goldens with taurine deficiency and DCM, 23 were eating diets that were grain-free, legume-rich or both; in 23 of them heart measurements and taurine levels improved after their vets changed the diet and added taurine. The authors describe the problem as probably multifactorial, involving diet, metabolism and the breed's genetics.
Atopic dermatitis is more common in goldens. In a study of 552 dogs with atopic dermatitis seen at five dermatology referral centres in Australia, Germany and the United States, golden retrievers were predisposed at three of the five; across all the dogs in the study, the areas most often affected were the paws, belly, ears and face.
Food allergies exist, but they are not a proven breed trait. In a review of 825 dogs with skin reactions to food, Labradors and goldens together made up 19% of cases across six case series; the authors nonetheless concluded that there are no reliable data on breed predisposition, because few studies compared these figures with how many goldens and Labradors live in the local dog population. When a food is to blame, it is most often beef (34% of documented cases), then dairy (17%), chicken (15%) and wheat (13%). So cutting out chicken on a hunch is not a diagnosis: the only way to find out is an elimination diet set up by your vet, lasting at least 8 weeks.
Dandruff may have nothing to do with food. One of the most common hereditary conditions in goldens is a form of ichthyosis linked to the PNPLA1 gene, which causes widespread scaling and dark, rough skin on the belly, usually from a young age and generally without itching. In a University of Milan study of 463 goldens tested in Italy between 2017 and 2025, 21% had the variant on both copies of the gene and 37% were carriers, although not every dog with two copies shows scaling. Your vet can confirm it with an examination and a DNA test.
Every Pappa Fresh recipe contains one meat only and declares the percentage of each ingredient on the label, so you always know what your golden is eating and can discuss it with your vet:
They are cooked in the pouch and keep outside the fridge until opened; once opened, they go in the fridge and should be used within 2-3 days. On the Complete plan a golden eats more than one 400 g pouch a day. If your golden is on a diet recommended by your vet, for whatever reason, show them the label before switching.
An adult golden retriever of 30 kg, neutered and moderately active, needs about 833 kcal a day: with our Chicken recipe that is about 731 g, with the richer Beef recipe 613 g. An intact golden burns more, about 907 kcal. Our quiz's method treats the golden as a breed that gains weight easily and takes that into account in the portion. The aim is to keep your golden at 4-5 on the WSAVA scale: if its shape changes, retake the quiz and the portion updates.
For a dog this size the Complete plan costs about €12.84 a day. Above 25 kg the quiz opens on the Topper, a quarter of the ration alongside your dog's usual food (about €3.27 a day), and also offers the Mix, half the ration with your own kibble (about €6.55). Compared with kibble (350-400 kcal per 100 g, against 110-136 for our recipes), wet food weighs about three times as much for the same calories. For the general method, see how much should a dog eat.
| Weight | Energy need (kcal/day) neutered / intact | Grams per day neutered / intact | Complete plan | Mix (½) | Topper (¼) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 kg | 727 / 791 | 638 g / 694 g | €11.67/day | €5.70/day | €2.90/day |
| 30 kg | 833 / 907 | 731 g / 796 g | €12.84/day | €6.55/day | €3.27/day |
| 34 kg | 915 / 996 | 803 g / 874 g | €13.74/day | €6.87/day | €3.45/day |
Grams based on the Chicken recipe (114 kcal/100 g); with Beef, which is richer (136 kcal/100 g), you need about 16% less. Prices for a neutered dog.
Figures calculated with the same method as our quiz (FEM×K: maintenance energy adjusted for breed, activity, neutering and body condition). They are an estimate: take the quiz for your dog's exact plan, and talk to your vet about any health concern.
Two minutes: enter weight, age and activity to get the exact portion, with 30% off your first order.
An adult golden retriever of 30 kg, neutered and moderately active, needs about 731 g a day of our Chicken recipe, or about 796 g if intact. Across the AKC weight range, from a 25 kg female to a 34 kg male, that goes from about 638 g to 803 g. These are estimates: adjust the portion to your dog's body condition.
The AKC standard gives 29.5-34 kg for males and 25-29.5 kg for females. The FCI standard used in Europe sets only the height (56-61 cm for males, 51-56 cm for females) and no weight. Body condition matters more than the number: you should be able to feel the ribs without seeing them, a score of 4-5 on the WSAVA 9-point scale.
Not necessarily, but grain-free is not automatically better either. Golden retrievers are the breed most represented in the FDA's reports of DCM possibly linked to certain diets, mostly grain-free and rich in peas or lentils, although the FDA has not established cause and effect. If your golden eats a diet like that, ask your vet whether to check its taurine.
Start by weighing portions and treats properly, and recalculate the ration after neutering, which in goldens is linked to a 1.6 to 2.2 times higher risk of becoming overweight. Goldens also have about 4 times the odds of crossbreeds of being diagnosed with hypothyroidism (about 1 golden in 100 in UK records), a thyroid condition that often causes weight gain: if the weight keeps rising on measured portions, ask your vet for a check.
They were predisposed to atopic dermatitis at three of five dermatology centres in an international study. Food reactions are also seen often in goldens, but studies show no reliable breed predisposition, and chicken ranks third among documented food allergens (15%), after beef and dairy. Only an elimination diet of at least 8 weeks, supervised by your vet, can tell.
No study shows that one format is better for goldens: what matters is a complete food and the right portion. You can also combine the two: on our Mix plan half the ration is wet food and half your usual kibble, for about €6.55 a day for a neutered golden of 30 kg.
Written by the Pappa Fresh editorial team from published veterinary studies (see sources). Not a substitute for your vet's advice.
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