Goldendoodle nutrition by adult size and parent breed

A Goldendoodle's adult size depends mostly on its Poodle parent, which can be a Standard, Miniature or Toy, and on how many generations of crossing lie behind it. Two puppies sold under the same name can grow into very different dogs, needing different food, different portions and different precautions. The health risks come from both parents too. Crossing breeds does not cancel them out: in a large UK owner survey of the closely related Labradoodle, Cockapoo and Cavapoo, the odds of disorders did not differ significantly from the parent breeds in 86.6% of the 342 comparisons made. Goldendoodles themselves have not been studied that way, and the authors note that evidence for a strong "hybrid vigor" effect in dogs is limited.

Feeding by size, not by label

Because the name says little about adult size, portions should follow the dog's actual weight and body condition. The Merck Veterinary Manual gives the usual starting formula: resting energy requirement is 70 times body weight in kilograms to the power 0.75, multiplied by 2 for a puppy over four months, 1.8 for an intact adult, 1.6 for a neutered adult and 1.4 for an adult prone to weight gain.

Merck notes that dogs of the same weight can need 30% more or less than the formula suggests, so use the table to set a first portion, then adjust by the scale and by feel. The ribs should be easy to feel under a thin layer of fat, with a visible waist. In a thick doodle coat, looking tells you very little. Hands and a monthly weigh-in are the only reliable check.

Puppies that will be large

A puppy from a Standard Poodle cross that is likely to be a large adult should be fed as a large-breed puppy. Merck reports that in young, fast-growing large-breed dogs, diets with more than 3% calcium on a dry matter basis caused more severe osteochondrosis and poorer bone remodeling than diets with 1% to 3%. In practice that means a food labeled complete and balanced for growth including large-size dogs, no added calcium or bone supplements, and a lean, steadily growing puppy rather than a heavy one. Ask the vet when to switch to adult food, since larger dogs keep growing for longer.

Adult size is hard to predict from the parents, so weigh a puppy every week or two and feed the dog in front of you, not the size the breeder estimated.

What each parent breed contributes

The American Kennel Club's Golden Retriever page lists hip and elbow dysplasia, eye conditions including juvenile cataracts, pigmentary uveitis and progressive retinal atrophy, and subvalvular aortic stenosis, a heart defect, as conditions breeders should screen for. Its recommended tests are hip and elbow evaluations, a cardiac exam, an eye exam and a DNA test for one form of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis.

For the Standard Poodle, the AKC mentions hip dysplasia, eye disorders, idiopathic epilepsy, sebaceous adenitis (an inflammatory skin disease that destroys the oil glands), von Willebrand's disease (a bleeding disorder) and immune-mediated disorders, including those of the thyroid and adrenal glands. It also notes that Standards are more at risk of bloat than the smaller Poodles. Recommended tests include hips, eyes, autoimmune thyroiditis and a DNA test for von Willebrand's disease type I.

When choosing a puppy, ask for the parents' results on these tests. A doodle has no registry health program of its own, so the parents' screening is the best information available.

Where diet fits

• Joints. Food cannot change hip genetics, but every extra kilogram is carried by joints that may already be imperfect. Keeping a Goldendoodle lean from puppyhood is the most useful thing diet can do for them. Joint supplements are optional and should be dosed by the vet.
• Adrenal and thyroid disease. Diet does not prevent them. Once a dog is diagnosed, the vet manages hormone replacement and any dietary adjustments.
• Eyes. Antioxidant supplements have not been shown to prevent inherited retinal disease, and progressive retinal atrophy is managed by DNA testing breeding dogs.

Appetite and weight

Goldendoodles are often described as inheriting the Golden Retriever's appetite through the "Labrador obesity gene". That gene is a deletion in POMC, and the study that identified it found it in Labrador Retrievers and, among the other breeds tested, only in Flat-Coated Retrievers. It has not been linked to Golden Retrievers. Many Goldendoodles are still keen eaters, and the AKC notes that some Goldens become overweight, but the cause is ordinary: food is rewarding, portions creep and treats are not counted.

Two measured meals a day, weighed on a kitchen scale, work better than a scoop. Treats and chews come out of the daily total, and training can use part of the dog's normal kibble.

Bloat in larger Goldendoodles

Gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV, or bloat) is an emergency in which the stomach fills with gas and may twist. The AKC notes that Standard Poodles are more at risk than the smaller varieties, so large, deep-chested Goldendoodles deserve the same care. In a prospective study of large and giant breed dogs that included Standard Poodles, risk rose with age, fast eating, a close relative that had bloated, and a raised feeding bowl.

• Feed from a bowl on the floor.
• Split the day's food into at least two meals.
• Slow a fast eater with a puzzle bowl.
• Keep hard exercise away from mealtimes; this is standard advice, though less well studied.

A dog that retches without bringing anything up, has a swollen belly, drools or cannot settle needs an emergency vet immediately.

Itchy skin, ears and food allergy

Itching, paw licking, red skin and repeated ear infections usually point back to the skin. Floppy ears with hair in the canal hold moisture, and the AKC advises checking a Golden's ears weekly. Recurring ear infections are also one of the usual signs of skin allergy, whether environmental or food-related, so a dog whose ears keep flaring up should be assessed for allergy rather than only treated for each infection.

Food allergy is confirmed with an elimination diet, using a novel protein or a hydrolyzed diet and nothing else. A review of the published trials found that eight weeks brought complete remission in more than 90% of food-allergic dogs, so the trial should run at least that long before foods are reintroduced one at a time. According to a companion review, the most commonly reported food allergens in dogs are beef, dairy, chicken and wheat.

That list is why grain-free food rarely solves an allergy on its own. Most of the common triggers are animal proteins, and a grain-free food made with chicken will not help a chicken-allergic dog. Rotating proteins in a dog without allergies has not been shown to prevent new ones. The food allergies guide covers the trial in more detail.

Coat care

Goldendoodle coats range from flat and shedding, like a Golden's, to tight and curly, like a Poodle's, with the wavy coat in between. Curlier coats shed less but mat quickly, particularly behind the ears, under the collar and in the armpits, and they need brushing down to the skin several times a week plus regular clipping. A complete and balanced diet provides what the coat needs. A coat that turns dull, dry or patchy on a good diet is a reason for a vet check, since thyroid disease and sebaceous adenitis both appear in the Poodle side of the family.

Sources

1. The doodle dilemma: How the physical health of 'Designer-crossbreed' Cockapoo, Labradoodle and Cavapoo dogs' compares to their purebred progenitor breeds. PLoS One, 2024.
2. Nutritional requirements of small animals. Merck Veterinary Manual.
3. Golden Retriever dog breed information. American Kennel Club.
4. Poodle (Standard) dog breed information. American Kennel Club.
5. A deletion in the canine POMC gene is associated with weight and appetite in obesity-prone Labrador retriever dogs. Cell Metabolism, 2016.
6. Non-dietary risk factors for gastric dilatation-volvulus in large and giant breed dogs. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 2000.
7. Critically appraised topic on adverse food reactions of companion animals (1): duration of elimination diets. BMC Veterinary Research, 2015.
8. Critically appraised topic on adverse food reactions of companion animals (2): common food allergen sources in dogs and cats. BMC Veterinary Research, 2016.