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Best Dog Food for Labs

115K views 77 replies 68 participants last post by  anderseninc 
#1 ·
Hello,

I'm new to RTF and a new full breed lab owner. My dog is currently 6 weeks old and I am feed him Purina Pro Plan Sport 30/20 (all life stages). Does anyone have experience with this food or recommends anything else? Also, are supplements a necessity? I want my pup to reach his fullest potential and size. TIA
 
#4 · (Edited)
My puppies go home with Dr. Tim's Kinesis 26/16. I usually recommend Tim's Pursuit 30/20 at maturity. It can be bought on-line in 44lb plain white bags from Petflow for what Pro Plan costs. If for some reason a puppy buyer can't feed Dr. Tim's, I will normally recommend Annamaet next (a tie with Dr. Tim's) then Precise and then as a convenience choice Eukanuba. Pro Plan used to be a go to food but when Nestle bought them they ramped up the corn and I won't pay top dollar for 5 types of corn.
 
#6 ·
J Cosentino,
First of all.... There is NO BEST FOOD. A lot depends on what is available to you and what you are willing to spend. Personally for me it's all about the ingredients not the name brand.
It would be this retired breeder/trainer's opinion NOT to feed "rocket fuel" 30/20 formula to a young pup especially a male in order to help prevent any bone growth issues like Pano. Shouldn't be a problem for a few months but I would change food at 4 months old. I prefer to feed Lab pups Canidae All Life Stage 24/14 with ME/Kcal of 468 using 4 meat proteins.
Plenty of protein/fat and calories for a growing pup well into adulthood and though the major growth period. Love those 44#bags too. http://www.canidae.com/dogs/all_life_stages/dry.html
I much perfer the ingredients in all of Canidae's products. When the dog is over 2 yrs old and if it needs performance feed for energy or added weight then I would use Canidae All Life Stage Grain Free formula 34/18. ME/kcal of 498.
I am a firm believer in using PROZYME digestive aid with each meal. http://www.prozymeproducts.com/
That would be my feeding guideline.
 
#50 ·
No such thing as a king among dog foods...rather approach it as a trial and error

I second that there is no such thing as a single "best dog food for labs." Rather it is a trial and error process. No two labs are alike, use energy in the same way, or have the same GI processing ability/sensitivity. My previous lab when a pup could eat 1.5-2 cups of food and had a lead lined stomach. My current pup has a furnace for a metabolism and consumes nearly twice the amount of calories at a relative equivalent of age and activity with severe stomach sensitivities. I may be new to the hunt arena but am a seasoned veteran in nutritional requirements (I hold a doctorate in pharmacology and use diet analysis in much of my work; note my research is never on/in dogs). I can say that even the dogfoodadvisor.com is a good start by by no means a true litmus test. For example, they rank dog foods based on the crude protein analysis with those that have high protein content rated excellent (e.g. Orijen) whereas dog foods with less protein and more carbohydrates (Merrick,etc.) are ranked lower but are not inferior diets. There is little science to report the claim that high protein equals superior food. In fact, recent research (published in Science) eludes to the fact that diets based on the mentality that dogs were once wild wolves is heavily flawed and the two have evolved into completely different species, with dogs having the evolutionary advantage to process carbohydrates. However, no one knows for sure what is right and wrong except you and your pup. My current lab puppy has been the most challenging dog yet with a complete intolerance to higher protein diets. Labs provide a test case in diet trial and error: you don't want a super charged food for a growing pup, they can be prone to allergies, and in a large breed pup their digestive tract takes awhile to mature and can lead to difficulties in proper absorption (i.e. loose stools), which for a working dog can be a big problem. What ultimately worked for my current dog was Annamaet Encore 25% and a homemade chicken, rice, spinach, apples, and carrot blend with supplemental raw goat milk for a probiotic boost. I cannot stress enough how in asking for the best food for your dog is akin to asking for the best food for your child, everyone is different. Furthermore, you also have to account for their particular taste preference. You could have the best dog food in the world but if your dog won't eat it, it is nothing more than a bag taking up space.

Take advantage of the fact that there are so many kinds of quality dog food. Although I would personally steer clear of any diet with corn in the top three ingredients.

-Janell

J Cosentino,
First of all.... There is NO BEST FOOD. A lot depends on what is available to you and what you are willing to spend. Personally for me it's all about the ingredients not the name brand...
 
#8 · (Edited)
Take a look at Inukshuk. Came to me recommended by a vet and pro trainer down in NC. Says it's hands down the best he's fed. No frills. No high budget advertising. Just what a working dog needs. I just started using it, but pup seems to like it so that's start.

http://inukshukusa.com
That is a good food but its hard to get because it is sold direct on skids of 65 bags. If you can get in on a skid it is a great deal at about $1lb.

Buying single bags from the company for over $2.25lb is not a good deal.
 
#38 · (Edited)
They were good foods about 10 years ago, before M & M Mars bought the brand. Multiple brand recalls later, including food that made a cat of mine violently ill (literally wiping down the walls from explosive diarrhea), the entire brand is mediocre at best. The quality just went way downhill.

Some talk about Loyall but just look at the ingredients list because it's about as bad as they come, mostly by-product and fillers in the primary ingredients and that's their "high performance" food. The brand is owned by a grain company that specializes in horse feed, Nutrena.

I have fed a bunch of foods including Nutro, Innova, California Natural, Canidae, 4Health, Orijen, Wellness, Avoderm, and Nutrisource, to name some of the brands. For the money and for the quality of the ingredients, Earthborn Holistic is the best I've found. I get it at a local feed store as it's about $7.00/bag cheaper there. As hard as I train my trial dog, the Primitive Natural formula is the only food I found that has enabled him to maintain his weight and coat. It is a very rich formula and is definitely not for all dogs. I recently helped a buddy with his young chocolate male and got him to switch the dog over to the puppy formula from Eukanuba Large Breed puppy. After he settled into the food about two full months into it, the difference was extremely noticeable. His coat got like an otter's, tight, dense, and slick. His muscle tone was great. He looked like a racehorse with his coat and the visible muscularity in his shoulders and hips. No, I don't sell it or work for the company. It's just a great product that I really believe in based on the results in multiple dogs.
 
#18 ·
Victor is probably the most underpriced food on the market. I have used the teal blue bag 30/20 and I thought it was quite good.

If you have one dog to feed Dr. Tim's Pursuit and Annamaet Ultra are the two best foods you can buy. They can be pricey in a kennel situation unless you buy direct or become a dealer. I buy from a sled trainer that puts some good money in her pocket each month from being a small dealer, and she feeds her dogs at cost.
 
#16 ·
A lot of these foods that are recommended in this thread have higher fiber than what I am currently feeding my dog. I really don't want more piles of poop, but I realize that Pro Plan isn't the best food that I can be feeding him. Any experiences with Blue Buffalo Wilderness?
 
#19 ·
I also feed PPP Sport. I think I may be having a problem with it. MY BLF appears to have allergies to the food. I just had her to the vet yesterday to clear an ear infection. In 2 weeks they want to see her again. If infection is not clear we are going to switch food. She also scratches quite a bit. Like Spin Retriever said, there is alot of corn in PPP.
Hello,

I'm new to RTF and a new full breed lab owner. My dog is currently 6 weeks old and I am feed him Purina Pro Plan Sport 30/20 (all life stages). Does anyone have experience with this food or recommends anything else? Also, are supplements a necessity? I want my pup to reach his fullest potential and size. TIA
 
#21 ·
i have recently started feeding a puppy food called The Pride. and i am seeing amazing results. hard stools, and very shiny coats. look into it i highly recommend it after feeding science diet, and pretty much any of the very high brand names, and its at a very affordable price..
 
#26 ·
Spin, no I am feeding the kinesis for my 5 month old in the 44 lb bags. I do have a bag of pursuit which I plan to use when we are getting more active/hunting season. I also wanted to keep her grown down. I couldn't be happier and don't see any reason to change. A new 44lb bag comes Friday!
 
#28 · (Edited)
We've been feeding our 13 month old YML a dry dog food called Orijen made by a small company out of Alberta, Canada. Previous to our current lab we had always fed a "premium" (but more common) dry dog food to our other labs with no noticeable improvement in their coat, performance or overall vitality. In contrast, since putting this, our third hunting lab on Orijen we have noticed what I feel is a very noticeable improvement, overall. For instance, most everyone who pets our dog will make some remark about how soft his coat feels. I agree totally. There is a noticeable improvement in the texture of our dog’s coat. We have also noticed what appears to be an overall improvement in our dog’s endurance in training sessions and overall well-being (mood, energy level, sleep pattern, airing habits). As an aside, one of the first things we noticed since we began feeding Orijen is significantly less stool volume when our dog airs.

Orijen markets its dog food line on the platform that it is more “biologically appropriate” (containing higher protein, higher fat and significantly less carbs) than the more ubiquitous "premium" dog foods commonly available at giant pet food chains. To this end Orijen has received a 5-star rating by DogFoodAdvisor.com and is “enthusiastically recommended” by that advisor.

Every couple of months we've been switching our lab between Orijen's "Adult Formula", "Six Fish Formula" and its "Regional Red Formula". All iof which are equally high in protein and fat and very low in carbs. Switching between the formulas causes no stomach upset and we usually make the transition over the course of a week or less.
 
#30 ·
Your dog is not too young to be on sport. Recommendations for puppies, active dogs, pregnant bitches and lactating bitches are for a 30/20 or greater. I feed PPP sport to all the dogs in my kennel from the time that they are weaned until the time that they die. Only two dogs that I have ever fed that food to have had problems. One had a metabolic disorder and couldn't metabolize protein very well and the other had ear infections which was found out to be a chicken allergy and was resolved by switching to PPP lamb and rice. Sport has more EPA and DHA than focus which are needed for puppy brain development and also people fail to realize that the fat content is where most of the nutrients come from not to mention the fact that fat is what coats synapses in the brain. I would highly recommend that you do not switch from a high fat food during your dogs development. You would be better off sacrificing protein than fat. JMO based on a lot of research by a lot of people much smarter than me on the subject.
 
#39 ·
Your dog is not too young to be on sport. Recommendations for puppies, active dogs, pregnant bitches and lactating bitches are for a 30/20 or greater. I feed PPP sport to all the dogs in my kennel from the time that they are weaned until the time that they die. Only two dogs that I have ever fed that food to have had problems. One had a metabolic disorder and couldn't metabolize protein very well and the other had ear infections which was found out to be a chicken allergy and was resolved by switching to PPP lamb and rice. Sport has more EPA and DHA than focus which are needed for puppy brain development and also people fail to realize that the fat content is where most of the nutrients come from not to mention the fact that fat is what coats synapses in the brain. I would highly recommend that you do not switch from a high fat food during your dogs development. You would be better off sacrificing protein than fat. JMO based on a lot of research by a lot of people much smarter than me on the subject.
This is what I thought too. I was always told that the calcium and phosphorus in the food is what causes growing problems? correct me if Im wrong
 
#31 ·
Just do some research and look at what is in the food. Look at where the protein comes from, either meats, vegetables, or grains. Just because a dog food states they have 30% protein, doesn't always mean protein from meats so it is always a good idea to see where they get their protein from. Some dog foods put a lot of corn gluten to boost the protein levels of the food which in the long run can actually hurt your dog in their later years. Kidney problems or liver problems for example. It's best to look for a dog food where the protein comes from the meats and not corn or other grains. I know grain free dog foods are expensive, but victor grain free is a very reasonably priced grain free dog food. Also, Victor's regular dog food which contains some grain is also pretty good when looking at the ingredients and is a little cheaper. An excellent place to look at grain free foods is http://www.a1petemporium.com/dog_foods.htm
 
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