hannahbanana Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 hi everyone I know its been asked alot... I have had my gorgeous little lab a week... Ive been researching what food is best and wondered if anyone could give ne their experiences and what they think is best and why and what differences it makes to your dog.. Like upset tummy etc. Im currently feeding her just dry supercoat with warm water as thats what the breeder was feeding her.. I know you are supposed to gradually change them over which i will do.. Just seeking info and experiences atm. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tara8430 Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 Congrats on your new baby lab I have no advice on food as my lab pup didn't agree with kibble so she's fed raw now but make sure you pop over to the breed sub forums and those crazy Labradors, would love to see pictures of your pup Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ann21 Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 (edited) Hi, I think you will find many people saying "the best food is whatever food your dog does best on." In terms of kibble, I would say look for one that lists a meat meal as its first ingredient (e.g. "chicken meal".) This website is abit outdated but worth a look - www.dogfoodanalysis.com. My dog is fed mostly raw at this point but with Acana Lamb and Apple kibble as a snack in the mornings. Edited January 25, 2013 by ann21 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted January 27, 2013 Share Posted January 27, 2013 an 8 week old pup does not need soaked food, they need to learn to chew properly so I would be giving it dry. I did an experiment with supercoat and I think personally, it's abysmal food in the scheme of things. Massive poos, bad coats, little muscle tone and fleas. Yup. Fleas. Changed the diet back, fleas went away. If you are stuck on the dry food idea, try Royal Canin Labrador Junior. Otherwise have a look at the Vets All Natural diet you make up yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Maeby Fünke Posted January 27, 2013 Share Posted January 27, 2013 I feed my 7 month old Lab Holistic Select Large & Giant Breed Puppy... I get it delivered from this place http://www.naturalpetstore.com.au/c/24/shop-by-brand/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubyBlue Posted January 27, 2013 Share Posted January 27, 2013 Mine was on Royal Canin Lab Junior when I got him from the breeder. He did well on that then the breeder switched her to Eagle Pack Large Breed puppy so I did too. I wasn't happy with it as I needed to feed 6 to 7 cups a day to sustain him so I switched him to Hill Science diet puppy at around 8 months. He is now 15 months and is on Hills active. I don't feel it is suiting him as well as it could so am thinking of switching him back to Royal Canin when I next run out of food. Nekhbet - I have never seen a lab chew kibble. I tried large breed TD with my last one when his teeth were getting a bit bad and he still swallowed them whole. I either soak mine and freeze it in a kong, put it in food dispensing toys, or feed it with water which slows them down a bit. If I put just kibble in a bowl they nearly choke themselves scoffing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esky the husky Posted January 27, 2013 Share Posted January 27, 2013 Stick with the supercoat while your pup settles in. If you can afford it I'd be switching to a more premium food. You end up feeding less volume, and get less coming out the other end onto your lawn. The cheaper foods have a lot of fillers, which pass through the gut quickly. I normally feed a raw diet, but one of the perks of competing in sports is the dry food prizes that come with it. I am very fussy with what I feed and my girl has done extremely well with all the "Earthborn Hollistic" products we've tried. I find it a very economical feed too, but that varies a lot and my breed is known for having an extremely good metabolism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubyStar Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 Nekhbet - I have never seen a lab chew kibble. I tried large breed TD with my last one when his teeth were getting a bit bad and he still swallowed them whole. I either soak mine and freeze it in a kong, put it in food dispensing toys, or feed it with water which slows them down a bit. If I put just kibble in a bowl they nearly choke themselves scoffing it. I second this. My Labs practically inhale dry food, never chew it, so I'm scared of them choking on it. As much as it may seem wrong to still be soaking kibble for adult dogs, my two get soaked kibble to this day and I'm happy to keep it this way. They get the odd chicken neck (which also get inhaled, lucky if they crunch it once!) but they can chew wings and larger bones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
**Super_Dogs** Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 Nekhbet - I have never seen a lab chew kibble. I tried large breed TD with my last one when his teeth were getting a bit bad and he still swallowed them whole. I either soak mine and freeze it in a kong, put it in food dispensing toys, or feed it with water which slows them down a bit. If I put just kibble in a bowl they nearly choke themselves scoffing it. I second this. My Labs practically inhale dry food, never chew it, so I'm scared of them choking on it. As much as it may seem wrong to still be soaking kibble for adult dogs, my two get soaked kibble to this day and I'm happy to keep it this way. They get the odd chicken neck (which also get inhaled, lucky if they crunch it once!) but they can chew wings and larger bones. I third this :) I use go slow bowels for most of my labs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megan_ Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 Or ditch the bowl and make them work for all their food - you'll have a well trained lab in no time :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubyStar Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 (edited) Are you saying my Labs aren't well trained, Megan? Doesn't solve the problem of not chewing kibble, though, they'd still gulp it as training treats. Edited January 31, 2013 by RubyStar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megan_ Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 yeah, that is what I was saying . It was more aimed at the op! I understand the hoovering kibble, Lucy it too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staff'n'Toller Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 My Toller eats RC Labrador Adult. I've tried an assortment of other brands including Eagle Pack, Artemis and Black Hawk. I can't see any difference between them TBH. He put on 3kg eating Advance Turkey and Rice, so switched him back to Labrador, he can eat more of it and the weight has fallen off quite quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubyStar Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 (edited) yeah, that is what I was saying . It was more aimed at the op! I understand the hoovering kibble, Lucy it too. It was a joke, Megan :p But yep more seriously, for the OP, it is a good idea to use puppy's food rations for training instead of just lumping it down in a bowl. You can get a well mannered dog, it won't get unnecessarily fat by getting meals and extra training treats (gotta be real careful not to let the weight stack on! Too many overweight Labs out there ) and it is also great bonding to hand feed :) And for the original question, as others have said, the best food is what your dog does best on. I fed Advance Large Breed Puppy for the first 6 months, then switched to a normal Advance variety. Mine have also been on Nutro, Black Hawk, Supercoat, Bonnie Working Dog, and Eagle Pack Holistic. They weren't on Supercoat long enough to really notice a difference, but I noticed condition got worse on Bonnie Working Dog. Their condition has been about the same on all those other premium brands, so just go with what you feel like and if one doesn't work, feel free to change. Just do it gradually as some dogs can have a sensitive tummy to switching foods cold turkey. Not that I personally have done the slow change over, mine just go cold turkey and I've never had issues Edited February 1, 2013 by RubyStar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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