Hello. We have a 7 month old chocolate labrador (bitch) who is thriving and loving life! The breeder fed her on James Wellbeloved kibble which we have continued and follow the instructions as to the amount, and for one meal a day we add a meat sachet and reduce the kibble amount. But, I've heard from a few dog owners that there are better brands out there and I'm very concious of the fact that this breed can gain weight very easily and I really don't agree with over weight dogs. The vets always seem to suggest the brand that they stock (obviously) and I really would like some advice from an experienced labrador owner who won't plug a food brand for any reason other than what is best for the dog. If you can give me any advice that would be much appreciated. Thanks
There are lots to choose from, this directory is a great help - http://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/the-dog-food-directory We feed Skinners salmon as it is much cheaper than some, yet has better ingredients than others which cost twice as much! http://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/dog...almon-and-rice Tatze is two years old, fit, healthy, slim and glossy .
Thank you Boogie, I haven't heard of this brand before - I will look into it. Your dog looks gorgeous and very healthy. Thanks for you advice.
Hi and welcome to the forum. This is a topic that comes up very regularly and everyone has their own opinions! There are some names that come up time and again; Skinners is one, Burns (which I use) is another, and there are loads more, such as Millies Wolfheart, Lily's Kitchen, etc etc. Some dogs are sensitive to certain ingredients so thrive on particular types of proteins and carbohydrates, but if your dog isn't affected, then it's simply a matter of choosing a brand and trying it to see if it suits you and your dog. I would note here that generally the recommended amounts on the packets are too high; I've heard it said many times that Labradors need a lot less food than some other breeds, so don't take that number as gospel. Go by what you see and feel on your dog - does he have a pronounced waist when looking from above and from the side? Can you see his ribs when he's eating? These are good signs that he is a healthy weight. I like the expression I heard once, where someone said that if you rub your hands over their sides, it should feel like the ribs are covered by a blanket. Not a sheet, and not a duvet. Because of their propensity to joint issues, it's often recommended that you keep a Labrador just on the skinny side of slim. My two are both young - just coming up a year - so still a little rangy and have some more bulking out to do with muscle, but here they are anyway: Shadow Willow
I think that it is actually almost impossible for the average owner to compare dog food - quality is almost unobservable to the average dog food buying consumer, no matter how carefully we shop. I'm very wary of websites that present comparisons, I have yet to find one that makes the comparisons on a basis I agree with. The best you can do is find something that suits your dog and suits your budget. And avoid a few pitfalls. So all I can really contribute to your search is to tell you what I think my pitfalls were. These were: 1) Thinking that an animal meat protein source being listed as the first ingredient is a good thing (it's not, because the water in it is heavy and so it won't make up the bulk of the food once the water has been removed). It is actually better if a meal form of that protein is higher up the list. Better if the meat protein is meat form that is dehydrated. 2) Over focussing on avoiding "fillers" - instead of thinking about a preferred protein and carbohydrate source, the ratios of these in the food and the overall energy for volume provided. 3) Thinking that some sources of carbohydrate might be causing problems - when I should first have looked at protein sources as the cause of problems, not carbohydrate sources. 4) Not checking the claims about added ingredients that were important to me - in particular omega 3. The amounts added can be too small to be meaningful. I feed my own dog on a Royal Canin formulation which has duck as the protein source, and tapioca as the carbohydrate source - tapioca is the first ingredient listed by weight and the second ingredient is dehydrated duck meat (so it is neither a meal nor contains water which would change its position in the ingredient list). I add supplements of glucosamine and chondroitin, and salmon oil to boost omega 3. His main treats which make up a not insignificant amount of his calorie intake are cod with a small amount of rice. And goodness knows whether I have made a good choice for my dog or not - it's almost impossible for me to know. He does well on it though.
Hello and welcome to the forum! As the users above have already stated there is no "best dog food" since there are simply to many brands on the market to choose from. We first fed Odin Royal Canine but weren't pleased with it( ingrediance just not good enough for the price!). We now feed WOLFSBLUT which is a german brand and i don't know if its available were you live.
My vet told me a couple of weeks ago that if a dog food is working for your dog just stick to it. I changed because Chepi got to 14 months and was on a puppy and junior food which is ok to 24 months. I am changing to millie's wolfheart (feeding half old food and half new to use up the old food) but I'm having to watch Chepi's weight with it. There's no easy answer to your question; I am going to read up on it more to get a fuller understanding of nutrition. Things have come a long way since I was a kid and our dog just got a tin of Pal every day (shuddering at the thought of it now).
Thank you Julie and Christoph, some very good information for me to look into. It's very helpful hearing peoples experiences especially as a 1st time labrador owner. I had a feeling that the quanities on the packaging of JW were too high. I mentioned this to my vet and they said that with her being so young, it wouldn't hurt for her to be fed this quanity as she's still growing. But I want to prepare for her once fully grown. If only there was a way to get everyone on this site to vote! I need to work on my decision making I think.... Thanks again. (just tried uploading a picture of Decker but it wouldn't let me)
The forum doesn't allow photos to be uploaded directly because of limited server space, so you have to host it on an image-sharing website (like Photobucket, Flickr, Imgur, even Facebook if they're set to public) and then copy the link to the image and paste it in here in BBCode so it looks like [ img]http://www.imageserver.com/myimage.jpg[/img]
And just to throw you into total confusion........i feed Molly on James Wellbeloved Turkey and Rice Kibble. I fed my last dog on it for 13 and a half years. She kept in great health until her sudden death from a long standing heart problem. It is the sole reason for feeding Molly on JWB. It is well worth investing in a good quality dog food. I honestly believe you see less of your Vet that way. You also have less dog poo to deal with. I tried a cheaper brand but found I was feeding her more as she was clearly hungry. Manufacturers tend to be over generous with the amount of food they suggest for your dog. At 22 months Molly is on 250grams per day. She is fit, healthy and not overweight.
My two have Skinners duck and rice, do very well on it too . I have to limit fat intake for one of mine due to an intolerance , this food is fairly low fat , but duck is very good for sensitive tums .
