I am just gauging opinion. My vet stocks Hill’s, a friend swears by Burns & the Internet is as expected is vastly opinionated . I was advised by the breeder not to change brand & to stay on the Puppy food for 12 to eighteen months. The food he was on is a cheap brand called Wagg, I have been looking to change now as obviously I want to spend as much as is humanly possible on my Ted until bankruptcy is looming lol. There seems to be some discussion on ‘puppy to adult growth completion’ but I gather from a bone growth perspective it is anywhere between 8-12 months. I would expect the puppy food to have the necessary proteins/constituents for growth & I have kept him in it up to now. I did change to an Adult wheat free version of the same brand and....... disaster, although I introduced the change gradually his toilet breaks were consistently loose & runny. He also started to put on weight rapidly which was odd. We had only changed for 2 weeks! Anyway, I changed back to his usual Wagg Puppy & perfection was restored. We cover between 25-35 miles a week with various swimming routines but he is not a ‘working’ Lab. I know this sounds odd for a Lab but he has never ‘gorged’ on his food so I have actually NEVER had a feeding pattern or routine or restricted it in any way (that will be frowned on I know), but he always has food in his bowl, never finishes at a sitting, simply eats whenever he feels like it & does the dishes to boot. The Wagg Puppy seems perfect for him to I am reluctant to make the change. He is the ideal weight for his height & he is larger than the average height. His energy levels seem normal & he seems healthy in every way. So what do you guy’s/girl’s think about the foods out there? Am am reluctant to jump on the Raw diet craze as it is just too new for me to consider until a great deal of further research has been conducted. Also, with regard to ‘preventative measures’ what are your thoughts on Glucosamine & Chondroitin supplements? I have used Cortaflex in my horses for years with great results but these were competition horses that required it for ‘maintenance’ purposes. Sorry that was so long winded but your thoughts would be greatly appreciated! I have been very lucky thus far, all the training has been superbly successful & I haven’t experienced any behavioural issues!! So I don’t look forward to any possible mistakes with regard to dietary changes! I was thinking about simply keeping him on the Puppy food as I have an intensive vet plan so can have bloods/urine/stool samples tested 6 monthly but don’t want my paranoia to result in him being unnecessarily subjected to additional tests! Thanks again. Stu.
