my new fbl puppy

I've always gone with plain old puppy chow. DO NOT,I REPEAT, DO NOT BUY IAMS. More dogs around here die of liver failure than anything else.....and guess what....85% of them are on a steady IAMS diet.I'll feed my dog pork'nbeens and beer before I'll feed her IAMS.

I second purina puppy chow...This has nothing to do with the food, but is ur lab english or american?

I agree with Purina Puppy Chow.

I would suggest a higher quality food (Diamond, NUTRO, Science Diet etc.) A lot of labs have food allergies and are sensitive to cheap food with a lot of corn fillers. I feed my dogs Diamond Lamb & Rice Meal it is fairly inexpensive for the quality of feed it is.

agree with purina too...

do this, hit petsmart and fit over the foods your looking at, read whats what in them. many are only a % here or there different.

pro plan adult vs. performance... only % of fat and protien change.

jeff

I have to give a second to Diamond Dog food. I will guarantee that you will be satified with it. I own a lab and do a lot of guiding. The operation that I guide for owns 12 dogs and they have been on Diamond since day one. They have three dogs over the age of 12, and still hunt to this day. Great dog food, especially for the money. The only other dog food that I recommend is Cannadie (if I spelled it correct) but you are looking at $35 for a 40lb bag. I get my Diamond Large Breed 60+ for around $15 for a 50 pound bag and it has Glucosamine and Chondrointin in it. It is a great deal.

I feed mine NutroMax. But it looks like I'll have to give Diamond a look. I like the fact that it has additives for those sore joints on older dogs.

ponass, the only Diamond food that has the Glucosamine and Chondroitin in it is their Green Bag - Large Breed 60+, just FYI. But, that is an awesome food. It is the only food that has kept my Lab perfectly fit.

Thanks, I'll look for it. My Female BL/Golden mix is an 85 lb retrieving machine. She's not fussy, she will eat absolutely any and everything. But I will definately introduce it gradually so as not to upset her diet.

I feed mine 2 to 3 eggs a week with thier food and I gets tons of remarks about how soft his hair is. It does wonders for their coat. Also feed him dog chow now and puppy before. He gets a lot of exercise and all the "good" table scraps for a dog. Chicken skin, extra meats and that kind of stuff.

Hey Mac,

Had to pick up dog food last night and found that the NutroPro for dogs over 60lbs also has Glucosamine and Chonroitin in the mix. So for now I'll stick with what is working. With the joint additives it can only help. Especially in cold weather.

Ponass - that's a good idea. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. How much does your NutroPro cost?

It was $25 for 40lbs.

I read an article on this and it said take the dog food with the least amount per serving. so if there are two bags and the one says 5 cups a day and the other 3 take the one with the 3 cups per day or serving etc. also do not take a bag with cornmeal as the first ingredient. the first ingredent should be meat like chicken. the first ingredient is what the dog food is mostly made up of. don't worry about the price dogs usually eat the cheap stuff up quickly and crap it out more of it. so you are paying less but picking up more dog sh!t. the more expensive stuff that your dog will eat less of (the one with less per day or serving) and crap less out and will probably last longer, meaning you dont have to go buy a bag of dog food as often. so the price means dog sh!t. the amount your dog craps and the length the bag lasts and the energy and nutrients your dog gets from the bag is what counts.

As a generalized rule you should avoid a food that's full of fillers. When in doubt consult your vet or an experienced trainer. Different aged dogs and differences in training regimen or amount of work during the hunting season could indicate the need for a dog food with higher/lower amounts of protein. Regardless of the amount of work involved in cleaning up your yard, go with what is best for your pup. Take good care of your hunting partner and they will take care of you!

Good info, gents. I don't yet own a dog, but what's been posted in this thread will be invaluable when I do get one. Plainsman - a shocker about Iams. Heck, they advertise enough; one would think that there would be a little more research & development. A recall should be in the offing.