Thread: Best Dried Dog Food for a Labrador?

Hello,

I am new to this forum and a novice in dog ownership. So, please forgive me if these questions have been asked here before, or if my questions sound a bit retarded. But I really, really need your advice on an AFFORDABLE, high QUALITY dried dog food for a labrador breed. Please.



I am vision impaired and will be getting my first guide dog (labrador) in a few weeks time. Obviously the Guide Dogs Association will give me a lot of advice on how to care for my new dog, what to feed it, how to groom it etc. And I know they know and care for their dogs very much, as well as their clients of course.


The downside to this is, their recommendations are usually the most expensive.

For example, Eukanuba and Hills, etc.

I have googled the web trying to educate myself on dog food, and I have learnt a few things along the way. But the principle thing I have learnt is to ultimately read the ingredients on the bag and trial a few before you come up with a good regiment.

Problem is, I cannot read the ingredients and I have tried so hard to find a place on the net which lists all ingredients of every dog food on the market in AUSTRALIA. Unsuccessful.

I have also come accross sites which say that the most expensive brands aren't always the best, and there are cheaper altneratives. If this is true, I don't want to be spending lots of money on something I can get for cheaper.


I am guessing purchasing online would be cheaper. Are there any discounted online petstores / pet food shops anyone can recommend?

Basically, my goal is to make sure my dog doesn't get diarrhea, shed excessively than what is expected, and doesn't smell too much.




Does anyone know where I might be able to obtain a list of dog foods, with their ingredients and prices?

What is the best supermarket brand? My Dog or Supercoat or Purina... or something else?


Thanks so much in advance.

Hi Nessa,

Dog foog is very much "you get what you pay for" If you buy "no frills" from the grocery store you will find that you will be giving say 2 cups per meal, but given the cereal and crap in that 2 cups your dog will only receive 1/2 cup of nutrients. Following me?? Further the more expensive dog food will generally require less than the supermarket brands. I.E 2 cups of the supermarket brand may = 1/2 premium food. So even though the bag you buy at the supermarket may seem to cost less than the premium food at the vet, in the long run you will be spending more. Also, if you buy in BIG bags you may spend up to $150 per bag but given you feed less this $150 bag of dog food could well work out to less than $1.00 per meal. Again following me??

What I am trying to say is that you may be deceived by supermarket quality food, and you could very well be paying just as much as the premium quality food without the added benifits of the premium quality.

After saying all of that, I will often buy Natures Gift at the supermarket which is quite good, but the bags are only small. I think for overall cost effectiveness you should work out the cost per meal of one of the premium brands the Guide Dog Assoc recommends.

Edit to ad: 1 x teaspoon flaxseed oil a day mixed through the kibble will help to slow down shedding.

Hope this helps, cheers

Nutro
EaglePack Holistic Select

Any kibble where the first 3-4 ingredients are NOT corn...maize...meat/chicken by-prudocts and/or any other undisclosed/unidentified garbage.

The first ingredient in Advance is corn...garbage! I am pretty sure that in the first 3 ingredients of Hills Science Diet we have meat by products and that goes for Eukanuba, Iams, Bonnie

Purchasing online often comes to the same due to having to pay postage for 15 kg og food.

Have you looked into BARF and/or Raw diet???

Thanks for your replies guys.

Firstly, my apologies for posting this thread in the wrong section. I just noticed that there is a sub forum for feeding.

However, in response to some of your points:


As I mentioned, I cannot read any of the ingredients on bags. Can someone please recommend me a website which lists all the dog foods available in Australia, with their ingredients.... and prices? So I maybe be able to make a comparison etc.


I would love to feed my dog raw meat. It makes sense that it would be the most healthiest. I feed my cats raw and cooked meat and they love it.


But how do you go about figuring out how much to raw food to feed your dog. I don't want to under feed him and have him starve or over feed him making him gain weight and poop lots.



And what sorts of raw meat are the best / value for money / nutritional / filling?

Would mince meat, sausages, etc work?

Where may I be able to read about this topic in greater detail... like what foods to feed and not to feed.?

Information regarding R.A.W BARF diet:

Dr Billinghurst RAW BARF Diet website: BARF Australia - Home of Dr Billinghurst's biologically appropriate raw food for restoring animal wellness

Puppy diet: BARF Puppy Menu

Adult diet: BARF Adult Menu

Switching to BARF: Switching to Raw

Vegie and fruit list: BARF Vegetables & Fruit List

BARF meat and bones list: BARF Meat & RMB List

Raw meaty bones: Raw Meaty Bones

The top 50 FAQ regarding BARF: BARF for Beginners - Most Frequently Asked Questions

Benefits of BARF: The benefits of BARF

Understanding commercial dog foods: What is in our Pet Food?

Feeding recommendations: How much BARF Do I feed my Dog?

The simplest way to work this out is as a percentage of bodyweight.

Healthy Dogs – Not Exercising: Feed 2% - 3% of bodyweight per day – divided into one or two meals

Working, Racing, Active Dogs: Feed 3% - 6% of bodyweight per day when actually working or active. At this time feed food with a higher fat content to increase the energy supply. Feed 2% - 3% of bodyweight per day when not active or working

Puppies – Small to Medium Breeds: Feed 3% - 5% of bodyweight per day – divided into 3 to 4 small meals

Puppies – Large and Giant Breeds: Feed 2% - 4% of bodyweight per day – divided into 3 to 4 meals. It is important to ensure that these puppies grow slowly. To ensure that this happens, it can be useful to add extra vegetable pulp to the patties (from a juicer). Feed soft raw bones daily. Note: – feed BARF and soft raw bones from young animals as the only source of calcium; it is not necessary and may be harmful to use calcium supplements. (For more information – refer to Dr. Billinghurst’s book – “Grow Your Pups with Bones.”)

Pregnant (‘in whelp’) Female Dogs: For the first two thirds of pregnancy, feed 2% - 3% of bodyweight per day – divided into one or two meals. For the last third of pregnancy increase this to 3% - 4% of bodyweight per day – divided into two or three meals. (For more information – refer to Dr. Billinghurst’s book – “Grow Your Pups with Bones.”)

Lactating Female Dogs: Depending on Litter size and the age of the puppies, feed from between 3% and 6% of bodyweight per day – divided into two or three meals – up to free choice with large litters. (For more information – refer to Dr. Billinghurst’s book – “Grow Your Pups with Bones.”)

Dogs with Health Issues – for example, Kidney, Liver or Pancreatic Disease: These dogs usually require extra vegetable material, sometimes with less fat; in the latter case, combine Dr. B’s Kangaroo flavour with raw pulped low glycaemic index vegetable material. For simple obesity, reduce the amount of BARF and Raw Meaty Bones and replace with as much raw pulped low glycaemic index vegetable material as the dog will eat.

*Link have been taken from: http://www.diamondpaws.com*

Originally Posted by Nessa

As I mentioned, I cannot read any of the ingredients on bags. Can someone please recommend me a website which lists all the dog foods available in Australia, with their ingredients.... and prices? So I maybe be able to make a comparison etc.

have you tried googling brands, and seeing what is in each food that way?

Hi Nessa

I would generally stay away from Hills Science diet (made by Colgate Palmolive conglomerate corporation) because their first listed product is corn meal - which as best I can tell is ground corn husks. Their next listed product is usually some meat by product, not proper high quality meat but more like guts and feet and bones. The occasional serving of this is ok but regular servings - not so good. Hills Science pay people like vets to promote their product but if you challenge the vet to read the actual ingredient list - even they may have second thoughts.

I feed my dog Nutro Natural Choice but it's expensive. I only have to feed half as much, though a labrador might not appreciate that.

I know quite a few people who feed Supercoat - which is made by the same people as Purina (ie Nestles). And their dogs do ok so if I was going to go cheap, I'd try that but not sure how well Frosty would go since she doesn't do so well on Advance - made by the same people as Nutro Natural Choice (ie Mars)

Here are a couple of websites that will help you choose the best ingredients. Note that American brand dog food with the same name sold here is often made under licence here and to higher food standards than in the USA. So if there is a recall of a product in the USA, it may fine here.

The Dog Food Project - How does your Dog Food Brand compare?

Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble

Hi Nessa.

I have really big dogs and a family so I buy affordable as well.

I feed mine Coprice dry food. But they also have raw mince and bones. I've had really good results with the Coprice, better than Supercoat (which was yuck coming out the other end!).

Chicken frames are a good source of healthy meat and bones - plus natural calcium.

You'll find feeding is less stressful when you're actually doing it rather than worrying about it.

With regard to feeding amounts, let your dog guide you. Labs are notorious overeaters so you're more likely to have to watch for getting too pudgy than too skinny!!