Best Puppy Food For Labs
Naturally, we all want the best for our puppies and want to give them a diet that is nutritious, healthy, and tasty. So, what is the best puppy food for labs? Most people feed puppies with commercially produced dry dog food also known as kibble. Thats fine and can give a perfectly balanced diet. Well look at some of the different brands of dry puppy food later.
Others like to mix in some commercial tinned dog meat, which is another healthy alternative. Pick a good quality brand that is specially formulated for puppies.
Feeding your Labrador puppy on home cooked food or on a totally raw diet is also possible. Youve probably heard of BARF, or Biologically Appropriate Raw Food. Feeding dogs this way is growing in popularity, and there are pros and cons to raw feeding puppies. Thats another area we will explore later on.
Following Puppy Feeding Quantity Guidelines
Just to complicate things, not every puppy in each age group will fall within the weights displayed on the chart above. Some owners may worry that there is something wrong with their puppy. However, dont worry, because our cuddly Labrador pups vary so much.
Quite simply, puppies of the same age vary in weight and size, so that means the amount of food you need to feed them will be different. Use the guidelines on the packet as a guide, then observe and feel your puppy to check how he is doing. You can always chat to your vet if you have any concerns.
We looked at the type of food and the amount, so we can now look at the feeding time routine. Lets start with where to feed your puppy.
How Is Puppy Food Different
All dogs require a balance of protein, fat, and essential nutrients for optimal health and wellness, regardless of breed.
The Association of American Feed Control Officials has established the minimums required for healthy growth and maintenance in dogs. At a minimum, puppies require 22% protein and 8% fat to fuel their growth and development while adult dogs require a minimum of 18% protein and 5% fat in their diets.
However, according to the Merck Veterinary Manual, the protein requirements of dogs and cats vary with age, activity level, temperament, life stage, health status, and protein quality of the diet. This means that as your dog grows and ages, his protein and calorie requirements vary significantly, so its important that when you switch your puppy to adult dog food, you understand how to make a successfuland safeswitch.
Puppy food has higher levels of protein and fat to fuel growth and development in addition to nutrients typically found in a mother dogs milk such as DHA. Foods formulated for puppies may also have higher levels of calcium and phosphorus to support healthy bones.
As your puppy approaches maturity, his growth will slow, and you should adjust his diet to prevent overgrowth. Generally speaking, higher levels of protein are better for both puppies and adult dogs. Some brands like American Journey go above and beyond the recommended minimums to provide dogs with an abundance of animal-based protein to support lean muscle mass and healthy weight.
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How Often Should I Feed My Labrador
Around four months of age, puppies have three/four meals per day. They quickly can graduate to two meals per day.
Because dogs have a simple stomach structure, once the stomach is filled with food, it will empty within a few hours as food moves into the small intestine. After 8 to 10 hours, an empty stomach begins to send signals to the brain stimulating a hunger response. For this reason, at least two meals per day are best for your dog.
As a rule of thumb, adult dogs should eat at least every 12 hours.
- 50-pound Lab feeds 2-1/2 to 3 cups daily.
- 60-pound Lab feeds 3 to 3-1/2 cups daily.
- 70-pound Lab feeds 3-1/4 to 3-3/4 cups daily.
- 80-pound Lab feeds 3-1/2 to 4 cups daily.
- 100-pound Lab feeds 4-1/4 to 4-3/4 cups daily.
How Much To Feed A Labrador Puppy: Feeding Schedule Growth Chart Faqs
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As a common dog breed that youll find in most homes in the United States , the Labrador Retriever is typically an extrovert and curious companion thats easy to train due to their intelligence. However, when it comes to their diet: just how much should you feed a Labrador puppy?
Lab puppies can be prone to a variety of health concerns in their adulthood, such as obesity, joint problems , heart conditions, bloating, and even ear infections. Certain types of food work well with their health conditions while others dont.
This is why choosing the right kind of food for them is crucial to maintaining a healthy lifestyle and a happy journey to becoming big dogs. Caring for their needs should be your responsibility as their owner, which starts with their puppyhood.
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What Foods Are Dangerous For My Puppy
Some foods that people enjoy can be harmful to dogs. Keep your puppy away from avocados, chocolate, grapes, raisins, macadamia nuts, and raw bread dough made with yeast. Also avoid onions, garlic, and chives milk and large amounts of dairy products such as cheese alcohol coffee and caffeine salty food, such as potato chips and food sweetened with xylitol, such as gum, baked goods, and candy. Xylitol, also used in products such as toothpaste, can cause liver failure in dogs.
How Much Should I Feed My Dog
How much and how often you feed your dog depends on many different factors. These factors include your dogs weight and activity level, as well as the calorie content of the diet and any other food or treats your dog receives during a typical day. Every dog is different, and some will prefer one meal a day, whereas others prefer two or three smaller meals.,
Different brands of dog food have different nutritional makeups. Therefore, some will be more calorific than others. Most dog foods have a feeding guide on their packaging, but these are meant as a guideline and are not always accurate. The best way to ensure your dog is getting the right amount of food is to ask your veterinarian to calculate his daily calorie requirements.
You can then use this to determine how much to feed based on the calorie content of your dogs food. Dont forget to include any treats, supplements, or table scraps in your dogs daily allowance, as these can be a significant source of extra calories!
Remember that adult dogs are no longer growing and may have a slower metabolism after being spayed or neutered. Therefore, they may need fewer calories per day than they did previously.
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At What Age Do Puppies Stop Eating Puppy Food
But once your pup is six to 12 months old those needs change. That’s usually when your puppy is nearing his adult height and can transition to adult food. Spaying or neutering usually occurs at this age as well, lowering your dog’s need for increased energy hence a reason to switch from puppy to adult dog food.
- Purina Pro Plan Focus Puppy Large-Breed Formula Dry Dog Food. …
- Hill’s Science Diet Puppy Large Breed Dry Dog Food. …
- Royal Canin Small Puppy Dry Dog Food. …
- Farmina N& D Ancestral Grain Chicken & Pomegranate Recipe Mini Puppy Dry Dog Food. …
- Royal Canin Small Puppy Wet Dog Food. …
- Puppy Chow Complete With Chicken & Rice Dry Dog Food.
Feeding Your Labrador Puppy: How Much Diet Charts And The Best Food
We have lots of information here on feeding your Labrador puppy. Well talk about the four main different ways to feed a puppy. Well help you decide how much to feed a Lab puppy, how often to feed them, and help you choose the right diet for your puppy.
We will show you the best puppy foods, whether dry, wet, or raw, and well look at food safety, together with schedules, quantities and even a handy puppy diet chart. Finally, well include some reviews of the various brands, and will help you cope with the all-important transition to adult food.
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How Do You Recognize Quality Puppy Food
There are a lot of choices to choose from when you go to buy puppy food. So how do you choose the one with the best quality? If you go for one of the well-known, popular, and widely consumed brands, the chances are that the puppy food of these brands is of high quality hence, their popularity. So, do not be reluctant to spend some bucks, and get your beloved puppy the food it deserves.
How Much To Feed A Lab Puppy
This is a hard question to answer and sadly I cannot give you a definite quantity or weight to feed them each day.
Puppies grow at different rates, some are more active than others and there can be large differences between metabolisms too. However
The biggest determining factor is how concentrated the nutrients and calories are in the brand of food you feed them.
High quality foods are nutrient rich and give a puppy all they need from quite small amounts of food. But cheaper brands are full of low quality and nutritionally empty fillers that mean a puppy needs considerably more to get what they need.
Start by feeding your puppy according to the guidelines on the label of the puppy food you buy for them. Then see how their body develops.
Puppies should not be fat! When theyre as young as just 12 weeks, they should already have a definite waist and if they dont, if they are looking overweight, cut down slightly on how much you feed them.
But at the other end of the scale if they start to look and feel a little slim, up their portion sizes a little.
The guidelines on the food you buy are just thatguidelines. They arent to be followed strictly, theyre a starting point and you should feed more or less if your puppy starts to get fat or thin if youre to keep them in the best condition.
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Hills Science Diet Large Breed Puppy
Runner-Up
Our runner-up for the best puppy food for labs is the Hills Science Diet food that is made for large breeds. The foods formula is made specifically for the needs of a large breed puppy.
This food comes with both glucosamine and chondroitin, which is important when it comes to joint development for large breeds.
Pros:
Formulated for large breed puppies Made with high quality ingredients Exciting flavour to please your puppy High in vitamins, which is good for growth High levels of calcium for bone development
Cons:
Contains a high amount of grain
Which Foods Labrador Puppies Should Not Consume
As we stated earlier, Labradors are food lovers and have a big appetite. And honestly speaking, it is nearly impossible to control their food. There are some foods that you must not feed to your cute puppy in order to protect him from different sorts of incurable diseases.
You must not feed tea, coffee, grapes, chocolates, avocado, salt, tobacco, onions, raw meat, alcohol, and eggs to your dog as they can cause serious digestive issues and allergies.
Make sure their food is strictly measured, and also, prepare their feeding schedule carefully by bearing in mind your lab pups need and convenience. You should memorize the foods that you cant feed them to keep them safe from all types of ailments.
If you feed your dog homemade food, then it will be difficult for you to switch him to processed food. Therefore, you should mix processed and homemade food to give him all the essential nutrients he needs.
Processed food will be beneficial for them in the long run. Also, it will be inexpensive. The reason you should mix them both is that homemade food cant provide them the vital nutrients they need for proper growth.
The branded food is made of specially formulated ingredients and is packed with all the necessary nutrients that your dog needs.
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How Do I Make The Switch
When switching to adult dog food you should allow 7-10 days for the transition. Gradually add more adult dog food and less of their puppy food to your pups dish each day until the change is complete. This gradual transition will help avoid dietary upsets.
Remember individual needs can vary. Feed your dog to maintain an ideal body condition.
Slight appetite changes and occasional digestive upsets are normal in young dogs. If upsets become severe or last longer than a day or two, contact your vet.
How Much Should You Feed A Labrador
One of the areas that cause the most confusion for new Labrador owners is feeding their pet. What to feed them, how often to feed them, and how much you should feed them are all important questions. Ensuring that your dog has a healthy and nutritious diet is the single greatest thing that you can do to impact the health and wellbeing of your pet.
There is so much to consider, and ensuring that you make the right choices can be tricky. So, to take some of the guesswork out, weve put together this comprehensive feeding guide that will tell you all the information that you need to get your Labrador on the right path to a long and healthy life.
Well start with a basic puppy feeding chart, and from there, well cover all the other important aspects of feeding your Labrador.
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How Much Should You Feed Your Puppy
Like human babies or any baby animals, puppies also need more meals than adult dogs. Since their growth rate is the fastest as its ever going to be, they need the necessary calories to keep up with the growth. A puppy will need about 3 or 4 meals a day. If you feed the food of 4 meals into 1 meal, then your puppys digestive system will not be able to handle such a large food intake in one go, and your dog may get diarrhea. If you are feeding your puppy 3 meals a day, and your pup has loose stools, then take the amount of food of 3 meals, and divide it into 4 meals in a day. Make sure that your puppys daily food intake is divided up into small meals that are fed throughout the day, with at least a gap of 3 to 5 hours in between 2 meals.
Can You Train A One
The quick answer to this is: yes, you can train your 1-year-old Labrador puppy to hunt.
In fact, you should not be waiting that long to start immersing them in training activities that will sharpen their hunting skills.
Hunting training does not begin the moment that you actually go out into the field with your Lab and try out real-life scenarios.
It goes way, way back from when they are only a few months old, and you are just beginning to train them with the basics.
This includes obedience training, teaching them basic commands, and potty training, among others.
These training sessions can be done as early as when your Labrador is only eight weeks old.
Hunting training is a complex task. It only makes sense that your Labrador Retriever would need to have a solid grip on the basics before jumping into more advanced hunting training.
At eight weeks old, you can start training your Lab for the initial steps and requirements of being a good gun dog.
This means teaching them properly how to sit, stay, fetch, and all the other basic cues.
It is around the six-month mark or so that most pet owners start to train their Labrador Retrievers in applicable hunting scenarios.
If you want the hunting training to be done by a professional, you have to know that most establishments or trainers will only take dogs that are around that age as well.
Consequently, it only goes without saying that you can teach your 1-year old Lab to hunt.
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When To Switch Puppy To Adult Food
Once you know when your puppy will reach maturity, you can decide when to switch to adult food.
If your puppy will be full grown at 12 months, you can start transitioning him to an adult formula around his first birthday. It can take 7 to 10 days to make the switch, so youll want to plan for that before you start.
What Should I Feed My Labrador Puppy
If you have a labrador puppy at your home, this pack of puppy food pack for labradors can be a good option to consider. This dry dog food contains a blend of chicken, whole dried eggs, fish oil, chicken fat and other necessary ingredients to give the right nutrition during the growth years of your pet dog.
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Puppy Food We Recommend
Purina Pro Plan Focus
- High-quality protein, including chicken as the first ingredient
- DHA from omega-rich fish oil helps nourish brain and vision development
- Rich in antioxidants to help support a puppys developing immune system
- Calcium, phosphorus and other minerals help build strong teeth and bones
- Vitamin A and linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid, promote healthy skin and coat
Royal Canin
Labrador Retriever Puppy Dry Dog Food
- Exclusive donut-shaped kibble designed specifically to help large breed
- Labrador Retriever puppies chew and eat food slowly
- Helps protect a puppys developing immune system and natural defenses with an
- exclusive complex of antioxidants including vitamin E
- Promotes healthy growth of bone structure and weight management with precise
- mineral content and a balanced energy intake
Merrick
- Real deboned chicken is always the first ingredient. This high quality
- helps build and maintain healthy muscle tissue.
- Features a unique blend of ancient grains, like quinoa, to support optimal
- digestion while being free from potato, corn, wheat and soy.
- Formulated with DHA to help support healthy brain development in your
- puppy plus Omega 6 and Omega 3 fatty acids for healthy skin and
- coat, and glucosamine and chondroitin to support healthy hips and joints.