I got an older Lab last week and the breeder recommended IAMS. Is there a better choice?

I got an older Lab last week and the breeder recommended IAMS. Is there a better choice?

Go to the Nutrition section and post your question,you're get more information there. I would try to find a food that avoids corn, wheat and by-products. There are better ones than Iams.

It completely depends on the dog. Some dogs only do well (and live 15 years) on great, higher-end premium diets and some dogs do great (and live 15 years) on the cheapest stuff out there. I am of the mindset that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." BUT, if the dog isn't doing well on a diet, I'm the first one to tell someone to try something else.

Personally, one of my dogs is on Flint River Ranch chicken and rice (and does GREAT on it) and the other one is on the Natural Balance Organic Chicken formula and some raw Nature's Variety patties (duck, rabbit, or venison) or other raw prey-model-type meals (depending on what I have around the house at the time).

Likewise, "by-products" in foods don't concern me in the least. These are all things naturally consumed by wild canids, and those added in quite often to raw prey-model diets to help provide a well-rounded diet with all nutritional requirements. Heck, some prey-model feeders feed entire carcasses (with hair, feathers, etc.)! ;)
I do agree that corn and wheat, etc. can cause a number of problems and aren't often recommended by the holistic-minded folks who consider dogs carnivores (or even omnivorous but eating more veggies than grains).

If the dog has been eating Iams and is doing fine, I would stick to it. Yes there are other foods people like the ingredients better. However, they don't have a shred of evidence the ingredients make any difference. In the nutrition forum you can easily find criticism of Iams and other common brands and claims dogs did better on something else. Keep digging, and you will find reports of people that switched to a ''better'' food, and switched back because the dog had problems. Some people go through a half dozen premium foods before finding one that works. Do a search on "food roller coaster". If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

not sure i agree with the "aint broke dont fix" theory but you can drive yourself nuts with this one. find a decent food and stick with it.
decent is the operative word, i guess.

My own personal minimum basic requirements when looking at a specific formula are:

minimum 28% protein
meat-based protein as the #1 ingredient plus 2 more in the next 4 ingredients
no gluten, soy, wheat, corn, food coloring
low in carbohydrates
fat not less than 14%

The number of choices available are mind-numbing. Please help me out!!

What do you all think about EVO large Bites dog Food? Or Eukanuba? Or Royal Canin?

I want to give my dog the best I can afford. Please recommend your favorite food for your Lab.

I use Solid Gold Wolf Cub, but I've heard that the wolf king is awesome for adults.

The number of choices available are mind-numbing. Please help me out!!

What do you all think about EVO large Bites dog Food? Or Eukanuba? Or Royal Canin?

I want to give my dog the best I can afford. Please recommend your favorite food for your Lab.


Honestly, there really is no one size fits all. My lab does very well on California Natural Lamb & Rice, but others will say that theirs couldn't tolerate it at all.

I don't suggest buying a food that lists a grain as its first ingredient. Dogs are carnivores by design, so I don't believe in feeding a food that it mostly comprised of a grain. Besides, in my experience those foods create larger stools and I appreciate the smaller piles in my backyard. :D

I find this website helpful:

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com

I'm not looking to get into any arguments with anyone about food, this is just speaking from my personal experience.

The number of choices available are mind-numbing. Please help me out!!

What do you all think about EVO large Bites dog Food? Or Eukanuba? Or Royal Canin?

I want to give my dog the best I can afford. Please recommend your favorite food for your Lab.

Not a breeder, but Satch's breeder swears by the Natura Co... The EVO is as Top of the Line of any Pet Food..

My favorite brands are
Natura (EVO, CAL NAT, Innova, Healthwise , Karma)..http://www.naturapet.com/
Eagle Pack & (Wellness) they have merged..http://www.wellpet.com/
Orijen...http://www.orijen.ca/orijen/orijen/

and if you want to sink your teeth into some reading....

http://www.dogaware.com/dogfeeding.html#commercial

Thanks! Anyone have any opinions on Abady granulated - not even sure what that looks like - dog food?

Thanks! Anyone have any opinions on Abady granulated - not even sure what that looks like - dog food?

I got some great info on another forum about Abady... He just passed away in the last year.... Food is very pricey .. Very Meat orientated and the format being granules allows it to not need a lot of carbs like a kibble does...Loyal customers swear by it...and the results...but it is not used on a lot of dogs because of it's price... Dogs don't need carbs, but the pet food giants found a way to make them marginally nutritional, slow down digestion for good stool, and be able to mass market their products in kibble form...

If you got the Dough, Ray, Me...($$$) look into ...Aunt Jeni's Home Made Dog Food...at ...http://www.pethealthandnutritioncenter.com/store/?categoryID=148 lots of high end foods on that site...

I feed ProPlan Turkey and Barley (not available in the US) to my girls and my boy doens't eat carbs so he gets Orijen.

I feed ProPlan Turkey and Barley (not available in the US) I haven't checked recently, but this is what we fed Hudler for about 2 years when we were living in CA.

I feed Ry and Ty raw- but if I had to move them to kibble I'd give Acana a try.

Annie (9+ yo senior) eats California Natural Lamb and Rice Puppy - its an all life stages food with higher protein.