Throughout my searches I have seen so much controversy where one source says to feed lots of vitamin C and little calories and another says that's absurd and so on. I have also read that feeding the puppy a special way can help to prevent him or her from getting illnesses caused by too much rapid growth and then I see sites that say it's absurd. I would like to know people's advice and opinions on what percentage of nutrients I should watch for in food and if there really is something special you're supposed to do to prevent rapid growth problems and so on. I do see that one percent calcium should be the maximum to give to puppys. I would love to know what you should feed them throughout the different ages though for percentages of nutrients and that.

Kyro_Forest -

Well, how much time do you have?

You asked some very good questions. While, I don't even begin to pretend I am a dog food expert, I can recommend a website that is very comprehensive. It goes into a lot of detail about the good, the bad, and the ugly, when it comes to dog food. Plus, Lilian (the owner of the board) will promptly answer emailed questions (just sent her one tonight and received 2 replies).

http://www.mordanna.com/dogfood/

http://www.fda.gov/cvm/petfood.htm

According to the one site you sent me it does indeed seem to be true that labs should be given moderate protein. The FDA site is great, but is there by chance something like that for Labradors specifically? It would seem that for puppies you should give them adult food so they can get moderate protein, but if one was to do that it hurts other nutrients which may be dangerous. Of course, if you give them puppy food that could be too much protein which also can be dangerous. Vitamin C I read on the one site, unless consumed in extremely large quantities will do no damage and will go right out the other end if too much is given. If no one knows for sure what to feed Labradors then I'll go ahead and contact Lilian, but I'll wait for any more replies on here first so if someone else knows I don't have to bother her.

I can tell you what we did with our Lab when he was a puppy...You have to be careful with large breed puppies...you don't want them to grow too quickly, bad for hips/joints and bones...In my opinion, you really don't need to feed your Lab pup a food meant just for puppies...we switched our pup to adult food when he was 16 weeks old and he has done just fine...no problems at all...You want to look for a premium adult dog food. Never feed a food that contains by-products, corn, or wheat or chemical preservatives...you always want the first ingredient to be a meat source...and yes, you do have to watch the protein and calcium levels...but most adult foods are fine...We feed Wellness, but there are many good foods out there...Innova, Solid Gold, Eagle Pack Holistic, Natural Balance...just to name a few...hope this helps a little.

Labs are dogs. Specific information about what a Lab needs is the same for each breed of dog.

Never feed a food that contains by-products, corn, or wheat or chemical preservatives

There is nothing wrong with by-products. If a dog doesn't have a sensitivity to corn, that too is not a problem. I agree with the chemical preservatives, but most dog foods have chemical preservatives in them. The companies don't add them so they don't have to put it on the label, but the chemicals are there in the food.

hi kiro i have 3 dogs and have been all through this food thing.when i was younger and had labs i fed them anything and they did fine.this was before all th bree talk about large dog for large dogs,you never even looked at the protien or fat or really what was in the foods.you even walked your dogs with out leads.you didn`t look at the poop.they were the good old days.now u have all differnt foods pushed by the vets.then u have all the natural food people.the more the food cost all the better for the dogs.the best breeders choose pro plan.wish is made by purina so people are looking down on this food.i have been on all the food
out there.most foods are made all the same.i feed my lab pup 'ROYAL KING" PUPPY FOOD with30percent protine and18 fat.i can afford this brand but just because it cost more does not make it better.diamond puppy food with 30percent is a really good food.i even have my older dogs on very high protien for musle mass.so i will feed my puppy food until he is almost 2.dogs that have skin problems and other problems are because of back yard breeders or resuce dogs that come with problems.nothing to do with the foods.and i do rescue work so i know all the problems that come with these dogs.with my dogs i pay alot of money for good breeders to weed out alot of problems.i have had dogs all my life and food has never been the sourse of any problems.unlike the guys here i really believe the high protine is the best.pet smart or any of the food stores all there food is good.if your dog is doing well on the food now just keep him on that.good luck.

I have a book by William D. Cusick entitled "Canine Nutrition: Choosing the Best Food for Your Breed". It doesn't deal with percentages rather it focus is on breed specific diets based on a breeds ancestry. For a Labrador retriever the author says, "In Newfoundland the primary food sources were caribou,fish and whale fats. In England the food sources were poultry, fish, wheat ad dairy products. The combined effect of foods from these two areas resulted in the developement of a breed requiring a diet low in carbohydrates but high in fats. The source of the fat is also important; the Labrador Retriever has a difficult time assimilating beef fat but thrives on poultry fat, fish oil, or vegetable fats. For the Labrador Retriever I recommend foods that contain fish, poultry, lamb and green vegetables. However, for this breed I suggest you avoid foods that contain beef, beets, corn, and soy." These recommendations are right on the money for Zack, with the exception of wheat which is a real problem for him.

Labs are dogs. Specific information about what a Lab needs is the same for each breed of dog.

Are you saying then that Pugs have the same exact nutritional requirements as a Labrador (or a Great Dane, or etc.)?

I would say that a field-trial Labrador has different nutritional needs than a stay-at-home miniature poodle!

I'm sorry for the delayed reply. I had computer problems. What exactly did you feed your dog prior to 16 weeks?