I dont know what i should do with tanner...he was getting big dog food but i told my mom he needed puppy food he is only 14 weeks old tomorrow...she got all mad and said he was fine and all the people at her work that own and breed dogs said he would be fine...I told her she could pay for his hip displacia problems if the arrose because he did not get proper joint nutrition and that i did not care what they said adn i would pay her back for the additional bag of food...anywho...we switched it(not all at once but by mixing)from Purina Lamb and Rice to Iams puppy large breed...but he does not seem to be eating as much or often...will he adjust to this new food or do i need to help him out at all?Thanks:)

I dont know what i should do with tanner...he was getting big dog food but i told my mom he needed puppy food he is only 14 weeks old tomorrow...she got all mad and said he was fine and all the people at her work that own and breed dogs said he would be fine...I told her she could pay for his hip displacia problems if the arrose because he did not get proper joint nutrition and that i did not care what they said adn i would pay her back for the additional bag of food...anywho...we switched it(not all at once but by mixing)from Purina Lamb and Rice to Iams puppy large breed...but he does not seem to be eating as much or often...will he adjust to this new food or do i need to help him out at all?Thanks:)

Could it be that he doesn't like the Iams? Iams is not considered one of the better foods. There are much healthier choices available.

A puppy of only 14 weeks does need a food suitable for puppies, one with the proper amount of protein and fat. I would not feed an adult food to a puppy of this age.

i know my mom was trying to say he is find...the breeder we got him from said he was fine but i know better...i could not stand to lose another labrador...

I'm sorry to hear this. How long has he been on his new food? Maybe like Lovemylabby said he doesn't like his new food. You might try adding a tablespoon of can puppy food.

Personally, I wont' feed Iams. There are better choice out there. By the time he is about 4 mth or so you can change him over to adult food..you need to be careful what kind of puppy food you're feeding a lab..you have to make sure he's not growin too fast..that will ruin in joints. Usually a large breed puppy food is good..but the large breed adult isnt needed..just a good qualty all stage dog food.

thanks...he will be 4 months soon so back to purina for him...is purina a good brand?

Personally I think there are a lot better choices.

Here the ingredients list for Purina Puppy Chow:
Whole grain corn, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal, brewers rice, soybean meal, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), pearled barley, calcium phosphate, fish oil, calcium carbonate, animal digest, salt, potassium chloride, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, choline chloride, zinc sulfate, Vitamin E supplement, DL-Methionine, zinc proteinate, ferrous sulfate, brewers dried yeast, manganese sulfate, manganese proteinate, added color (Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 2), niacin, Vitamin A supplement, copper sulfate, calcium pantothenate, copper proteinate, garlic oil, pyridoxine hydrochloride, Vitamin B-12 supplement, thiamine mononitrate, Vitamin D-3 supplement, riboflavin supplement, calcium iodate, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), folic acid, biotin, sodium selenite.
The first ingredient is corn, followed by a by-product meal, followed by more corn. You should look for a dog food that contains a known meat meal (eg chicken meal) as first ingredient.

Check the thread on choosing a better dog food:
http://lab-retriever.net/board/showthread.php?t=38247

I would say that Purina Puppy Chow is a step "down" from Iams...:(

There are many healthy foods available...try to stay away from anything sold in a grocery store. Go to your local pet center and look into the premium brands.

Some of my favorites are:

Eagle Pack Holistic
California Natural
Solid Gold
Sensible Choice
Wellness
Innova

Are your choices limited? I know here we have Walmart, Farm feed stores and the grocery store. Walmart sells Natural Life and is a good food, a step above IAMS, in my opinion. I do have to say, my Jasmine did very well on IAMS, but no, they don't eat as much as a supermarket brand.

sort of...we have limited options and limited money...my first lab was perfectly healthy i do not remember what puppy chow he got but he had no problems...maybe i will research into it and try to find a resonably priced healthy dog food..thanks guys:)

Eagle Pack Holistic
California Natural
Solid Gold
Sensible Choice
Wellness
Innova
You could easily pick any of these brands, or even Nutro is a good choice if you are limited and this can be easily found outside a specialty store.

The pup WILL do fine on adult food. MANY people feed adult food to puppies. Canidae, which is a good food, is an ALL STAGES food and doesn't make a puppy formula. We switched to adult food at 16 weeks.

The idea behind LB puppy food is that it has less protein and calcium than regular puppy food, which is important for fast growing puppies for their joint health. IF you were to read the labels and compare adult food to LB puppy food, you'll find (depending on the brand) that the protein and calcium levels are about the same.

At this point, to save the amount of fighting you will do with your mom, I would pick a great quality adult food and agree to feed that and be done with it.

sort of...we have limited options and limited money...my first lab was perfectly healthy i do not remember what puppy chow he got but he had no problems...maybe i will research into it and try to find a resonably priced healthy dog food..thanks guys:)

Just remember that with a quality dog food you can feed LESS, so it tends to work out $$-wise.

You could easily pick any of these brands, or even Nutro is a good choice if you are limited and this can be easily found outside a specialty store.

The pup WILL do fine on adult food. MANY people feed adult food to puppies. Canidae, which is a good food, is an ALL STAGES food and doesn't make a puppy formula. We switched to adult food at 16 weeks.

The idea behind LB puppy food is that it has less protein and calcium than regular puppy food, which is important for fast growing puppies for their joint health. IF you were to read the labels and compare adult food to LB puppy food, you'll find (depending on the brand) that the protein and calcium levels are about the same.

At this point, to save the amount of fighting you will do with your mom, I would pick a great quality adult food and agree to feed that and be done with it.
That is pry the best choice...we will get through this bag of food and then find a good healthy dog food....i know ther is a store that carries wellness and i think i am going to be getting him that when i get some money for chopping wood:)...thanks :)