dog food, should we switch from royal canin to orijen?

[Woofie]

Personally, I don't feel one should base total nutrition upon ANY one brand of food period; or any type of food....we as humans eat variety for balance; I personally feel dogs do best on various diets....not just one brand, or one type of diet.

But that's me.

My grandparents dogs all lived well into their early 20's, ate nothing but left overs off a healthy dinner table. something different every night; g-ma didn't believe in a book or a bag.

[JenC]

Thank you guys! Really appreciate your opinions.

As I mentioned in my original post, my 8-month lab seems smaller than the normal/average size.. I mean her size is small but her weight is fine for her size. Maybe she is just growing slowly and she might catch up later by she is one year. I am not sure. But, is there any chance that this is because the current food royal canin is not nutritious enough? Or as long as she is not underweight, genes controls the size and development speed. I do not mind to have a small lab, actually I prefer small ones, but I do not want to restrict her growth by not providing good enough food. Any opinion on this? Thank you!

Doubtful, unless you just weren't feeding enough.

[Snowshoe]

How big is she? Height and weight? Just for curiosity.

[greagre]

How big is she? Height and weight? Just for curiosity.

Weight is 43 pounds. Never measured her height accurately. But the girth is 24". By the way, she is 7 months 3 weeks, roughly 8 weeks

[JenC]

Girth doesn't matter. Dogs are measured at the withers, while standing (shoulders). Some labs are smaller, some take until they are 2 to be fully grown.

[Woofie]

You want to be able to easily feel the ribs; not see them, but feel them.....slightly underweight is my personal preference, I think they do better long-term.

[greagre]

I finally decided to switch to Acana, which does not have a high protein percentage as orijen does. I will let you know how it goes with my dog.

[greagre]

Acana Wild Prairie seems have a well balanced nutrition. and I wish my dog can put on some weight and grow a bit bigger with Acana.

[Maxx&Emma]

Acana Wild Prairie seems have a well balanced nutrition. and I wish my dog can put on some weight and grow a bit bigger with Acana.

Obviously the food and quantity can affect the weight but it will not make your Lab "grow bigger". As long as a dog is being fed properly the genes will control the size s/he will end up.

[milo]

Haven't read up on the latest dog food info in a few years but if I recall correctly, Acana locally sources a lot of their ingredients in the Canadian agricultural area. I remember a few years ago there was difficulty getting it in America as it was held up at the border for some reason. If you can afford it and really want to give it a try then go for it. Just transition slowly and what comes out on the back end is a great indicator of how well dog is handling it. Again its been a while but I believe even as little as 1/4 cup too much of a "richer" food can cause loose #2s