New Puppy Food

[Ltmoore61]

Hey there I’m just getting started here. I have had 6 Labradors in the past. We are thinking of getting another one soon. I’m confused with all the puppy foods available. What is the best food for Labradors?

[SunDance]

Welcome! My thought is to leave the puppy on the same food the breeder was using for a few months...see how he's doing on it. When you decide to switch, do a two - four week transition from the old to the new to avoid any upset.

I haven't had a puppy for 15 years and the food I was using back then changed ownership and was subsequently discontinued. I haven't kept up with brands since my last dog passed three and a half years ago...I have no recommendations based on anything other than confidence in the last manufacturer whose food I was feeding. That was Tuffy's NutriSource line.

Healthy Dog Food & Cat Food | NutriSource Pet Foods

I don't see anything negative about this food from Google...they have different recipes, including puppy. But I don't have present-day experience.

Things might be slower on here pre-weekend through Monday. Hope you'll share puppy with us when plan becomes reality.

[SunDance]

Oh....although I could get this locally, PetFlow.com was where I shopped for NutriSource. It looks like PetFlow still carries it. (They stopped selling through Chewy.com when that site was taken over by PetSmart.)

[Snowshoe]

I'm a fan of raw food, BARF, and was lucky latest puppy came already weaned on raw. However I agree, leave puppy on the food the breeder is using in order to keep at least one thing the same for the wee thing when so much else is about to change. One big bag or about a couple of months. During that time you can research raw feeding, there's lots more on the internet than when I started. My Vet was very involved in tailoring a raw diet for my Lab. It's very nice if your Vet supports raw. I do feed kibble for breakfast and I rotate main protein and main carb but keep fat, protein and kcal/cup as close as I can. Then raw for supper. It's nice to have my pup on a kibble for travel, such as today, which will be our family Christmas (thank you Covid grrrr) and not worry about blood and guts on my sister's kitchen floor. Well, she would worry more than me.

[Berna]

I second what others have said, start with the food the breeder was feeding and then transition slowly. What did you feed your previous labs? Any reason you are not comfortable with that?

I am also a raw proponent if it works for your dog and you are comfortable feeding it.

[Berna]

I'm a fan of raw food, BARF, and was lucky latest puppy came already weaned on raw. However I agree, leave puppy on the food the breeder is using in order to keep at least one thing the same for the wee thing when so much else is about to change. One big bag or about a couple of months. During that time you can research raw feeding, there's lots more on the internet than when I started. My Vet was very involved in tailoring a raw diet for my Lab. It's very nice if your Vet supports raw. I do feed kibble for breakfast and I rotate main protein and main carb but keep fat, protein and kcal/cup as close as I can. Then raw for supper. It's nice to have my pup on a kibble for travel, such as today, which will be our family Christmas (thank you Covid grrrr) and not worry about blood and guts on my sister's kitchen floor. Well, she would worry more than me.

I am hijacking OP's thread but I can't help it, tomorrow is Christmas in the Julian calendar and we are celebrating Christmas Eve today in Serbia, so you may not be completely off schedule

[smartrock]

All of the lab puppies we've gotten have come home eating Purina ProPlan Puppy chicken and rice. That is what the breeders fed so that's where we began. Each of the breeders recommended we keep them on that food at least until we finished the first large bag and then we could make a gradual transition to something else, if desired. Puppies' GI systems are still developing and they've just been weaned in the prior few weeks, so trying not to upset their stomachs is highly desirable. Like others have recommended, if you're confident in your breeder, I'd stick with whatever they were feeding initially.