Dog Food Recommendations

[Phishead]

I feed my 2.5 yr old black lab Purina Pro Plan. She's always hungry and lately she's become a mooch every time we eat. I can't stand it. She gets lots of exercise each day and hunts every other weekend during the season. She weighs 60 pound with a smaller frame. Eats once scoop twice a day with a few treats in the morning.
Oh yeah, and she likes to munch on poop every once in a while.  Really likes mule deer droppings. I'm thinking of changing her diet to see if it helps with this issue and the hunger thing. Suggestions are appreciated.

[luvtohnt]

I just looked into the pro plan food. I am not sure what type you feed her, but the performance plan food looks like it could fill the niche. With a dog out in the field as often as she is, you want to increase the protein in the dogs food. The protein will create lasting energy as well as a more full feeling. Something else to do is to make sure the food is giving her the essential nutrients she needs. You may want to talk to your vet to see if there is a nutritional supplement that could be given to her during the hunting season.

Brandon

[benbo30]

i feed my 2 labs , diamond brand dog food , lamb and rice great dog food , affordable and no corn in it , all natural plus they make different kinds , sport whatever

[addicted]

NUTRO. When we got my pup, Nutro came highly recomended by the local dog search and rescue team as well as the Vet.  Over here they only sell it on base because if they sold it on the german econemy it would dupe the other brands owned by the company.

[Ireland Farms]

I feed Black Gold. I get it by the pallet. Nutro and Diamond are great as well.

[jackelope]

I feed my 80 pound male natural balance venison and brown rice. it also has sweet potatoes and carrots in it.
seems good.

[TEX-X]

i have a very hard worked german shorthair...i was feeding nutro high energy.... 30/20 but he was losing weight...  i switched him over to diamond naturals extreme athlete 32/25 i believe...  i haven't looked back!  he's put on a tad bit of weight... there is less stool....and he likes it better...  Pro plan is a good dog food... if you want to put some weight on him mix in a little olive or vegetable oil and crack an egg in his food...the extra calories work wonders...but if you're dead set on changing food i highly suggest the diamond natural extreme athlete....  but all dogs are different just my 2 cents

[Wayne1]

i feed my 2 labs , diamond brand dog food , lamb and rice great dog food , affordable and no corn in it , all natural plus they make different kinds , sport whatever

            

[surfj9009]

I feed our 7 month old pup Taste Of The Wild. She seems to really like it and she looks very healthy, and she is very active. It's an all ages food.

She eats half of it at 8AM and half at 8PM. Sometimes she gets a bit more in the evening, depending on how active she was during the day. She snacks on Natural Balance treats a bit during the day when we are doing some training stuff and she does really well.

Not sure I am doing it right, but she seems to do well with it.

[nw_bowhunter]

I use Nutro lamb and rice, sometimes wet food. Maybe your dog it not getting enough food as much activity as she gets. The vet told me when they eat poop that they are lacking protein.

[surfj9009]

Maybe your dog it not getting enough food as much activity as she gets. The vet told me when they eat poop that they are lacking protein.

If that's true I would definitley switch to a grain free high protien food like TOTW, but then again I am no expert. Dogs don't by instinct eat grains and rice, so that's not what I try to feed her. I know TOTW is a bit spendy, but her health is important to me. I dont want to cheat her and give her a food that does not seem to work well for her. Our dog is fairly consistently fed a larger quantity of food than the manufacturer serving suggestions.

I guess it seems to me that the reasoning I give is that I know when I am working my ass off all day, I am HUNGRY!

Think of it like a human, calories in vs. calories out. Feed her as much as you need to to keep her happy, but watch her figure and if she starts putting on a bit of weight, trim it back or work her out more. Another thing you may want to try would be to add in an extra feeding during the day. If she is eating more often, maybe the hunger strikes wont happen and she may be better off for it. Worth a shot though IMO.

Maybe give her the treats midday instead of in the AM to try and hold her over till the second feeding? My dog is 7 months and she weighs 66 pounds! And she is all muscle. Maybe your dog is hungry because it's subconcious knows that it should be a bit heavier.

How does she look? 60 pounds seems light to me.

[Ireland Farms]

Here is the AKC standard for size and weight:

Size, Proportion and Substance
Size--The height at the withers for a dog is 22½ to 24½ inches; for a bitch is 21½ to 23½ inches. Any variance greater than ½ inch above or below these heights is a disqualification. Approximate weight of dogs and bitches in working condition: dogs 65 to 80 pounds; bitches 55 to 70 pounds

If she has a smaller frame like you said, 60 pounds is probably a good weight. I'd definately consider Diamond. I believe Costco's Kirkland food is made by Diamond. My dogs do well on Black Gold dog food, but I get it wholesale. It's from the mid-west and hard to find locally. Here is the website. You can search for a local dealer if you'd like to try it: http://www.blackgolddogfood.com/

[dontgetcrabs]

I don't know what my dogs eat? I'll have to ask my neighbor!   








Just joking, I feed all three (2 GSP and a Lab mix) Diamond that I get at the local Co-Op.

[surfj9009]

Hmm. Looks like your dogs weight falls within the guidelines.  I guess mine is already almost at the max. I weighed her last night and she was 68. Pretty big for a 7 month old.
Maybe your dog would be happier closer to 70? Dunno. There is always the possibility that I have no idea really since I am not a vet. 

[whitey]

Diamond High energy for My Young Dog.
They have a  whole line.My brother feeds it to His Cat Hounds and I have been feeding it for over 15 years to My Chessies and My Labs with great results.Like a 158 quality checks so no worries about Your partner coming up sick or worse.Dieing

http://www.diamondpet.com/products/diamond/dogs/dry_food/

[Rgrady35]

Wow, I feed mine Ol' Roy. She has a shiny coat and is a very energetic and happy Lab, but aint they all? Now I feel like I'm cheating her after reading these post. 

[Iron Head]

Timberwolf.

[ladyelkslayer]

I feed my lab the Nutro brand dog food. The kind for active dogs. He gets 2 1/2 cups twice a day.  He's about 60 pounds, and EXTREMELY energetic.

[RPM]

i feed purina pro plan performance. i run trails in the off season and hunt them hard through the season and have been happy with it for ten plus yrs now. is kinda spendy though.read the labels i think there's alot of good food out there now.

[duramax]

I have a year and half old female lab and I feed her 3 cups a day of either Nutro choice adult breed with the glucosamine for their joints or Natural Balance venison and rice. She used to get up to 5 cups a day while she was growing but have cut her back because she started to pack on the pounds. She now weighs 68 lbs and looks great.

[benbo30]

wow you guys that feed your labs 3-5 cups a day to me thats alot , i feed my black lab about 1.5 or so cup per day and my yellow lab he is bigger than her so he gennerally gets about 2 cups a day , and i only feed once per day every night after work , thats just me i seen my uncles lab get huge because he wasnt watching her weight , my black lab gains weight quickly but burns it off preety good

[CoryTDF]

I feed my stud lab diamond. I used to feed the pro-plan but it got very expensive. Now i feed him diamond large breed. During the hunting season I switch him to the high energy formula. I feed him 4 1/2 cups once perday. He is lean and mean the vet says that he is the perfect weight for his size.

[Buschingc]

I feed my black lab puppy Black Gold Puppy food..

[Austrian Hunter]

Eukonuba Premium 30/20
Sporting dogs are hardworking dogs that need more than everyday nutrition. Eukanuba understands this and developed Eukanuba Premium Performance 30/20 –; a food ideal for hunting, field trials and other more strenuous athletic activities in a wide range of environmental conditions. It's packed with 20% more protein and fat to provide sustained energy for peak performance and natural sources of Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfate to help maintain healthy joints and mobility. Eukanuba Premium Performance 30/20 also contains an appropriate level of highly digestible carbohydrates to help support a short exercise recovery time after sporting activities. Eukanuba Premium Performance 30/20 is rich in omega-3 fatty acids to help promote a good nose and scenting ability and contains a special blend of fibers such as beet pulp and FOS (fructooligosaccharides) to promote excellent digestive health.

[CoryTDF]

Eukonuba Premium 30/20

I wish! that stuff is way to spendy for me!

[floatinghat]

I feed our 62-63 lb FCL 2 cups, twice a day.  She is very active and constantly hungry.  Weight wise she is right for her frame.  You can feel her ribs but can't see them.  We feed the Costco  lamb and veg.  mix which she loves.  Our breeder recommended it over some of the other by her research it was the equivalent of some the "high performance foods". 

[merlo105]

Well now I grade dog foods on a point system subtracting then adding. Here are some of the grades... Authority harvest baked, scores A plus 110%, Diamond Lamb meal and rice, scores a B 92%, Eukanuba adult C 81%, The purina proplans score pretty good.. One of the best scoring foods is The Kirland brand dog food you get at Cosco, the chicken and veg, scores a 110%, We all know you pay for what you get well in this case what your dog gets... I feed my dogs the very best that I can afford and they do great on it. The cosco food is the way to go great price and one of the best foods on the market.

[benbo30]

Well now I grade dog foods on a point system subtracting then adding. Here are some of the grades... Authority harvest baked, scores A plus 110%, Diamond Lamb meal and rice, scores a B 92%, Eukanuba adult C 81%, The purina proplans score pretty good.. One of the best scoring foods is The Kirland brand dog food you get at Cosco, the chicken and veg, scores a 110%, We all know you pay for what you get well in this case what your dog gets... I feed my dogs the very best that I can afford and they do great on it. The cosco food is the way to go great price and one of the best foods on the market.

yea i agree with the costco , only because costco only sells the very best of everything they dont sell cheap crap , only the best of the best

[Curly]

You might try adding supplements like dinovite.  Most dry dog food has all the enzymes cooked out of it and dogs need some raw food to get all the nutrition.  Dinovite can be used to supplement the amino acids and enzymes that the dogs are not getting from the dry dog food.

[Sportfury]

Merlo where did you find the point system to grade dog food? Also the last time that I checked with Costco their Kirkland brand dog food was made for them by Diamond. Diamond is a big manufacter and makes dog food for a lot of different companies.

We had a another thread here on hunt-wa similiar to this. Check it out: http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,30014.0.html

[huntncoug]

When I was in college at WSU a good friend of mine was in the vet school, I was able to get Science diet for 10 bucks a bag.  I fed my Lab Blue Science diet for a couple years while at college.  Now I dont have the discount and Science diet is too expensive so I feed him Beneful, he loves it and is very healthy.

[chef bama]

Got two aussies, not exactly hunting dogs, although they have taught me a lot about finding deer. High energy for sure.

Dog food with grains gives one of them instant hot spots. We had been feeding them grain free Evo for several years, recently switched to Orijen (also grain free) because Evo had milk products and Orijen does not. Expensive? Yes, but cheaper than vet bills. 

Here's an interesting site about pet food (and people food):

http://www.dogtorj.com/

[Mossy]

Natural Choice....lamb and rice for almost 5 years...once a day.

[Joe_Hunter]

I've had labs since I was a  kid. My vet hates it but regardless of what I feed them I allow them to self regulate their food. My vet says allowing a lab to self feed leads to overweight dogs. I disagree because I have never had an overweight dog.
I alternate between pro plan and Purina lamb and rice. I have an auto feeder and fill it every three weeks or so as needed.  never a mooch or a beg.
I think when a dog can feed itself whenever it wants and knows that the food will always be there then it becomes less important to them and there not always looking for a meal.
just my 

[singleshot12]

IF YOU WANT YOUR DOG TO LIVE A LONG HEALTHY LIFE OF 30+ YEARS SPEND THE EXTRA AND FEED HIM RAW ORGANIC MEATS AND VEGITABLES WITH A TABLESPOON OF ORGANIC APPLE CIDAR VINIGAR EACH DAY..AND BE SURE TO EXCERSIZE HIM EACH DAY ALSO.

MAN'S BEST FRIEND DESERVES THE BEST  .

[LLEWELLIN]

Looked into a lot of foods before i got my pup. Started out with Canidae, but when they changed the formula and raised the price i started feeding Kirkland Chicken and Rice (made by Diamond), he does great on it and it is affordable. I think to many people make to much to do over some of the super high priced feed, but to each his own. 

[Rowdy]

There are a TON of good foods on the market for our dogs.  Pick one that's affordable for you and one your dog likes.  My dog is not a big eater and kind of picky so I've gone through a few different one's to get to the one he's on now.  If you have a working dog you want to make sure your pup is getting enough protein but other than that there are A LOT of good foods out there to pick from.  I don't think you need to spend a lot on feed unless your pup has a specific need.  two cents.

Jake