What brand of dogfood to use?

[MINNKOTA]

NutriSource all the way. Been feeding my 9week old Lab since bringing him home.

MINNKOTA

[TMan]

Diamond lamb & rice large breed puppy for my 6 Mo lab. Good stools, recommendations and approvals from 2 breeders, and very affordable compared to some of the brands mentioned above. I compared ingredients to most of those and they are very similar.

TMan

[Bushwacker]

Quote:

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After trying just about everything mentioned here, I now use National. Hard to come by, but it is totally worth it. The food started out being used for sled dogs, then hunting guys caught wind of it. Stools as hard as charcoal, and just as black. My 42 lb female is maintained by 3/4 during the off season and 1 1/4 cups during the season.

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3/4 a day. Wow that must be some good stuff. Are there any chains that carry it or where can a guy get some to try?

[setterguy]

You used to be able to buy it directly over the internet, put in your order and it was shipped to your doorstep. They stopped doing that, and the only place around that sells it is in Ramsey. I forget the name of the place, but its a seed, landscape place right on 10. It has a big red barn, and lots of trees out front for people to buy. I know guys who buy it by the pallet, just so they can get it shipped to them. I don't have the room or resources to do that but it is a good food. They do have a HSOforum, if you checked out national dog food I'm sure you would find a link.

[caseymcq]

I have two black labs and I have fed them Iams. One gets adult and one gets puppy both for large breed. They have great looking coats and one of the best side effects, less [PoorWordUsage]. I think Science Diet would be just as good. These are a little more expensive than other brands but are definately not the most expensive. I am a firm believer in the old adage, "You get what you pay for." While I don't think you have to get the most expensive food, I think your dog(s) will be better off with decent food. Iams is usually $14 for a 20lb bag at Target so that isn't terrible. If you get a Petco Pet Pals card they have a program where you buy so many bags and you get one free.

I was told Eukanuba was supposed to be as good if not better but it sounds like you are not having a good experience with it esox49.

We go to excellent vets in Ely. They are by far some of the best. They are big proponents of feeding dogs real food. Canned green beens, eggs, meat(beef, chicken, fish). My dogs split a can of green beans once a week and get an egg every now and then. If they have been really working hard on a given day I like to give them meat. I found canned samon in the grocery store on sale and they get that every so often. They like me are also big fans of walleye.

The Vets also warned me against feeding the dogs "rocket fuel." There are a lot of sled dog runners in Ely that need to feed their dogs high energy food. There are some folks that think if it is good for those hard working dogs it would be good for their household pet/ hunting dog. That is not the case for several reasons. One it is a good way to make a dog hyper. Two, especially pertaining to growing pups, is that if the pup gets fat that leads to a greater potential for joint problems like hip dysplasia. The reasoning is that the pup puts on weight faster than the joints can develop to support the extra weight put on.

[Dbl]

Nutrisource for a year and a half for my lab.

[WAG416]

Table scraps.......... Dog loves em

Im kidding

WAG

[Mr.Seaguar]

Iams green bag is the only thing my dog can eat that doesnt run right out. Eukanuba, science diet, Purina One. Well, maxximum nutrition from Walmart went down OK but theres no nutrition there. Vet said she figures its allergies. I dont over feed either. My vet told me my dog needed to gain weight. That was the nicest thing she could have said to me.

My parents had a 120# lab that got a plate of food right from the table every meal. Lived to be 14. Loved chocolate and Mountain Dew. If we werent looking he stole the cats food. His bowl would have dry food in it for 2-3 days until he got hungry enough he had to eat it.