What is the best food for my dog?

Question

i have a Black Labrador Retriever he is 102 pounds what is the best food for him? Currenly I am feeding him Purina Kibbles and bits is this a good food?

He is 1 1/2 years old

Answer 1

How to grade your dog's food: Start with a grade of 100:

1) For every listing of "by-product", subtract 10 points
2) For every non-specific animal source ("meat" or "poultry", meat, meal or
fat) reference, subtract 10 points
3) If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points
4) For every grain "mill run" or non-specific grain source, subtract 5
points
5) If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first five
ingredients (I.e. "ground brown rice", "brewers rice", "rice flour" are all
the same grain), subtract 5 points
6) If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than 2
meats in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points
7) If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points
8 ) If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3points
9) If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 more points
10) If the food contains any animal fat other than fish oil, subtract 2
points
11) If lamb is the only animal protein source (unless your dog is
allergic to other protein sources), subtract 2 points
12) If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points
13) If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog is not
allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points
14) If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog is not allergic to
beef), subtract 1 point
15) If it contains salt, subtract 1 point


Extra Credit:

1) If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points
2) If the food is endorsed by any major breed group or nutritionist (not vet recommended),add 5 points
3) If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points
4) If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points
5) If the food contains fruit, add 3 points
6) If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3
points
7) If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 2
points
8 ) If the food contains barley, add 2 points
9) If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2 points
10) If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point
11) If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point
12) For every different specific animal protein source (other than the
first one; count "chicken" and "chicken meal" as only one protein
source, but "chicken" and "fish" as 2 different sources), add 1 point
13) If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point
14) If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are
pesticide-free, add 1 point

Score:

94-100+ = A 86-93 = B 78-85 = C 70-77 = D 69 and below = F

Here are some foods that have already been scored.

Dog Food scores:

Authority Harvest Baked / Score 116 A+
Bil-Jac Select / Score 68 F
BLUE Buffalo Fish and Sweet Potato / Score 112 A+
Canidae / Score 112 A+
Chicken Soup Senior / Score 115 A+
Diamond Maintenance / Score 64 F
Diamond Lamb Meal & Rice / Score 92 B
Diamond Large Breed 60+ Formula / Score 99 A
Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Ultra Premium / Score 122 A+
Dick Van Patten's Duck and Potato / Score 106 A+
Foundations / Score 106 A+
Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) by Solid Gold / Score 93 B
Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium / Score 73 D
Innova Dog / Score 114 A+
Innova Evo / Score 114 A+
Kirkland Signature Chicken, Ri Score 110 A+
Nutrisource Lamb and Rice / Score 87 B
Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy / Score 87 B
Pet Gold Adult with Lamb & Rice / Score 23 F
ProPlan Natural Turkey & Barley / Score 103 A+
Purina Beneful / Score 17 F
Purina Dog Chow / Score 62 F
Purina Come-n-Get It / Score 16 F
Royal Canin Bulldog / Score 100 A+
Royal Canin Natural Blend Adult / Score 106 A+
Sensible Choice Chicken and Rice / Score 97 A
Science Diet Advanced Protein Senior 7+ / Score 63 F
Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies / Score 69 F
Wellness Super5 Mix Chicken / Score 110 A+
Wolfking Adult Dog (bison) by Solid Gold / Score 97 A


Edited to add:
Most vets are not trained in nutrition beyond the generalizations. They also have incentives to tell you about certain dog foods, kind of like doctors who get perks for prescribing certain drugs.

Answer 2

You have gotten some good answers here.
Kibbles and bits is a very bad dog food............You midas well feed the dog twinkies as the dog food is full of sugar and junk.
Any brand you buy at the grocery store is CRAP>>>>>> Full of fillers and by products that is not good for your dog.... The dog food your vet recommends is the same way, they recommend this food not because they think it is good for your dog, but because they get a 40 percent profit on what they sell. REMEMBER vets are pet doctors not nutritionists.

I feed raw, but supplement with innova when my kids have to feed the dogs.
Innova canidae solid gold california naturak are all good dog foods, it may cost more, but they eat less and poop less. It is well woth the money as the nutrients stay in your dog instead of being pooped on the ground.

Answer 3

Kibbles N Bits is a TERRIBLE food ... too much filler - little nutrition - color dyes.. too much "sugar and fats".. pure JUNK!!!
infact ALL foods from grocery or Wal Mart are crap - too much filler too little nutrition

AVOID - SOY, WHEAT, CORN, BY-PRODUCTS (beaks feet feathers), PORK, BEEF - these are common allergins and all are CHEAP FILLERS.. the more fillers your dog eats.. the more POOP you have to clean up.. and ultimatiely the more filler = the more food your dog will need

in Canada I like NUTRAM...

In USA - INNOVA, WELNESS...

Switch gradually... going from an extremely poor food like Kibbles N BIts to a good food will need to be done s l o w l y

DO NOT be fooled some foods which look good are crap - eg. Science Diet, Iams, Eukaunba --- ALL ARE CRAP

rule of thumb - if you see ALOT of commercials for a food - they are putting money into the commercials NOT into the food

Answer 4

The "grocery store brands" really aren't very nutritionally sufficient for pets. They can get by on them, but really not as good as some of the more expensive brands. There's a larger fee with the better ones, but if they are good and nutritionally balanced for your dog, then you usually don't need to feed them quite as much as you do the cheaper brands.

We use Innova, which came highly recommended by our vet. It's an excellent food without all the fillers... but being a good quality food, it has a high price to go with that. Worth it for us tho. We know our dogs are eating a good balanced food.

Answer 5

You should feed the best food you can afford. I currently feed Eukanuba to both my dog and cat. Iams & Eukanuba are made by the same company, both are good quality foods. Science Diet is another quality food. Purina does make some high quality foods, unfortunately Kibbles and Bits is not one of them. 102 lbs is large for a traditional Lab. Ideally you want to be able to feel but not see the ribs, and be able to see a waist from the top, and a tuck after the ribs from the side. If you can't see those, your dog may be over weight and may need a wt loss/less active formula dog food. Also, as your dog matures, it's a good idea to switch them over to a senior dog food. Puppies, adults and seniors have different energy requirements and as such should be on different foods to maximize their health and chances for a long happy life.

Answer 6

Pedigree, Science Diet, IAMS

IAMS and Kibbles and Bits is what I feed my little dogs...
K&Bits only 2 times week as a treat... Big dogs get IAMS

Dogs need protien and fiber just like humans and with Vitamans and minreals as a balanced diet.... If your vet charges you to talk check with your local pet story... If you have a Petsmart near by take a trip together they have charts with what each food has in it and can help with your choice...

You have alot of choices out there... But we don't know age and if your dog is 10 to 15 lbs or weight....VS height

Check this simple diagram ((when you copy it and post just take out the spaces)) Then go to the next step...

http://www .dog-food-zone.com/new sletters/dfz_newsletter-1_1.htm

If your dog is over weight look in to IAMS and Science Diet they also have good regular Food...
My last Lab that was short and was 10 lbs over weight at 5 years old... My wife just kept filling his bowl up every time it was empty... I learn from the vet that Dogs need limits when eating... I even learned that those people that feed there dog once a Day are even worse then the people that let their dog decide when its full... i had to learn to feed my dog twicw a day a snack... And yes I do feed him what I eat sometimes... Not everything just some....

Another Good brand is Pedigree

Answer 7

Age, as well as weight & breed can be significant factors in selecting a food.

Try starting with this article;

http://home.att.net/~wdcusick/LabradorRetriever.html

and, maybe this one;

http://www.ehow.com/how_9972_care-labrador-retriever.html

And, do some additional searches as you can't take everything you read on the web at face value. If you are near an actual, decent pet store, check with them and see what they recommend.

As always, if you have a Vet, call them and get recommendations or get your dog evaluated to be sure it gets the best nutrition possible.

Answer 8

Our trainer recommends the following foods:

Artemis
Wellness
Innova

Purina is the McDonalds of dog food. It might not kill you right away, but it will kill you.

I suggest one of the three our trainer recommended. We use Artemis, it's a wonderfully formulated food designed especially for the needs of my dogs.

Answer 9

Whatever you eat, they like vegetibles too. No onions though.

Read the dogfood bag, Soy, corn, wheat, rice, and animal fat....

Mine always prefers steak and baked potato.

Answer 10

All of the big names in the pet stores are good.
The ones from your typical grocers are actually not that good for them.
Just select one from a pet supply store that is appropriate for his age and lifestyle.
Is he active or does he lay around a lot? It will say on the package for active dogs or not.
Also his size dictates the size of kibble or chunks would be perfect for his mouth.
And above all, does he like it? Don't make him eat a brand he doesn't like. That would be cruel.

My dogs favorite is BIL JAC. It's the only dry dog food they actually love.