katied86 Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 Hi!! I pick up my chocolate Lab puppy in 2 weeks and have been looking at puppy foods in pet shops/supermarkets/etc and an mightily confused!! When I'm looking at thedietary break downs (%fat/protein/etc) what should I be looking for? I know there are so many variations out there and I want to feed puppy the best I can. I'm going to visit the breeder on the weekend and will be talking to him in more detail about what gesture feeding. He mix feeds with his older dogs - dry food and chicken necks/carcasses - and I want to do this with my pup too so it gets a variety of foods, but I know I need to be careful of upsetting pup's stomach! Any suggestions greatly appreciated!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudlark Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 Congratulations on your new pup!! How exciting :) Initially, continuing to feed what the breeder has been feeding is a good idea. That's the best way to keep a pup's tum settled in the transition to a new home. It sure is the case that the huge number of feeds out there is confusing. Plus there are a lot of different views and philosophies that guide different feeding practices (e.g. raw versus cooked, kibble versus no kibble). Probably the easiest thing to do is to go with your breeders' recommendations - if their dogs look healthy, with good coats, then that is a good guide to the kind of food that will suit your dog best. See how your pup goes on the same regime and take your time learning about different feeding options. One thing to keep in mind is the need to keep teeth in good condition - meaty bones (chicken carcases, lamb necks, lamb flaps etc) are great for that as they have to slice through the meat and bone, cleaning their teeth in the process. For a pup chicken necks and carcases are a good option. I'd advise avoiding marrow/cow leg bones though as they are too hard - a Lab will work and work at a marrow bone and will end up gnawing on the hardest part of the bone which will have the effect, over time, of wearing down their teeth. My first Lab also loved to munch down on whole raw sweet potato, large chunks of raw pumpkin and whole raw fennel bulbs - all great for fibre intake and also teeth cleaning. One of the many great things about a Labrador is that it is really easy to feed them a varied diet if you want to go down the road of preparing your own food or even just branching out a bit from a kibble diet. They are not fussy eaters as I'm sure you are already very aware :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra777 Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 Ask the breeder to send you their diet sheet so you can get ready before D-Day (or is that P-Day :)) Assuming they are ethical breeders and either experienced or have a good mentor, the diet they recommend will be the best place to start and you can change it later when you figure out if it suits your pup and your lifestyle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katied86 Posted March 1, 2013 Author Share Posted March 1, 2013 Ask the breeder to send you their diet sheet so you can get ready before D-Day (or is that P-Day :)) Assuming they are ethical breeders and either experienced or have a good mentor, the diet they recommend will be the best place to start and you can change it later when you figure out if it suits your pup and your lifestyle. Thanks!! I'm going to visit the pups this weekend so I will make sure I take note of what the breeder says and see if I can get a feeding sheet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julesluvscavs Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 Ask the breeder to send you their diet sheet so you can get ready before D-Day (or is that P-Day :)) Assuming they are ethical breeders and either experienced or have a good mentor, the diet they recommend will be the best place to start and you can change it later when you figure out if it suits your pup and your lifestyle. Yes agree with Sandra :) Our breeder of our new puppy has been vey thorough with all that, and Ive emailed her since with more questions . Of course be prepared when you go for your puppy's second vaccinations and check up at your vets, they may try to promote their food as well. I just listened to them but doing what our breeder has adviced us.'' Its very exciting getting a new puppy !! all the best Katie :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julesluvscavs Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 (edited) oops my reply posted twice ! Edited March 1, 2013 by Jules❤3Cavs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvsdogs Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 Cobgrats on you soon to be new addition. Good advise given but one important point especially with large breed pups is to grow them slowly to avoid problems with bone growth & joints in the future. Can't wait to see pics of your new guy too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katied86 Posted March 3, 2013 Author Share Posted March 3, 2013 So I went and saw my little guy today and spoke to the breeder about food. He feeds a combination of Bonnie Puppy and meat (chicken necks, mince, etc). What age can I give pup chicken carcasses and other bones? Also, how long should they be on puppy food for before I move on to adult food? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretty Miss Emma Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 I gave Hamish bones from Day 1 of him coming home, just make sure it's the right sized bone so your pup can chew on it (either to break it up to eat or just to knaw on) but not a size that can accidentally get stuck in a windpipe. Hamish turned 11 months today and we will be finishing up the bag of puppy food he has and moving on to adult food. Lots of people have differing opinions about how long to keep them on puppy food, some people don't ever feed puppy food they just go straight on to adult food. I've decided to keep Hamish on puppy, and generally from what I've been told that's a good idea until they are over 10 months old (but again this is something I'd discuss with the breeder and find out what they do, may also be good to speak to some lab people about this I don't know how labs grow so that may influence the decision!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katied86 Posted March 4, 2013 Author Share Posted March 4, 2013 Thanks! Merlo is a feisty little guy and the whole litter are growing up so fast! They're all between 5-6kgs at 6 weeks old!! They're pretty cute. I guess my concern with puppy food is them growing too fast. I've read that their bones need time to develop and strengthen so I don't want him to grow too fast. Just want to make sure I have a happy, healthy little boy on my hands! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oakway Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 So I went and saw my little guy today and spoke to the breeder about food. He feeds a combination of Bonnie Puppy and meat (chicken necks, mince, etc). What age can I give pup chicken carcasses and other bones? Also, how long should they be on puppy food for before I move on to adult food? My puppies are never fed Puppy food they are started on adult and stay on it. If puppies can eat chicken necks the can eat frames. Good luck with your pup and most of all have fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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