I'm looking for suggestions for a good complete food for my 2 Labs (4years and 3years).   I've been hopeless at sticking with one food and keep chopping and changing all the time.  Luckily they have cast iron stomachs.  So I'm making an early new years resoloution to find a good food and stick with it.  I,m wondering about royal canin Lab food.

Both the dogs are quite lean and I want to keep them that way.  I would welcome any recommendations. (not raw please)

Tig.

If they look good on the food they're currently on then resist the impulse to change it :D

In my limited expierience of Labs don't they say they exist as a eating machine for their stomachs !!!!
I feed RC to my adult girls and they are very happy on it, they get extras like chicken wings and tripe but the basic diet is RC giant  and they just love it. This litter of pups has been fed on the babydog and they have thrived on it along with tripe and minced beef. Give it a try and if they are lookin good then stick to it.
Aileen.

Tigger2,

Sorry about my username, trying to get it changed to avoid confussion:)

why have you been chopping and changing.. cost, availability etc... or fallen into the ... "dont want them to get bored with the same old thing" bracket :)

I feed raw, but wont push it ;) its not for everyone... in the past, I have fed Autarky, chudleys and CSJ... all reasonably good foods, and all my dogs have done well on them.. again.. typically cast Iron stomachs...

A couple of months ago, I had a call from the Royal Canin rep.. had no inclination towards RC in the slightest, but.. she said the majic words.. FREE :D   with the intent to enrol me onto their breeders programme... I took the bag of labrador 30 and fed it to one of my boys for a month... he has done very well on it.. poo's were good, although a revolting green instead of white, he is a big boy, and was struggling to keep a reasonable weight on him without going over.. and managed this with the RC... he had blown his coat, it has come back in well, but whether it was the RC or just a good growth, I cant say...

BUT.. at £30 for a 13kg bag, I cant say that he will be staying on it (did wangle another free bag out of them ;) )  and I havent given it to any of the others..  I do like it.. but with 9 Labs, cost would be £270 a month..

So you do have to look at your pocket as well as giving them the best you can... If you and he are happy with the food you are giving at the moment.. why not simply stick to this... whats right for one dog, may not work for another...

I'm ashamed to admit it, but I change because I think that perhaps the next food I try will be even better!   I'm feeding chudleys at the moment and while the dogs eat it happily enough (they will anything though!) their output is not as solid as I would like.  I'm kind of swayed towards the RC Labrador, but worried whether they will put on weight with the higher protein and fat content.

If you feed the recommended amount your boy will put weight on.. my boy went from 36kg to 40.2 kg in 5 weeks... I was shocked/surprised when he went in for x-rays for hipscoring a couple of weeks ago.. he doesnt look this heavy, he is not fat... but.. there is a very fine line, and I think this can go for any food.. their are some feeds I have heard that have a tendency to keep dogs on the very lean side.. and you need to feed a little more... bear in mind that the feeding guide is exactly that.. a guide... I have a boy who is 35kg and I class him as fat, he went for hipscoring at same time.. .and I honestly thought he would be the heavier of the two....  and now trying to get weight off him.. but I am perfectly happy with one of my other boys at 40kg... I have a girl who looks great at 38kg, but another looks chubby at just 32kg... they are all fed the same food, just varying amounts according to needs... you also have to make the distiction between what is fat and what is muscle when taking weight into account... its no surprise that my heavier dogs are more muscular, therefore actually LOOK leaner and lighter...

If you do go for the RC 30 Labrador.. feed a little less, and adjust accordingly...

I have to say, I still chuck some chudleys at them now and again... travelling.. shows etc, when carting bags of raw around is not ideal.. and poo's are not as firm.. but again.. not too bad either...

Hi Tigger

Although I no longer routinely use complete foods, I can't actually see a problem in feeding them different foods, if, as you say, they have cast iron stomaches.  I have always had dogs that can eat just about anything and don't think that variety is a problem.  However, some people will say that this can lead to fussy eaters.  Not a problem I've ever had with mine :) :)

Carina

I think it's a good idea to swap between quality brands of food,it ensures the dog is getting everything they need.Different protein,fat,vitamin etc sources means different nutrient profiles. My motto when feeding dogs has always been 'variety,variety,variety'!

I know people who have 2 or 3 different brands of food open at the one time and swap on a daily basis,there are those that swap weekly,monthly or after each bag.

As for the dry food,my pick is Orijen,you wont find a food with a better nutrient profile than this one

http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/dogs/dry_dog_food/orijen

Here are the first few ingredients:

De-boned chicken, chicken meal, turkey meal, russet potato, lake whitefish, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherals, a natural source of vitamin E), sweet potato, whole eggs, turkey, salmon meal, salmon and anchovy oils, salmon, natural chicken flavor, sunflower oil, sun-cured alfalfa, dried brown kelp, carrots, spinach, peas, tomatoes, apples, psyllium, dulse, chicory root, licorice root, tumeric root, fenugreek, glucosamine HCl, cranberries, black currants, marigold flowers, sweet fennel, zea mays, peppermint leaf, chamomile flowers, dandelion, summer savory, rosemary extract, chondroitin sulfate, rosehips......

Oh and by the way,high protein and fat is GOOD :D However Royal Canin's levels unfortunately come from corn gluten meal,and not meat..