I'm looking for recommendations please. He is on puppy Iams at present as this is what the breeder was feeding. Actually he is on a gastrointestinal wet food temporarily until diarrhoea settles, but will be back on Iams soon. First I would like to ask what would be the recommended protein percentage? I also understand that the amount of calcium in the food should be a consideration for puppies of large breed dogs, especially ones where joint dysplasia is a high risk. I'm not particularly worried about the cost, although I don't like spending money for the sake of it! However, if quality is assured for the extra cost of the product then it is money well spent.

It has been shown that keeping pups lean and on more restricted nutritional density helps reduce the development of joint isdues in predisposed breeds.

This will let them grow more slowly.

With that in mind I'd feed him a good quality adult food.

My own preference is the Simpsons Premium range, price for quality is good and it's UK produced. They also have ranges and flavours to suit anyone, and also do premium wet food.

https://www.simpsonspremium.com/

I have also in the past used Arden Grange, Fish for Dogs, and Eden.

Trouble with this question is u are likly to get as many suggestions as there are dogs .my preference would be raw others wouldn't go near it.

Have a look at this link and remember its also what suits the dog

https://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/

Checking foods against that site is very useful.

I’d go raw too

I also feed raw.

I would not advise raw feeding to a Novice for a puppy.

It takes time to gain nutritional knowledge enough to get raw feeding right in my opinion.

As puppies develop and grow so fast getting things wrong could have more serious consequences than for an adult.

So I would recommend a high animal protein based complete, or a Complete raw.

I have fed all raw in the past, but storage was an issue.

To get varied raw ingredients at reasonable cost means bulk buying.

I think a lot of people are now feeding raw completes rather than DIY
It does make things easier but u still have to have some basic knowledge as they can vary a lot and not every complete suits every dog

I have never fed raw, although our first Basset had breast of lamb, offal and terrier meal.   Once we moved overseas, and such food wasn't exactly cheap, and as our numbers increased, I switched to a good quality complete dry with a bit of tinned or fresh meat added for smell and flavour.   And I never felt confident enough to be sure I was feeding a properly balanced raw diet.

With a breed like the lab, I'd look for something with a protein level of no higher than 26 - 28% .   Any higher and it encourages too much growth too fast which can lead to bone development problems.  JMO with my breed.  My buy in Basset was reared on Royal Canin which has a very high protein level, to my mind.   And again imo, he suffered leading to skeletal problems over the years.   He was around 35 kg as an adult.   And that wasn't fat.

I prefer to use a grain-free product too.   You don't necessarily need to spend a lot for such food.  More isn't necessarily better.

As for breed-specific food, that usually relates to the size of the kibble.   Nothing else.

We all have our own ideas about what works best, and that's what should influence how you feed.    What works best for your particular dog, and perhaps your pocket.

Thank you everyone. I don't feel anywhere near knowledgable or confident enough to go down the route of raw feeding.  I have spent a couple of hours on that allaboutdogfood site and done a lot of comparisons- I am going to give Simpsons 80/20 a go and see iif it suits him. Once he's back on his normal food, I'll wait a few days to make sure his tummy is properly settled then start introducing his new food a bit at a time.
Liz.

Brainless - I would suggest complete puppy raw food not diy

ETA mine are on complete raw - I’m way too lazy to diy!

I like complete raw as well, but I feed Akela 80:20 for breakfast and training. Raw at night.

I do add in the occasional thing like raw egg, bones, chicken feet or other bits of animal just for variety a few times a week.

Purina Beta Puppy 20%/Arkwrights Working Dog 70%/Raw 10%. (one raw egg can be counted) Crossing my fingers but never had a dog fail on this diet.

>I would not advise raw feeding to a Novice for a puppy. It takes time to gain nutritional knowledge enough to get raw feeding right in my opinion.

No, it takes about as much nutritional knowledge as it takes to open a bag of complete raw and deposit it in a dog's dish. Zero knowledge, in other words. All my puppy buyers feed raw, it's written in their contracts and they agree to feed raw before purchasing a pup from me. Complete raw, of course.