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In this guide we’ll take a look at the best dog food for Labrador Retriever puppies.
We’ve compared the quality of ingredients, nutritional information, and value for money.
Our top recommended Labrador Retriever puppy dog food is Taste of the Wild High Prairie Puppy.
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All of our dog food suggestions are carefully selected by professionals. We extensively research the products to check if they’ve been approved by governing bodies before making recommendations. You can read more about our stringent review standards here. And remember, always consult your veterinarian first, before changing your dog’s food.
Taste of the Wild High Prairie Puppy is a diet that dog owners can feel good about feeding their best canine pal. A diet that offers exceptional quality nutrition, Taste of the Wild High Prairie Puppy is also available at a very reasonable price point, making it an attractive option for families looking to feed a premium food within a budget.
Considered to be among the best dog foods for Labrador Retriever puppies on the market today, this diet bases its foundation on buffalo, a novel meat that is unlikely to trigger skin or stomach sensitivities. This less commonly seen protein is reinforced through the addition of both venison and beef to provide a powerhouse punch of amino acids to support the development of healthy muscles.
A diet that contains no grains, each carbohydrate in this recipe was selected for its high fiber content and rich antioxidant profile. These fruits and vegetables help to boost the immune system and promote good digestion in Labrador Retriever puppies.
Taste of the Wild High Prairie Puppy is free from grains, corn wheat, filler, artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives. A unique probiotic supplement has been included in this food to encourage fluid digestive processing.
Blue Buffalo Life Protection Large Breed Puppy is a premium quality diet designed to meet the unique needs of bigger puppies like the Labrador Retriever. This high performance diet is rich in DHA, ARA, and the essential fatty acids required to assist with proper cognitive and vision development in large breed pups.
Blue Buffalo Life Protection Large Breed Puppy, considered to be one of the best dog foods for Labrador Retriever puppies, has included the correct ratio of calcium to phosphorus to encourage a healthy rate of growth, something that is of great importance in large breed puppies. Each of the pieces of kibble included in this diet is large enough to prevent choking and is also textured to help support excellent dental hygiene.
This top shelf diet contains no corn, wheat, soy, or by-products, making it an excellent selection for Labrador Retriever puppies with food sensitivities.
Merrick Grain-Free Puppy, one of the best dog foods for Labrador Retriever puppies, offers all of the nutrition large breed pups need to thrive during each of their vital developmental periods. Chicken is the foundation of this food, a protein that is easy for puppies to digest and full of amino acids.
This diet includes both glucosamine and chondroitin in its formulation to support joint health in developing puppies. Each piece of kibble is of a sufficient size that puppies are encouraged to chew each bite and not eat too rapidly, a problem that can lead to bloat.
For one of the best dog foods for Labrador Retriever puppies that offers premium nutrition and excellent value, it’s hard to go wrong with American Journey Large Breed Puppy. The carbohydrates included in this powerhouse formulation are taken entirely from fruits and vegetables that were selected for their ease of digestibility and high antioxidant profile.
The ratio of calcium to phosphorus found in this food is sufficient to encourage a healthy rate of growth in large breed puppies like the Labrador Retriever. DHA has been supplemented in American Journey Grain-Free Large Breed Puppy to ensure adequate nutritional content for brain and vision development.
This food contains no grains, wheat, soy, by-products, artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives.
Wellness Large Breed Complete Health Puppy, consistently rated among the best dog foods for Labrador Retriever puppies, offers all of the premium quality nutritional content that young dogs need to achieve optimal health and wellness. This food formulation has been fortified with additional DHA, a vital nutrient in assisting with eye and brain development.
The ratio of calcium to phosphorus found in this diet is correct, meaning the Labrador Retriever’s rate of growth at a healthy rate is supported by this diet.
The amiable Labrador Retriever puppy is a wonderful addition to any home. A dog that is full of adventure and fun, this pup is an active little fellow, taking great pleasure in accompanying its family members wherever they choose to go.
A dog breed that was developed in Newfoundland, Canada, the Labrador Retriever’s original purpose was retrieving nets and other fishing paraphernalia from the cold waters of the North Atlantic on fishing expeditions with its owner. The breed is well renowned for its versatility and athleticism, making it well-suited to many different activities including hiking, agility, swimming, tracking, scent detection, obedience, and much, much more.
A highly intelligent dog breed, the Labrador Retriever puppy is most content when given a job to do. In its youth, it is high energy, requiring regular daily exercise to remain physically and mentally content.
Since the Labrador Retriever puppy is considered to be a large breed pup, it is best to look for a food formulation designed specifically to meet the needs of puppies of this size. The best dog foods for Labrador Retriever puppies contain the correct amount of calcium to phosphorus to promote a healthy rate of bone growth. This is defined as 1.2 parts of calcium for each unit of phosphorus included in the diet.
Labrador Retriever puppies should be fed a large breed puppy food until the dog reaches one year of age or 75 percent of its adult size. At that time, the pup can be transitioned to an appropriate adult diet.
Labrador Retriever puppies are busy little creatures. To help fuel their energy reserves, they need to be fed a top quality diet. The best dog foods for Labrador Retriever puppies contain a list of suggested serving sizes on the side of the bag. These make an excellent starting point, and adjustments can be made until the correct portion size has been found.
As a large breed puppy, Labrador Retrievers can be predisposed to developing the life threatening condition known as bloat. To prevent this from occurring, experts agree that the puppy should be fed a kibble with large enough pieces to prevent eating too rapidly. It is also important the puppy not be fed too much at each meal. Free feeding is strongly discouraged as it can not only lead to bloat but also to obesity.
An appropriate diet for a Labrador Retriever puppy should contain a minimum of 22 percent protein and 8 percent fat.
The active Labrador Retriever puppy requires a diet that is nutritionally balanced and properly fortified to meet its needs as it progresses through each developmental period. The best dog foods for Labrador Retriever puppies take a lean meat as their foundation. Whole meats are the preferred choice; however, meal meals offer an exceptional amount of concentrated protein.
Meat by-products and plant-based proteins such as soy, corn, and wheat contain little nutritional value to benefit growing large breed puppies like the Labrador Retriever. It is recommended that foods containing these items be avoided. In addition to this, foods which include such ingredients as chemicals, additives, artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives are best left on the shelf as these items have been linked to the development of recurring food sensitivities.
No diet for Labrador Retriever puppies would be complete without the addition of complex carbohydrates. These can come from whole grains, fruits, or vegetables. The primary role of any carbohydrate included in a diet for large breed puppies is their high antioxidant content and ease of digestibility.
Healthy fats are part of the key to ensuring the growing Labrador Retriever puppy has the energy required to fuel its development. In addition to this, they also encourage healthy skin and coat and fuel brain and eye functionality. They are best found in animal origins such as chicken fat or oily fish; however, safflower and canola oils are plant-based fats that offer a powerhouse punch of DHA, ARA, and omega 3 and 6 fatty acids.
In selecting a food for Labrador Retriever puppies, it is always a good idea to consider a diet that includes some supplements. Among the most beneficial supplements for the growing Labrador Retriever pup are glucosamine, chondroitin, prebiotics, and probiotics.
Here is a basic list of the most important things to look for in the best food for a Labrador Retriever puppy:
Since puppies do best on a diet of easily digestible proteins, whole meats are the preferred option for a food for Labrador Retriever puppies. Equally desirable are foods that take meat meals as their primary ingredients.
Plant-based proteins and by-products should be strictly avoided as they are inferior quality and offer few nutritional benefits to developing puppies.
Chemicals, fillers, artificial flavorings and colorings, and mystery ingredients provide no nutritional benefit to a growing Labrador Retriever puppy. Any foods containing these items is best left on the shelf.
Supplements help a diet to be its most effective. The ideal supplements to look for in a food for the Labrador Retriever pup are glucosamine, chondroitin, prebiotics, and probiotics.
All foods appropriate for the Labrador Retriever puppy should bear the AAFCO seal of approval, indicating it meets the standards for a complete and balanced food.
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