Best food for Labrador

Worried2019

Hi all,

We have a 17 week old Labrador.
She was pretty sick from 10-12 weeks and since then it’s been hard to get her to eat.
We have tried Burns, Hills but she had zero interest and now have her on Royal Canin Labrador retriever junior. She eats it but has to be encouraged to eat, we often have to keep reminding her to eat and I’ve even had to on occasion throw the kibble to make it a game. I put a pouch of royal canin maxi puppy over it to make it more interesting for her (1 pouch a day split over three meals). I’ve even reduced her daily portion of kibble by 100g as we try make the rest up with frozen kongs, carrots, chew sticks and treats but she still doesn’t finish all her kibble each day.
I was thinking of trying the Gain Big Dog Puppy kibble - would that be any better? Or does anyone else have any suggestions? If possible I’d like to stay a away from fully wet food but I’m ok with a mix.

She’s 10kg, so isn’t crazy thin but I’d like her to develop at a steady pace and obviously don’t want to overfeed either.

Thanks for reading!

cocker5

Have you considered a RAW diet OP?

Worried2019

I don’t think I could do the raw diet. She loves to play with her food and pull it out onto the floor so I don’t think I could stomach it!

beveragelady

You said she was sick for a while, its possible she associates dogfood with feeling miserable. One of mine had parvo as a pup and gave up on eating for a while as a result, even when he had recovered fully. Like your lady, he'd nibble a bit and then wander off so I had to cheer him along as he was eating. This went on for ages, long after it stopped being adorable. Eventually I made a plan. I gave him very small dinners a few times a day and sat beside him when he was eating. I didn't play with him or even talk to him until the bowl was empty, then there was loads of praise and attention. If he lost interest in his food I turned away from him, as soon as he put his nose near it again I'd turn back towards him. If he didn't come back to the bowl I took it up off the floor until his next feeding time. He quickly learned to gobble the tiny morsels that were in his bowl and I was able to build up to proper dinners. Whatever happens keep it all calm and cheerful, no matter how frustrating it gets. The last thing you need is for her to think that dinner time makes you angry.

Later on on his life my boy gave up eating again after another illness and I had to abandon dogfood altogether because he wouldn't touch it at all. Instead he got rice, boiled up with chicken and sweet potato and peas, and he hoovered it up. Maybe your girl has unpleasant associations with that dogfood smell and something like that might work.

As long as she's eating a bit here and there and drinking normally she'll be fine. She's very young, the world is a very interesting place to her, it's no wonder she has difficulty focussing on dinners really.

Worried2019

Thanks a mill for the detailed response. Yes, we try that we take up
All her toys, close her crate (as she will just head in there to nap instead of eating) and don’t talk to unless she is eating and then she gets lots of good girls etc. I have on occasion (ashamed to admit) sat on the ground beside her bowl and spoon fed her then she had no issues to eat.

She loves eggs and goes nuts when we even start preparing her scrambled eggs cause she knows it’s coming and the same with rice! However I try to limit it to 4 eggs a week as a treat. And I don’t think that the eggs and rice provide enough nutrition during her growth stage.

I’ll try the very small portions and taking it away as you suggested. Appreciate the help

cocker5

If your sticking with kibble Royal Canin isn’t great to be honest .. poor quality and very overpriced
https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/royal-canin-breed-specific-adult/

Try acana .. better quality:

https://www.petstop.ie/brands/acana/https://www.petstop.ie/brands/acana/?gclid=CjwKCAiAqaTjBRAdEiwAOdx9xv3yH-GkXJyEiYmp9KHC_Q34jBffEhkluz9Jfdbr4s0Kt5m7rqNz5hoClr8QAvD_BwE

Try changing it up to add a whisked raw egg once per week, maybe some tinned sardines, makrel, tuna in a small bit of oil (drain it out) this will add some nutrients as well as flavour!

Add some bone broth to her diet too .. good overall health implications and also they love it!

http://www.carolsstockmarket.com/shop.php

I buy 6 x beef bone broth a month for my guy he loves it x

tk123

Worried2019 wrote: »

I don’t think I could do the raw diet. She loves to play with her food and pull it out onto the floor so I don’t think I could stomach it!

They tend to gobble it up in my experience lol! And you have the option of buying completes where it’s all done for you BUT you could be feeding over 1k a day to a growing pup and it can get expensive. I fed Rocco Junior from zooplus to Lucy when she was a pup to bulk out her meals and keep the cost down - it’s great value and bettter ingredients than hills/RC wet food. PetMania stock Nutriment raw food if you wanted to get a couple of packs to try - even if it’s just to cross it off your list! If there’s a maxi zoo near you they’re great for getting small sample packs of their different foods so you might get lucky and find one she likes.

DBB

Is there a particular reason you'd prefer not to feed tinned food op?
It's quite possible that your pup has appetite problems due to that illness, and the dry food just doesn't wet her whistle as a result! It's very unusual for a labrador to not eat their food, so you may need to have a rethink about dry food.

beveragelady

Worried2019 wrote: »

I have on occasion (ashamed to admit) sat on the ground beside her bowl and spoon fed her then she had no issues to eat.

There's no shame in that! Wait... is there?

It might be an indication that the food itself isn't causing her any problem. She definitely places a lot of value on your interactions with her though. If that's the case then she should learn very quickly that an empty bowl earns her a cuddle and a tussle. After a while she'll forget why she ever had a problem finishing her dinners.

So keep it all light and friendly and calm, even when expensive food is being wasted and she's being completely illogical and not one bit adorable.

All this is based on the assumption that your vet has told you there's no medical reason for her to be reluctant to eat, obviously.

Worried2019

DBB wrote: »

Is there a particular reason you'd prefer not to feed tinned food op?
It's quite possible that your pup has appetite problems due to that illness, and the dry food just doesn't wet her whistle as a result! It's very unusual for a labrador to not eat their food, so you may need to have a rethink about dry food.

Oh yeah it’s not that I won’t feed wet sorry should have mentioned.
I tried her on 3 different wet foods, Hills, Royal Canin and Burns too and she was the same on them. It’s like she just doesn’t care if she eats or not. She gets a spoonful of coconut oil and 2 cod liver tablets every day and is an absolute nut job Fr then it’s like they are they best thing in the world. She was on a lot of antibiotics and loved them too, she would eat them like a treat and if you give her the kibble as a treat or a bunch from your hand devours it. But it’s like she just doesn’t get the concept of eating from a bowl, she will take a few bits and then she is done. She has no problem drinking water from her bowl. She’s a healthy looking dog, people keep commenting on how well her coat looks etc. it’s just I keep hearing not to overfeed labradors as they will keep eating and eating... mine just does not.

I’m probably worrying about nothing. I’ll try the other food the two PP posted as I was going down the royal Canin/Hills/Burns route based on what the vet said but if it’s not as nutritious as others then I may aswell try - if she’s only eating a little it’s best that it’s good food!

Worried2019

beveragelady wrote: »

There's no shame in that! Wait... is there?

It might be an indication that the food itself isn't causing her any problem. She definitely places a lot of value on your interactions with her though. If that's the case then she should learn very quickly that an empty bowl earns her a cuddle and a tussle. After a while she'll forget why she ever had a problem finishing her dinners.

So keep it all light and friendly and calm, even when expensive food is being wasted and she's being completely illogical and not one bit adorable.

All this is based on the assumption that your vet has told you there's no medical reason for her to be reluctant to eat, obviously.

Thanks for the response yes will try that no the vet said she is perfectly fine at her weight etc and last saw her 2 weeks ago and said to keep her on he kibble. I’m back at the vets tomorrow so will double check again!

tk123

Have you tried a different bowl to rule that out? Bailey for example won't eat/drink out of a bowl if it moves..when we're having coffee they have bowls of water out for dogs and I'd have to lift the bowl up for him because otherwise it rattles on the ground and he won't touch it.

Worried2019

tk123 wrote: »

Have you tried a different bowl to rule that out? Bailey for example won't eat/drink out of a bowl if it moves..when we're having coffee they have bowls of water out for dogs and I'd have to lift the bowl up for him because otherwise it rattles on the ground and he won't touch it.

Yep we are on our third food bowl now. The first set she liked to play with as they were light so she would pick them up and run with them (no matter if they were filled with food or water) the second set were heavy ones but both the food and water bowls were the same size. We later got her the same bowl
Again but a little smaller for food but still no joy. Also tried one of those slow water bowls (not to get her to eat slow but so she might be a bit more interested) but she just picked that up in her mouth and ran with it!

aonb

DBB wrote: »

Is there a particular reason you'd prefer not to feed tinned food op?
It's quite possible that your pup has appetite problems due to that illness, and the dry food just doesn't wet her whistle as a result! It's very unusual for a labrador to not eat their food, so you may need to have a rethink about dry food.

Exactly this
I gave up on dry food completely in this house, when our dog had a gastric problem - Im convinced that he associated dry food with sore tummy and sore bowel. If i wet it he would eat some, but again, would always seem to be humouring me. As you've said, a growing large dog like a lab needs good steady intake of good quality food at this important time to make good bones and healthy adult dog. Maybe forget about dry food for now, and when hes grown and safely over any tummy issues you can re-introduce it? Maybe if you do reintroduce dry food go for a grain free, duck/rice kind of combo, which might be more gentle on his tummy/gut.
The routine in this house (Im a home-cooked fan!) is to boil up a big pan once a week of brown rice, chicken thighs, carrots, sweet potato in a good amount of water. Bone/skin the chicken pieces. Back into the pan, and chop up the lot. Into a big tupperware in the fridge. Then every mealtime, warm up a portion (warming for even 30 secs in the microwave gets that yummy smell going). You can vary this with some white fish or minced beef instead of chicken, and potatos instead of brown rice etc. Keep giving him his scrambled eggs. Maybe a tin of sardines every week too. A couple of raw chicken wings/week are good for keeping those anal glands clear.
Get him over this stage of fussiness/tummy sensitivity and hopefully you'll have an adult lab that eats everything and anything.Wish you lots of luck! Post a photo of him???

Worried2019

Thanks aonb - I’ll give it a try... here she is

borderlinemeath

If she likes scrambled eggs why don't you mix a small bit of it into the kibble? Or even sardines? Or if she likes games then would she eat her dry food if you scattered it around the bottom of her empty crate?



I have an 11yr old dog and after every bout of illness/injury in her life has steadfastly refused to eat the same food she was eating at the time. So a few years ago she had a jaw injury and refused EVERYTHING bar home made soups/stews as she couldn't really open her mouth any more than a third of the way. Last year she had a really bad gastroenteritis that had her in the vets for 2 days on a drip - she wouldn't touch forthglade or naturo wet food after that, and still won't. Yet she'll devour Rocco, particularly the beef and tripe, or beef and reindeer. And butchers tripe wet food is another favourite. As is a soup/stew mixed into kibble. She used to eat raw food but won't anymore unless its something like a nice meaty rib bone. And she LOVES if dry food is scattered around in a game.


While I don't condone not listening to your vet, I wouldn't be putting much into them saying "just dry food". Truth is they don't have a huge amount of nutritional training bar a small amount in veterinary college and the info that the sales reps tell them from the brands that they sell in their surgeries. There's lots of decent high meat content wet foods, or tinned sardines, or mackerel or eggs that are really good additions, or some of the wet foods are complete. Rocco do a junior complete tinned food, it might be worth trying out, and even if pup doesn't like it, it can be mixed through dry food. Plenty of dry food options on the zooplus site too, and lots can be got in trial pack sizes.



https://www.zooplus.ie/shop/dogs/canned_dog_food/rocco/rocco_junior/364274?gclid=CjwKCAiAqaTjBRAdEiwAOdx9xlioAgIBIFiK1HUiZ3QrtkmYPd-Zoq1GrzpO477MvNBkoF9U_p97ZxoClYQQAvD_BwE

aonb

Shes gorgeous, a real cutie OP - I can understand why you would be worried about her
If shes drinking and her stools are firm and shes alert and good shine on coat, and skin in good shape she'll get over this issue with her appetite soon hopefully.
Shes been cleared by the vet from the point of view of health now? Shes had bloods done etc?