All In One Guide To The Best Puppy Food For Labs

Do you have a little Labrador running around?

They are so full of energy, aren’t they? I personally love Labs because I am a proud parent to a three-year-old Labrador!

But you really need to take care of your dog’s nutritional needs.

Especially during puppyhood when your little ball of fur is growing, exploring, and learning new things.

This is a critical time in your puppy’s life!

So, let’s take a look at the best puppy food for labs so that you can ensure that your puppy stays happy and healthy throughout his life.

Let’s get started!

The Best Puppy Food For Labs! A Quick Look…

So, today we’re going to talk in detail about these five best dog food for lab puppies.

Don’t worry! This isn’t it. I’ll discuss these in great detail, but I’ll do it later in the article.

So, here’s a quick look!

Now, let’s come back to this a little later, shall we?

What Should You Even Be Feeding Your Puppy?

Did you know that dry kibble isn’t the only kind of dog food?

Actually, you can feed your little pup four different kinds of dog foods, but the experts can’t really decide which is the best food for these adorable balls of fur.

So, it’s all up to you.

Let’s talk about these four foods, shall we?

• Kibble
• B.A.R.F.
• Home-cooked puppy food
• Wet food

Kibble is the most popular dog food available and is widely used by thousands of dog owners. This is really convenient if you’re a busy bee.

But there’s more.

I feel that wet food is the second most popular option, consisting of cans and pouches of wet foods that puppies tend to love.

Now, I’m sure you already knew about these options.

But now, let’s talk about the less conventional options, shall we?

BARF actually stands for ‘Biologically Appropriate Raw Food’ in which you basically feed your puppy what his natural diet would have been in the wild.

But that’s a topic for another day.

Finally, we have home-cooked meals for your puppy. They, I feel, are the best. But, you’ll have to cook for the pup, and it can get a little hectic.

To each his own.

It’s for you to decide the best for yours, but read on to look at the best dog food for lab puppies!

Kibble and Labrador Puppies

Kibble is the most convenient puppy food that you can find.

This comes ready-made in a packet in the form of food pellets. They store really well, and you don’t really need to worry about them going bad for a long time.

Even though there are a lot many options, this is probably the one that’d be recommended by most of the vets and dog owners.

Should I be Feeding My Puppy Other Food With Kibble?

This is probably something a lot of new dog owners are confused about the most. And, I’ll sort this out for you…

No, you do not have to feed your puppy anything else in addition to kibble.

And labradors have a tendency to put on a lot of weight. And so, feeding your dog something a little extra besides kibble will do more harm in the long term!

What I’m trying to say is…

Kibble provides your puppy with complete and balanced nutrition.

So, you need to simply pick a good brand and go with it!

Why Kibble Over Other Foods?

In the previous section, I told you that there are a few puppy food alternatives available. Now, I’ll talk about the reasons why people like to choose kibble over them all.

Let’s go over that, shall we?

• Kibble contains the correct amount of nutrients and the right balance of them all, which is something that you can’t find in other foods

• If you stick to the right brand and read the labels right, Kibble contains good-quality ingredients

• Another advantage of picking kibble is that it helps keep your dog’s teeth strong and has a cleaning effect on them!

• The owners love the fact that kibble is easier to store as opposed to wet dog food. All you need to do is to put it in an airtight container, and you’re good to go!

• Kibble isn’t very perishable like wet and canned foods are and in comparison, lasts longer than them

• Finally, dog owners feel that kibble is more cost-efficient than canned food

So, the choice is yours.

But I do recommend kibble as well…

Why Can’t I Feed My Puppy Adult Dog Food?

Well, this is something that you must naturally be wondering. And I’ll address your concern.

See, the thing is that puppies need lesser amounts of certain nutrients at this crucial time.

And, with Labradors, they tend to be in their puppyhood until the age of 12-18 months!

With adult food, there are just way too many carbs and fats.

And you know Labradors are infamous for getting really fat really fast.

And that’s not even a good thing!

If you feed your little puppy some adult food, he will gain a few extra pounds. And, by the time he reaches adulthood, he’d be obese and lazy.

If that isn’t all…

Adult dog food also contains a lot of calcium, which is bad for your puppy as it increases the risk of your puppy developing skeletal-muscular disorders later in life.

And finally, puppy kibble has smaller food pellets when compared to dog food. This makes it easier for puppies to chew and digest.

The bottom line? Stick to puppy food! And not the best dog food for labs.

Cheaper Equals More Costs Later In Life!

When buying puppy food, make sure you don’t buy looking at the price tag.

You should be looking at the ingredients instead!

I understand your urge to save money. Don’t we all?

But your food or your dog’s food isn’t something that you should compromise with. This can cause you to lose a lot more dollars in the long run!
Why?

Well, cheap dog food contains low-quality ingredients that can harm your dog’s body if he eats that food for a long period of time.

On the other hand, high and medium-priced dog foods contain good-quality ingredients.

And, no filler ingredients.

So, you know the obvious choice, right?

Keep reading on for the best dog food for labs…

Getting The Macros Just Right For Your Puppy!

So, you may already know this, but I’ll still state the obvious. Labradors are large breed dogs.

Your puppy grows a lot during the first six months of his life. And for that to happen, they need just the right amount of nutrition.

Let’s look at the macros, shall we?

The Muscle-maker: Protein!

High-quality sources of protein, like meat, are vital for your puppy during this stage. In fact, protein helps build half of the dry bone mass!

Apart from that…

The amino acids that are present in protein also help develop tissue, muscle, and organs!

Fats, fats, fats

Did you know fats provide the greatest proportion of your puppy’s energy?

It’s true!

In fact, fats are even more important in your dog’s diet than carbs or protein!

Dogs tend to convert fats into glucose. And they also help your dog get stocked up on omega-3 and omega-6!

Carbs: The Source of Energy!

Carbohydrates and carbs are those ingredients that help keep your dog ‘full’ and provide him energy. These include starches, fibers, and sugars.

Now, these carbs get converted to glucose when they’re digested. This gives your puppy the energy to play all day long!

But that’s not all!

Fibers also help your dog take regular….dumps.

Ew!

I know, I know.

The Micros: Vitamins and Minerals!

We often ignore vitamins and minerals, but they’re also important!

The thing is that only a few vitamins and no minerals are made in your tiny dog’s body. So, you need to feed him the right foods!

Did you know that your puppy can make Vitamin D if he gets about 15 minutes in the sun thrice a week?

Cool, right!?

So, look for chelated minerals in your dog’s food. Or, buy some supplements.

Moving on…

Labrador’s Nutritional Needs: What To Look Out For!

Like all breeds, Labradors are unique, and they’ve got different nutritional needs.

Let’s take a quick look at those, shall we?

According to the Integrative Veterinary Care Journal, protein levels between 23-31% are ideal for labradors.

And fat is another issue.
Too much of it can cause problems. So, you should try to stay between 10-25% of fat for your lab puppy.

Moving on…

Labrador Puppy Feeding Schedule!

I’ve made a little guide for you so that you know when and how many times you need should feed.

Let’s take a look!

Now, let’s finally jump to the best puppy food for labs!

Are you ready?

The Best Puppy Food For Labs Available Right Now

Keeping track of macros, ingredients, etc., of all the puppy foods available in the market can be really confusing and time-consuming.

Even more so if you’re living a hectic life.

So, how do you ensure that your adorable little lab puppy gets the best puppy food?

Well, that’s where I come into the picture! Don’t worry; I’ll help you along the way. Shall we get started?

I’ve made a table just for you so that you can have a quick glance at it and choose the one you feel is the best for your puppy.

Now, let’s talk about all these in detail.

But before you jump the gun and buy dog food, you also need to remember that it’s not only the ingredient and their quality that you should look for.

So, what I mean to get to is that you should also keep an eye on the food’s meat content before buying it.

After all, we only want the best for your puppy friend!

So, let’s talk about the dog foods in detail, shall we?

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If we look at the ingredients alone, then, Taste of the Wild Grain-Free Dry Dog Food for Puppy is an average dog food for your tiny little puppy.

Let’s talk about all the macronutrients and meat content in the food, shall we?

Let’s talk about that…

This food contains the following:

This dog food had an above-average amount of protein which is a good thing. It also has above-average fat but below-average carbs.

Apart from that…

This dog food also has a moderate amount of meat content, so your puppy will love it!

Pros:

• Above average protein
• Below average carbs

Cons:

• May make the puppy sick
• Above average fat

So, what does this boil down to?

I think the Taste of Wild dog food is one of the best puppy food for labs available in the market. It has a good amount of carbs and protein to help keep your puppy happy and healthy!

I recommended this to everyone!

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If you’re looking for the best puppy food for labs then you mustn’t ignore the Eukanuba Puppy dry dog food is something that you must look at!

Well.. I’ll explain.

Let’s know more about this puppy food, shall we?

Well, this product is known to contain:

This dog food is an average dry dog food product available in the market.
This one has near-average amounts of all three macronutrients, i.e., carbs, protein, and fat!

This is a good product for Labradors who tend to put on weight as they grow older.

And you know what that means, right? They get lazy!

What’s great about this dog food is that it contains moderate amounts of meat, even if you single out the effects of flax meal and yeast.

Now, I’ll weigh the pros against the cons.

Are you ready?

Pros:

• Near-average macros
• Moderate amount of meat

Cons:

• Limited amount of meat
• Contains cheap carbs ( Corn Meal, Brewers Rice, etc.)

So, what’s the bottom line?

The EUKANUBA Puppy Dry Dog Food deserves to be on my list of the best puppy food for labs because it has chicken-by-product meal as the main source of protein.

Moving on…

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The Hill’s Science Dog Food too is one of the best puppy food for labs available in the market. This one’s an above-average dry product and has good macros.

Let’s talk about them in detail, shall we?

Let’s talk macros!

So, this dog food contains a below-average amount of protein and fat. But an above-average amount of carbs.

So, I feel it’s better suited for puppies with a lot of energy.

Now, let’s talk about the meat, shall we?

So, if you single out the protein content in peas, corn, and flaxseed, this dog food still has a modest amount of meat.

Pros:

• Below-average fat
• Contains named meats

Cons:

• Limited amount of meat
• Above average carbs

I really do feel that this is one of the best puppy food for labs.

What are your thoughts?

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When it comes to judging a food by its ingredients, Wellness Complete Health Natural Dry Puppy food is an above-average dry puppy food and one of the best puppy food for labs.

Before we make any judgments, let’s talk about the ingredients, shall we?

The food contains:

Now, let’s talk about the meat content, shall we?

When you try to single out the protein-boosting effects of flaxseeds and peas, this dog food still contains a moderate amount of meat…

Pros:

• Contains named meats
• Near-average fat
• Less amount of carbs

Cons:

• Near-average protein
• Can cause an upset tummy

I feel that this is one of the best puppy food for labs that is available on the market. What about you?

On to the next one!

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This one’s the last dog food that I’ll be talking about today.

Royal Canin is a very popular brand and this dog food is made especially for Labrador puppies.

But, when you judge it by the ingredients alone, this one is a below-average puppy food for labs when compared to other dogs foods.

Let’s take a look at the macros, shall we?

This puppy food contains above-average protein, which is a good thing, near-average fat, and below-average carbohydrates.

But what’s the meat content like?

Well, this dog food already has a good amount of protein, but when we single out the protein in wheat and corn, this one still has a moderate amount of meat.

Pros:

• Contains chicken-by-product meal
• Near-average fat
• Above-average protein

Cons:

• Not all-natural
• Extremely processed
• May cause a stomach upset

What does this mean?

The Royal Canin Breed Health Nutrition dog food is one of the best puppy food for labs as it contains chicken by-product meat.

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So, What Should I Keep In Mind?

Labrador puppies are very active and smart little puppies who love spending their time playing and chewing anything in their sight! So, you need to keep an eye on your little pup’s diet for him to stay happy and healthy!

So, what should you be doing?

Well, first of all, you need to decide whether you want to feed your dog kibble or not. Most dog owners feel that kibble is the way to go.

But it’s your choice.

Secondly, you must ensure that your puppy food has just the right amount of nutrients.

So, you need to buy the best puppy food for labs.

And I’ve got a few recommendations for you.

Here are some of the best puppy food for labs that I recommend:

• Taste of the Wild Grain-Free Dry Dog Food for Puppy: Is a good source of nutrition for active little labs who love to run around all-day
• EUKANUBA Puppy Dry Dog Food: This is also one of the best puppy food for labs as it has near-average amounts of all three macros
• Hill’s Science Diet Large Breed Dry Dog Food: Is again a good source of nutrition for active little lab puppies
• Wellness Complete Health Natural Dry Puppy Food: This one contains named meats and near-average amounts of macros
• Royal Canin Breed Health Nutrition Labrador Retriever Puppy: This is a popular household brand that has an average amount of macros and is one of the best puppy food for labs available