Adopting a 3 1/2 year old Chocolate Lab, which kibble?

[acquanette]

So, after my 13 year old Yellow Lab suddenly passing last summer, I am now ready to ‘rescue’ another lab

I came across a family, for their own reasons has to give up their beautiful Chocolate Lab who is 3 1/2 years old. He looks to be a healthy weight and has great vet history. He is a big solid boy at about 95lb.

They currently feed him approximately 4 cups of Purina Dog Chow, various flavors

I’ve seen varying opinions…

How does Purina Dog Chow stack up to the rest?

Are there any other valued dry dog foods that I should steer towards, without getting too crazy in price?

 

[lyndam]

@acquanette My Lab is thriving on Royal Canin Labrador. Has been on it since he was a puppy (he's 4 now). My senior mutt is equally doing extremely well on Pro Plan Bright Mind 7+. Those brands, or Hills, or Eukanuba, I'd be comfortable feeding. WSAVA guidelines stuff.

 

[imark]

@acquanette Purina ProPlan Salmon or Lamb and Rice. Gong rats on you adoption too!

 

[saussiona]

@acquanette Dog chow is a perfectly good food and one of the most budget friendly foods in the market. I’m planning to see if my dog does well on it when we get through a bit more of his current bag of purina one

 

[saussiona]

that said, 95lbs is likely overweight for a lab (hard to tell with labs without hands on) so he could probably stand to eat a bit less

 

[skyblue77]

@acquanette I would try purina pro plan or purina one instead of dog chow

 

[acquanette]

@skyblue77 Why is that exactly?

 

[skyblue77]

@acquanette Theyre higher quality and have better ingredient than dog chow, although dig chow isnt a terrible food - it just wouldnt be my choice out of purina products.

 

[saussiona]

@skyblue77 they are not higher quality, they’re simply more specialized diets.

 

[alexm961]

@acquanette If the dog is doing well on that food, feed that food for the time being. Adjusting to a new home, a new lifestyle, new humans, AND a new food is a lot. Keep feeding the kibble they're on for the first few weeks as they settle in. Then, you can SLOWLY transition them into a new kibble. You should be inquiring with your new vet based on the health and weight of the dog.

Pretty much all the best foods out there (which are the ones who meet the WSAVA guidelines) are going to be a bit pricey, unfortunately. Purina chow is a good budget friendly option. It's not terrible, it's just not also the best. There's nothing wrong with feeding it. It's a decent food.

Other brands that are good: Hills, Royal Canin, Purina Pro Plan, and Eukanaba.

 

[hogynllan]

@acquanette Honestly, if the dog is doing fine with Dog Chow, I wouldn't see a reason to switch unless you really want to. I prefer Pro Plan myself but only because my dog needs a more specialized diet.

 

[reallife]

@acquanette Nutrisource