Dog Food

Question
QUESTION: I have a female chocolate lab that just turned 5 months today. I was recommended to use Natural Balance dog food and have fed her this since a puppy. I was told to only buy a dog food that had some sort of meat(protein) as the #1 ingredient. Her coat is beautiful with lots of shine, but this dog food is getting expensive. I was wondering what other healthy alternatives would be. I have also been told to stay away from "supermarket" food like Science Diet. What are some less expensive foods and how will feeding her this affect the puppy?

ANSWER: Nearly all the advice on dog food comes from somebody selling something.  Most of what I know, I have learned from people that aren't selling anything anything, but giving away dogs they have spent the price of a car training, the service dog schools.  What do they suggest feeding the dogs they will have to spend a fortune replacing when they can't work any more?  Common brands often found in grocery stores plus Pro Plan and Science Diet.  Whoever told you Science Diet is a grocery brand doesn't know what they are talking about.  Misinformation is very common in discussions of dog food.  That a certain lie can be found in a 1000 places on the net doesn't make it true.  Ignore all the discussion of ingredients.  Dogs need certain nutrients. Not only are they well known, but they can come from many sources.  As long as a food has the nutrients dogs are know to need, the dog will be healthy.    

What I is would do is put her on an adult version of Pro Plan, Iams, or Purina 1.  Choose one with the same protein source as the Natural Balance.  Make the transition slowly over about a week.  Switching to an adult chow for the larger breeds at 4 months, slows growth and helps develop sturdier joints.  How much you feed is very important too.

Your dog definitely should be narrower at the waist than the hips and chest. You should be able to easily feel the ribs, but not see them. Each dog is different. Standard recommendations are a good place to start, but each dog must have its food and exercise adjusted to its individual needs. Here is a link to a good illustrated guide, http://www.longliveyourdog.com/twoplus/RateYourDog.aspx

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QUESTION: I appreciate your quick response and great information. The only other question I have for you is if it is O.K. to feed her the same food everyday year after year. Should I try to switch it up at some point? I know I wouldn't want to eat the same thing over and over again.

Answer
I wouldn't want to either.  My wife gets on me for not finishing up the left overs quickly enough.  Dogs are different.  They do just fine on the same dog food all the time.  A few of them eventually develop a food allergy to what they are eating.  The fewer things they have eaten in the past, the easier it is to work around it.  We have a friend with a dog guide that ate Pro Plan chicken and rice most of its life.  It eventually became allergic to the chicken.  A simple change to a lamb based food solved the problem.  

There is a theory that if you rotate different foods, the dog never will develop food allergies.  Like many ideas about dog food, it has never been tested.  If it doesn't work, a dog owner could be forced to find some expensive, exotic food for a dog allergic to everything else.