Puppy Food

Question
My wife and I just got a new yellow lab puppy from a breeder and the breeder was feeding him Kirkland brand puppy food from costco. They swear by it, and they have been breeding labs for 20 years. They also want us to give him nuvet vitamins daily. Now, My vet tells me to finish out the Kirkland food and start him on EVO chicken and rice. I know EVO is far better than Kirkland, but if I am giving my puppy these vitamins as well, will that be too much. Also, My vet told me to get him taking fish oil and omega 3's. Any expert opinion or perspective would be greatly appreciated.

Answer
Food is a tricky subject because almost everyone has a preference for something else, and so many different foods work for our dogs.

Personally, I feed my dogs Kirkland as well and they have been thriving on it.  We have never tried NuVet vitamins, although I know many breeders recommend them.  However, we do supplement fish oil.

The general consensus in the lab community is:
1) keep feeding what your breeder feeds for at least 1 large bag (40#) before changing to something else, IF you are going to change.

2) the grain-free foods, while wonderful and healthy, are not appropriate for large breed puppies.  The lab community feels that one should not feed lab puppies a food that contains more than 1.5% calcium.  Most grain-free's have too much calcium.

In fact, EVO also says on their site, that their food is not appropriate for pups that will grown to exceed 60# as adults:  http://www.evopet.com/tools/faqs.asp?view=right

Honestly, I would stick to what the breeder recommended as they know their dogs and their lines, and what food works best to give them a happy and healthy start to their life.  If you like the idea of EVO, I wouldn't go to it until 18 months and then drop the NuVet.  But that's just my opinion.