feeding my 11 month female lab

Question
My female yellow lab turned 11 months on Nov. 5th. I just took her to be weighed & she weighs 77 lbs.  Her mother & father were very large dogs. Mom was 85 & dad was 100lbs.  She has a large chest & doesn't seem to look fat, but was wondering if I am feeding her too much.  I feed her Purina adult for large breed. 2 cups in the am & 2 cups in the evening.  In your opinion how much should she be eating.  When I put her food down, she eats it very fast & seems to want more.
Stephanie

Answer
Hi Stephanie,

At 77 pounds, 11 months I would suggest *about* 1700 calories per day, if she is moderately active. If she's a couch potato, maybe drop that down to 1500.  With Purina Adult Large breed,  at 385 calories per cup,this means 4 cups could support her if she's not overly active but if she gets a fair bit of exercise, you could add another half cup. However, I have to caution you against falling for the marketing Purina is using - even their so-called top line, ProPlan, uses ingredients that are not advisable and definitely NOT premium:


"Chicken, brewers rice, whole grain wheat, corn gluten meal, whole grain corn, poultry by-product meal, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), pearled barley, corn bran, fish meal, animal digest, fish oil, dicalcium phosphate, salt, dried egg product, potassium chloride, potassium citrate, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, Vitamin E supplement, choline chloride, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), manganese sulfate, niacin, Vitamin A supplement, calcium carbonate, copper sulfate, calcium pantothenate, garlic oil, pyridoxine hydrochloride, Vitamin B-12 supplement, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin supplement, calcium iodate, Vitamin D-3 supplement, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), folic acid, biotin, sodium selenite."

With such low quality ingredients it's likely your dog will be craving some more wholesome food with  more digestible and biologically available ingredients. Compare the above list with this:

"Duck, Duck Meal, Pearled Barley, Sweet Potato, Brown Rice, Oatmeal, White Rice, Whole Dried Egg, Millet, Dried Tomato Pomace, Safflower Oil, Cheese, Flaxseed, Carrots, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Apples, Green Beans, Lecithin, Chicken Cartilage, Potassium Chloride, Cranberries, Blueberries, Salt, Chicory Root Extract, Alfalfa Sprouts, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Folic Acid, Parsley, Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Bifidobacterium Longum, Lactobacillus Plantarum, Enterococcous Faecium, Vitamin A, D3, E, B12 Supplements, Choline Bitartrate, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Riboflavin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Cobalt Carbonate, Calcium Iodate, Sorbic Acid, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Sodium Selenite."

This is the Duck and Sweet Potato formula from Fromm's FourStar line. This is a food I would use with my own dogs. See the difference? If anything is unclear as to why this is a better food, don't hesitate to ask. And at a comparable energy content - 370 calories per cup - you could feed 4 - cups a day as well. I'm betting your dog's overall health will improve and she may even be less hungry once her nutrient needs are provided for in a more appropriate way. Don't get me wrong - there are many other comparable premium brands, I just happen to like the FourStar line, but  I can make other suggestions as well if you like.
And don't forget she's a Lab! I have a breed that's notorious for hunger too - the Ridgeback - sometimes they will act hungry no matter what.

If it truly seems excessive, and if you notivce any other strnage symptoms such as excessive thirst or urination - please do have a vet look into it.

Good luck, I hope this was helpful.
Catherine