Finding the best dog food for your labrador, especially a pup is very difficult.
We understand the dilemma that you go through as we have been in your place. This is why we have written this article to help make an informed decision for your furry friend.
Which is the best food for Labrador?
If you are looking for labrador puppy food, then Pedigree Dry Dog Food is an ideal option. When it comes to adult labs food, Drools Chicken, Egg Adult Dog Food and Royal Canin Labrador Adult Food are ideal options. You can give labrador the home cooked foods like boiled meat, fresh buttermilk, curd, fruits and vegetables.
Labrador is a large breed dog and prone to get the skeletak disease like osteoarthritis and obesity as they grow unless they are fed a diet specially designed for labs and safe for the large dog breeds. [01, 02]
This is why we carefully selected the following dog food brands for the labs. They are made by the best dog food companies in India and follows the strict guidelines.
List of Labrador Dog & PuppyFood in India
1. Pedigree Puppy Dry Dog Food
First five ingredients – Meat and Meat by-products, Chicken and Chicken by-products, Vegetables and Vegetable by-products, Vegetable oils, and Milk powder.
Type – Grain-free
Best for – Labrador Puppies
Pedigree is made out of high-quality ingredients for stronger immunity and health. The product contains 24% crude protein, 10% crude fat and 5% crude fiber.
Why we like this product
- Developed by the Waltham Center of Pet nutrition
- Natural goodness of meat, chicken, rice, carrot, and milk
- Particularly formulated for puppies
- Contains vegetable oils for healthy skin and coat
- Animal protein from meat and cereals make their bones strong
- Fiber from vegetables and cereals ensures optimal digestion
2. Royal Canin Dry Dog Food
First five ingredients – Chicken by-product meal, brewers rice, brown rice, corn gluten meal, and wheat gluten.
Type – Grain Inclusive (brewers rice, brown rice, corn gluten meal, wheat gluten, corn)
Best for – Labrador Puppies from 2 to 15 months
This Royal Canin dog food derives its animal protein from chicken. This dog food contains 33% protein, 14% fat and 1.7% crude fiber.
Why we like this product
- Donut-shaped kibble’s size, shape, texture and formula are designed considering Labrador Retriever Puppy
- Contains antioxidants include Vitamin E that helps develop the immune system and natural defences
- Contains minerals that promote bone structure and weight management
- Top-quality protein and prebiotics aids digestion
3. Robust Puppy Cereal
First five ingredients – Multigrain flour, milk protein, minerals, multivitamins, essential amino acids ( DL Methionine, Lysine and Choline Chloride).
Type – Grain Inclusive
Best for – Puppies and Kittens
This puppy cereal is rich in probiotics and good bacteria that helps digestion and improves immunity. The product contains 32% protein, 20% fat and 3% fiber.
Why we like this product
- Certified by GMP – Good Manufacturing Practice
- 100% vegetarian and proudly made in India
- Accredited by many nutritionists and vets
- Rich flavour and smooth texture
- Power-packed by minerals, vitamins and other nutrients for optimal growth
4. Royal Canine Labrador Adult
First five ingredients – Dehydrated poultry protein, maize, rice, maize gluten, and animal fats.
Type – Grain Inclusive (maize gluten)
Best for – Labrador Adults (over 15 months)
This product gets most of its protein requirement from poultry. It contains 30% protein, 13% fat and 3.8% crude fiber.
Why we like this product
- Kibble’s size and formula is designed considering the Labrador Retriever adult dog
- Kniblle’s unique shape reduce food intake rate
- Rich in DHA and EDA for healthy bones and joints
- Enriched with borage oil for healthy skin and coat
- Fibers and proteins help with optimal digestibility
5. Drools Adult Dog Food
First five ingredients – Chicken, whole dried eggs, corn, rice and wheat.
Type – Grain Inclusive (corn and wheat)
Best for – Labrador Adults
This dog food gets most of its protein from chicken and egg. It contains 24% protein, 10% fat and 2.5% fiber.
Why we like this product
- Rich in Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids for healthy coat and skin
- Contains prebiotics and probiotics for digestive health
- Contains calcium and phosphorus for bone and joint health
- Crunchy kibbles for strong teeth
- Amino acids from chicken, eggs and liver helps in tissue development and muscle mass
6. Boltz Dog Food for Labrador
First five ingredients – Chicken and chicken by-product meal, brown rice, corn gluten meal, brewers rice, and natural flavours.
Type – Grain Inclusive (corn and wheat)
Best for – Labrador Adults (above 12 months)
Labradors get most protein content in the product from chicken and its by-products. This dry food contains 25% protein, 11% fat, 5% fiber and 12% moisture.
Why we like this product
- Contains probiotics for digestive health
- Power-packed with Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids for healthy coat and skin
- Includes calcium and phosphorus for joint health
- Rich in antioxidants for immunity
7. IAMS Proactive Health Premium Dog Food
First five ingredients – Sugar beet pulp, egg dried powder, corn, chicken, and fish oil.
Type – Grain Inclusive (corn)
Best for – Labrador Adults (above 18 months)
This premium dry dog food is tailored for proactive health of Labradors. It is formulated as per the research done by the Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition. This product contains 25% protein, 12% fat, 4% fiber and 12% moisture.
Why we like this product
- Contains L-Carnitine to promote healthy metabolism
- Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids for shiny coat and healthy skin
- Prebiotics and beet pulp help with healthy digestion
- STPP kibbles help reduce tartar build up
- Glucosamine and Chrondroitin Suphate supports healthy joints
How to Choose a Labrador Dog Food in India?
There are a number of factors that you need to consider before buying dog food and below mentioned are some of the important ones.
Dry vs Wet Food – [Preferably Dry]
The ideal food option is dry food and not wet. You may have also noticed that all the food recommendations mentioned above are dry food and not wet. This is because wet food should be a limited portion of your dog’s meals because it contains too many calories.
Wet food can be given along with dry food. When choosing wet food, keep the below-mentioned points in mind:
- The food should contain a specified meat source as the first ingredient and no animal by-product.
- It should either be grain-free or have whole grains
- The wet food should not include any artificial flavours, colours or preservatives
Nutritional needs of labs
The nutritional needs of most dogs are more or less the same. Obviously, larger dogs will require more food. Your adult labrador will roughly require the same amount of protein, fat and fiber as a Great Dane or Chihuahua.
They require food with a good amount of protein from quality sources like lamb, chicken or fish. This is because they are highly active and require a good amount of energy.
Budget – low, medium or premium
Dog foods are available in different price ranges from low medium to premium.
In low budget dog food, you can get 3 kgs of food worth approximately Rs 600. In medium budget, the food you get ranges from Rs 700 to Rs. 1200, while premium foods cost more than Rs. 1200.
Fillers
One of the main things that you need to look for is fillers. Make sure to avoid too much grain fillers. Rice fillers are better than wheat and wheat is better than corn.
We have included food options that are grain-free and grain inclusive. Thus, you can make a selection considering your needs and budget.
Availability
Ensure to choose a brand that is popular and have a steady supply of food so that your dog does not refuse to eat if the food is suddenly changed.
Diet plan for Labrador puppies and dogs in India
Puppy age (0-3 months)
If you are adopting or buying a puppy from a responsible breeder, then there are a few very chances that he will allow you to take the pup away from his/her mother before 2 months.
If you are allowed to adopt the pup for some reason before he/she is 2 months, although the pup would not get mother’s milk, you can replace it with dog milk (not cerelac or cow milk) available in the market.
You can consider brands like Drools, Royal Canin for baby dog milk. Apart from purified water, milk is the only food that your pup is going to need till he/she is 2 months. Till he/she is 3 months old, you can continue with this milk or feed him/her starter food options from brands like Royal Canin, Drools, Orijen, etc.
The starter food kibbles are tiny and your labrador puppy will be able to easily chew it. You can even mix dry food with warm water into a blender and feed your pup by a feeding bottle.
Puppy Age ( 3 to 15 months)
During this phase, your labrador puppy will grow the maximum. Thus, a nutritious diet is important. You can choose to feed him/her junior dog food. If you give your pup the right food from a good brand or even home-cooked food, then his/her growth should be good.
If you are feeding home made foods like boiled chicken, you can make it more nutritious by adding fish oils.
Lab adults (15 months onward)
Once your pup is above 15 months, he/she is called an adult now. There are few chances that your labrador will further grow in height and length.
It is important to feed him/her nutritious food to make sure it has a good lifespan of above 12 years. Homemade food is a healthy option too. Make sure to take your labrador for walks because it is a highly active dog.
Homemade Food For Labrador Puppy In India
You can feed your labrador a variety of homemade foods. Before you serve them make sure to feed them only the foods that are suitable to their health.
You can add the below mentioned foods to your dog’s food menu:
Animal kitchen – boiled chicken, beef, fish, mutton and scrambled eggs
Dairy products – fresh buttermilk and curd, cottage cheese, and pasteurized milk
Fruits – banana, berries, watermelon, and muskmelon
Vegetables – carrots, pumpkin, mashed potatoes, and cucumbers
From your kitchen – white and brown rice
Make sure not to add spices in their food. Also, ensure to remove seeds from fruits and vegetables before feeding them. Slice the fruits and vegetables for them.
Foods that should be avoided
Caffeine, grapes, tea, citrus oil extracts, avocado, salt, mushroom, raw meat, chocolates, tobacco, onions, raw eggs and alcoholic beverages, etc.
These are the foods that you should avoid and not add in Labrador’s food as they can have allergies or cause digestive issues.
Labradors have different nutritional requirements than humans, thus home cooked food may not be able to fulfill.
How Long Is a Labrador Considered a Puppy?
The age at which vets consider a puppy to be an adult varies as per the size of the breed. Small breeds are considered adults usually around nine months of age. When it comes to large breeds, they are said to mature late and are considered adults between 15 months and 18 months.
Labrador Retrievers are a large dog breed and considered as adults at 15 to 18 months. Your puppy may grow well in his/her first year, but ensure to provide him/her puppy food until your vet tells you.
When To Switch Puppy Food To Adult Food?
Large dog breeds are considered adults between 15 and 18 months of age according to their body weight. Usually, when puppies attain adulthood, their body weight is between 25 and 32 kgs for females and for males it is 29 and 36 kgs.
You can slowly shift from puppy food to adult food at the age of 15 months only after consulting your vet.
For example, if you were feeding your pet Pedigree puppy food, you can slowly give him/her Pedigree adult food.
Conclusion
It is not very difficult to find the right food for your Labrador, but the sections mentioned above will help you find the best one.
Make sure to check out the factors that help you in choosing the right food and we have also reviewed some of the best dog foods for puppies and adults that you can consider buying for your furry friend.