Whjat is a good diet (preferably on a budget) for an adult labrador that is relatively inactive?

Question

Our labrador is pretty inactive, with bad joints, so we try not to put a lot of stress on them. She is about 7 years old and didn't get the proper diet as a puppy, which is why her joints are so bad. She is taking a special powder to ease the pain, but what kind of diet should we be feeding her?

I haven't found the search engines to be a lot of help, so hopefully you know the answer!

Answer 1

Many dog food companies have diets for senior dogs.  We have my dog (a Lab/Belgian Shepherd mix) on Nutro Max, which is relatively inexpensive, and has many different types of food, including senior.  I have also seen treats at various pet stores that can help to relieve joint pain.

The best source would probably be your vet, though. He or she would have a few ideas.

Answer 2

Dogs are actually Omnivorous.they need alot less meat protein then cats, ferrets or snakes & feeding a high animal protein diet to a dog will take a toll on the dog's health.a dog is designed to to digest a wide range of plant and animal products.Dog's must eat more then muscle meat.they need plenty of carboyhdrates &fibre from vegetable matter and only a very small amount of fat.there protein can come from both plant and animal products.the other things to consider are sources of mineral such as calcium, phosphorous and of cause vitamins.

Dogs are they Carnivores? Are they really like wolves, hyenas, jackals? or Are they more like us? Is it foolish to feed them only meat? Should they be fed what there human family eats? The Truth encompasses a little of each.

In the wild, other hunting animal that seem similar to dogs, such as Wolves, hyenas eat fruit,leaves,grasses,dig for roots and even obtain vegetable matter from the stomach of their prey."

Cooked grains are nearly 100% digestible for dogs. There really isn't a

lot of question about this based on the results of feeding studies. I am not

sure why people come to the conclusion that grains are not good for

dogs.

Feed a good quality dog food.

the brand is Up to you that you choose.

dog food analysis person DOES NOT HAVE a DEGREE in Veterinary Nutrition!

If your interested in home made diets, i have a whole list of suitable diets from this book!

Book-NIBBLE MUNCH CHOMP-The Art & Science of feeding your pet. by Dr. Sarah Herbert. Senior Vet at Lort Smith Animal Hospital.

Answer 3

A raw diet is the ultimate diet for most dogs.

www.bigdogsporch.com(excellent site for diet info in general, but especially raw feeding)

www.rawfed.com/myths

www.rawlearning.com

www.rawmeatybones.com

http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/sa...

A raw diet is typically cheaper than kibble worth feeding.

High quality dog foods:

Evo(most expensive)

Innova

Orijen

Wellness core(probably your best bet for high quality grain free and reasonably cheap)

Blue buffalo

Taste of the wild

Canidae all life stages(best probably for the price)

Solid gold barking at the moon

You may want to supplement with glucosamine and chondroitin along with feed a high quality dog food or the raw diet.

One of my dogs back legs started giving out at about 6, she is a lab mix that was fed pedigree and purina until 10 years of age, when we switched to feeding Innova. Then a year later, switched to feeding raw. its been about 5 months and I keep noticing improvements with her.  

Avoid anything with corn, soy, wheat, menadione, by-products, colors, chemical preservatives such as ethoxyquin, and/or euthanasia drugs(Website in sources)

Answer 4

Look for a diet without byproducts or artificial ingredients.  I feed my dog Pet Promise, but I also recommend Wellness (both can be found at Petco).  They use human grade ingredients, and you will probably notice a difference in your dog when you switch her over.  Don't let the price daunt you, your dog should only eat about 1 1/2 to 2 cups per day, and you'll find less mess in the yard, to boot.  :)  If she still gains weight on that, just drop it slowly until you find an amount that lets her maintain her weight.

My poodle is eating 2 cups per day (he's a growing puppy with an active exercise regimen) and a 15 lb bag lasts him well over a month.  The average price for a 15lb bag of Pet Promise is about $30.  

Answer 5

Every dog has it's own unique set of needs.  For some older dogs, their diet needs to be mostly protien, while for others it should be mostly carbs.  You may want to ask your vet about this, as they would know best.

But for my dog, who coincidentally is also a pretty inactive labrador (9 years old), I feed him a mixture of kibble and other foods.  The kibble that he eats is one made especially for older dogs.  To that I add some steamed brown rice (approx. 1/4 cup) and some steamed veggies such as carrots, celery, and cauliflower.  I also add about a heaping spoonful of nonfat plain yogurt every now and then.

I also recomend feeding more frequent, smaller meals each day.  Once in the morning when you wake up, around lunch, and at around 5 pm.    

Answer 6

I second a raw diet. I think you might be suprised at the results.

Dogs are NOT omnivores http://www.thewholedog.org/artcarnivores...

http://www.rawfed.com/myths/omnivores.ht...

I talk more about the pups than the older dogs below, but its got some good information.

Here's some information to get you started.

I feed my dogs prey model raw. My dogs currently include a 2 year old belgian malinois, a labrador, and 5 14 week old pups.

This diet cosists of feeding rmb's, offal, organs etc. While its not as simple as throwing a chicken in a bowl everyday, its not that complicated once you get started.

My pups have been getting a raw diet since they were 6 weeks old. They love it. Some breeders wean their pups right onto a raw diet.

They get, game hens, chicken breast, chicken thighs, drumsticks, beef and chicken liver, beef heart, beef skirts, catfish, ground turkey, pork ribs, pork roast, beef cheeck, I buy what's on sale, and in bulk when I can.

I feed them 2% of their expected adult weight daily, so each pup gets about 1.5lbs of food divided into 3 daily meals.

There's a bit more to than what I described it here, but all in all, its pretty simple, and is only as expensive as you make it.

Yahoo has some rawfeeding groups, there's also a group called "rawdogs" on Livejournal, this thread on Dogster http://www.dogster.com/forums/Raw_Food_D... has lots of information about raw feeding. All 3 places are glad to help new raw feeders get started.

Let's also dispel some myths about rawfeeding with this link http://www.rawfed.com/myths/index.html

Some books on the topic include

Raw Meaty Bones by Tom Lonsdale, and Australian vet.

Works Wonders also by Tom Lonsdale

The BARF Diet by Dr. Ian Billinghurst

Food Pets Die For by Ann Martin (the feeding info isn't great, but the look at the pet food industry is)

Also keep in mind that vets are a good source for medical information, a poor choice for nutrition information. In the many years it takes to become a vet they receive little if any nutrition information. What they are offered is elective and taught by major pet food companies such as Hill's the makers of Science Diet. (an icky overpriced food)

And for anyone who says the pet food companies have done extensive research on nutrtion for our pets. Sure they have. But what they concentrated on was how to feed the animals c**p ingredients at the lowest cost without them tipping over right away. If they'd the pets best interest mind the foods wouldn't loaded with things such as corn and soy, which our carnivore pets can't digest. Good nutrition studies eh?

****Add, a raw diet is only as expensive as you make it. Learn how to shop and find deals, buy in bulk when possible. I was lucky enough to feed 7 dogs for about $60 this month.  One day's worth of food for my 7 dogs would last you (guessing) about a week.

Answer 7

Get her a senior dog food. You can also get medicine from your vet to help with joints. Most dogs need to be on senior dog food when they are about 7 or 8 years old unless they are extreamly active.

Answer 8

I have a 9 year old black lab that is one senior joint care food. (nutro).  You'll want to make sure you find something with glusocimine (sp?) in it, this is going to help alot with the joints. My baby has serious hip displacia from growing too fast, so I know what you mean.