What do most people feed there labs??

Been having ongoing issues with my lab licking paws and ear infections......i've been to the vet and have the meds that clear things up but obviously its an allergy to something as it always comes back...tried a couple different foods and still the same ending scenario.....was back at vets today for yearly shots and she suggested going on this food they sell....$125 plus tax for 15 kg of dry food, i dont think so.....my wallet cant afford that so im open for suggestions of lower cost brands to try before i have to dig deep in case something cheaper works.....thanks

I believe , that kind of licking , is the result of , many kinds of emotional distress. See a different vet.

Really can't suggest what you feed your dog but can tell you we feed Eukanuba and have done so for 5 generations with no problems. The only time my male licks his paws is when he is under stress when the girls are in season.
Did try Proplan but found they put on too much weight.

Fed Diamond Naturals for many years and other Diamond products and have had great results. I just switched a couple of weeks ago to ACANA and my Springer so far has been doing very well. It's a Canadian product and one of the best dog foods on the market especially dogs with sensitivities. Keep it simple. I did the raw for years with kibble mixed as well and vegetables. A reliable proven kibble is well balanced with no need to play nutritionist.

We've always fed our labs a mix. Never had a dog that had bad breath, or a stinky coat. If you pet a dog and your hands smell (what people say is strong dog smell), IMO there's something dietary going on. It's not normal for a dog to have a stinking, greasy coat.We use Nutram, but the kibble is only about 20% of what our dog eats. I butcher two deer every year, and I save every piece of scrap I can. This gets run through our LEM grinder, then frozen in bags. Same with all the beaver I trap. Grind all the ham and loin meat. We'll boil a bag up about every week. Dog gets a few chunks of venison or beaver, plus veggies, and a little bit of kibble. Usually raw cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, green peppers, carrots, any fresh veggies from our garden. Apples, banana, blueberries, strawberries (anything we're eating) and big soup marrow bones as a treat. Dog has a beautiful shiny coat, no smell, and no tartar teeth. I would never feed any dog 100% kibble. I don't care how natural/expensive the bag is. Pretty boring for the dog too.

We have a lab ( pure bred, 3yrs old) that also has allergies. She gets ear infections as did her mother. After trying several different kibbles over a years time, some from the vet, we finally found a meal that agrees with her. She keeps it down and no more ear infections. Turns out she is allergic to grains.
First Mate
Grain Free
Chicken meal with blueberries formula
28.6 lbs. $ 76.00+tax

Costco wild domain grain free. My lab had skin and ear issues. Switched from pro plan to Costco and it all went away.

I don't know about labs but I feed my goldens Orijen and raw. It can be an allergy your dealing with and food is one of the easiest to pin point. I would start with grain free and if that doesn't work switch to a different protein source. If you go to your pet store they can point you in the right direction or start reading the labels until you find what your are looking for in the right price range. Just try and get one that has protein first.
deb

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Originally Posted by yellow dog

Fed Diamond Naturals for many years and other Diamond products and have had great results. I just switched a couple of weeks ago to ACANA and my Springer so far has been doing very well. It's a Canadian product and one of the best dog foods on the market especially dogs with sensitivities. Keep it simple. I did the raw for years with kibble mixed as well and vegetables. A reliable proven kibble is well balanced with no need to play nutritionist.

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Originally Posted by Longgun

I don't know about labs but I feed my goldens Orijen and raw. It can be an allergy your dealing with and food is one of the easiest to pin point. I would start with grain free and if that doesn't work switch to a different protein source. If you go to your pet store they can point you in the right direction or start reading the labels until you find what your are looking for in the right price range. Just try and get one that has protein first.
deb

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X2

All Canuck and no imported Chinese crap. Also no recalls on their food. As others have suggested, stay away from grain. A lot of dogs have issues with it, and it's just a cheap filler anyway.

Thanks for all the suggestions people......that was my thinking also about going to a grain free food....