Have you got a precious new bundle of joy in the form of a labradoodle pupperino in your household? Did you bring your new puppy home and suddenly wonder how on earth you look after them, train them and what to feed them? Are you wondering what the best dog food for Labradoodles is?
Well, lucky for you, we have done the research for you! We have put together this buying guide so you can find the best dog foods for Labradoodles and the best dog food for your Labradoodle puppy!
A Bit About Labradoodles
Labradoodles are hybrid crossbreeds coming from an adorable combination of the obedient and ever-loving labrador and the elegant curly-haired poodle.
Although not a registered breed, Labradoodles still remain one of the most popular dog breeds, with many avid fans of this fluffy breed. A lot of Labradoodle puppies have non-shedding hair, which makes them attractive to those with allergies. They can also often used as guide dogs for those with disabilities who also have dog hair allergies.
Labradoodles come in a variety of different colored coats, especially since the coat color will come from a combination of the two parents making for one diverse dog. The shades can include yellow, chocolate, black, white, silver, apricot, cream, red, fawn and plenty more.
These dogs are usually lively, active and friendly, making them great pets.
But What Do I Feed Them?
So, the first thing you need to think about when looking at introducing a new diet for your Labradoodle is the diet and nutrition a Labradoodle needs and the average amount of calories required for how active, how big or how old your dog is.
Puppy
Because Labradoodle puppies (or any puppies really) are growing rapidly, they will require more calories proportionally than older Labradoodles. Ideally, for the best Labradoodle puppy food, you want to equal the calories your Labradoodle puppy received from its mother's milk.
That sounds a little complicated, but luckily most dog food comes with helpful guides on how much to feed your pup in line with their age and weight.
Adult
Once you have yourself a fully grown Labradoodle around the 10-12 month mark, they have reached adulthood and should be consuming around 3 cups of dog food for Labradoodles at most over two meals in a day.
Of course, this all depends on the number of calories in your chosen dog food. To prevent your dog from any uncomfortable bloating, it is best to try and not feed your Labradoodle immediately before or after exercise.
If you decide dry food is the best dog food for you, it is important to make sure water is readily accessible.
Senior
Once your pup has reached 11 years of age, they have entered their senior years, and at this point, the best dog food for a Labradoodle should be the same diet it is used to. However, you may want to think about cutting down the portion sizes seeing as they will be doing much less in the way of exercise.
On a side note, you should be aware that Labradoodles can commonly have significant bone and joint pain issues as they get older, so keep an eye on your pet's health and consult a vet should any issue be apparent.
Macronutrients
So you might be asking yourself, what is the best brand of dog food for Labradoodles?
Protein
Protein can come from meat, poultry and fish, which should be listed as the number one ingredient in any healthy food for Labradoodles. This is essential to help your Labradoodles muscles; it's especially important for labradoodle puppies as they need the protein to grow up big and strong.
The AAFCO nutrient requirements for dogs says that the best diet for an adult Labradoodle requires at least 18% protein, and the best dog food for labradoodle puppies requires at least 22% of protein.
Carbohydrates
The best dog food for Labradoodles will include a bunch of high-quality carbohydrates. The best carbs are whole grains because they are less manufactured and processed, including more fiber and nutrients.
However, some Labradoodles can be allergic to grains, so some owners tend to opt for wheat or soy-free alternative dog foods.
Fats
I know what your thinking; fat sounds like a bad thing to be included in your or your dog's food, but fat is actually another essential macronutrient that should be included in your dog's diet.
It makes the dog food taste better and provides the necessary fatty acids, which are essential for lots of different physiological processes. The fatty acids are really clever in that they help your Labradoodles body absorb the other nutrients much better and aid in improving the health of your Labradoodles in their hair, eyesight, skin and organs.
The AAFCO states that the best food for a labradoodle puppy contains at least 8% fat, where adults have a minimum of 5% fat.
Common Health Problems for Labradoodles
Coming from Labrador retrievers and poodles, you'd expect there would be a lot of health issues as their parents' breeds tend to get into difficulties. Still, Labradoodles are considered healthier than both their parent breeds. However, there can be some common hereditary health problems that Labradoodles can suffer from so let's talk about what health issues these might be and how some foods can help.
Allergies
Both Poodles and Labradors can have allergies and when introducing a diet, you must try to keep an eye out for any symptoms that indicate an allergic reaction.
The most common ingredients in dog foods that Labradoodles can become allergic to are proteins like beef, chicken and any dairy. Grains can also cause problems like wheat or corn. If your dog is facing allergic reactions, you should try changing out the grain or protein type, which might be helpful.
For example, if your labradoodle is struggling with beef, then maybe you could think about switching out for lamb or fish. If they experience problems with wheat, then look for a wheat-free dog food alternative. Or some owners would prefer to put together homemade dog food for their labradoodle with food allergies.
Sensitive Stomachs
Labradoodles can have very sensitive little tummies, and symptoms for sensitive tums are vomiting, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, gas, weight loss, stomach cramps and mucus in the stool.
The best dog food for labradoodle puppies with sensitive stomachs should contain perhaps more fiber or less fat. Fiber is famous for aiding digestion, and too much fat can upset a sensitive stomach.
Eye Diseases
There are a few hereditary diseases that come from both labradoodle parents, such as progressive retinal atrophy, retinal dysplasia and cataracts. These eye diseases tend to progress and can lead to eventual blindness if left untreated.
The best food for labradoodle puppies with risks of eye diseases should include ingredients like carotenoids, vitamin A, antioxidants such as lycopene which you can find in omega 3, tomatoes, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, carrots, and eggs.
Joint Issues and Hip Dysplasia
It is no secret that Labradors and poodles can be prone to a bit of joint pain, hip (or elbow) dysplasia. Hip dysplasia makes the hip joints weaker, resulting in weaker limbs. Symptoms are pretty apparent in that they struggle to get up and struggle to walk.
Causes for hip dysplasia can be hereditary, but the other risk factors include being overweight, excessive growth rate, exercising too much or too little and improper nutrition.
For example, if your Labradoodle puppy is overweight, it will put too much pressure on your pup's joints. Furthermore, if you have a particularly large labradoodle puppy, it might need special large breed dog food to prevent excessive growth and later skeletal disorders.
Gas or Bloating
Unfortunately, when your dog is faced with bloating or Gastric Dilatation Volvulus, these things can have the potential to be life-threatening if you don't refer them immediately to your vet.
GDV, in particular, is a rapidly progressive disease where the dog's stomach dilates, twists and forces the air to stay inside.
When this happens, the flow of blood to the tummy is restricted, the stomach wall can rupture, and the lungs can be restricted in the amount of oxygen flowing to them.
Dry dog food that includes ingredients like sunflower oil and animal fats within the first few listed ingredients on the box can put dogs at an increased risk of GDV.
The 7 Top Dog Foods for Labradoodles!
Whether you are wondering what the best dry food for Labradoodles is or what the best treats for labradoodle puppies are, do not fret we have it all covered, so read on!
1. Taste of the Wild Appalachian Valley Formula
The Taste of the Wild Appalachian Valley Formula is a dry dog food based on what prehistoric dogs might have eaten in the Appalachian valley. Imagine what the cavemen and women were feeding their cave dogs back in the day. That's how it worked, right?
Anyway, this prehistoric diet, in collaboration with modern nutritional information and knowledge, ends up with well-balanced dog foods.
Being an ancestral-based diet, the taste of the wild Appalachian Valley formula focuses on a wide variety of quality ingredients necessary to feed your Labradoodle precisely what it needs to stay happy and healthy.
This dog food brand provides a relatively high protein level in their dry dog food on lower levels of carbohydrates.
Taste of the wild actually includes top-quality pasture-raised venison in their dog food, which is why this dog food has such a good and healthy protein to fat ratio keeping your dog's digestion happy and healthy. However, this means that the levels of omega three and fatty acids are lower than dog foods that use fishy ingredients (and by that, we don't mean suspicious ingredients, we mean actual fish!)
On the upside, the taste of the wild formula for this dog food is grain-free which is excellent for any pups with food allergies, and the kibble is small in size, which will aid digestion for your dog and reduce bloating. The digestion of your puppy will also be aided by the dog foods prebiotic and probiotic fiber.
Unfortunately, the downside to this taste of the wild dog food is that it uses pea protein. Pea protein is widely considered an ingredient used to pad out dog foods. It contains much less in the way of amino acids in comparison to the protein you get from meat. Amino acids help with hair, nail and muscle growth and maintaining a healthy immune system.
The good thing about dry dog foods such as this one is the crunch your dog gets to enjoy. The crunch factor can help in decreasing your dog's stress and reduce plaque and tartar on those pearly whites.
Another advantage of dry dog food is that it does not need to be refrigerated; however, the moisture level is 10 percent, so it's best to make sure your dog has plenty of water available to aid their digestion.
This is an excellent choice as dog food for Labradoodles at a reasonable price point.
The Purina Pro Plan Dog Food is great because of its wide variety of options. It comes in puppy food, dry dog food, and wet food, all providing a natural balance of vitamins and minerals to provide all the nutritional needs your Labradoodle puppy will require per day.
Even if your Labradoodle puppy suffers from food allergies, there are dry dog food and wet food that take allergies into consideration.
This includes low fat, low calorie, grain-free or high protein formulas as well as weight and health issue formulas for large breed, small breed, puppy, adult or senior pups.
What's brilliant about Purina pro plan dog food is that they use lots of different sources of proteins and grains. This means if your pup is one of the dogs suffering from a particular allergy, you may not have to change the dog food brand but instead switch to a different protein like from lamb to fish etc.
For large breeds like Labradoodles, the Purina pro plan adult complete essentials shredded blend chicken and rice dry dog food is very suitable for any Labradoodle weighing over 70 lbs.
The first ingredient listed is chicken, and the total protein in this dog food is an impressive 26 percent. The list of ingredients contains lots of vitamins and minerals as well as ingredients to help with joint pain or hip dysplasia, such as glucosamine.
The dog food also includes a fair amount of good fats, which are important such as fish oil which is great for your pup's coat and skin, and a significant amount of prebiotics and probiotics, which aid your Labradoodles digestion.
An excellent all-around option for the difficult to please pup!
Wellness complete health large breed dry dog food (also available in wet food) is made to be suitable for large dogs like your Labradoodle puppy will most likely grow up to be!
This dry dog food offers ingredients such as chondroitin and glucosamine, which are great to aid any dog with hip or joint problems, which is a common health problem found in Labradoodles. The first listed ingredients in this dog food are deboned chicken and chicken meal which provides more than enough protein for your doodle dog. It also contains a natural balance of phosphorus, calcium and many other vitamins and minerals to aid in keeping your dog's bones happy and strong.
Another great thing about the ingredients in this kibble is that they will meet all your dog's nutritional needs per day while remaining low in fat and calories. This can help keep your pup lean and slim, which acts as a domino effect that puts less pressure and stress on its joints and therefore helping prevent the common joint and hip problems found in this breed.
In the chicken and brown rice and salmon recipe, the first listed ingredient is chicken and chicken meal, which provides excellent protein for your pup without including any additives, preservatives, or meat by-products. The follow-up ingredients include peas, ground brown rice and salmon meal.
This formula can also be allergy-friendly by containing no wheat, soy or corn for the pups with delicate tummies. Speaking of delicate tummies, this mix also guarantees probiotic levels which support normal and healthy digestion.
Farmina guarantees their products are gluten-free, growth hormone-free and steroid-free and only use organic ingredients in the recipe for their puppy food.
Like the Taste of the Wild, this puppy food harks back to a simpler time considering the puppy food of the ancestral dog. This puppy food argues that dog's digestive systems are designed to process proteins and fats quickly and are not so well designed to produce enzymes to break down carbohydrates. Therefore this puppy food is made with an extremely high protein rate of 90 percent.
Usually, dry dog foods tend to go with a vegetable-based protein in their mixture to boost the protein content that lacks amino acids, so it isn't the best kind of food for your puppy. However, Farmina has gone with 70 percent animal products on 30 percent fruit, veg, vitamins and minerals. This means Farmina has an excellent ratio providing plenty of the ingredients your puppy will need in their puppy food per day.
This puppy food also avoids using peas and any legumes, which is helpful if your dog needs a puppy food that avoids these familiar ingredients.
The labradoodle puppy food has only a small amount of grain in it, such as oats and spelts. These ingredients, when controlled, can be perfect for your pup's digestion as they provide the fiber that is great for the bowels. They included this ingredient in the formula because they claim it would have been in their ancestral diet.
On top of everything, perhaps the best thing about this puppy food is that it all provides help and support for your pup's oral health. This formula will help clean your dog's pearly whites to help keep them in the best condition possible.
This brand could perhaps be one of the best puppy food brands on the market today.
The Natural Balance L.I.D Sweet Potato and Fish Formula is a dry grain-free dog food. Natural balance dog foods use a range of well-sourced, high-quality ingredients which will make sure your Labradoodle is happy and healthy!
The Sweet potato and fish formula is part of the 'limited ingredient range' which is perfect for dogs with allergies or sensitive tummies. However, this formula is not considered hypoallergenic it proves useful keeping the ingredients to a minimum which will, in turn, provide less opportunity for your pup to have an allergic reaction.
The sweet potato and fish formula is different from a lot of dry dog food which usually used a combination of animal meats in their recipe where Natural Balance has used only a combination of menhaden and salmon making this dog food great for any pup with a chicken allergy.
The fish has been mixed with brown rice, sweet potatoes, and legumes. which are great choices of carbohydrates which happen to be grain-free and help with digestion. They contain a lot of fiber and other essential vitamins for your Labradoodle.
It also includes ingredients that provide omega 3 and 6 fatty acids which will help with your dog's skin and coat.
This dry dog food is a high protein dog food that has deboned chicken and chicken meal listed as the first two ingredients. This means your puppy will have plenty of protein so they can grow as well as lots of chicken flavor. Also included in the ingredient list are chicken meal, fish meal, egg, flaxseed and fish oil, providing lots of ARA, DHA and glucosamine.
Also listed are sweet potato, and carrots which provide excellent nutrients to aid any eye disease worries and also replace the need for grains in this dog food. Blue Buffalo has also included their exclusive LifeSource Bits into their formula. These LifeSource Bits are made up of 7 different superfoods, which provide a balance of the best nutrients for puppies in order to strengthen your pup's immunity.
These Blue Buffalo foods are perfect for helping with your doodle's digestive system and helping with extra joint care.
Ok, so maybe your pup is getting a little older and has packed on a bit of weight from years of delicious dog foods meeting its bowl, and maybe it's time to change it to one specifically for seniors.
Luckily the VICTOR Senior Healthy Weight Dry Dog Foods are here for you and your doodle in its later years. These kinds of senior foods can be really beneficial in some weight control for your pup. VICTOR includes less fat and calories than many other dog foods to ensure your pup is at a healthy weight.
Although the calories and fats are significantly cut, this dog food still provides plenty of nutrients needed to support your pup, including glucosamine and chondroitin, which will aid your dog's joints.
The first ingredient listed is beef meal, and 78 percent of this formula comes from meat ingredients, including beef, fish, chicken, and pork meals which will provide your old pup with the protein they need. The carbs come from allergy-friendly gluten-free grains.
VICTOR foods are a perfect dog food option for your senior doodle.
FAQs
What should I feed my Labradoodle puppy?
You may still be wondering how you feed your puppy or what your puppy needs in the way of nutrition, and when to feed your puppy how much, so here's a quick guide to being a puppy mom or dad.
The 5 Nutritional points for a Labradoodle puppy
Protein - First and foremost, your puppy should be eating a lot of protein to help with muscle growth.
Fats - They help your puppy have energy and boost their immune systems
Omega 3 and 6 Fatty Acids - feed your puppy plenty of Omega 3 and 6, and their coat and skin will thank you
Amino Acids - Makes sure your puppy experiences normal body development
Carbohydrates, Probiotics and Fiber - Helps your puppy in healthy digestion
Labradoodle Puppy Feed Chart
A Labradoodle comes in a variety of sizes, so it can sometimes be challenging to give feeding information that suits all sizes of Labradoodle puppies. This feeding guide is based on a standard-sized Labradoodle and explains when you should transition from milk to solids, puppy food to dog food and how much food you should be giving your fluffy little bundle of joy.
6 Weeks
A 6 week old Labradoodle puppy will weigh 2.4-4.0 lbs. Ideally, your puppy will still be nursing milk from its mother. If this isn't possible, you should attempt to match the nutrients provided by the mother's milk.
10 Weeks
A 10 week old Labradoodle puppy should weigh 6.0-10.0 lbs and will have transferred onto puppy food. It can be easier when the transition from milk to solid food is done with wet food, but if you choose to opt for dry puppy food, you should consider adding moisture to make the transition easier.
12 Weeks
A 12 week old Labradoodle puppy should weigh between 9.0-15.0 lbs. By now, if your puppy hasn't been already, they should be transitioning to dry dog food.
3 Months
A 3-month-old Labradoodle puppy should weigh between 13.6-21.0 lbs. By now, your transition from wet to dry dog food should be finished. Note that the dog foods should still be puppy-specific.
5 Months
A 5-month-old Labradoodle puppy should weigh around 27.0-35.0 lbs. At this point, you can start to introduce other animal products. However, it is essential to make sure your dog doesn't consume too many calories.
1 Year
A 1-year-old Labradoodle dog should weigh 45.0-65.0 lbs. Your dog should now be fully grown by this point. Now that they no longer need to grow, you may need to reduce the amount of dog food you are giving your dog.
What can Labradoodles NOT eat?
Here is a list of food that is bad for or toxic to Labradoodles.
Avocado, Alcohol, Garlic, Onions, Caffeine, Raisins, Grapes, Macadamia Nuts, Candy, Gum, Toothpaste, Peaches, Persimmons, Plums, Raw Animal Protein, Salt, Yeast Dough, People Medications and Xylitol.
The best dog food for Labradoodles will not include any of these ingredients, and you should try and avoid giving your pup any of these things.
Our Top Choice
After researching a bunch of different foods for your Labradoodle puppy, foods for your adult dog and foods for your senior pup, we think that the overall dog food should have the right amount of nutrients, vitamins, mineral and protein to keep your pup happy and healthy even if they have allergies or varying medical problems. This is why we have chosen the best dog food for Labradoodles is Wellness Complete Health Large Breed Dry Dog Food!
This Dog food is perfect for the owners of an active doodle. The macronutrients in the wellness dog foods and balanced ingredients provide plenty of energy for your dog to exercise for an hour or more every day. The protein content is high and higher than lots of wet foods!
It's a grain-free recipe, so it is excellent for any allergenic doodles and instead uses potatoes and peas to substitute where grains would typically be. There's also a large number of probiotics in the formula, which help with any digestive problems.
On top of all of that, the formula includes lots of fruits and vegetables which are high in antioxidants which can help boost and maintain your doodles immune system as well as helping fight off any late-life diseases your dog may be prone to get.
This is a great dog food brand for active Labradoodles, and we love it!
