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Best puppy food for my new lab? Orijen, Wellness, Taste of Wild?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Hello, I am picking up a soon to be 8 week old female lab puppy in 11 days and I am very confused with what brand of puppy food to purchase. Through extensive research, I have come down to three options, Orijen Large Breed Puppy Food, Wellness Core Natural, and Taste of the Wild. What is your opinion on the best brand to purchase? I have no price limit and if there are any other brands that you believe are better, I would absolutely love to know. Thank You!

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on July 22nd, 2018

How lovely you are getting a new puppy! Puppies are so wonderful, and you have a great question as to what to feed her. First off, I strongly advise against feeding her any grain free food. Despite the marketing, grains are actually beneficial and good for dogs. They are an important part of their diet, and dogs should only be fed grain free food if they have a proven grain allergy. That is actually extremely rare. Only 10% of dogs with allergies have a food allergy, and the majority of those allergies are due to protein, not grains. In addition, recents studies have come out showing dogs who have developed serious heart problems (dilated cardiomyopathy) from being fed grain free diets due to taurine deficiency. It's believed that the lentils used in the diets are preventing the dog from up taking taurine, thus leading to heart problems later in life. You do not want her to develop heart problems from her diet, so I would avoid any food that is grain free. Personally I recommend feeding her Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPla, or Iams. They are excellent brands of food. I hope this helps! Enjoy your new puppy :-)

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