9 best dog foods for Labradors to chow down on in 2024

Royal Canin is well-known for being a brand that offers many recipes tailored to specific needs of breeds, which is why we think this Royal Canin Labrador Retriever Adult Dry Dog Food is the top dog of foods for your Labrador. The kibble has a distinct shape and size that's designed to slow down your Lab's food intake to stop them wolfing it down too quickly and causing themselves digestive issues. As Labrador Retrievers have a tendency to gain weight, the food has an adapted calorie content to help them maintain a healthy weight and body condition. This food also contains all the nutrients, such as glucosamine and chondroitine, your pup needs to keep their joints health too along with Omega 3 fatty acids and borage oil to keep their skin and coat loooking and feeling great, too.

Customers with greedy Labs that love their food have stated that this food has certainly helps them to slow down, which has in turn aided their digestive health. Improved coat condition and joint health are also things that crop up in the reviews time and time again. Maize and rice are the main ingredients of this food and is listed before the dehydrated beef and pork protein, which means there's a higher percentage of those than the meat in this food. For this reason, you'll want to make sure you're keeping an eye on the serving you're giving your pooch to ensure they don't gain too much weight, but luckily there is a feeding guide on the packaging to help you work out how much your Lab needs.

Eukanuba Complete Dry Dog Food for Adult Labrador Retriever is designed to help your Lab maintain a healthy weight and keep their joints healthy. It contains a blend of chicken and turkey, vegetables, other proteins and healthy fats from natural sources to offer nutrition that is specifically tailored to the needs of an adult Labrador Retriever. Also, this kibble contains a prebiotic to maintain good gut health, with Omega 3 and 6 to keep their coat looking nice and shiny, plus Vitamin E to support their immune system.

It comes highly rated by customers on Amazon with over 3,500 reviews, with many appreciating the improvement in their pup's coat quality since switching to the food and how digestible it is too. It does have maize and wheat as main ingredients so if your Lab has allergies or sensitivities to these ingredients you may want to consider another option, all in all though, this is a great choice for a complete and balanced dry food.

For fresh dog food delivered straight to your door for your Labrador, consider Butternut Box. It's designed to offer human-grade, quality ingredients with plenty of vitamins and minerals that are tailored to the exact needs of your doggo. All you need to do is fill out a form online with your Lab's age, weight, activity levels and any allergies and Butternut Box will recommend the best recipe to address any concerns you may have. Each recipe contains at least 60 per cent meat to give your Lab a much-needed protein boost and is gently cooked before being frozen to lock in the nutrients.

As we've mentioned, Butternut Box's fresh dog foods are delivered frozen for you to store in the freezer so ensure you've got plenty of room in yours to store them when they arrive. You also need to remember to take them out of the freezer in plenty of time to defrost, ready to serve to your Lab at their next mealtime.

Just like the adult version, this Royal Canin Labrador Retriever Puppy Dry Dog Food has specially designed kibble to ensure your cuddly pup doesn't gobble their food. At a stage where they are growing fast, this complete dry dog food ensures healthy development. It has a specially formulated blend of meat, vegetables, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals to support your puppy's immune system, healthy growth and digestive health.

Customers online say this food is highly palatable and lures their Lab puppy to their bowl and they also appreciate that it aids tummy health while keeping their coat in lovely condition. One thing to note is that rice is the main ingredient of this food so you'll want to make sure your monitoring your pup's intake to ensure they're not gaining weight too quickly.

Harringtons Grain Free Hypoallergenic Wet Dog Food range caters to dogs aged eight weeks and older, so a great option if you're looking for a food that you can feed to your Lab from puppyhood into their adult years and beyond. This Harringtons variety pack offers four delicious flavours – Beef, Turkey, Chicken and Salmon – for dogs with hearty appetites to enjoy while ensuring they don't get bored by offering them a different flavour in their bowl each day. Harringtons employ a unique FreshCook method, using human-grade meat freshly prepared and gently cooked to retain nutrition and flavour, supplemented with essential vitamins and minerals.

This food is good value for money while also being tasty for their pooch, according to reviews. Customers online also appreciate that the recipes are grain-free and hypoallergenic. There are some comments about dogs (and their owners) disliking the texture of the food inside these trays.

Offering a good size portion for large breed dogs, such as Labradors, the cartons in the Pooch & Mutt Wet Food Multipack offer 375g per carton so it should help you to keep an eye on portion control and help you work out exactly what your pooch needs when it's time for din-dins. Each recipe, whether you opt for Turkey & Duck, Chicken & Beef, Chicken, Pumpkin & Pea or Turkey & Chicken for your pooch is bursting with natural ingredients that are gently steam cooked to keep the freshness in as well as nutrient dense vitamins and minerals to ensure your Lab has everything they need to stay happy and healthy.

Dogs will lick their bowl clean every time they're served this food, say reviewers online. Customers also appreciate that the cartons make it super easy to serve and portion out, as well as being made using 100 per cent recyclable packaging. Some reviewers point out this food has a strong smell, which you might not love but your pooch won't be able to get enough of.

For your convenience, you can grab these Pedigree Adult Wet Dog Food Pouches Mixed in Gravy at the same time as your weekly food shop. Designed to be served either on their own as a complete and balanced meal or served as a tasty topper to dry food, these pouches contain natural fibres to keep your Lab's insides healthy to maintain their digestive health as well as Vitamin E and selected minerals that are known to bolster your dog's natural defences. There are also four different flavours in each multipack which are bound to get your pup's tail wagging the minute they hear you open the pouch.

The portion size of these pouches is 100g, which you may find to be on the small side for a Lab-sized portion so you may end up going through this box of 12 more quickly compared to a pet owner with a smaller breed that doesn't require as much food.

Weight gain is a common concern for Labradors, so if your Lab is starting to look a little on the heavier side, Royal Canin Satiety Dog Food might be the perfect solution to help them shed those extra pounds. This special formula is packed with natural fibres, designed to keep your dog feeling full and satisfied between meals, helping to curb begging and over-snacking. Its high protein content also ensures that as your Labrador loses weight, their muscles remain lean and strong. However, like many other Royal Canin recipes, this food contains wheat as a primary ingredient. If your Labrador has a sensitivity or allergy to wheat, this may not be the best option for them.

Our Senior Writer, Rosie Floyd, had great success using this food for her Labrador mix, Barney, who needed to lose weight before undergoing surgery. She shared her experience: “Barney had to drop a significant amount of weight, but despite increasing his exercise and adjusting his portion sizes, we weren’t seeing the results we needed. Our vet recommended this Royal Canin formula, and I gradually transitioned him to it over the course of a month. Within a few months, Barney lost the 12kg necessary for his surgery. He’s now much more energetic, and it’s clear he feels better overall. The packaging also includes a handy chart that helps you figure out the proper portion size based on your dog’s target weight, making it easy to feed them the right amount.”

Lily's Kitchen Lean Machine is a delicious, low-calorie option for Labradors who need to shed a few pounds while still enjoying a flavorful meal. With only 85 calories per 100g, this recipe features freshly prepared turkey and squash, making it a satisfying yet light choice for your Lab. Packed with natural ingredients, it offers added health benefits - kale delivers essential vitamins A and C, as well as minerals like manganese and potassium, while goji berries provide a rich source of vitamins C, E, and K.

Both we and online customers are impressed with the quality of this food, especially its high meat content, with 50 per cent turkey providing a vital source of protein to help your Labrador maintain muscle strength during weight loss. The premium natural ingredients make this food a top pick among dog owners, even though it’s considered a more high-end option. Reviewers often note that the quality and taste are worth the price. However, some do mention the food has a strong smell when you open the tin, so be prepared for that.