Lab puppies of all colors from Joyful Acres - dog breeders that raise quality labrador retriever puppies by our family for your family!

DOG HEALTH

Dog Food Chocolate Lab eating dog food

What is the best food for your Lab? We have spent many hours researching this very question. After feeding our own Labs a number of different commercial kibble, then moving to a homemade chicken "stew," we finally have settled on a raw diet. Dogs are carnivores and it really does make sense that they would need a diet similar to wild carnivores.
We have found that all the benefits touted on the internet about a raw diet are absolutely true! Our Labs always have clean teeth and clean breath. Their coats are thick and healthy, their energy levels are nice and even throughout the day, and they do not smell like dog. Another great benefit is that there is much less elimination because their bodies are using more of what they take in. We read many books about raw diets and looked at many websites. If you would like to know more about feeding a raw diet, you can contact us, or click here for some good information. A raw diet costs about the same per day as a good dog kibble.
I know that for many of you, handing your Lab a raw chicken thigh just isn't something you are comfortable doing. If you really need to use a kibble, there are some really good brands, and some really poor brands. We found a rating chart that takes some of the guesswork out of finding the right dog food. Click here to see what foods are a good choice.

NuVet Supplements

In addition to feeding a raw diet, we give all our dogs NuVet supplements. NuVet supplements consist of all natural ingredients that have been shown to be of great benefit to your Labrador's health. You can see a list of the ingredients and benefits here. Click here if you are interested in seeing testimonies from others who use NuVet for their pets.
We highly reccomend ordering NuVet Supplements before you bring you new puppy home. You can order here.

"Bio-Sensor" Program

We use the bio-sensor (or super dog) program to neurologically stimulate our puppies giving them a stronger start to life.
�Improved cardio vascular performance (heart rate)
�Stronger heart beats
�Stronger adrenal glands
�More tolerance to stress and
�Greater resistance to disease
For interesting reading about this program you can click here.

Spay/Neuter

Spaying or neutering your Lab is a very important part of responsible pet ownership. It helps protect the breed as well as helping to control pet overpopulation. However, when is the best time to have this surgery done on your Lab? Most vets will tell you to have it done before puberty. We recommend waiting until your Lab is at least one year of age. The studies we have read indicate that growth plates in dogs do not close as early when spayed or neutered before puberty causing longer, leaner looking Labs. We have seen this happen in one of our own puppies as well as others Labs, and so while we sell all our puppies on Limited Registration and highly encourage spaying or neutering your Lab, we prefer you wait until the correct age. Read one such article here.