When managing a whole kennel of dogs or just taking care of one pet, a cost analysis of the products used is very important. There are many things that have to be taken into consideration when choosing nutritional products; nutritional value is probably the most important consideration when comparing supplements. A product has to offer some type of nutritional value no matter how economical it is.

Once we establish the nutritional value of a product, we then proceed to evaluate the cost of feeding the supplement to our Labs. The "cost per day per dog", gives us a measure to use for our annual budget for expenditures.

Normally, we figure that it will cost .70 to $1.00 per day to feed a full-grown Labrador on a daily maintenance regimen. For puppies under 10 months old, the figure could very well rise to about $1.50 per day. These figures take into account the basic dry dog food, the basic supplements of fishmeal, LabWell's Lab FiBo and LabWell's Lab Glo Rice Bran feed supplement , the Glucosamine/Chondroitin/MSM complex, LabWell's Lab Flex MAX DS and LabWell's Lab Forte, our Brewers yeast, garlic, kelp and mineral/vitamin supplement.  The "cost per day per dog" rises or declines on an individual basis as the dog's activity level rises or declines. See chart below for the various ages, activity levels that we use for consideration.

Start out with the staple diet, those foods fed that are absolutely essential on an every day basis, this will be the dry dog food. We have been using Diamond Professional and Diamond Regular Puppy. For dogs with delicate digestion, we use the Diamond Rice and Lamb. There are other outstanding brands, Eukanuba, Wayne's Kasco, Nutro, Promark, Nutra Nuggets (made by Diamond), and numerous other high quality brands that have been used in the past at our  facility. Most of these brands run anywhere from .50 to $1.00 per pound. So that a 40lb. bag will cost, between $20.00 to $40.00.

To this excellent dry dog food, we need to add specific supplements that are vital to the well being of our breed. The following are some of the products that we add on a regular basis to our Labs. Through experience and the evident results, we have been adding a fishmeal supplement to the Diamond dry dog food. Now, you want to know how much more if any, it will increase your daily "per-day-per-dog" cost. Below is the supplement, LabWell's Lab Forte, the super vitamin supplement we recommend for all Labradors.

So, if you add the Lab Forte  to the Diamond Professional Dog Food, your cost per day per dog will rise to 46 cents a day. However, by adding the Lab Forte, you can reduce the daily amount of the Diamond Professional Dog Food by 1/2 cup, since the you are now feeding a more concentrated and more nutritious mix. This will now cause the "per day per dog cost" to drop for the combination of the two products.

As can be seen, some supplements can actually lower the cost of feeding your Lab per day. With the Lab Forte additive, the dog's diet is so significantly nutritionally augmented that an actual reduction of total bulk intake will occur. Here are some other very beneficial supplements that are used with frequency at our Labrador Training and Care Facility.

In the following graphs we have charted the requirements of one of our Lab's activity, dietary requirements and cost analysis.

OTHER WAYS TO LOWER YOUR "COST PER DAY PER DOG"

• Another way to reduce your "cost per day per dog", is to buy in quantities. We purchase 10, 40lb Diamond dog food bags at a time. The individual price of the 40lb bag is 18.00. By purchasing 10 bags, we receive a $2.00 per bag discount, since our Labs consume 20 bags per month, our yearly savings comes out to about $480. Always ask for a price break for a larger quantity purchase, most distributors will be glad to discount for items bought in quantities. LabWell Products gives quantity discounts on all its supplements. The 3lb and 6 lb packages are priced at substantial savings over the 1 lb packages. Check for our seasonal specials for further reductions in price. You can sign up for our weekly updates to ensure you don't miss out on these specials.
• Avoid paying for colorful packaging, when the same product can be bought for a lot less in a simpler type container. Remember that it is the ultimate consumer that pays for all the advertising, catalogs and fancy containers.
• Buy products that are formulated and graduated for the size and weight of your dog. This way, you can give exact amounts with little waste. All LabWell products are graduated for adult sized consumption and based on dogs weighing between 75lb to 90 lbs. Slight savings can be calculated for smaller adults weighing 60 to 75lbs. LabWell's Lab Flex MAX DS is formulated for the weight of a full grown Labrador retriever, so 1 capsule will suffice and you save by not over using.
• Avoid "fad products". Usually these products are over-priced because there is a big demand for them at the time. Also, avoid alternative forms of ingredients, they usually are not as potent as the main ingredient. There are many rice bran products now making their way to  "fad status" and high prices. LabWell's Lab Glo Rice Bran will stay at the lowest possible price regardless of market trends.
• Some products like our Lab Forte Vitamin Supplement, come in concentrated form while other similar products will be package in diluted form. So calculate the "cost per day per dog" on these concentrated products and compare them with the diluted versions to see which actually is the better buy.

Lab-Well Directory

     Labrador Retriever Health Reference Library

     Labrador Retriever Health Food Store

      Lab-Well Products Order Form

     Labrador Retrievers' Homepage by Lab-Well