Is My Lab Overweight?what Food Should I Feed Her To Lose Weight

[Jodielass]

Is my Lab overweight?what food should I feed her to lose weight

My Jodie is 16 months old now and i am told by everyone who sees her that is over weight except for my breeder.She thinks she is fine.

She weighs about 30 - 31 kg which is 70 pounds.

I feed her i small bowl of food in the morning and i small bowl of food at night

i give wet food as well as dry

I rotate with 4 legs wet food-supermarket

Pedigree wet food-supermarket

Clunkers.( beef or Chicken-supermarket

mixed with dry food

Pedigree dry food' Supermarket

Purina one - supermarket

Optimum light and mature-supermarket

What do you think??????????????????????????????????

Diane

[megan_]

If you press the flat of your hand against her very gentyly, can you feel her ribs> If you stand over her, can you see a waist?

If the answer is no to the above, then yes, she's over weight. Most labs you see these days are fatties, so many people, including bets, think that they aren't fat because they look like every other lab they've seen.

There is a visual chart here: http://www.placervillevet.com/canine%20body%20condition.htm

You are feeding her a lot of food that is, well, junk. Personally, I'd find the best quality dry food that I can afford and stick to that. Add some raw meaty bones (chicken wings, cut-up lambs necks) and their health will thank you for it. Also, you haven't mentioned treats. Often these are what makes a dog fat.

[Gretel]

Yes and there is nothing like the smile on a dog's face as they crunch into a nice chicken wing or carcass

[blacklabrador]

Most labs you see these days are fatties, so many people, including bets, think that they aren't fat because they look like every other lab they've seen.

I think that is a bit of an unfair generalisation on vets - I am sure they can overlook breed when they are assessing the body weight of dogs. A well bred labrador is a heavily set dog with a barrel shaped ribcage (well sprung ribs - helps with buoyancy). This is not the same thing as being overweight. There are a lot of labradors out there who are overweight due to their owners indulging their love of food.

If you are unsure about your lab then ask your vet. It is not possible to tell by hearing what her weight is. Her diet includes an incredibly high amount of grains and there's no way I'd see Pedigree dry food as a healthy option for a dog. It is so high in grains it makes them poo excessively. Dogs are not meant to eat large amounts of wheat/rice/corn that they fill those foods up with. In fact they aren't meant to eat any at all.

If you want to get your dogs weight down then a raw diet is an easy way to do that.

Edited March 20, 2010 by blacklabrador

[pixie_meg]

A photo may help but the link above is a good one.

[Jodielass]

Most labs you see these days are fatties, so many people, including bets, think that they aren't fat because they look like every other lab they've seen.

I think that is a bit of an unfair generalisation on vets - I am sure they can overlook breed when they are assessing the body weight of dogs. A well bred labrador is a heavily set dog with a barrel shaped ribcage (well sprung ribs - helps with buoyancy). This is not the same thing as being overweight. There are a lot of labradors out there who are overweight due to their owners indulging their love of food.

If you are unsure about your lab then ask your vet. It is not possible to tell by hearing what her weight is. Her diet includes an incredibly high amount of grains and there's no way I'd see Pedigree dry food as a healthy option for a dog. It is so high in grains it makes them poo excessively. Dogs are not meant to eat large amounts of wheat/rice/corn that they fill those foods up with. In fact they aren't meant to eat any at all.

If you want to get your dogs weight down then a raw diet is an easy way to do that.

Dear Black Labrador

Sounds like my black Labrador might me slightly overweight so i want to get her to loose some kilos before it too bad.

She is 16months old and has not been spayed as i am planning to breed

So I want to make some changes.What food and quantities would you suggest?

I did try her on Advance large breed dog dry food only about 9 months ago and i always thought she was very hungry They had a special day to buy from Pet stock so i bought a big bag to try it out

I have heard of kangaroo meat and carrot

Hope to hear from you

Diane

Edited March 21, 2010 by Jodielass

[persephone]

Jodielass-

Have a read HERE for lots of information about diet and feeding a BALANCED raw diet. Kangaroo and carrot is NOT a balanced diet

You are planning to breed?

May I suggest you spend lots of time on here reading up on your breed, nutrition, and , forgive me if you have done all your homework, but reading things such as these may help you.

You also need to consider WHY you want your bitch to whelp- what is there about her which will benefit the labrador population?

LINK

LINK

If you are interested in breeding - then there is LOTS to learn- and lots to do, before you make the decision

[blacklabrador]

Most labs you see these days are fatties, so many people, including bets, think that they aren't fat because they look like every other lab they've seen.

I think that is a bit of an unfair generalisation on vets - I am sure they can overlook breed when they are assessing the body weight of dogs. A well bred labrador is a heavily set dog with a barrel shaped ribcage (well sprung ribs - helps with buoyancy). This is not the same thing as being overweight. There are a lot of labradors out there who are overweight due to their owners indulging their love of food.

If you are unsure about your lab then ask your vet. It is not possible to tell by hearing what her weight is. Her diet includes an incredibly high amount of grains and there's no way I'd see Pedigree dry food as a healthy option for a dog. It is so high in grains it makes them poo excessively. Dogs are not meant to eat large amounts of wheat/rice/corn that they fill those foods up with. In fact they aren't meant to eat any at all.

If you want to get your dogs weight down then a raw diet is an easy way to do that.

Dear Black Labrador

Sounds like my black Labrador might me slightly overweight so i want to get her to loose some kilos before it too bad.

She is 16months old and has not been spayed as i am planning to breed

So I want to make some changes.What food and quantities would you suggest?

I did try her on Advance large breed dog dry food only about 9 months ago and i always thought she was very hungry They had a special day to buy from Pet stock so i bought a big bag to try it out

I have heard of kangaroo meat and carrot

Hope to hear from you

Diane

Yep - you're right - it's good to get on top of it ASAP.

If you look up "BARF" diets online there is heaps of information. It is the generally accepted term for "Bones And Raw Food" diet.

You wouldn't have to do a full raw diet but certainly it sounds like she needs to cut down on all the processed stuff. Kangaroo Meat and carrot might be seen as a low fat diet for overweight dogs but it's not a balanced diet. Dogs digest meat best when it's still together with the bone, rather than meat on its own.

The quantities are very individual to the dog and you need to keep assessing her every week to make sure she's in good condition. I feed almost exclusively raw to my labs and I have a pointer who gets three times the amount of bones that they get but he is so underweight that his hipbones just poke through (which I hate). So I feed him up on puppy kibble and other high fat processed foods. If I fed him the same amount that I feed the labs he would die from starvation. He costs me a bloody fortune that dog. :rolleyes:

Good luck with your breeding endeavours - sounds like you are still in contact with the breeder which is good. Do you have a kennel name picked out yet?

[sandgrubber]

bottom line. To loose weight FEED LESS. And with a Labbie, make sure he/she isn't making up for reduced Joules by scarfing something on the side. My girl who's on a diet stole 300g of butter from the counter yesterday.

Edited March 22, 2010 by sandgrubber

[persephone]

labs are amazingly resourceful when it comes to finding food . That sweet face hides a very scheming brain

[Mas1981]

Could you upload a pic of your dog so that we can see what she looks like?? I get told by some people at parks etc that my lab is skinny, IMO i think he is a good weight ,he weighs 32Kg and is a 11 month old. I uploaded a pic of my boy, is your girl bigger than this??

Edited to say I feed Holistic Select Large and Giant breed Adult, for some reason my dog cannot digest bones they make him ill otherwise I would feed more raw.

Edited March 22, 2010 by Masons_mom

[persephone]

Mason's Mom- your boy is lovely ! i LOVE black labs

he is certainly NOT skinny

[Mas1981]

Mason's Mom- your boy is lovely ! i LOVE black labs

he is certainly NOT skinny

No I dont think he is skinny either, I feed him very little as it is and I dont want to feed him less as he is still growing at 11 months, he is also very active and fit.

[Chocolatelover]

300grams of butter - that's BAD for the diet We lost a loaf of bread last night to our beagle (why do we never learn to keep it out of reach ) Needless to say he is very round today.

Jodielass - I would probably invest in a premium/super premium dry food if you don't want to feed raw. They sometimes seem expensive but when you average out per day costs they can actually end up cheaper. But don't necessarily follow the feeding guidelines!! I feed my lab way less than what they suggest. I also vary it depending on his activity levels.

My lab is probably a bit lighter than Mason's Mums - although younger so still some filling out to do. From what I have read, keeping them at a good weight and feeding a good quality diet (plus not over exercising) can help prevent hip dysplasia developing. Event though genetics do play the major role in this disease, environmental factors (weight, diet, exercise) are thought to have an impact. Only a novice though so I may have to stand corrected

It is so hard to resist those pleading eyes but I just tell myself that it's for his own good

[Mas1981]

300grams of butter - that's BAD for the diet We lost a loaf of bread last night to our beagle (why do we never learn to keep it out of reach ) Needless to say he is very round today.

Jodielass - I would probably invest in a premium/super premium dry food if you don't want to feed raw. They sometimes seem expensive but when you average out per day costs they can actually end up cheaper. But don't necessarily follow the feeding guidelines!! I feed my lab way less than what they suggest. I also vary it depending on his activity levels.

My lab is probably a bit lighter than Mason's Mums - although younger so still some filling out to do. From what I have read, keeping them at a good weight and feeding a good quality diet (plus not over exercising) can help prevent hip dysplasia developing. Event though genetics do play the major role in this disease, environmental factors (weight, diet, exercise) are thought to have an impact. Only a novice though so I may have to stand corrected

It is so hard to resist those pleading eyes but I just tell myself that it's for his own good

I know what you mean, I feed Mason 1,5 cups of Holistic Select a day and a bit of mince, since this photo he has slimmed down a bit more , he seems to only lose on the back half though??

[persephone]

he seems to only lose on the back half though??

I did notice his back end looked a bit lighter than the front - maybe he needs some hill climbing to build up some muscles there?

[blacklabrador]

300grams of butter - that's BAD for the diet We lost a loaf of bread last night to our beagle (why do we never learn to keep it out of reach ) Needless to say he is very round today.

Jodielass - I would probably invest in a premium/super premium dry food if you don't want to feed raw. They sometimes seem expensive but when you average out per day costs they can actually end up cheaper. But don't necessarily follow the feeding guidelines!! I feed my lab way less than what they suggest. I also vary it depending on his activity levels.

My lab is probably a bit lighter than Mason's Mums - although younger so still some filling out to do. From what I have read, keeping them at a good weight and feeding a good quality diet (plus not over exercising) can help prevent hip dysplasia developing. Event though genetics do play the major role in this disease, environmental factors (weight, diet, exercise) are thought to have an impact. Only a novice though so I may have to stand corrected

It is so hard to resist those pleading eyes but I just tell myself that it's for his own good

I know what you mean, I feed Mason 1,5 cups of Holistic Select a day and a bit of mince, since this photo he has slimmed down a bit more , he seems to only lose on the back half though??

That's because the front part is his ribcage. He has a nice deep chest like a labrador should. He's only 11 months old and has a lot of filling out to do yet. Not fat, just substance - how much though, depends on his bloodlines.

I saw this dog when I rehomed him at 12 months old... he was a skinny, ugly (but beautiful) long legged adolescent looking dog. I knew he had the potential to grow into something beautiful and fairly big. I next saw him a year later and didn't recognise him. This is him at three. If it wasn't for those eyes that I know so well, I wouldn't think it was the same dog. LOTS of substance and you can see that I am not talking about fat.

[persephone]

*wipes drool off the keyboard* LOVE black and 'square', solid labs yep- mason's mom- your boy will end up looking gorgeous!

[blacklabrador]

he seems to only lose on the back half though??

I did notice his back end looked a bit lighter than the front - maybe he needs some hill climbing to build up some muscles there?

I think that's just his build - it's a common downfall in some labradors - In my opinion at least. I like a labrador with a decent amount of ass. It may build with time and maturity though.

[persephone]

I like a labrador with a decent amount of ass