Are most Labs overweight

By Isabella Storyclaire

last updated September 16, 2024

Contributions sourced from

Fat Labrador

Its not unusual to see a fat Labrador. Our perspectives on healthy weights for dogs have been a little skewed in recent years as more pets hit the obesity marker on the scale. And Labradors are very prone to weight gain for genetic and hunger reasons!

Canine obesitycomes with a raft of accompanying health problems. Feeding your Labrador just the right amount can be a bit of a balancing act, but its one that you have a responsibility to try your best to achieve. Not all Labradors need the same amount of food, so you will need to pay attention to your individual dogs needs, and be prepared to change your habits if necessary.

Some dogslikeworking dogs for example, will need quite a lot more food in the winter than they do in the summer. This is down to the amount of exercise he is getting differing dramatically in the changing seasons. You need to adapt your feeding to suit these shifts.

IsMy Labrador Fat?

It is really important that you keep your Labradors weight appropriate for his height and build, rather than following guidelines on food packets or in books too closely. The best way to tell is by eye and touch.

Have a look at your dog and compare him with the picture below of a healthy Labrador. Look at your dog from the side.

Does his belly slope upwards towards his groin, or is it a level line from his front legs to his back, or even worse is it sagging down between his legs?
Your Labrador should have an upward sloping line from the base of his chest, towards his back legs.
Now look at the dog from above. Can you see a waist just in front of his hips? You should be able to! Your dog should not be the same width all the way down his body.
Look at your dog from the side again. Can you see any ribs?
You should not be able to see a labs ribs whilst he is standing still though you may well be able to see the last one or two when he is eating, drinking or bending and twisting.
Run you hands along his rib cages firmly. Can you feel his ribs?

Ideally you should be able to just feel, but not see, your dogs ribs. If you can see ribs when he is standing still he is too thin. If you cannot feel his ribs at all with your hands he is too fat!

How Much Should My Labrador Weigh?

As we have seen above, the best way to tell if you have a fat Labrador is by looking and feeling. The trouble with providing you with a number is that it can give a false impression.

Depending upon whether your Lab is field or bench bred, short or tall, chunky or slight, male or female, will all make a big difference to their ideal weight for the individual.

The average adult Labrador will weigh anywhere between 55 to 80 lbs! Male Labs usually being around 5 to 10 lbs heavier than their female counterparts.

If you are still unsure whether your Lab is the right weight for his or her build having given her a thorough check yourself as described above, then the best thing to do is to pop down to your local veterinarian.

They will be happy to let you know how much your individual Labrador should weigh.

Why Is My Labrador Fat?

So how did your slim little puppy end up as a fat adult Labrador?

There are threecommonassumptions that people make when considering how theirdogs came to beoverweight.

Does the dog need more exercise? Has he got some kind of medical problem? Or am I just feeding him too much at mealtimes or giving too many snacks?

In general if your dog is overweight the real reason is simply that he has eaten too much. Or rather, been allowed to eat too much.

So lets have a look at how we can eliminate these other possibilities where most dogs are concerned.

Does my dog need more exercise?

People often say to me, my Lab is a bit overweight because he hasnt had much exercise lately.

Whilst exercise can help to keep your dog in shape as a part of their daily routine, it is not the critical factor when it comes to putting on weight.

He may well need more exercise, but that is not why he is fat.

He is overweight because when you take into account the amount he exercises along with a number of other factors, he has eaten too much.

The exercise needs of your dog are an important but separate issue, whichwe look at in other articles. The important thing to remember is this:

The less exercise you give the dog, the less you must feed him.

You cant be forever playing catch up with his weight, or hoping to spend more time walking him next week. Once put on, weight is hard to shift and it will simply go up and up over time.

You need to control it on a regular weekly/monthly basis, starting now.

Medical causes of canine obesity

Although most dogs who are overweight have simply had a few too many bites to eat, there are some medical causes for obesity which do crop up from time to time.

Canine medical conditions that can affect your Labs weight include hypothyroidism, insulinoma and hyperadrenocorticism.

If a medical condition is the reason then the weight gain will normally be sudden and unexpected.

If you are concerned by sudden weight gain in your Lab when you have not been giving him more food, then a checkup at the vets is definitely in order.

You may also find that your dog puts on weight after having been neutered. If this is the case you will need to adjust your feeding habitsaccordingly.

However, for most dogs weight gain is a simple result of over feeding.

My Labrador is always hungry

People are often concerned because they worry that their dog is still hungry after eating his dinner. Here is an important truth:

Most Labradors are always hungry.

You cannot win this battle. These are greedy dogs and your Labrador will always want more food than you give him. No matter how much that may be.

If your Labrador is overweight he really needs to eat less and he will get used to his new regime quite quickly.

Are Fat Labs Less Healthy?

If you have looked at your Labrador and decided he is overweight, you might be wondered whether that actually matters.

You still love him and he doesnt care what he looks like so why should you bother?

Is it really worth the effort of ignoring those puppy dog eyes and whines for extra food? Arent chubby Labs just even more cute and cuddly than their skinny friends?

Whilst its true that your dog has no interest in his outward appearance, he will be the one suffering on the inside if you allow him to get fat.

Slim dogsare healthier

Being overweight predisposes you to an awful lot of unpleasant health problems. This is true regardless of whether you are a human or a dog.

Carrying extra pounds can also make existing problems your dog may have worse. For example joint problems like arthritis and hip dysplasia can beexacerbated by having more weight to lug around.

As well as joints and bones suffering from obesity related issues, increased body fat can also make your dog more likely to have problems with their organs including those needed for breathing and digestion.

Scarily, in order for these risks to be increased your dog doesnt even have to be very over weight. Just a bit of extra fat can havea host of unwanted consequences.

Being a fat Lab puppy can potentially make your dog more likely to suffer from joint problems later in life.

Slim dogs live longer

Not only will a slim dog have a better level of fitness and a lower likelihood of becoming unwell, they will in all probability live longer too.

Purina PetCare carried out a lifetime study on 48 Labradors, where they were divided into two categories, one of which was given 25% more food than the other.

Those Labs on the largefood ration had a median lifespan of over 11 years old. Those on the smaller food ration lived to be over 13 years old.

When you look at the difference which can be made in these terms, by helping your Lab to stay slim you could be giving him an incredible two more years with you!

So, if you are going to help your Lab to lose weight lets have a look at the best way to go about it.

How to Reduce your Dogs Food

The first thing to cut out of your overweight dogs diet is any snacks or fillers that you give him in between meals. If he gets a lot of household scraps these may have to go too.

If you use food as rewards in dog training,this should be deducted from his daily food allowance.

It could also help to find healthier alternatives to your usual training treats.

Bear in mind that if your dog is unwell, old or very young, it is sensible to consult your vet before tampering with his diet. It is also a good idea to have a chat with them beforehand if your dog is very overweight and has a lot to lose.

Record your Dogs Weight Loss Progress

If your dog gets nothing to eat but a complete dog food then you can safely simply reduce the quantity you give him by about a third for three to four days.

Take a photo of him from above and from the side before you start.

At the end of the three to four days, check the dog over as described above and ask yourself if he is still fat.

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If you think he has improved a little but needs to slim down a bit further, keep going for another three to four days then review the situation.

Compare the photo you took a week ago and you should see some improvement.

Keep going until your dog has a waist again and you can feel his ribcage when you press firmly along his sides.

You may need to increase his food slightly in order to maintain his new slim figure and ensure he does not get thin.

If the dog is not losing weight after a couple of weeks on two-thirds of his previous food allowance, you may need to cut his food down even further.

This is a good point to check in with your vet, let him know what you are doing and get his opinion on cutting down further on the dogs daily food rations.

The Labrador Site Founder

Pippa Mattinson is the best selling author of The Happy Puppy Handbook, the Labrador Handbook, Choosing The Perfect Puppy, and Total Recall.

She is also the founder of the Gundog Trust and the Dogsnet Online Training Program

Pippa's online training courses were launched in 2019 and you can find the latest course dates on the Dogsnet website

Why Are Labradors Prone to Obesity? (2024)

According to a recent survey, a whopping 56% of American dogs are overweight or obese. That equates to approximately 50 million dogs with a weight issue.

Surprisingly, according to the same survey, only 15% of dog owners routinely weigh their pet every month, even when dealing with obesity issues. Perhaps even more shocking, by the age of 6 months, 21% of dogs are already overweight, setting themselves up for a lifelong battle against the bulge.

For nearly 30 years, Labrador Retrievers have topped the popularity charts, but theyre also one of the most likely breeds to struggle with their weight. Lets find out why.

Why are Labradors prone to obesity? In addition to lifestyle-related causes, a variant of a gene that regulates a feeling of fullness after a meal is found in approximately one-fourth of Labradors. This variant causes affected Labs to still feel hungry even after eating and is directly associated with obesity.

Obesity can have a devastating impact on your Labs health. Knowledge is power, right? So lets jump right in and take a closer look at this common Labrador issue.

Why Are So Many Labradors Overweight or Obese?

Gulping down entire meals without chewing and then begging for more, constantly scavenging for a free meal, being obsessed with food, and rummaging through the garbage for a tasty morsel. These are all very common Labrador behaviors.

If youve noticed that your Lab seems to be hungry all of the time and is becoming larger by the day, youre not alone. Most Labs are incredibly food motivated and can easily grow too heavy.

Generally, when a dog is 15% or more over the ideal weight for his breed and sex, he is considered overweight, but once he surpasses 30%, he is obese. Both of these conditions can occur when the amount of energy (in the form of food) consumed is greater than the amount of energy expended.

So why do Labs seem to struggle more with this issue than other breeds? Well, new-found scientific evidence suggests the answer might be genetic.

A gene called pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC), which has been found to be linked to appetite, weight, and satisfaction after eating, lacks 14 base pairs in about of all Labrador Retrievers (and Flat-Coated Retrievers too).

Scientists discovered that the more copies of this gene variant a dog has, the more likely the dog is to become overweight and obsessed with food. In fact, dogs with just one copy of this variant were on average 4 pounds heavier than normal.

This POMC variant compromises the dogs ability to feel full and satisfied after a meal, leaving him feeling hungry all of the time. This explains why so many Labradors are intensely food motivated (which does make training quite easy) and have a desire to eat that far exceeds their actual nutritional requirements leading to obesity.

Other Factors That Contribute to Labrador Obesity

Aside from genetic factors, Labs have several other factors working against them when it comes to maintaining an ideal weight.

Diet

Admittedly, its hard to say no to a Labs smiling face and imploring eyes when it comes to food, but overfeeding is one of the most prevalent contributors to fat Labs. In fact, just a few extra pieces of kibble every day can turn into several extra pounds of body fat over the course of a year.

Offering too large of meals isnt the only problem though, as feeding snacks, dog bones, and tidbits of people food throughout the day can quickly equate to added weight as well.

In addition to a lack of portion control, feeding the wrong kind of dog food can also lead to weight gain. Rich diets loaded with fat and excess calories or poor-quality kibble packed with empty calories can both enable your Lab to pack on extra pounds.

Sterilizing

When a dog is spayed or neutered, the consequent hormonal changes result in a slower metabolism and an increased appetite. If, after surgery, adjustments are not made to the dogs diet or exercise time, weight gain may occur easily, especially during the two years immediately following the procedure according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information.

Lifestyle

Another major contributor to Labrador weight gain is the fact that the vast majority of these active dogs are not routinely doing what they were bred to do. Remember, the Labrador was created to spend long hours working alongside Newfoundland fishermen in harsh conditions and frigid waters. Those working dogs had hearty appetites but quickly burned off extra calories each day through hard work.

Today, many Labs are not given the opportunity to exercise as they should. No long hours hunting and retrieving in the field, no days spent plunging into the water to bring back downed game. The result? Extra pounds accumulate.

Age

As dogs age, they tend to naturally slow down, just like people and will spend more and more time resting and sleeping as they ease into old age. Many owners find that this is the time when their once-trim Labrador becomes a little too hefty.

Health Conditions

Certain health issues, such as hypothyroidism or Cushings disease, can cause unexpected weight gain and lead to obesity if not properly treated. Before any weight-management program is started, a check-up by your veterinarian is recommended to rule out any underlying diseases or disorders.

How to Tell If Your Lab Is Overweight

Its a wise idea to evaluate your Labs weight once a month or so and it only takes a few moments to complete. Of course, you could bring him by your vets office to be weighed, but a visual check and quick feel of his bones can easily be done right at home.

View your Lab from directly overhead and from the side while he is standing up, and run your hands down his spine, over his ribcage, and across his rump, prodding gently with your fingertips for the rib, spine, and hip bones.

Signs of an overweight Labrador include:

No noticeable indentation at the waist is present when viewed from above.
Belly hangs down and there is no slight upward slant of the abdomen from the ribcage toward the hips.
The rib and hip bones and the knobs of the backbone are difficult to find by gentle probing or cant be felt at all.
Rolls of fat are present or dog appears bloated.

Dangers of Obesity

High blood pressure, joint issues, osteoarthritis, diabetes, kidney disease, respiratory troubles, heart disease, cancer, and a general decreased quality of life are all associated with obesity. Sound familiar? These same dangers plague people struggling with obesity as well.

How to Help Your Overweight Lab Lose Weight

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, but if your Lab is already on the pudgy side, you need to take action now.

The first step in reducing your Labs weight should be a trip to the vet to ensure that there arent any major health issues to deal with first. While there, ask your vet to calculate the correct amount of daily calories your dog should be eating so that you can make adjustments right away.

Also ask about replacing a portion of his regular meals with an equal amount of canned green beans to decrease calorie consumption or switching to a kibble formulated for weight management.

In place of his usual snacks, offer only healthy treats like a baby carrot, a few blueberries, or an apple slice, and practice tough love when he looks at you like hes starving.

Gradually increasing the amount of your Labs daily exercise is key to shedding extra weight. Dont just teach him to walk on a treadmill (although you can), but make each exercise session a fun bonding opportunity.

Dinnertime can also be used to increase physical activity if instead of placing his food in a bowl, you hide it within a snuffle mat or make a trail of kibble winding through your backyard.