How long does it take for a lab to lose weight

By Isabella Storyclaire

last updated November 20, 2024

Contributions sourced from

What Really Happens to Your Body After You Donate Blood: Effects, Risks and Recovery

May 24, 2023 at 1:35 amBy Stanford Blood Center

Written by Krista Thomas, Communications Strategist, with medical direction and expertise from Dr. Suchi Pandey, Chief Medical Officer

One of the most common concerns folks have around giving bloodeven those who do so regularlyis how their body reacts and responds to the blood theyve lost. While you are certainly losing something temporarily in giving to others, a combination of carefully researched FDA recommendations that guide donation as well as many incredible physiologic processes mean you can donate with total peace of mind regarding your own safety. In this article, we dive into what guidelines exist to ensure donors dont lose too much blood, and how your body regenerates those cells that youve selflessly given away.

The perfect pint

Have you ever heard the saying, Always give 100%, unless youre donating blood? While blood loss is typically something we avoid, there is a certain amount of blood we can lose that has a fairly minimal, temporary effect on most individuals daily lives.* The average adult has 10 pints of blood in their bodies, and whole blood donations are currently capped at one pint per personand thats only if the donor meets a certain height and weight requirement. Other specialized products, such as plasma and platelets, may have higher pint maximums, depending on a persons blood count, height and weight. For each blood product donated, current limitations on donation about, as well as donation frequency (56 days between most whole blood donations, 7 between platelets, 4 weeks between plasma, and 4 months between double red), are deeply rooted in this question of what happens to the body during and after donation.

What are the effects of losing blood?

As many donors can tell you, the most common side effect of blood donation is feeling more tired following donation. This is particularly true of whole blood and double red blood cell donations, as they result in temporarily lowered levels of red cells, which carry oxygen in the blood. Lower oxygen carrying capacity of the blood due to decreased red cell volume after a donation (specifically, less oxygen getting to your tissues) can make you feel tired while your body replenishes the lost red cells. In the vast majority of cases, this will improve within a few days as your body beings to rebuild its supply of red blood cells.

A temporary decrease in the amount of platelets and plasma in your body will likely not have a material impact on your daily life. Even if you were to be in a traumatic accident that involved platelet and plasma loss following your donation, FDA regulations on the amount each donor can give would prevent severe impacts related to the decreased platelet/plasma levels.

How does your body recover?

All the blood cells you donate are reproduced and replenished typically within days to weeks of the donation, depending on the type of donation (whole blood, double red, platelets, plasma). Each type of blood cell is generated by a different bodily process and therefore replenishes on a different timeline.

Red cells. After you donate red cells (as in double red blood cell or whole blood donations), specialized cells in your body designed to track oxygen note decreased levels in your bloodstream and catalyze the production of a protein called erythropoietin. Erythropoietin serves as a messenger, signaling to the bone marrow to generate red cells. In the days after donation, red cells are replaced at rapid rate, but it typically takes 48 weeks to replace all the red cells lost in a whole blood donation. Taking iron supplementation after a donation can also help ensure more rapid recovery post-donation since iron stores and hemoglobin are closely tied. We recommend whole blood donors take a low dose of iron (e.g., 18mg) for 60 days after donation to fully recover the iron lost with a single donation. (Frequent platelet/plasma donors can also benefit from taking iron supplements due cumulative red cell loss over multiple donations.)
Platelets. Platelets follow a similar pattern to red cells in that, when low levels are detected, a messenger is created to tell the bone marrow to ramp up productionin this case, a hormone called thrombopoietin as opposed to erythropoietin. The bone marrow produces very large cells called megakaryocytes, and these eventually break down into the platelets our body needs. After a platelet donation, platelet count typically recovers within a week.
Plasma. As you may know, plasma, which makes up 55% of your blood volume, is more than 90% waterso, when the phlebotomists tell you to drink water after giving blood, it really is important! In fact, chemicals in both your brain and your kidneys will be able to tell your blood volume is low on water and will accordingly initiate a number of processes to ensure you retain as much water as possible, including by decreasing how much you lose from urination. As you hydrate to replenish the water content of plasma, your body also works to recreate the many other proteins (e.g., clotting factors, antibodies) it contains, each of which has its own process for detecting low levels and creating new cells. Plasma will begin to replenish immediately and should be fully back to normal within a few days.

While the processes outlined above may seem incredibly complex, for most peoples bodies, getting blood levels back up to par is not a heavy lift in the grand scheme of the millions of processes the body undertakes on a daily basis. However, for individuals in need of a bone marrow transplant, living with severe anemia, and so many other serious long-term conditions, the difficulty of carrying out these processes is the very reason your donations are so needed and so appreciated. As a healthy donor, you can rest assured that that which you give away will be regenerated, and that which you give to others will generate new hope.

For more information about different blood products, visit our website here. For questions about blood donor eligibility, contact our Telerecruitment team at 888-723-7831 or [email protected].

*The small caveat here is for serious competitive athletes, which is a topic we cover in our commonly googled questions article here.

Read all PULSE 2023, issue 2 articles.

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.

(paid link)

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.