Overweight

[Guest]

Some help needed please from Labrador owners,I would like to know what you feed your Labs on that doesn't put weight on, at the moment we have had Oscar on Purina senior light as he seems to be a bit overweight, he is about 40 kilo he gets 3 cups a day and a snack of raw carrot and pumpkin in between,and has at least 30 mins a day walking as well as playing in the yard.

any help appreciated.

Lablove

I tried to get on the Labradore thread but couldn't for some reason

[sllebasi]

The usual suggestion is to reduce food intake slightly and exersize a little more. Not sure what labbies are supposed to weigh, 40 kg sounds to me like it is slightly overweight, particularly if its an older dog, who probably is using as much energy as previously. Cut it down by 1/2 a cup and if that doesnt show any improvements cut it down by another 1/2 cup and see what happens

[aussielover]

No offence but that sounds like way to much food imo!

Unless Oscar is a huge (height and build wise) lab 40kg is WAY to heavy also.

I'm feeding my labrador puppy 2 cups of puppy food a day. If she gets a bone then she gets no kibble.

I would cut back his dry food to 2 cups and try to increase his exercise to 30 mins 2x a day if possible.

If you have access to water swimming is great exercise and burns a lot of calories and labradors just love it.

My puppy is also slightly overweight She is 26kg built a lightly built lab so shouldnt be that heavy.

[oakway]

Just halve the food intake far to much for a fat lab.

[wuffles]

My dog isn't a lab but he is 36kg and he only gets 1.5 cups of dry food a day. He gets fat on anything more. Don't be afraid to cut back, he won't starve

[Nekhbet]

most light foods are very low protein which is dissapointing

I would be putting him either on raw or get a premium like royal canin large breed light, it strips weight off. He needs half the amount he gets now too

[Starkehre]

IMO all the "light" foods on the market are there purely for the owner's sake. Owners feed their dogs these foods so they feel they are still giving their dog as much food as the owner feels they need to give without feeling guilty that their dog is not getting enough food.

The dog will be fine on 1 cup per day, but you may not need to be that drastic.

If I need to strip weight I stick with the better food and just cut it back. As long as the dog is getting at least 1 cup per day of good quality food, then he will be fine.

So, that said, just remove 1 cup of your dry to start with and see how you go. Don't give in to those pleading eyes. You and only you are in full control of your dog's weight.

You will be onto it before you know it. Good luck.

Edited November 21, 2010 by dyzney

[Guest]

Thank you to all who answered my post, I will try cutting back and see how we go.

lablove

[missmoo]

My lab is 21/2 yrs and weighs 28 kgs....

He gets fed raw roo meat and vets all natural or a mash up of mixed vegies in the morning and a meaty bone in the evening

if he does get dry food for some reason he only gets 1 1/2 cps in total - 3/4 of a cup in the morning and again in the evening....

try swimming your lab...they love it and it is a great no impact, muscle building, cardio workout...any excess weight will come off quickly....

[Guest]

Thanks missmoo, thats really what I was wanting to know ,what others fed their Labs so I could get a better Idea of what works for some, I should have stated that.

It would be great if we had somewhere for him to swim but we are a fair way from the beach, unfortunately.

How much raw roo meat would you give your's a day? and vets all natural is that dry, and how much would you give of that?

Thanks again lablove

[poodlefan]

What works for any overweight dog of any breed is LESS food.

Changing foods won't work if you give too much.

Are you feeding your dog twice a day Lablove? If so, knock out one complete meal. Easy peasy.

[Guest]

Poodlefan, we are giving him less than the recomended amount on the packet spread out over 3 a day but obviously that is still too much so will def cut down.

Thanks for help lablove

[poodlefan]

Poodlefan, we are giving him less than the recomended amount on the packet spread out over 3 a day but obviously that is still too much so will def cut down.

Thanks for help lablove

An adult dog certainly doesn't need 3 meals a day. How about you just cut one out completely. Personally I'd cut out two.

Also look at what he's getting as treats or snacks - that can also add up to quite a bit.

You've got a breed prone to cruciate ligament rupture - getting weight off will help prevent that AND keep him free of arthritis longer. Be ruthless - its in his best interests to be lean.

Edited November 21, 2010 by poodlefan

[Guest]

Thanks poodlefan only snacks he gets now are a small carrot and a few green beens or a piece of pumpkin,raw, I agree we certainly don't want any leg problem's It's the OH I have too keep an eye on at the momen't, I'll just have to give him a good telling off I think

lablove

[poodlefan]

Thanks poodlefan only snacks he gets now are a small carrot and a few green beens or a piece of pumpkin,raw, I agree we certainly don't want any leg problem's It's the OH I have too keep an eye on at the momen't, I'll just have to give him a good telling off I think

lablove

Tell him he'll kill your boy with kindness. Every extra kilo is wear and tear on his joints.

[Bjelkier]

I have an oversized (he's 24inches) Lab and he only weighs 30 kilo

Lestat gets a cup in the morning and a cup at night, no snacks, no treats unless they come out of his dinner.

Labs will eat themselves sick so you have to be tough with them.

Cut the food in half and ignore those big brown eyes.

[missmoo]

Thanks missmoo, thats really what I was wanting to know ,what others fed their Labs so I could get a better Idea of what works for some, I should have stated that.

It would be great if we had somewhere for him to swim but we are a fair way from the beach, unfortunately.

How much raw roo meat would you give your's a day? and vets all natural is that dry, and how much would you give of that?

Thanks again lablove

you're welcome

Finn gets approx. 350gr of meat per day and 3/4 cup of vets all natural or vegies daily....any other food like bones or fruit is taken off his daily food quota....

vets all natural is mixed with water and left overnight to ferment...Finn has been fed vets all natural since the day i came home with him and his coat, nails and eyes are beautiful!..

It is hard not to over feed labs. they have the "I'm soooo hungry feed me" puppy dog look down to a fine art...the trick is to find out what weight your dog should be and feed accordingly with plenty of exercise....if your dog is getting too skinny increase the food if your dog is putting on weight reduce the amount of food and/or increase exercise.

Is there a dog pool near you or river or any kind of water your dog can safely swim in? If not just take him for lots of walks or take him to a quiet area (minimal dogs, humans, cars etc) where he can run off lead.

To help a dog that you want to lose weight, cut down the food gradually....cutting too much food out at once will make the dog very hungry and may result in food stealing or gorging food more than is normal for labs....cut back 1/4 to 1/2 a cup every few days and add some grated carrot. Grated carrot will help to fill the gap of less food without adding too many calories.

Edited November 22, 2010 by missmoo

[Mason_Gibbs]

My dog gets about 250g meat a day and a roo bone every 2nd or 3rd day, along with some pumpkin or butternut. or sweet potato. My boy has allergies so he can only eat roo, lamb or goat and veg. I would also cut the food back slowly and if you add pumpkin it fills them up but is not too fattening,

[OSoSwift]

Most recommendations on dry food packets are way above what a dog needs. I have only known one dog so far that actually needed to eat the recommended amount and she was walked for at elast an hour, trained in obedience/agility for a hour and had free running on 5 acres for quite a few more hours.

I would cut his food in half he is getting way too much. At 40kg he is in great danger of joint disease, cruciate rupture and heart disease. Not to mention that the risk of heat stroke over summer is vastly increased in an overweight dog.

[sllebasi]

i dont feed my dog anywhere near what they recommend - just how do they come up with those figures for feeding