Labrador Retrievers are amongst one of the most popular breeds of dogs, known for their soft, loyal and energetic nature that makes them an ideal dog for any family home particularly where children are involved. However they are also well know for their susceptibility for easy weight gain.
If your Labrador is carrying around excess weight this can be detrimental to his or her health, bringing about hip dysplasia, arthritis and many other illnesses if not treated. This being awful for the dog but also for the finances, due to the accumulation in huge vet bills over the years.
If you are concerned that your Labrador Retriever is over weight then the simple techniques listed below will help you decide whether or not you should consider putting your dog on a diet, and if so what the best diet option is.
- Feel your dogs ribs: you should not be able to see your dogs ribs as this means your dog is likely to be underweight, however you should be able to feel them with out having to feel around too much.
- Look for curvature: When overweight some Labradors will take on the form of a rectangle. The healthy form of a Labrador should be curved and tucked up before the hindquarters.
- Your dog should not be out of breath and excessively panting after short walks: Labrador Retrievers are energetic dogs; hence this variable will need to be taken into serious consideration if you are considering buying one. They will need regular exercise to keep them at a healthy weight.
- If you need some empirical evidence that your Lab is overweight then the ideal weight for a male dog should be between 27 – 36 kg and between 25 – 32 kg for a female. If you want to quickly work out what the weight of your dog is then use the bathroom scales, work out your weight, pick up the dog and jump on the scales again, look at the total with both of you on the scales and deduct your weight from the total, this will leave you with your dogs weight.
If you are concerned that you’re dog if overweight then it’s time you put it on a diet. Changing the feed you use will be the first thing to consider. If you are uncertain as to where to look for a prescription pet food then Hills dog food is a good place to start as Hills prescription diet is specially formulated for dogs that are overweight.
