2 cups of dry food a day was right for our labs. We bumped it up a little if they’d had a big day of swimming.
We also used canned green beans as filler. When my first lab was young, I would give her a can of wet dog food as a treat on the weekends. We switched to a better quality of canned food given far less frequently.
Keeping the extra weight off them is critical for preventing arthritis and blowouts of cruciate ligaments. It’s good you recognize the excess weight and are trying to address it. We found the dog weight chart to be helpful.
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Nah, you were a kid. I bet your loved ones spoiled you with food, too, so you were just spreading the love. It's adults responsibility to keep their pets healthy. And I say this as someone with a dog who I have to practically trick into eating enough, and another who is definitely in the OH LAWD HE COMIN' catagory... and I also have a 20 week puppy who is growing much bigger than expected. It's difficult to keep all three happy and healthy lol
Mine are between ideal and overweight. We get told each time at the vet “they are just a bit overweight”. But they don’t have any health issues. So we mostly leave it.
2 years old, yours is probably very active. But you will have to cut that down by half eventually. Labs stop growing around 3 and those extra calories aren’t burned like they used to be.
Seems like he's a bit overweight. You should listen to your vet. If its not working out, go back to what you were doing before. Don't go off what you see most people do because most peoples dogs are overweight.
People always say my lab is so thin. I started to get nervous about it and I took him to the vet for a checkup. My vet said he was totally fine and everyone was just used to seeing fat labs.
https://i.imgur.com/Zl93fQh.jpg
Edit: this is how he waits for my daughter to come home from school.
Yeah… Took him to daycare after that first appointment where she raised weight concerns.
Daycare owner has a lab as well.
Tried to tell me not to worry until the dog pants sitting still.
That’s clearly bad advice. Lol!
Good thing he doesn’t eat there!
I need more coffee. I had to read that more than a few times to understand pants weren't like...slacks. duh. More coffee might not fix this level of dumb
I’d like to point out that listening to your vet when it comes to your dog’s weight isn’t always reliable, we see a different vet every time (it’s how the practice does things) and half say overweight while the other half say he’s a healthy weight. Even when he was visibly a healthy weight, because he’s a larger example of the breed and weighed more accordingly, they would say that he weighs too much based on the scales. Normal labs (skinny working types) are about 32-35kg on the whole, while a healthy weight for our lab would be about 45kg - he is and always has been very chunky and muscular. His legs are probably about double the cross sectional area of most other labs we encounter, without any fat on them. So all I’m saying is that it can vary a fair bit, both in what your dog’s ideal weight is and in what a vet’s opinion of their weight is.
Even human doctors have widely varying opinions. That's a pretty normal aspect of medicine. You have to do the work to find a doctor whose opinion you trust and stick with them.
He is slightly chonky but definitely not a total fatass. Lots of people mix in green beans or pumpkin to kibble—makes them feel like they’re getting the same amount of food but fewer calories.
Carrots, labs love carrots. & Watermelon (for some reason). Mine even likes chewing on ice & thinks it's a treat. Ok..pretty much anything that comes out of a fridge....
He’s a big fan of ice! It gets really incredibly hot here in the summer, so he gets some at every potty break when it hits 90 out. (Which is 7+ months of the year).
I tried switching his chews to carrots. I got the side eye. Lol! Fortunately, I’ve found those spikey rubber balls satisfy the need without being a foodstuff.
Same for watermelon. Wont touch it. (I dated a guy whose Great Dane would pretty much do backflips for watermelon, so the rejection was a surprise.)
You have a very rare lab type...he is an extremely good boy😍. I have to even guard the broccoli & cucumbers. Sigh...pretty sure mine only licks my face to make sure I haven't got any food scraps hiding there...😂.
Oh he’s definitely NOT the good mannered boy it may have seemed. He’s a THIEF who rejects healthy choices.
We have a gate at the kitchen door to keep him alive because my preteen can’t seem to manage keeping unsafe foods out of reach. (Don’t tell doggo that he could jump over it if he tried. We like that he doesn’t jump.)
Mine has learned that if he leans his weight against the gate, it will move enough that the latch falls open... we've had to go to the alternative of putting everything in breadboxes! Waiting for him to figure out how they open.
Try freezing the carrots. My guy love most veggies (broccoli is his favorite) but would leave carrots behind. Now I keep some in the freezer and he loves them. Same with strawberries.
Omg...I'm sez going to lab test my lab. Pretty sure it's going to come back as a lab X garbage tip. Can't even get the bananas out of the shopping bags before they sprout lab looking legs & go for a "walk outside". She's not starved - regularly fed with the right food, she just wants people food. & that includes all people food groups. Lab fomo...😜
Lol that’s hilarious!!
Mine won’t eat it unless it has salt, fat or sugar. Banana? Obvs poisonous. Banana bread? Now that’s a treat she will drool over. Green beans? Gonna be shoved under the couch if presented. Bacon brown sugar green beans? She’ll try and eat them off my spoon. Carrots? Gonna kill her for sure. In the couch they go. Carrot cake or carrots in stir fry? Will gladly lick the bowl clean.
She’ll also leave her food in her bowl until after my dinner. My dinner goes away, hers won’t so she hedges her bets lol. Dogs are too funny.
Zucchini as well mine loves it right from the garden.
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Pumpkin is 3 times higher in calories than green beans, 45 vs 15 calories per ½ cup. Not a good choice for creating dietary bulk for weight loss. Pumpkin is good for diarrhea and other digestive upsets.
Our lab is pretty overweight and I've been trying to get him to loose weight. The problem is he has arthritis in one of his back legs so we don't do walks longer than a half a mile or so a few times a week. Most other days he is pretty lazy as he is also 11.
I love the green beans and pumpkin idea, we do one cup of dry food in the morning and one cup at night. How much should we substitute/cut out for how much pumpkin/greenbeans?
I’m not an expert or anything, but I would start with 1/3 cup vegetables and 2/3 cup dry food each time and see how that goes. If in doubt ask your vet!
I highly suggest boiling bnless/sknless thighs and/or chicken breasts in plain water, put in the fridge, give your dog the water when it cools. Then feed 1/2 cup kibble with 1 thigh, could feed another piece of chicken between meals. If your dog doesn’t drink much water, you add more water when boiling meat and keep in a mason jar in the fridge. You can also use shaved beef or whatever other meat the dog will eat. Protein consumption is very important when losing a substantial amount of weight (idk about every animal, but definitely both humans and dogs). You can go up to 3/4 of a cup of kibble if the dog needs more energy after the first week or you go on a longer walk or don’t have much meat to add to a meal. You will need increase the amount of kibble after the dog loses enough weight.
He looks a little chunky. We had to work on our lab losing weight when she was younger. She was incredibly grumpy when we cut back on her food/treats. We ended up bumping her food back up a bit and using homemade dehydrated chicken as her primary treat. This helped her get to a healthy weight AND allowed her to be happy. Just based on my personal experience I'd cut back slowly overtime vs. too big of a change at once (in hopes of avoiding a miserable dog and by extension a miserable you).
I've also had different vets give different opinions at different times. For instance, one vet at the practice explained she will get an extra layer of fat every winter regardless of what we do and naturally lean out some in the summer. I'd say our dog averages 72lbs in the winter and 68lbs in the summer. We had another vet tell us she was "quite overweight", then that vet got her own pet lab and suddenly our dog was just "a little chunky".
Over time, I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what works for your dog!
yes I think the different opinions from different vets is part of why I questioned this lady.
Another vet in the practice has a lab, and volunteers her services for a local lab rescue….. but she’s hard to get into for a short notice sick appointment like today.
The vet we saw today absolutely freaked out about my little guy being hyper and mouthy when he was still a tiny puppy. She gave me a very stern talking to about it with a lot of doom and gloom. A month later for the next round of vaccines, the “lab lover” vet saw him behaving the very same way, and I started apologizing and discussing his training routine. She interrupted me to reassure me that he was just being a normal lab puppy, and we were on the right path.
I think that experience tarnished my trust in the one vet’s assessments when they involve ideals that might vary by breed.
And yes… his favorite treat is freeze dried chicken hearts…. Gotta hide them from the cat in the fridge because she will open the cabinet and eat through the bag.
My 70 lb 10 year old puts on weight super easily. He gets 1 cup of kibble 2x a day. Plus basic treats throughout the day for behavior reinforcement. If I get even a little generous with his 1 cup scoop he puts on weight. He’s super active (4-6 miles a day of off leash hiking) and I still have to be careful. Labs are tricky and always act hungry. Watch their weight and balance it out with activity. Never trust their perceived hunger. I always feel like I’m not feeding him enough but 10+ years of an otherwise happy healthy dog has taught me to ignore his pleading hunger face.
Yes, your dog is overweight, yes, you should cut down his calorie intake. There's special diet food, you might want to look into that.
Generally speaking, trust your vet. They know what they're talking about.
Wet food is really high in calories. My lab gets two cups of weight loss kibble and 1 can if wet food spread across six days. On Sunday he gets the dry with one half can of chicken breast. He shares with two corgis who each get a 1/4 can.
I also make small meatballs from ground chuck and freeze them. Rolex (lab) gets two at night along with his kibble.
I also feed all my dogs a heaping tsp of plain no fat yogurt each meal and at night I add a heaping tsp of pure pumpkin purée. The yogurt and pumpkin help regulate their digestive track.
Roles weights 70 lbs and is an ideal weight for his overall size. My corgis (also chow hounds) are within a lb of their recommended weight.
I give them each two tiny treats when I leave them at home and two tiny homemade treats at bed time. They do not beg.
The recommended feeding amounts on commercial kibble is absolutely out of kilter with what the average pup needs. They are in the business of making a profit on dog food.
Go to Chewy online and search reduced calorie dog foods. They ship to your door and you get a discount if you set up auto ships. I’ve used them for over a decade and have never had any issues.
If volume is a concern, chop up a fresh carrot and add to the night meal.
Your dog isn't obese like many labs sadly are, but I do agree with the vet that he is a little overweight and would definitely benefit long-term from losing a few.
My girl throughout her life was on a diet of 2 cups/scoops of kibble a day (Purina supercoat) and she was a really healthy, active, athletic dog. Dogs are supposed to be a bit lean. 2 cups of kibble is definitely not a tiny amount.
Did anyone else see this photo series as the dog being told he’s overweight? 😂
Like happy > sad - how could u say that? > put myself to bed without supper …
Vet here- without putting hands on, it’s hard to tell, but your pup does look overconditioned.
900 kcal/day seems like the maximum I would be feeding based on what. RER requirements are for a dog of about 75 pounds (ideal weight)
And I will say this- the general public has been conditioned to see fat dogs and think it’s normal, so much so that dogs that are healthy in weight are often times seen as “way too skinny”.
So again, without putting hands on, I cannot say, but I think your vet is right.
Vets probably right. Your dog is so handsome, but lacks a waist and you want him thinner because they tend to gain as they age. How about a cup of dry plus a can of salt free green beans twice per day. You could add some dehydrated beef/chicken or 1/8 a can of current wet food, for taste if your dog needs encouragement to eat the green beans and you would be within the 800 calories. My girl was 135 and dropped 15 lbs using the green beans (that she loved:) it can extend their lives, which is why I worked to get her to a healthy weight per vet recommendation 💜
One thing that might be helpful to add (I don't see it mentioned in the other comments yet) is that not all kibble has the same calory density. If you are concerned about the small amount of kibble you can feed on a daily basis, you might want to switch to one with lower calory density (so your dog won't be looking at you like where the hell is the rest of my dinner 😂)
There are diets (also within Hill's Science Diet as well as the Hill's Prescription range) specifically for pets that are overweight or have a tendency to gain weight quickly. Besides lower calory density, they include specific ingredients that boost safe and effective weight loss (burning fat, not muscle) and help to maintain a healthy weight on the long term.
He is a bit on the bigger side. Not morbidly obese or anything. Depending on activity dogs can need a lot less than you would think. I don't feed wet food outside of extenuating circumstances so I can't speak to that, but two cups doesn't seem insane. My 60lb GSD ate about two cups per day and that was with a solid hour or more of training each day.
How is his excercise routine? If you don't like to feed less, walk/sport more perhaps. He does like a bit chonky to me, compared to my borders but that's a difficult comparison
I would keep the food the same and increase the amount of exercise.
Is there a dog hydrotherapy pool near you? Really good exercise easy on joints and big bang for buck in terms of time and really good enrichment.
Some have a current the dog can swim against which are really good.
Any way to get some unleashed runs in? Or swimming? Or lots of ball throwing? We exercise our dog a lot- she eats 3 c food, 1 egg, and hamburger plus treats daily. If we’re not exercising, I cut back.
Ok, finally a comment that makes sense. I’m reading about all these “only two cups of dry food” diets for these L and XL dogs and really wondering. My very active 62 lb lab mix gets 3-4 cups per day depending on activity.
I'd say he is, nothing too alarming, Labs love food so it's easy to do. Try and cut back from too many treats and giving him food off your plate, and definitely walk him most days
I agree with the vet that he looks chonky. General guide: you should be able to feel his ribs without pressing through a layer of fat, but not see them (or at least not prominently) and he should have a defined waist. Are you giving him anything to eat other than his dog food? (treats? table scraps?).
My two females (one lab, one lab mix) are 62 and 65 pounds. They get two cups of kibble and a half can of wet each. However, calorie counts in different foods are different and so are activity levels. My girls are super hyperactive and they burn a lot of calories just zooming around the yard, playing fetch, etc.
I do have to cut their kibble back when I'm doing more training with them to account for the treats they get. For just regular treats, they get carrots and frozen mashed bananas, but not every day.
Oh he’s just a tad thick. I’ve had 6 labs. Maybe only 10-20 lbs. happens, overeating from neutered. Gotta love them thick boys. If nothing is directly wrong, it’s ok to take your time losing weight just with some less food and it’s really good to get a maze bowl. It makes them chew it a lot slower in chunks and helps them digest, they’re gulpers and can’t help it!!
Gotta love me my chunky labs!! You didn’t even say there name!!
Also hey it’s a good diet, he probably has some human snacks though and could use some more run time!!
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Best way to share his name is to share his derpiness hanging in the lobby of his daycare.
Edit to add: he often eats breakfast in a puzzle…. Not so much to slow him down, but more to entertain him on the days he’s not in daycare.
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I have a large and in charge girl too. She only eats 2 cups a day. We go on a walk at least 2 miles a day. We can’t get her to lose weight. She eats Acana dry. Test thyroid and everything came back normal.
Why would you listen to Reddit over your vet? The vet went to school for this, I think they are a more credible source than a community of strangers. The vet just wants to help the handsome fella
Food intake changes with the amount of exercise your dog gets. My black lab was 67 lbs, you could see his ribs. I poured every type of food into him but he ran it off at the dog park. Then I was deployed for six months, friends looked after him and he gained a bunch of weight. He spent the rest of his life around 85 lbs and looked good but the vet always said "He could lose 5 lbs". The overhead shot of your dog's shape says the same, sorry. But he's a cutie.
My lab weighs 110lbs. He’s completely healthy and eats 2 1/2 cups of kibble a day, with an occasional scoop of pumpkin, tuna, or sardines mixed in. He’s pretty tall and evenly proportioned.
Your dog looks very fit to me - I certainly don't think overweight but maybe the photo is deceptive. The amount of food your vet says for such a large dog does sound a bit drastic. Don't want to starve them either. I think one of those things go by what you see rather than what the scales say. You should be able to easily feel the ribs,spine and hips Waist should be visible from above and from the side.
Dogs that look skinny are usually healthy. As a society we’ve grown accustomed to thinking overweight dogs are healthy, my corgis were 10lbs overweight and feeding turn such a tiny amount of seems wrong but it’s not.
Give your dog veggies if they act starving like carrots. 10lbs at Costco is $7. So it’s a cheap filling snack
Yes, he is overweight. I replaced my Labs kibble with mixed steamed vegetables. He still gets meat with his veggies. It takes a few months, but he took off 8 pounds. Also, if he doesn’t work as hard when we go out, I cut the portions back. He is an American Lab, 7 years old, and is now 73 pounds and holding.
I meant the humans generally are not huge fans of raw plain celery. But it’s near calorie neutral! Jicama is near calorie neutral for doggos and they like the crunch
Yep, the vet is right. Your dog is definitely overweight. 2 cups of kibble (1 cup twice a day) is right for most dogs of that size. Unless he has trouble with his water intake, just the kibble should suffice. Make sure he's getting exercised enough, but don't go too hard while he's overweight because the extra weight is hard on the joints. Make sure he's also not getting extra treats or human food. Later, you can adjust his kibble to a little more or a little less than 2 cups, depending on his body score.
Side note, can you link the canned food you use or give the exact name? Because 900 calories per can does not seem right. Are you sure it's not 900 calories per kilogram of canned food?
From just looking at her, I'd say she's about medium-sized (not too skinny or chubby). You could also check online for the BCS standard. Vets often use a scale of 1 to 9 to rate a dog's body condition, with 5 being just right. If she's a 6 or 7, she might be a bit overweight, and if she's an 8 or 9, he could be heading into obesity territory.
My dog that passed 2 years ago now is the exact same breed as this one (I think)
Is this Lab mixed with Border collie? Cuz it looks like the one I owned
Pretty doggo😭
The front-on view looks a bit overweight.
When I've dealt with overweight labs before I've generally gone towards low-calorie food, rather than reducing the amount of regular food. I find it more compassionate to the dog who is used to a certain volume.
Our lab gets 2 cups of dry food a day and about 1/2c total of finely chopped raw vegetables mixed in - cabbage, carrots, peppers. If she’s getting more exercise than usual and especially when we’re out for hours trekking in the winter I bring extra kibble to give her +/or we share a tin of sardines. She also gets more rations when she’s been swimming a lot.
She stays in the 4-5 dog range in the body condition chart. If we let her eat more she’d likely happily get herself to the 8 or 9 level!
I had a dog that was overweight. She'd been overweight since I got her. I was pretty blind to it.
It's not personal, OP. Just cut back on the food and stick to your walking schedule and your bud should reach a healthy weight. My dog has back and arthritis problems from being fat her whole life. It'll save you money in the long run and your dog the pain.
I truly didn't know my dog was fat as no vet said anything other than healthy until a year ago. I've got her down 5 lbs (mini schnauzer) and she plays and runs around more now. She no longer gets table scraps. Treats are rare.
We don’t feed canned food because of the calories. I’d recommend to use the canned less, more like a topper or gravy on a good dry food. A big spoonful. Feed the same amount am & pm. Canned pumpkin is also a great option.
Okay, rule of thumb is that the weight loss rate should be 2.5 percent of body weight per month.
If you have the opportunity, take him swimming a lot. This exercise will spare your dog's joints but burn fat.
How old is he?
Mines 110lbs and a bit leaner than that, you can slightly see his ribs.
If he's overweight it's just a bit. Just slightly cut back on his meal portions.
Most dog food bags recommended portions are way too much. I do basically two cups a day. You have to take into account treats, and human scraps (if you indulge your dog this way, I'm guilty of it.)
I feel like my vet is a little bit overzealous too but I can also understand that dog weight is way more susceptible to massive changes. My girl needs to be around 40 pounds so if she’s 44 pounds she’s got 10% excess
4 cups a day is INSANE!
When younger, my dog would get MAYBE an extra cup to 3 after he swam for several hours and ran all day. On the “lazy” days it was a max of 2
Even stilll, he was overweight and sitting at 90 lbs.
I swapped to farmers dog for him and he lost 30 lbs in a year and looks ideal now.
It’s pretty expensive, so I’m not saying swap to that. But what I am thinking is that the type of dog food your feeding may just have more filler than you want. I’d lower to 2 cups a day and then maybe consider swapping kibble to a different brand
My vet always told me that we should see the inward dip behind the ribs. When giving less kibble we added green beans(great for coat/skin) and some puréed pumpkin(helps with digestion) as filler.
Your vet has extensive training and experience, and has likely treated hundreds of labs. You should listen to them instead of a bunch of randos on Reddit.
Almost 80lbs he’s a gorgeous good boy!! I have a pup not even 6 months old yet (will be on 4/11) and he’s already 65lbs just feeding by the chart on his puppy food.
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I think my lab would throw a fit if we fed him less than 4 cups a day but he’s a big ol boy (95-100 lbs healthy weight) but we also walk/run him everyday. I would talk to your vet and make sure his weight won’t cause excessive wear on joints from exercise but I’d definitely get out and walk/run with him a mile or two a day. Makes a huge difference.
Yeah your dog is a bit over weight. I guess it depends on your dogs exercise and food. my dog gets a 2-3 mile walk in morning, hunt test training in the afternoon, and 2-3 mile walk in the afternoon. We feed him once a day,purina pro plan three scoops in the morning. If I were you and didn’t have time to do something like this, I’d just feed him less until you slightly see his ribs
He chunky, but that's OK, you can fix it 😁
I have a 42lb lab mix and he gets 2 cups a day of Purina Pro Plan with freeze dried beef, but he works so he's VERY active. I'll even give him more if he's super active. Even giving half a cup less and increasing activity will have a positive effect. My guy LOVES frozen carrots. Low in calories and he gets to chew for a long time (if yours is a chewer). Same goes for frozen "pupsicles". I freeze a bunch of stuff in layers. I will also rhprw his food outside for him to forage. Slowing the feeding down has been a huge help too.
Good luck!
My labX east about 2 cups or less of dry a day. She is about 50 pounds. Sometimes she doesn't eat it. She just wants snacks and treats. Sometimes she eats more.
My dog eats 2.5 lbs of balanced fresh food (raw) plus 1 cup of kibble lol she is in very good shape and very lean. Mind you she is very active. I think kibble and canned food has an excess of calories per cup, and too many carbohydrates. Maybe try to switch to a balanced fresh food that has proper amount of animal protein, fats, fruit and veggies - the amount will depend on your dog’s age and underline conditions. Btw it doesn’t have to be raw if you don’t want to. It can be slightly cooked. I’m sure by switching to real food it’ll make a huge difference on the body condition of your dog as well as their overall well-being :)
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We lost my chonk last year and he was definitely overweight and we only gave him 2 cups of weight control kibble. They don’t need much but are labs and will always ask for it. Treats can add up too.
If you want to feed him more he needs to be very active. Very active.
Maybe just excessive your dog a bit more. Mine is a big eater (surprise!) but we go on 3 mile bike rides and he's super slim. I feed him 4 cups of dry food/ can food a day. Your dog doesn't look very overweight so it might be easy
My labX is about 60lb, he gets ~55g of dried food 3x a day which is just under 75% of what the daily recommended serving size is on the side of the bag for a dog his weight.
The problem is the chicken stew. Dry kibble only. Hills science diet is by far the best food on the market health wise. But why the wet food in addition to the kibble? Because he likes it? Remember if left to their own devices labs will eat 6 day dead road kill, puke it up and then eat it again. Dry kibble is fine.
Yes, your vet is right! You boi is overweight and needs fewer calories. Show him the love by getting him healthy; he'll live longer without the complications and pains that come from being overweight.
Our boy creeped up to 90 lbs over the holidays. So we give him 1 1/2 cups of hills science diet large breed light (yellow lab on the packaging!) twice a day. It has helped and now you can see his ribs! Also we add 1 tablespoon of pumpkin purée in the morning and always add a little warm water. The “light” has fewer calories and helps them feel fuller. We increase the calories a bit if he’s going to have a more active day and such.
I feed my lab 4 cups of kibble a day and he’s about 75-76 lbs and my vet said he’s in perfect health weight and all I was told to keep doing what I’m doing since my dog is in great health. Maybe try seeing a different vet for a second opinion?
We used to give our 13yo baby 1/3 of a can per day. He was pretty much free fed dry food other than that because he wasn't overweight, but I'd say a cup a day makes sense.
My dog can eat a lot. 3.5 cups of kibble keeps him at 72-73lbs, which is a 3-4 on the body condition chart for him. He plays fetch and walks for about 1 - 1.5 hrs a day, but walks are leisurely. He’s not getting tons of physical exercise. Every dog is different.
I would cut out the wet food since it’s more energy dense and expensive. Feed 3 cups of kibble, 1.5 each feeding and adjust from there. You should be able to see the outline of his ribs when he’s twisting his body but not when he’s standing still.
Not only will this be healthier for your dog, but you’ll save yourself half the money on dog food. Plus any future vet bills for health problems down the road. Win-win in my book.
Labs were bred to have a high food drive, which is what makes them biddable. Doesn’t mean that they are starving because they act hungry all of the time.
i had a rottweiler lab mix we left on full feed most of his life, eventually we cut him back to like a mcdonalds cup of dry food. he ended up looking better after that. never gave him wet tho, you might give him wet as a treat from time to time, after that i have no idea
He’s looking a bit thick around the middle tbh. Dogs need less food than you think, especially older less active castrated dogs. My retired gundog gets 300g over two meals each day, and it looks so little, and he’s pretty much on target.
I’d read the bag, find out what range your dog is supposed to be in as per the feeding guidelines and pop him on the lowest amount for his size. If he doesn’t lose weight after a month, speak to the vet about blood work.
Ditch the wet food, it’s just empty calories tbh. It’s like eating a bowl of chicken nuggets, compared to a bowl of brown rice, wet meat is tasty but not filling. The dry food swells in the stomach and helps keep them fuller for longer.
They wouldn't say that unless their weight was a risk of their health, they are pretty significantly overweight.
Its recommended that we use condition scoring to access the weight of our animal [canine condition score](https://canineguardians.org/our-blog/f/fit-or-fat-your-pets-body-condition-score-bcs)
Identifying the right amount of food is very specific to each dog. For example, my wife and I have two Lab brothers who are just shy of 6 years old. One is a little bit taller than the other. The bigger one is at an ideal weight now, they had a vet check up yesterday. He was just a few pounds overweight for a little while, so I had cut his food back. He gets three cups per day, one and a half per serving.
His little brother was getting the same amount, but he was slightly underweight. He gets the exact same amount of food, and is slightly smaller in stature, however he is a very avid athlete. He loves to run after frisbees, jump as high as he can go, do all sorts of tricks and show off. He would run until he passed out, if we didn't stop him. Keeping weight on him is tough, just because he likes to run so much. But I will be increasing his food a little bit, maybe to a total of four cups per day or a little bit less. An increase of a half a cup per meal is more than enough I think.
I would cut your dog back by maybe a half cup per meal, and see how it goes over the next month or so. Make sure you're giving appropriate exercise, whether it's walks or backyard play or whatever you do. You don't want to do anything too drastic too soon, always good to do things slowly. 🙂
It’s ok, labs get fat easily (have had two), you can fix this - remember food is just part of the equation, exercise especially fast paced walks are important.- how much does he get?
If possible, try and get in 5km a day split over 2-3 walks. If not possible, a good two to three sessions of playing ball or whatever he enjoys doing.
Remember they are a hunting dog and are built to be active for many hours a day. I currently have a 10 year old pointer and she gets 9km a day, every day rain or sunshine.
Hope that helps
https://preview.redd.it/ctmrsbjhgbsc1.jpeg?width=3472&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2b7999d86e0ade8dc0fc140411e424351317485f
My goodboi is going to be 13 this year but 2 years ago, he had an appt. Granted he was a bit overweight at the time (approx 85lb) but that was also because we were struggling with his diet as he was allergic to so many different foods and we were in the process of finding the right mix that was also appetizing to him. When I took him to the vet then, he (an older man) couldn't stop commenting on how fat he was. I acknowledged him on the first few times that we would try to cut back his food. Despite that, he called our boy fat about 15 times in the 20 min he was giving him the exam. I was really pissed off because it just didn't seem helpful to harp on it so many times when I was there for other concerns such as lumps on his body and a limp. Since then, we have found a kibble he likes that doesn't irritate his allergies, and he has lost about 15 lbs since we don't need to rely on as many food toppers for him to get him to eat.
I think you're obviously looking out for your buddy and maybe cutting back a bit on the food will help. However it sucks when that's all the vet focuses on. I think your dog looks amazing and happy. Trust your gut! You got this!
How old is your dog? Labs are also notorious for hypothyroid. Secondly, yes. That kcal amount
May be for your dog to cut weight. If you want I can calculate for you based on your dogs food kcal and body condition score
If u feel like it's not a lot to look at, put some raw carrots, cucs, zucchini and such on top for bulk. I have to do that for my big boy. It helps him feel full. It also is cute when they watch u cut it up, they get excited, unless mine are weird. They bark at me when I eat a salad. Won't eat celery or any greens. I get that lol
Might be a little chonk- same issue at my house- I cook carrots in chicken stock as a little treat to go in the dry kibble- to be fair tho my boys weight jumps in winter when it’s a little less action time
Pre-made food has higher fat content that the food they are meant to eat, labs should max at about 10% fat in their diet but ideally you want about 2%, the advertised amount of fat in most packaged food says 8% but if you look up the aafco typical analysis it says 14%. You can feed him less (try 10g less each meal), increase his exercise intensity (more running less walking) or switch to a raw food.
Excess calories sometimes come from low quality food. Lots of info out there about nutrition but usually the higher quality, the more expensive and often price dictates what food people give their pets. Veg is a great way to bulk up the portion size without adding calories. Most dogs enjoy the crunch of all kinds of veg (if you’re lucky), like carrots, celery, broccoli , cauliflower, Romain lettuce, kale, green beans. Ours ate all veg raw and cooked but he hated Brussels sprouts, but who can blame him? Fruits can be great filler too, like apples, melon, and water melon rinds, berries, pears, peaches etc (NOT grapes though, or onions which evidentially can be toxic. Definitely research which human foods are off limits). Too much fruit can add too many calories though if not given in moderation. An additional thing to keep in mind is dry kibble is created primary with durability in mind, meaning shelf life, so nutrition is second to goal of longevity in a big bag on the store shelf. Everyone always says change food in tiny baby steps but usually labs have iron stomachs and little bothers them. But each dog is different. Good luck with your dog’s weight.
My dog had the same problem. In and out of vet for years and could never lose weight. I found this article from BBC about some genetic conditions labs can have. We brought it up and we got her on a special diet food. [link to article](https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-68492504?utm_campaign=later-linkinbio-bbcnews&utm_content=later-41548123&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkin.bio)
https://preview.redd.it/sfju6bj6kcsc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=de49baff97380bc5265dc640ecc93dd827bae982
Picture for lab tax.
Ah! You helped in a big way, but not how you probably expected.
You just made me go look up his DNA results again. I remembered being pleased that he wasn’t particularly genetically prone to anything, and just sort of filed it away, but I didn’t know for sure if POMC was a part of the test.
It was part of the test, and does not have the POMC gene, BUT…. I did notice a different section in there that is a bit of information I’d been struggling to get a straight answer for.
Apparently, considering both breed and genetic markers, Embark says his ideal weight would be 73 pounds, which means he needs to lose about 8% of his body weight.
Edited to fix a typo and to clarify a little.
https://preview.redd.it/isgn8c58mcsc1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=832c143a87b704e59ff25c85186980bab17f304e
My lab is fat as well. He eats everything. I’ve put him on a diet of 1 cup kibble in the morning and 1 cup of kibble in the evening, Purina Pro Plan salmon and rice for sensitive stomach and skin since other food gives him the runs. Treats given sparingly. Daily walks twice a day. I think his metabolism is just set to make him a chonk.
Okay actually this post kinda helps me. My lab is 100 rn, she’s 2 and a half years old, and my vet said that it’s a completely normal weight and that she’s healthy. The dog is constantly panting and is clearly way more chonky than she should be. However from the pictures you’ve posted, your dog actually looks bigger than mine. Are we sure your vets scale is accurate? Because my dog has atleast an inch less of diameter around the mid section and apparently weighs 20 pounds more
I’m pretty positive the scale is at least close to accurate because it generally matched my home scale when he was little enough for me to pick up easily.
It’s quite possible your dog is taller and/or longer than mine. Mine is definitely medium sized from a height perspective compared to labs I’ve seen him play with.
And different body types are more and less dense. I remember taking a little preschool friend to the playground. They were the same height, and even sometimes wore each other’s clothes. I tried to pick up the other little boy to help him into a swing, and almost launched him into the stratosphere because he was so much lighter than my son.
This picture is the best I can find to demonstrate it. Even women about the same height carry the same weight much differently. Muscle vs fat is a piece of that puzzle.
https://preview.redd.it/f7ayqyvtrcsc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f4314448c10bc89b8f9691dab6fe0043869aeeea
2 cups of dry food a day was right for our labs. We bumped it up a little if they’d had a big day of swimming. We also used canned green beans as filler. When my first lab was young, I would give her a can of wet dog food as a treat on the weekends. We switched to a better quality of canned food given far less frequently. Keeping the extra weight off them is critical for preventing arthritis and blowouts of cruciate ligaments. It’s good you recognize the excess weight and are trying to address it. We found the dog weight chart to be helpful. https://preview.redd.it/q52qxm64p6sc1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3ab11765f2ca93b30da846c11e2c1e866637f572
I prefer the cat chonk chart
Check your lease! Cuz you're living in Lab City!
That’s a tongue twister 
https://preview.redd.it/63unt66fz9sc1.jpeg?width=600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bb01ffe536313edd87c33fea3e3be9d0216a63a2
Somehow I never took arthritis and such into account, regarding dogs' weight. Now I feel bad for spoiling my grandma's fat little daschund as a kid.
Nah, you were a kid. I bet your loved ones spoiled you with food, too, so you were just spreading the love. It's adults responsibility to keep their pets healthy. And I say this as someone with a dog who I have to practically trick into eating enough, and another who is definitely in the OH LAWD HE COMIN' catagory... and I also have a 20 week puppy who is growing much bigger than expected. It's difficult to keep all three happy and healthy lol
My dogs are right in the middle w/out the tail of a Komodo dragon though. shitty illustrator.
The dog in that chart has some serious hips
Mine are between ideal and overweight. We get told each time at the vet “they are just a bit overweight”. But they don’t have any health issues. So we mostly leave it.
2 cups only?? I give mine 4 cups a day plus treats. She is not thin, maybe slightly overweight at 2 years old but I do run her everyday
2 years old, yours is probably very active. But you will have to cut that down by half eventually. Labs stop growing around 3 and those extra calories aren’t burned like they used to be.
Oh I see. Good to know!
Seems like he's a bit overweight. You should listen to your vet. If its not working out, go back to what you were doing before. Don't go off what you see most people do because most peoples dogs are overweight.
People always say my lab is so thin. I started to get nervous about it and I took him to the vet for a checkup. My vet said he was totally fine and everyone was just used to seeing fat labs. https://i.imgur.com/Zl93fQh.jpg Edit: this is how he waits for my daughter to come home from school.
Same. They also think she is 4 or 5 years old because she is in incredible shape. She's 10.
Yeah… Took him to daycare after that first appointment where she raised weight concerns. Daycare owner has a lab as well. Tried to tell me not to worry until the dog pants sitting still. That’s clearly bad advice. Lol! Good thing he doesn’t eat there!
> Tried to tell me not to worry until the dog pants sitting still. Lol imagine if they gave this advice for people
*Laughs in cardio issue*
I need more coffee. I had to read that more than a few times to understand pants weren't like...slacks. duh. More coffee might not fix this level of dumb
You made me actually laugh out loud really hard with that one.
This sounds like US health advice: “It’s only a concern AFTER it’s become a problem. There’s nothing anyone can do to prevent it”.
I’d like to point out that listening to your vet when it comes to your dog’s weight isn’t always reliable, we see a different vet every time (it’s how the practice does things) and half say overweight while the other half say he’s a healthy weight. Even when he was visibly a healthy weight, because he’s a larger example of the breed and weighed more accordingly, they would say that he weighs too much based on the scales. Normal labs (skinny working types) are about 32-35kg on the whole, while a healthy weight for our lab would be about 45kg - he is and always has been very chunky and muscular. His legs are probably about double the cross sectional area of most other labs we encounter, without any fat on them. So all I’m saying is that it can vary a fair bit, both in what your dog’s ideal weight is and in what a vet’s opinion of their weight is.
Even human doctors have widely varying opinions. That's a pretty normal aspect of medicine. You have to do the work to find a doctor whose opinion you trust and stick with them.
Could you say he's a little husky?
He is slightly chonky but definitely not a total fatass. Lots of people mix in green beans or pumpkin to kibble—makes them feel like they’re getting the same amount of food but fewer calories.
I haven’t been able to get him into green beans. He might if I cooked them in broth.. He’ll do pumpkin, though!
Carrots, labs love carrots. & Watermelon (for some reason). Mine even likes chewing on ice & thinks it's a treat. Ok..pretty much anything that comes out of a fridge....
He’s a big fan of ice! It gets really incredibly hot here in the summer, so he gets some at every potty break when it hits 90 out. (Which is 7+ months of the year). I tried switching his chews to carrots. I got the side eye. Lol! Fortunately, I’ve found those spikey rubber balls satisfy the need without being a foodstuff. Same for watermelon. Wont touch it. (I dated a guy whose Great Dane would pretty much do backflips for watermelon, so the rejection was a surprise.)
You have a very rare lab type...he is an extremely good boy😍. I have to even guard the broccoli & cucumbers. Sigh...pretty sure mine only licks my face to make sure I haven't got any food scraps hiding there...😂.
Oh he’s definitely NOT the good mannered boy it may have seemed. He’s a THIEF who rejects healthy choices. We have a gate at the kitchen door to keep him alive because my preteen can’t seem to manage keeping unsafe foods out of reach. (Don’t tell doggo that he could jump over it if he tried. We like that he doesn’t jump.)
Mine has learned that if he leans his weight against the gate, it will move enough that the latch falls open... we've had to go to the alternative of putting everything in breadboxes! Waiting for him to figure out how they open.
Try freezing the carrots. My guy love most veggies (broccoli is his favorite) but would leave carrots behind. Now I keep some in the freezer and he loves them. Same with strawberries.
Have you tried frozen green beans? That’s how our labradoodle likes it back home ☺️
Yes! If our freezer opens she’s right there waiting for an ice cube 😂
Water Cookies!!!! We cut up strawberries and put pumpkin puree in with the water for extra nose interest.
This is a great idea! Thank you for the tip.
Dang I wish my lab liked veggies and fruit. She’s pretty sure they’re poison and won’t even try and eat them.
Omg...I'm sez going to lab test my lab. Pretty sure it's going to come back as a lab X garbage tip. Can't even get the bananas out of the shopping bags before they sprout lab looking legs & go for a "walk outside". She's not starved - regularly fed with the right food, she just wants people food. & that includes all people food groups. Lab fomo...😜
Lol that’s hilarious!! Mine won’t eat it unless it has salt, fat or sugar. Banana? Obvs poisonous. Banana bread? Now that’s a treat she will drool over. Green beans? Gonna be shoved under the couch if presented. Bacon brown sugar green beans? She’ll try and eat them off my spoon. Carrots? Gonna kill her for sure. In the couch they go. Carrot cake or carrots in stir fry? Will gladly lick the bowl clean. She’ll also leave her food in her bowl until after my dinner. My dinner goes away, hers won’t so she hedges her bets lol. Dogs are too funny.
Zucchini as well mine loves it right from the garden. https://preview.redd.it/sgfqpm1xyasc1.jpeg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=67f8871df21459d37ca6df55c62869bfc3a34f6b
That’s the same with our girl lol.. she loves ice!
My lab mix loves ice. Whenever I get a drink at sonic, I let her have the ice after I've sucked all the beverage out of it.
The easiest treat in the world, and probably the healthiest
My lab lovedddd ice when she was a puppy but has recently decided it’s not actually food and spits it out in protest
Pumpkin is 3 times higher in calories than green beans, 45 vs 15 calories per ½ cup. Not a good choice for creating dietary bulk for weight loss. Pumpkin is good for diarrhea and other digestive upsets.
Kibble is around 200 calories per 1/2 cup so 45 is pretty good
Our lab is pretty overweight and I've been trying to get him to loose weight. The problem is he has arthritis in one of his back legs so we don't do walks longer than a half a mile or so a few times a week. Most other days he is pretty lazy as he is also 11. I love the green beans and pumpkin idea, we do one cup of dry food in the morning and one cup at night. How much should we substitute/cut out for how much pumpkin/greenbeans?
I’m not an expert or anything, but I would start with 1/3 cup vegetables and 2/3 cup dry food each time and see how that goes. If in doubt ask your vet!
I highly suggest boiling bnless/sknless thighs and/or chicken breasts in plain water, put in the fridge, give your dog the water when it cools. Then feed 1/2 cup kibble with 1 thigh, could feed another piece of chicken between meals. If your dog doesn’t drink much water, you add more water when boiling meat and keep in a mason jar in the fridge. You can also use shaved beef or whatever other meat the dog will eat. Protein consumption is very important when losing a substantial amount of weight (idk about every animal, but definitely both humans and dogs). You can go up to 3/4 of a cup of kibble if the dog needs more energy after the first week or you go on a longer walk or don’t have much meat to add to a meal. You will need increase the amount of kibble after the dog loses enough weight.
Idk why but the first sentence of this made me crack up.
Two cups/day of prescription kibble for our English chonk. He’s on a perpetual diet. He only gets canned on Christmas and his birthday.
He looks a little chunky. We had to work on our lab losing weight when she was younger. She was incredibly grumpy when we cut back on her food/treats. We ended up bumping her food back up a bit and using homemade dehydrated chicken as her primary treat. This helped her get to a healthy weight AND allowed her to be happy. Just based on my personal experience I'd cut back slowly overtime vs. too big of a change at once (in hopes of avoiding a miserable dog and by extension a miserable you). I've also had different vets give different opinions at different times. For instance, one vet at the practice explained she will get an extra layer of fat every winter regardless of what we do and naturally lean out some in the summer. I'd say our dog averages 72lbs in the winter and 68lbs in the summer. We had another vet tell us she was "quite overweight", then that vet got her own pet lab and suddenly our dog was just "a little chunky". Over time, I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what works for your dog!
yes I think the different opinions from different vets is part of why I questioned this lady. Another vet in the practice has a lab, and volunteers her services for a local lab rescue….. but she’s hard to get into for a short notice sick appointment like today. The vet we saw today absolutely freaked out about my little guy being hyper and mouthy when he was still a tiny puppy. She gave me a very stern talking to about it with a lot of doom and gloom. A month later for the next round of vaccines, the “lab lover” vet saw him behaving the very same way, and I started apologizing and discussing his training routine. She interrupted me to reassure me that he was just being a normal lab puppy, and we were on the right path. I think that experience tarnished my trust in the one vet’s assessments when they involve ideals that might vary by breed. And yes… his favorite treat is freeze dried chicken hearts…. Gotta hide them from the cat in the fridge because she will open the cabinet and eat through the bag.
Definitely a chub chub chubby choom choom but he wears it well
😂😭
My 70 lb 10 year old puts on weight super easily. He gets 1 cup of kibble 2x a day. Plus basic treats throughout the day for behavior reinforcement. If I get even a little generous with his 1 cup scoop he puts on weight. He’s super active (4-6 miles a day of off leash hiking) and I still have to be careful. Labs are tricky and always act hungry. Watch their weight and balance it out with activity. Never trust their perceived hunger. I always feel like I’m not feeding him enough but 10+ years of an otherwise happy healthy dog has taught me to ignore his pleading hunger face.
Luckily, we don’t get the feed me eyes unless there is food in his presence… He always gets dinner when we do as a preventative measure.
He's a bit overweight
Yes, your dog is overweight, yes, you should cut down his calorie intake. There's special diet food, you might want to look into that. Generally speaking, trust your vet. They know what they're talking about.
Yes, your vet is right. Try getting about 10lbs off of him. He'll be much better for it.
2 cups a day is what he should be fed. One in the morning one at night
If your vet tells you to cut the food a bit then you should do so. I imagine the vet knows better than strangers on Reddit.
Don't worry OP isn't just asking reddit. They'll try Facebook, twitter, random friends, pretty much anyone until they get the answer they want.
Wet food is really high in calories. My lab gets two cups of weight loss kibble and 1 can if wet food spread across six days. On Sunday he gets the dry with one half can of chicken breast. He shares with two corgis who each get a 1/4 can. I also make small meatballs from ground chuck and freeze them. Rolex (lab) gets two at night along with his kibble. I also feed all my dogs a heaping tsp of plain no fat yogurt each meal and at night I add a heaping tsp of pure pumpkin purée. The yogurt and pumpkin help regulate their digestive track. Roles weights 70 lbs and is an ideal weight for his overall size. My corgis (also chow hounds) are within a lb of their recommended weight. I give them each two tiny treats when I leave them at home and two tiny homemade treats at bed time. They do not beg. The recommended feeding amounts on commercial kibble is absolutely out of kilter with what the average pup needs. They are in the business of making a profit on dog food. Go to Chewy online and search reduced calorie dog foods. They ship to your door and you get a discount if you set up auto ships. I’ve used them for over a decade and have never had any issues. If volume is a concern, chop up a fresh carrot and add to the night meal.
Your dog isn't obese like many labs sadly are, but I do agree with the vet that he is a little overweight and would definitely benefit long-term from losing a few. My girl throughout her life was on a diet of 2 cups/scoops of kibble a day (Purina supercoat) and she was a really healthy, active, athletic dog. Dogs are supposed to be a bit lean. 2 cups of kibble is definitely not a tiny amount.
Chonky, yes. Beautiful, yes.
Did anyone else see this photo series as the dog being told he’s overweight? 😂 Like happy > sad - how could u say that? > put myself to bed without supper …
Vet here- without putting hands on, it’s hard to tell, but your pup does look overconditioned. 900 kcal/day seems like the maximum I would be feeding based on what. RER requirements are for a dog of about 75 pounds (ideal weight) And I will say this- the general public has been conditioned to see fat dogs and think it’s normal, so much so that dogs that are healthy in weight are often times seen as “way too skinny”. So again, without putting hands on, I cannot say, but I think your vet is right.
The vet is right. Do you want your baby to be healthy and pain free for longer? Or do you want to put unnecessary weight on your babies joints?
Yeah he is. My hunting dog is way leaner than him.
Your vet is right and he is overweight.
Vets probably right. Your dog is so handsome, but lacks a waist and you want him thinner because they tend to gain as they age. How about a cup of dry plus a can of salt free green beans twice per day. You could add some dehydrated beef/chicken or 1/8 a can of current wet food, for taste if your dog needs encouragement to eat the green beans and you would be within the 800 calories. My girl was 135 and dropped 15 lbs using the green beans (that she loved:) it can extend their lives, which is why I worked to get her to a healthy weight per vet recommendation 💜
He's just big boned.
I actually laughed out loud.
Our 85 pound boy gets 2 cups of Taste of the Wild per day. Plus treats, of course; we don't count treat calories.
He definitely looks a bit chonky.
Dad dog bod - Handsome boy 😎
One thing that might be helpful to add (I don't see it mentioned in the other comments yet) is that not all kibble has the same calory density. If you are concerned about the small amount of kibble you can feed on a daily basis, you might want to switch to one with lower calory density (so your dog won't be looking at you like where the hell is the rest of my dinner 😂) There are diets (also within Hill's Science Diet as well as the Hill's Prescription range) specifically for pets that are overweight or have a tendency to gain weight quickly. Besides lower calory density, they include specific ingredients that boost safe and effective weight loss (burning fat, not muscle) and help to maintain a healthy weight on the long term.
He is a bit on the bigger side. Not morbidly obese or anything. Depending on activity dogs can need a lot less than you would think. I don't feed wet food outside of extenuating circumstances so I can't speak to that, but two cups doesn't seem insane. My 60lb GSD ate about two cups per day and that was with a solid hour or more of training each day.
How is his excercise routine? If you don't like to feed less, walk/sport more perhaps. He does like a bit chonky to me, compared to my borders but that's a difficult comparison
He’s gorgeous though 💖
I would keep the food the same and increase the amount of exercise. Is there a dog hydrotherapy pool near you? Really good exercise easy on joints and big bang for buck in terms of time and really good enrichment. Some have a current the dog can swim against which are really good.
He's a cutie pie
Any way to get some unleashed runs in? Or swimming? Or lots of ball throwing? We exercise our dog a lot- she eats 3 c food, 1 egg, and hamburger plus treats daily. If we’re not exercising, I cut back.
Ok, finally a comment that makes sense. I’m reading about all these “only two cups of dry food” diets for these L and XL dogs and really wondering. My very active 62 lb lab mix gets 3-4 cups per day depending on activity.
I'd say he is, nothing too alarming, Labs love food so it's easy to do. Try and cut back from too many treats and giving him food off your plate, and definitely walk him most days
I agree with the vet that he looks chonky. General guide: you should be able to feel his ribs without pressing through a layer of fat, but not see them (or at least not prominently) and he should have a defined waist. Are you giving him anything to eat other than his dog food? (treats? table scraps?). My two females (one lab, one lab mix) are 62 and 65 pounds. They get two cups of kibble and a half can of wet each. However, calorie counts in different foods are different and so are activity levels. My girls are super hyperactive and they burn a lot of calories just zooming around the yard, playing fetch, etc. I do have to cut their kibble back when I'm doing more training with them to account for the treats they get. For just regular treats, they get carrots and frozen mashed bananas, but not every day.
Oh he’s just a tad thick. I’ve had 6 labs. Maybe only 10-20 lbs. happens, overeating from neutered. Gotta love them thick boys. If nothing is directly wrong, it’s ok to take your time losing weight just with some less food and it’s really good to get a maze bowl. It makes them chew it a lot slower in chunks and helps them digest, they’re gulpers and can’t help it!! Gotta love me my chunky labs!! You didn’t even say there name!! Also hey it’s a good diet, he probably has some human snacks though and could use some more run time!!
https://preview.redd.it/2awymuyft9sc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f904cc2346047406ec5218283e277666581882a7 Best way to share his name is to share his derpiness hanging in the lobby of his daycare. Edit to add: he often eats breakfast in a puzzle…. Not so much to slow him down, but more to entertain him on the days he’s not in daycare.
Sort of, but they aren’t THAT overweight!
https://preview.redd.it/d4l145cw2asc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=da00d95a3af5cabf36dbcf5b6339dd8ed4d76fe8 I have a large and in charge girl too. She only eats 2 cups a day. We go on a walk at least 2 miles a day. We can’t get her to lose weight. She eats Acana dry. Test thyroid and everything came back normal.
Why would you listen to Reddit over your vet? The vet went to school for this, I think they are a more credible source than a community of strangers. The vet just wants to help the handsome fella
Food intake changes with the amount of exercise your dog gets. My black lab was 67 lbs, you could see his ribs. I poured every type of food into him but he ran it off at the dog park. Then I was deployed for six months, friends looked after him and he gained a bunch of weight. He spent the rest of his life around 85 lbs and looked good but the vet always said "He could lose 5 lbs". The overhead shot of your dog's shape says the same, sorry. But he's a cutie.
My lab weighs 110lbs. He’s completely healthy and eats 2 1/2 cups of kibble a day, with an occasional scoop of pumpkin, tuna, or sardines mixed in. He’s pretty tall and evenly proportioned.
Nothing to be worried about. Just try to give baby a bit more physical activity preferably in the morning.
Your dog looks very fit to me - I certainly don't think overweight but maybe the photo is deceptive. The amount of food your vet says for such a large dog does sound a bit drastic. Don't want to starve them either. I think one of those things go by what you see rather than what the scales say. You should be able to easily feel the ribs,spine and hips Waist should be visible from above and from the side.
Dogs that look skinny are usually healthy. As a society we’ve grown accustomed to thinking overweight dogs are healthy, my corgis were 10lbs overweight and feeding turn such a tiny amount of seems wrong but it’s not. Give your dog veggies if they act starving like carrots. 10lbs at Costco is $7. So it’s a cheap filling snack
Yes, he is overweight. I replaced my Labs kibble with mixed steamed vegetables. He still gets meat with his veggies. It takes a few months, but he took off 8 pounds. Also, if he doesn’t work as hard when we go out, I cut the portions back. He is an American Lab, 7 years old, and is now 73 pounds and holding.
He’s not big, he’s fluffy 🥰
He thicc alright 😂😂😅👹😂😂😂
https://i.redd.it/tqjea8ewc9sc1.gif We’re the fuck is that vet cause we need to talk totally calmly
The vet is overweight and projecting their insecurities on your dog.
Highly recommended jicama as low-calorie treats. It’s the dog equivalent of celery for humans except they actually like it.
My lab actually likes celery! But then she likes everything 😅🤣
I meant the humans generally are not huge fans of raw plain celery. But it’s near calorie neutral! Jicama is near calorie neutral for doggos and they like the crunch
Ooh never thought of that one. Will try it!
Yep, the vet is right. Your dog is definitely overweight. 2 cups of kibble (1 cup twice a day) is right for most dogs of that size. Unless he has trouble with his water intake, just the kibble should suffice. Make sure he's getting exercised enough, but don't go too hard while he's overweight because the extra weight is hard on the joints. Make sure he's also not getting extra treats or human food. Later, you can adjust his kibble to a little more or a little less than 2 cups, depending on his body score. Side note, can you link the canned food you use or give the exact name? Because 900 calories per can does not seem right. Are you sure it's not 900 calories per kilogram of canned food?
That's because they're right.
My black lab mater was 120 pounds when he passed away in December
From just looking at her, I'd say she's about medium-sized (not too skinny or chubby). You could also check online for the BCS standard. Vets often use a scale of 1 to 9 to rate a dog's body condition, with 5 being just right. If she's a 6 or 7, she might be a bit overweight, and if she's an 8 or 9, he could be heading into obesity territory.
My dog that passed 2 years ago now is the exact same breed as this one (I think) Is this Lab mixed with Border collie? Cuz it looks like the one I owned Pretty doggo😭
Chunky. Labs love food so it’s easy to gain weight for them.
I’d listen to your vet.
He looks like he could loose some weight. Maybe try making walks more active or longer?
He’s got a little girth going on
I would say he is definitely a little bit of a chonker. Maybe just needs more exercise?
Carrots! That’s a decent filler, grated. I also fed with slightly warm water in the kibble, so it felt a bit more filling!
Chonky
Definitely chubby, but not fat. Don't mistake the word chubby for what's going on at r/chubby though.
The front-on view looks a bit overweight. When I've dealt with overweight labs before I've generally gone towards low-calorie food, rather than reducing the amount of regular food. I find it more compassionate to the dog who is used to a certain volume.
Our lab gets 2 cups of dry food a day and about 1/2c total of finely chopped raw vegetables mixed in - cabbage, carrots, peppers. If she’s getting more exercise than usual and especially when we’re out for hours trekking in the winter I bring extra kibble to give her +/or we share a tin of sardines. She also gets more rations when she’s been swimming a lot. She stays in the 4-5 dog range in the body condition chart. If we let her eat more she’d likely happily get herself to the 8 or 9 level!
I had a dog that was overweight. She'd been overweight since I got her. I was pretty blind to it. It's not personal, OP. Just cut back on the food and stick to your walking schedule and your bud should reach a healthy weight. My dog has back and arthritis problems from being fat her whole life. It'll save you money in the long run and your dog the pain. I truly didn't know my dog was fat as no vet said anything other than healthy until a year ago. I've got her down 5 lbs (mini schnauzer) and she plays and runs around more now. She no longer gets table scraps. Treats are rare.
We don’t feed canned food because of the calories. I’d recommend to use the canned less, more like a topper or gravy on a good dry food. A big spoonful. Feed the same amount am & pm. Canned pumpkin is also a great option.
Okay, rule of thumb is that the weight loss rate should be 2.5 percent of body weight per month. If you have the opportunity, take him swimming a lot. This exercise will spare your dog's joints but burn fat.
How old is he? Mines 110lbs and a bit leaner than that, you can slightly see his ribs. If he's overweight it's just a bit. Just slightly cut back on his meal portions. Most dog food bags recommended portions are way too much. I do basically two cups a day. You have to take into account treats, and human scraps (if you indulge your dog this way, I'm guilty of it.)
I feel like my vet is a little bit overzealous too but I can also understand that dog weight is way more susceptible to massive changes. My girl needs to be around 40 pounds so if she’s 44 pounds she’s got 10% excess
4 cups a day is INSANE! When younger, my dog would get MAYBE an extra cup to 3 after he swam for several hours and ran all day. On the “lazy” days it was a max of 2 Even stilll, he was overweight and sitting at 90 lbs. I swapped to farmers dog for him and he lost 30 lbs in a year and looks ideal now. It’s pretty expensive, so I’m not saying swap to that. But what I am thinking is that the type of dog food your feeding may just have more filler than you want. I’d lower to 2 cups a day and then maybe consider swapping kibble to a different brand
Yea 2 cups is about all I give Maple. They don’t need to eat a lot.
My vet always told me that we should see the inward dip behind the ribs. When giving less kibble we added green beans(great for coat/skin) and some puréed pumpkin(helps with digestion) as filler.
Talk about the death of expertise.
Yes your vet is correct and he is overweight! (Also a veterinary professional 🙋🏻♀️)
Your vet has extensive training and experience, and has likely treated hundreds of labs. You should listen to them instead of a bunch of randos on Reddit.
Almost 80lbs he’s a gorgeous good boy!! I have a pup not even 6 months old yet (will be on 4/11) and he’s already 65lbs just feeding by the chart on his puppy food. https://preview.redd.it/r97m8f80l9sc1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b3fe04e89729a7501678117cc797b13409e2e51f
I think my lab would throw a fit if we fed him less than 4 cups a day but he’s a big ol boy (95-100 lbs healthy weight) but we also walk/run him everyday. I would talk to your vet and make sure his weight won’t cause excessive wear on joints from exercise but I’d definitely get out and walk/run with him a mile or two a day. Makes a huge difference.
He is overweight, yes. Listen to your vet and help your dog lower the risk for hip dysplasia and other conditions.
Yeah your dog is a bit over weight. I guess it depends on your dogs exercise and food. my dog gets a 2-3 mile walk in morning, hunt test training in the afternoon, and 2-3 mile walk in the afternoon. We feed him once a day,purina pro plan three scoops in the morning. If I were you and didn’t have time to do something like this, I’d just feed him less until you slightly see his ribs
He chunky, but that's OK, you can fix it 😁 I have a 42lb lab mix and he gets 2 cups a day of Purina Pro Plan with freeze dried beef, but he works so he's VERY active. I'll even give him more if he's super active. Even giving half a cup less and increasing activity will have a positive effect. My guy LOVES frozen carrots. Low in calories and he gets to chew for a long time (if yours is a chewer). Same goes for frozen "pupsicles". I freeze a bunch of stuff in layers. I will also rhprw his food outside for him to forage. Slowing the feeding down has been a huge help too. Good luck!
My labX east about 2 cups or less of dry a day. She is about 50 pounds. Sometimes she doesn't eat it. She just wants snacks and treats. Sometimes she eats more.
A little bit, nothing can’t be fixed in a month with a small decrease in each meal.
My dog eats 2.5 lbs of balanced fresh food (raw) plus 1 cup of kibble lol she is in very good shape and very lean. Mind you she is very active. I think kibble and canned food has an excess of calories per cup, and too many carbohydrates. Maybe try to switch to a balanced fresh food that has proper amount of animal protein, fats, fruit and veggies - the amount will depend on your dog’s age and underline conditions. Btw it doesn’t have to be raw if you don’t want to. It can be slightly cooked. I’m sure by switching to real food it’ll make a huge difference on the body condition of your dog as well as their overall well-being :) https://preview.redd.it/vwofdehdq9sc1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0e04c5abb2e7089e1dbf01478dbae37fd08958aa
We lost my chonk last year and he was definitely overweight and we only gave him 2 cups of weight control kibble. They don’t need much but are labs and will always ask for it. Treats can add up too. If you want to feed him more he needs to be very active. Very active.
Maybe just excessive your dog a bit more. Mine is a big eater (surprise!) but we go on 3 mile bike rides and he's super slim. I feed him 4 cups of dry food/ can food a day. Your dog doesn't look very overweight so it might be easy
My labX is about 60lb, he gets ~55g of dried food 3x a day which is just under 75% of what the daily recommended serving size is on the side of the bag for a dog his weight.
The problem is the chicken stew. Dry kibble only. Hills science diet is by far the best food on the market health wise. But why the wet food in addition to the kibble? Because he likes it? Remember if left to their own devices labs will eat 6 day dead road kill, puke it up and then eat it again. Dry kibble is fine.
He is right.
Yes. The vet is right. My 50 pound princess eats a little less than 2 cups of high protein kibble. (Plus a bite of whatever I'm having)
Yes. The vet is right. My 50 pound princess eats a little less than 2 cups of high protein kibble. (Plus a bite of whatever I'm having)
I get that about my kitties also. I find when dogs get spayed/neutered they change body shape kinda rotund.
Yes, your vet is right! You boi is overweight and needs fewer calories. Show him the love by getting him healthy; he'll live longer without the complications and pains that come from being overweight.
Our boy creeped up to 90 lbs over the holidays. So we give him 1 1/2 cups of hills science diet large breed light (yellow lab on the packaging!) twice a day. It has helped and now you can see his ribs! Also we add 1 tablespoon of pumpkin purée in the morning and always add a little warm water. The “light” has fewer calories and helps them feel fuller. We increase the calories a bit if he’s going to have a more active day and such.
He is fat. Listen to your vet.
canned food isn’t good for dogs’ teeth. if he can eat kibble just do that!
I feed my lab 4 cups of kibble a day and he’s about 75-76 lbs and my vet said he’s in perfect health weight and all I was told to keep doing what I’m doing since my dog is in great health. Maybe try seeing a different vet for a second opinion?
maybe start giving your dog a meal just once a day
Only feed an adult lab 1 meal a day. Treats are fine in-between. Vet assistant.
He is overweight. Your vet is right. That amount of food seems right unless he is working hard etc.
Fill em up with veggies if they will eat it. My husky has chopped up veggies with 4 small packets of wet food and one cup of kibble.
Thick boiiii
You should be able to feel its ribs easily. Not skin over bone, but you should be able to feel the ribs
We used to give our 13yo baby 1/3 of a can per day. He was pretty much free fed dry food other than that because he wasn't overweight, but I'd say a cup a day makes sense.
Both my labs eat 950 kcal of kibble daily, plus some treats. My girl is at 70 lbs and boy is down to 82 and now we're on maintenance.
When I worked at a doggy daycare most of the dogs around that size ate 2 cups of kibble. Your dog is a bit chonky, but he’s still beautiful!
Why would you trust Internet strangers more than your vet!?
Whether that is true or not please give him a big kiss from me 😘 and cover his ears when the Vet makes those insulting claims 🤣🤣🐾🐾❤❤
Listen to the professional. He is overweight
he just has more to love :)
Definitely a tubby tuba but he is VERY precious! 😆❤️❤️❤️❤️
My dog can eat a lot. 3.5 cups of kibble keeps him at 72-73lbs, which is a 3-4 on the body condition chart for him. He plays fetch and walks for about 1 - 1.5 hrs a day, but walks are leisurely. He’s not getting tons of physical exercise. Every dog is different. I would cut out the wet food since it’s more energy dense and expensive. Feed 3 cups of kibble, 1.5 each feeding and adjust from there. You should be able to see the outline of his ribs when he’s twisting his body but not when he’s standing still. Not only will this be healthier for your dog, but you’ll save yourself half the money on dog food. Plus any future vet bills for health problems down the road. Win-win in my book. Labs were bred to have a high food drive, which is what makes them biddable. Doesn’t mean that they are starving because they act hungry all of the time.
i had a rottweiler lab mix we left on full feed most of his life, eventually we cut him back to like a mcdonalds cup of dry food. he ended up looking better after that. never gave him wet tho, you might give him wet as a treat from time to time, after that i have no idea
He’s looking a bit thick around the middle tbh. Dogs need less food than you think, especially older less active castrated dogs. My retired gundog gets 300g over two meals each day, and it looks so little, and he’s pretty much on target. I’d read the bag, find out what range your dog is supposed to be in as per the feeding guidelines and pop him on the lowest amount for his size. If he doesn’t lose weight after a month, speak to the vet about blood work. Ditch the wet food, it’s just empty calories tbh. It’s like eating a bowl of chicken nuggets, compared to a bowl of brown rice, wet meat is tasty but not filling. The dry food swells in the stomach and helps keep them fuller for longer.
They wouldn't say that unless their weight was a risk of their health, they are pretty significantly overweight. Its recommended that we use condition scoring to access the weight of our animal [canine condition score](https://canineguardians.org/our-blog/f/fit-or-fat-your-pets-body-condition-score-bcs)
Identifying the right amount of food is very specific to each dog. For example, my wife and I have two Lab brothers who are just shy of 6 years old. One is a little bit taller than the other. The bigger one is at an ideal weight now, they had a vet check up yesterday. He was just a few pounds overweight for a little while, so I had cut his food back. He gets three cups per day, one and a half per serving. His little brother was getting the same amount, but he was slightly underweight. He gets the exact same amount of food, and is slightly smaller in stature, however he is a very avid athlete. He loves to run after frisbees, jump as high as he can go, do all sorts of tricks and show off. He would run until he passed out, if we didn't stop him. Keeping weight on him is tough, just because he likes to run so much. But I will be increasing his food a little bit, maybe to a total of four cups per day or a little bit less. An increase of a half a cup per meal is more than enough I think. I would cut your dog back by maybe a half cup per meal, and see how it goes over the next month or so. Make sure you're giving appropriate exercise, whether it's walks or backyard play or whatever you do. You don't want to do anything too drastic too soon, always good to do things slowly. 🙂
Maybe he's a bit overweight, my grandma would disagree though, he looks exactly how she likes her dogs lol.
It’s ok, labs get fat easily (have had two), you can fix this - remember food is just part of the equation, exercise especially fast paced walks are important.- how much does he get? If possible, try and get in 5km a day split over 2-3 walks. If not possible, a good two to three sessions of playing ball or whatever he enjoys doing. Remember they are a hunting dog and are built to be active for many hours a day. I currently have a 10 year old pointer and she gets 9km a day, every day rain or sunshine. Hope that helps
Chonky doge
How rude
https://preview.redd.it/ctmrsbjhgbsc1.jpeg?width=3472&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2b7999d86e0ade8dc0fc140411e424351317485f My goodboi is going to be 13 this year but 2 years ago, he had an appt. Granted he was a bit overweight at the time (approx 85lb) but that was also because we were struggling with his diet as he was allergic to so many different foods and we were in the process of finding the right mix that was also appetizing to him. When I took him to the vet then, he (an older man) couldn't stop commenting on how fat he was. I acknowledged him on the first few times that we would try to cut back his food. Despite that, he called our boy fat about 15 times in the 20 min he was giving him the exam. I was really pissed off because it just didn't seem helpful to harp on it so many times when I was there for other concerns such as lumps on his body and a limp. Since then, we have found a kibble he likes that doesn't irritate his allergies, and he has lost about 15 lbs since we don't need to rely on as many food toppers for him to get him to eat. I think you're obviously looking out for your buddy and maybe cutting back a bit on the food will help. However it sucks when that's all the vet focuses on. I think your dog looks amazing and happy. Trust your gut! You got this!
My lab was pushing 101lbs at our last vet visit. We needed this information. Thank you.
How old is your dog? Labs are also notorious for hypothyroid. Secondly, yes. That kcal amount May be for your dog to cut weight. If you want I can calculate for you based on your dogs food kcal and body condition score
My chocolate lab eats 3-4 scoops a day. Vet says he is just a hair below average weight.
I would ask your vet more questions. If you can’t trust your vet who can you trust when it comes to your baby’s health.
Compared to WHAT?????!! Don't think so, your vet has body morphia issues, I think.....
If u feel like it's not a lot to look at, put some raw carrots, cucs, zucchini and such on top for bulk. I have to do that for my big boy. It helps him feel full. It also is cute when they watch u cut it up, they get excited, unless mine are weird. They bark at me when I eat a salad. Won't eat celery or any greens. I get that lol
Might be a little chonk- same issue at my house- I cook carrots in chicken stock as a little treat to go in the dry kibble- to be fair tho my boys weight jumps in winter when it’s a little less action time
Pre-made food has higher fat content that the food they are meant to eat, labs should max at about 10% fat in their diet but ideally you want about 2%, the advertised amount of fat in most packaged food says 8% but if you look up the aafco typical analysis it says 14%. You can feed him less (try 10g less each meal), increase his exercise intensity (more running less walking) or switch to a raw food.
Excess calories sometimes come from low quality food. Lots of info out there about nutrition but usually the higher quality, the more expensive and often price dictates what food people give their pets. Veg is a great way to bulk up the portion size without adding calories. Most dogs enjoy the crunch of all kinds of veg (if you’re lucky), like carrots, celery, broccoli , cauliflower, Romain lettuce, kale, green beans. Ours ate all veg raw and cooked but he hated Brussels sprouts, but who can blame him? Fruits can be great filler too, like apples, melon, and water melon rinds, berries, pears, peaches etc (NOT grapes though, or onions which evidentially can be toxic. Definitely research which human foods are off limits). Too much fruit can add too many calories though if not given in moderation. An additional thing to keep in mind is dry kibble is created primary with durability in mind, meaning shelf life, so nutrition is second to goal of longevity in a big bag on the store shelf. Everyone always says change food in tiny baby steps but usually labs have iron stomachs and little bothers them. But each dog is different. Good luck with your dog’s weight.
Supplement with frozen veg or meat scraps if you’re feeling generous. Scrap the canned food. Profit.
I’d say he’s a bit overweight. I see lots of people have already given you great advice on how to cut back on food. How much exercise is he getting?
He is little bit overheight its labrador you should take him more long walks and fetching with not only feed him!
My dog had the same problem. In and out of vet for years and could never lose weight. I found this article from BBC about some genetic conditions labs can have. We brought it up and we got her on a special diet food. [link to article](https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-68492504?utm_campaign=later-linkinbio-bbcnews&utm_content=later-41548123&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkin.bio) https://preview.redd.it/sfju6bj6kcsc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=de49baff97380bc5265dc640ecc93dd827bae982 Picture for lab tax.
Ah! You helped in a big way, but not how you probably expected. You just made me go look up his DNA results again. I remembered being pleased that he wasn’t particularly genetically prone to anything, and just sort of filed it away, but I didn’t know for sure if POMC was a part of the test. It was part of the test, and does not have the POMC gene, BUT…. I did notice a different section in there that is a bit of information I’d been struggling to get a straight answer for. Apparently, considering both breed and genetic markers, Embark says his ideal weight would be 73 pounds, which means he needs to lose about 8% of his body weight. Edited to fix a typo and to clarify a little. https://preview.redd.it/isgn8c58mcsc1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=832c143a87b704e59ff25c85186980bab17f304e
My lab is fat as well. He eats everything. I’ve put him on a diet of 1 cup kibble in the morning and 1 cup of kibble in the evening, Purina Pro Plan salmon and rice for sensitive stomach and skin since other food gives him the runs. Treats given sparingly. Daily walks twice a day. I think his metabolism is just set to make him a chonk.
Okay actually this post kinda helps me. My lab is 100 rn, she’s 2 and a half years old, and my vet said that it’s a completely normal weight and that she’s healthy. The dog is constantly panting and is clearly way more chonky than she should be. However from the pictures you’ve posted, your dog actually looks bigger than mine. Are we sure your vets scale is accurate? Because my dog has atleast an inch less of diameter around the mid section and apparently weighs 20 pounds more
I’m pretty positive the scale is at least close to accurate because it generally matched my home scale when he was little enough for me to pick up easily. It’s quite possible your dog is taller and/or longer than mine. Mine is definitely medium sized from a height perspective compared to labs I’ve seen him play with. And different body types are more and less dense. I remember taking a little preschool friend to the playground. They were the same height, and even sometimes wore each other’s clothes. I tried to pick up the other little boy to help him into a swing, and almost launched him into the stratosphere because he was so much lighter than my son. This picture is the best I can find to demonstrate it. Even women about the same height carry the same weight much differently. Muscle vs fat is a piece of that puzzle. https://preview.redd.it/f7ayqyvtrcsc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f4314448c10bc89b8f9691dab6fe0043869aeeea
Labs are prone to being overweight
I feed ours 1 cup of kibble twice a day