I never gave much thought to fat dogs before getting a dog myself, but since getting Xena I'm astonished at the amount of overweight Labs knocking around. In the past 5 months I've seen two morbidly obese Labs, they looked like wine barrels on legs. One of the owners (this morning) gave Xena a lovely cuddle and complimented her/me on how "lovely and slim" she was. I just smiled and nodded. Do people think there's a secret to a slim dog? The other wine barrel's owner had said to me "oh she put on a little weight over winter"...uhhh, that dog was obese, not just "festively plump". Do Labradors in the UK, Europe, UAE, North America, and Australia suffer from the same "fat Lab" syndrome? I can't say I've noticed this problem in other breeds, just Labs.
Other than one village dog I can't say I've seen morbidly obese Labs or hardly any other dogs either. A little overweight, some, but the only barrel on legs (and that is exactly how I have described her to OH) is a mixed breed who belongs to a lovely, thoughtful, concerned with their dog's health couple that we meet. This dog gets plenty of exercise and the woman herself says she is the fault of the dog's weight, she just can't resist begging eyes. Why she does it and he lets her is beyond me. It's actually his son's dog and they have it for walks during the day. They had their own Lab before and she was only plump.
There are some very fat Labradors in the UK, I do get quite a few comments on how slim she is. They also ask if she is a lab because people are so used to seeing very round Labradors. The biggest two I have seen are so round they can bearly walk, both chocolate labs look so uncomfortable. I did mention about the quality and quantity of food they have but she says she loves feeding them and spends a fortune everyday in the pet shop.
I don't see a lot of fat Labs here but I don't see a lot of Labs period. But people always remark how slim (the actual word is usually "skinny"...the nerve!) Simba is, so I guess he must look thin compared to the average Lab they see.
I see quite a few very overweight labs where I live. So much so that when ever I go to the vet, the vet assistants and vet comment on how big Axel is yet how he's very slim and in wonderful shape, and that it is sadly 'uncommon' to see a lab that isn't overweight.
We've got one so fat round here it caused it's rectum to prolapse. Its whole inside bum bits were in the outside. She couldn't be operated on and eventually had to be pts. it made me sad and very angry. A lot of people try very hard to keep their labs a good weight. It's hard but I see it as a good to keep my dogs around a bit longer
Comparing H to the weight chart pictures, he is just right, tending towards the slim side. I was chatting to a lady the other day about his shape. I think it's partly genetics, and partly nurture. His father and mother were similar shapes to him. His chest is not as broad as some and he has quite a long back. he gets 1 - 2 hours of walks every day. I'm sure he's put on a bit as he's had more Kongs and treats recently while coping with his fears. Only that the blanket over his ribs is slightly thicker. I completely get it when people give in to those demanding eyes. Sometimes that pool of drool will just keep on growing until there's a flood. We had a rule when he was a puppy, no human food but steadily that has been relaxed. He does get a few scraps and treats but these are usually quite small pieces and only one bit each time. He'll get the last bite of my piece of toast not a slice for himself, or a spoon of left over porridge not the Whole pot to lick out. The labs around us are all shapes and sizes. There are some quite small light ones, most similar to H and one or two real barrels.
We see quite a few fat labs here in Melbourne. I too get comments about Ella being skinny or crossed with something There's a poor fat 10 month old yellow lab that we sometimes see at the park. She has zero recall so tends to come waddling over if we're playing with Ella. It makes me feel so sad when she tries to play with Ella but can't run for more than about 20m without slowing to a walk and often sitting or lying down to catch her breath.
In Holland there are a lot of obese labs too! I met a former breeder once, and she told me that our labs were too skinny.....I don't like a barrel form lab, also the health issues that comes with this! Finn's parents were also 'xl' labs. They weighed over 40 kg. Finn is in my opinion (and from the vet who thinks he is just right) the right weight. He weighs 31 kg. He is not allowed to grow any more!
That's sickening, that poor dog. How does that not qualify as animal abuse? How does the owner sleep at night, knowing they did that to their pet? I had no idea obesity could do that to a dog, that's heartbreaking. I don't understand the whole "but they're looking at me with hungry eyes" thing. I know you've been fed. You might be hungry, but you're not "hungry".
I am not at all sure that owners are able to assess the body condition of their own dogs. I can't believe the number of owners that don't seem to recognise that their dogs are overweight. It's not just a Labrador thing, it's an issue across many different breeds.
I keep my Labs slim, not difficult to do. However, I was distressed to see a very THIN German Shorthaired Pointer at a training class, each rib was prominent and the hip bones sticking up. I thought perhaps it was an adolescent as they often look like toast racks at that age and then fill out. However, the dog was two and a half years old, I mentioned how thin the dog was and owner said his wife would not let him give her more food, it has worried me every since. At least a fat dog feels content whereas a hungry one must feel miserable.
I notice it a lot in spaniels, too. I think a lot of it is that people don't see it in their own dogs, but also that they seem to be fatalistic about it - Labs are "known to put on weight", so they believe that nothing they can do will stop that. Willow is on a bit of a diet at the moment, because her ribs were starting to get a little too much padding, but people still call her skinny. She's slim and probably looks more so because she's quite leggy, but it's not about the length of her legs, but the fat on her body.
There is this side of things too - I know someone who thinks Charlie is too fat, and their dog is slim to the point of having no muscle mass at all. Back legs completely flat with no hint of muscle at all on the back end or shoulders.
Yes, a well-muscled dog is important, too. I like to see Shadow's bulging muscles, and have people comment on them But, when people say "My dog is all muscle" and you can't see that muscle definition, you just think to yourself, "No, s/he's fat". There's a huge difference between how muscle looks and how fat looks!
Yep, and they need enough good quality food for that, and plenty of appropriate exercise. Half starving Labradors so they look like whippets isn't the point either!
There's lots of fat labs here too! Poor things look so sad Someone who has a Springador the same age as Stanley commented Stanley was a bit tubby. I thought he was a fine hunk of a man. Hers was really lean. Next time I saw them she advised me she'd been told hers needed to put weight on by the vet. Poor Stanners ain't looking so tubby now eh?
There's a a young miniature Dachshund at training - It first came a 14 weeks and was a sweet, perfect looking little sausage dog. Now, at 7 months, it looks more like a Haggis than a Sausage. The owner was telling me that the vet said she was now overweight, but she didn't know how to deal with it. I said "cut down her food" - she said "oh but she hardly has anything" - yes, but it's too much, she's a tiny dog, cut it down!
Actually I find it quite a challenge to not only keep our dogs weight ideal, but make sure they feel satisfied. I worry about it. Casper just has to look at a bit of kibble and will put on weight. He has naturally a huge barrel chest, really wide and round, with quite short legs, big butt head, so we have to work quite hard at getting the balance right, notwithstanding his nutritional and healthcare needs as he heads towards his 8th birthday. Benson is a similar build, only seems to burn more calories, he is younger, entire and has more exercise than Casper, exercise hasn't that much impact on calories burned, he would easily gain weight. If you fed him in line with the feeding guides he would be huge by now. Bramble, well, it is actually quite difficult to keep weight on her, although we are keeping her slightly lean due to her rate of growth.
