I have 2 sisters (same litter) They are 8 mths old now. Claire thinks she's starving even if she just ate an hour ago. Chloe shows no worries about being hungry. It breaks my heart! I'm a stay at home mom to them and I think some of it is they like to be in the house with me....maybe she just wakes up from a nap and wants to eat....I read an article about labs having a gene mutation that makes them hungry all the time....I worry about overfeeding as that was a caution for labs...ugh! I'm an overprotective mom, just looking to see if anyone else has experienced this...thank you !!
I think we all go through that. I had an issue where I brought Stryker home and the first 2 days he ate like he had never been fed before. That's when I found this awesome community. The advice was try splitting up his food between 4 feeding times a day. Now I did this and then all of a sudden Stryker stopped eating. This scared me so I took him to the Vet right away. The vet told me that Lab puppies are known to eat for energy. So that meant he was getting enough food to maintain him through out his long periods of training and playing and trust me, he LOVES to play and if I let him (Which I do at night) let him play more than maybe most people. So now we're at feeding twice a day and he eats like he is starving. Again according to my Vet this is perfectly normal and they see it in labs more any other breed because that's just him. Her suggestion was to buy a certain type of bowl that had a little top in the center to force him to slow down. Or put a large CLEAN rock in the center of his bowl, spread the food around the center "device/rock" and it forces them to slow down a little bit and most times they will slowly learn to chew their food. Now personally I'm a Vet type of person. I love the Vet that I take Stryker to and in the month and 1/2 that I've had him he's been to the Vet more times than I have been to the Doctors. Again this is just me and I, like others here, treat their pets better than their own children.
Yup, most Labs will eat, and eat, and eat, and eat given the chance. Some have that gene you're talking about, but far more than that have insatiable appetites. It's one thing that makes them so (relatively) easy to train. I had my boy Shadow at the emergency vet when he was six months old - he was staying with a friend of mine because Willow had just been spayed and I couldn't have them roughhousing while she recovered, and he somehow got into some food while he was there. I went round to feed him and he was the size of a house. It's important to keep Labs very slim, because they can be prone to bad joints, and it's the best way to protect them. So, you have to become hardened to the pleading eyes that were designed to melt your heart. Just keep an eye on her condition to know whether you're over- or under-feeding her. That's the best guide of all; if she is the correct condition, then you know she is getting ample food and is just being a greedy-guts
Thank you! You're my kind of people!Styker is adorable! I have put several rocks (cleaned) and it did help her slow down. I have portioned out her food so she can eat more often..but sometimes, it won't even be an hour after and she will come to me and bark..go to the kitchen..back to me ..bark.which I was told to ignore Then she'll start crying...ok..that's when I'm done! She eats.
I know you want to give in but you have to fight those urges. I stopped using treats as a reward but instead I now use his dog food. Also the food you might be feeding your little pup could be low on the nutrients required for a puppy. If I may, let me direct you to a site called Pet Food Advisor. I personal feed a 5 star food but than again that my is personal preference.
Thank you! They do melt my heart, but the stress Claire expresses is worrying me. I've portioned out her meals so she can eat more often. Chloe, her sister is more of the "normal" lab...yep, I'm gonna eat it if it's there...kinda girl..but sweet Claire...gets stressed about it. I think it might be something about her going to her bowl and eating...so I think We will try (when she has a 'panic' I need to eat right now attack) I'll put some green beans in her bowl....less calories, but nutritious, and she's at her bowl eating....not sure but worth a try. Both girls love fruits and veggies... I love this forum! Thankful to have pet parents to share, ask, and visit with.
I've been on that site. I recommend it too. I know there has been controversy with blue, but I feed blue grain free large breed puppy. I wish I could make their own food and be confident they were getting what they needed. I make their treats(don't trust store bought). I too use their food as reward.
One thing about feeding smaller meals more frequently is that your dog might not feel satiated after a meal and therefore want to eat more (counter to what you want). We had this experience with Snowie when we started treating him for epilepsy: we suspected his seizures were triggered by low blood sugar, so we fed him smaller, frequent meals to keep his blood sugar at even levels. However, he begged for food more and more and we suspected the small meals just weren't satisfying. So we went back to two regular meals, and he'd have a nice sleep after each meal which was some indication that he felt nice and satiated. However, you cannot open the fridge or a food container without all eyes on you. And it doesn't matter what, he wants what we're eating. Takes nerves of steel to resist those hungry eyes. He does get a lot of raw veg to crunch on while we're cooking (he'll try anything and we're surprised that he likes radishes and turnips, the "burny" veg! Also cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, cucumbers -- he gets all the offcuts of the veg we're preparing). We have become strict that he must be on his bed to get any treats (includes the veg), no begging at the table or at the kitchen counter -- goes some ways to managing his begging otherwise it becomes very embarrassing when guests come over and he sneaks his head under their arms to see what's on their plates! Or just sits next to them and stares and drools. You could also try feeding your dogs raw food. It takes longer to chew through a meaty bone than to vacuum up pellets/kibble and my logic tells me that the chewing motion contributes to the feeling of satiety much like it does in humans.
I was just going to suggest raw feeding too, at least for one meal a day. Keeps them happier, and busy with their food for much longer. Not weight-bearing bones (these can crack a tooth); but ribs, necks, wings, etc are great for keeping a dog busy for a while longer, and take longer to digest as well.
I remember saying to the trainer 'Tatze is always hungry, should I up her portions?' She replied nooooooooooo! Labs will eat till they burst, you need to feed her less, she's getting very chubby. I took heed, I keep her nice and slim now (and yes, she still thinks she's always hungry) Routines help a lot, they soon learn that, ask as they may, no more food will be forthcoming. It makes them VERY easy to train. I have Bruce (11 months old GR) with me now - he's not interested in food. Training him is a real challenge!!
I have also heard raw, because of the greater volume, can help. I quite like the look of Honeys real food, but have not tried it. Labs will eat till they burst, Benson once ate approximately 3kg of puppy food, he started throwing it up. Took him to the vet. They were concerned because he just couldn't move. One Xray later revealed he was so jammed up with food there was no air in his bowel! Took him a good few days to look normal and not hyper inflated!
Don’t know how to use this but i need some help urgently. My 2 year old chocolate lab has been on grain free taste of the wild bison and venison food since he was 3 or 4 months old and now i am being told that it can give them a heart condition. I am so confused. I don’t want to hurt my dog. Can somebody please help Thanks Tony
You might be better starting a new thread in the health section as this is an old thread about overfeeding and not really relevant... For what it's worth( I'm no expert) my understanding of the risk of grain free kibble is that some of them contain a lot of lentils and peas which contain anti-nutrients not good for dogs.
Maybe I missed something? Use the food you allocate to her for free to instead rewarding her for following your cues. With such a strong food drive, you should be able to do quite a bit of training. I haven't seen any indication the dog is too thin--that she is not getting sufficient nutrients. My dog is always ready to eat. But for health reasons I limit her kilojoules. The problems from over-eating are far more damaging than the sadness she may be experiencing from not being able to be satiated. The latter is a conjecture. The former is a very real problem.
