Nero just been for his booster vaccinations and check up. I was shocked when the vet said he was chubby and overweight! He doesn't look overweight to me but he is very broad shouldered and muscly. At just over a year old he is 34kgs...do you think this is excessive?
Re: Vet says our Nero is chubby! I really depends on his height and build If you can get a few pics that'd help. Get him to stand still and take a pic from the side and one straight down from the top (looking down at his back). 34kg is big for a Labrador, but that doesn't mean fat necessarily - a tall Lab can easily be that weight and still be slim. If you measure Nero when he is standing, how tall is he? Measure from the ground straight up to the top of his shoulder.
Re: Vet says our Nero is chubby! Not possible to say whether 34kgs means he is fat.... But if your vet says so, then best to listen. Cheer up, you are not alone, my vet says most dogs are overweight - you know now, and can do something about it. My boy puts weight on really easily - he gets weighed every week at the vet, and I take action if his weight is creeping up. He gets a fraction of the volume of food on the side of the kibble packet, currently less than 50% of the recommended amount. I aim to keep him on the "thin side of normal". He's a moderately well built show line dog, spot on standard height at 22 1/4 inches, and his weight stays between 27kgs and 28kgs. I also like to see a waist really clearly, whatever position he is standing in, and like to just be able to see a slight indication of all his ribs when he is turning, or stretched out. Here he is shown against a taller, lighter built, working line, bitch, who is the same weight, but because she is taller (and is a girl ), shows a more marked "tuck up" on her tummy. IMG_3440 by julieandcharlie, on Flickr
Re: Vet says our Nero is chubby! We dont have any recent pics to hand but I took this video the other day of him barking at the wife's hairdryer!
Re: Vet says our Nero is chubby! He looks like a classic show lab to me, I've seen heavier but he's probably not what I would call slim. I agree with Julie and I think it's great that your vet can talk to you properly about your dogs weight and between you, you can keep your boy happy and healthy
Re: Vet says our Nero is chubby! Yes he is from show line's, his father won best pup in crufts when he was young. I think I will cut his food back a bit and watch the treats
Re: Vet says our Nero is chubby! [quote author=Deano82 link=topic=9136.msg130904#msg130904 date=1418766905] Yes he is from show line's, his father won best pup in crufts when he was young. I think I will cut his food back a bit and watch the treats [/quote] Good for you, you will have a massively positive impact on his health and hopefully his lifespan. Let us know how you get on!
Re: Vet says our Nero is chubby! He looks like a very, very lovely dog! It's not very easy to tell but from what I can see...he doesn't look very slim and could lose a bit. Just cut down his food by a third for a couple of weeks and pop him back to the vet to get weighed... My vet's encourage owners to pop in and use the scales - for free - and all the vet nurses fall over themselves to give advice on my dog's weight. Best of luck with it, it's great you know about this now and your pup will be better off because of it.
Re: Vet says our Nero is chubby! I love your video! I would agree with Julie by cutting back by a third. When our ortho vet suggested this for Lilly (and she has never been a chunky girl) I was gobsmacked! A third less food! I thought she would starve. But because we were worried about her hips, we went for it. She really didn't notice - or at least she didn't seem to act or behave any differently as a result, and this has kept her slim. It was SO the right thing to do. Don't feel bad about it, it really is for the best, and will help keep your lovely boy fit and healthy.
Re: Vet says our Nero is chubby! I agree that he could stand to lose a bit, looking at that vid. I wouldn't call him 'fat' but it's probably a case of acting now to make sure he doesn't end up in that category. It shouldn't take too long, maybe a week, before he starts to look a bit more svelte He is a lovely boy
Re: Vet says our Nero is chubby! We had the same thing with Harley. I didn't really notice it to be honest! I must admit I felt really embarrassed, but got over it. After talking to my hubby it turned out he was feeding her double the amount she should have in the mornings We cut Harley's food down and she is looking so much healthier.
Re: Vet says our Nero is chubby! Yes , he could do with losing a little but take it slowly please , just cut out the treats and a little less in his meal bowl . Its very hard to generalise, in fact almost impossible due to the difference in breed lines and height , Sam is 38 kilos at three years old but not a scrap of fat on him, he is just a tall lad with big bones
Re: Vet says our Nero is chubby! It's great that your vet was able to mention it to you and that you are willing to do something about it! A lot of people don't really care as they don't perhaps realise the impact on health that being overweight has. It may be that he only needs to lose a couple of kilograms and he's not drastically overweight. As the others have said - if he's a big lab then 30+ kg isn't an unusual weight.
Re: Vet says our Nero is chubby! My boy is also just over a year old, from showlines and is 35 kg now. We went in for shots last week and the vet was very happy with his size. He is big boned and broad shouldered as well and no fat at all now. We slimmed him down from 37 kg and I find that he now just eats less after getting used to two meals + 1 Kong, from 3 meals + 1 Kong. I feel better that I have a healthier dog but I was fairly clueless at the time that he was chubby He loves his food and it is hard to find the correct balance I admit. I tend to go by activity as well, if we exercise less one day we cut down just a bit..if we have crazy day I feed him a tiny bit more. Good luck with your beautiful boy, he is a stunner.
Re: Vet says our Nero is chubby! Our Cocoa was always allegedly overweight. She was a show dog with a very muscular physique that she inherited from her sire. There wasn't an ounce of fat on her for most of her life. I think it's important to watch a Labs's weight as it can increase wear and tear on the joints, but Ive encountered vets who take the bred weight charts literally. Labs come in many sizes, including our petite girl Holly.
Re: Vet says our Nero is chubby! Tatze put weight on after her spay. She is healthy and fit at 26Kg but she'd gone to 28Kg. I put her on 2/3 of her normal food - it took 4 months to get her back to her svelte self. I wish it was so easy with me!
