We have a 6 year old English lab, who was getting overweight, and the vet said it was important to get his weight down. We now feed him Farmina weight management kibble- 2 Cups in the morning and 1.5 Cups at night. He lost 20 lbs in one year and looks much healthier. We also have a 1 year old English lab and have moved her from puppy food to adult food- 2 cups per day. She also looks healthy. Unfortunately, my dogs don't have outings where they are off leash or running- so basically sedentary, although they have 2 acres of property that they can walk or run and are out often. Are these feeding amounts good? TIA
It's a bit of an impossible question to answer @MissSyndi - dogs need the amount of food they need, to keep them looking the way you want them to look. Every dog has a different metabolism, just as every person does. It is impossible to say how much any dog should have, without looking at the dog and assessing whether they are overweight, under weight or about right. Out of interest, why don't your dogs have outings where they can run off leash - despite you having 2 acres of property they can exercise over? IMO it's a basic canine need (not optional) for a dog to get off-leash exercise, daily - especially an active dog like a Labrador.
Thank you Jo-Laurens......I just wanted to make sure I was giving them enough- as most lab owners know they will eat what ever you give them. As far as exercise....I would take my older lab out on hikes but I have a concern about the wild animals on the trail. I've encountered coyote and bear and am afraid of a confrontation. Also, my little one has to learn trail "manners" and I can't take both out at the same time right now. When the weather is better, I'll have to take her out alone to teach her. I'm hoping I don't run into the wild.
Bears are significant, but I would not worry about Coyotes. Labs are big enough to look like a threat to Coyotes. Where are you located? Eastern Coyotes are bigger than Western.
I Ski-Patroller.....I live in Northern NJ.....my property backs up to a 400 acre nature preserve, and there are a lot of wild animals back there. The bear don't seem to be warded off by leaving the preserve, as I have had them very close to my house.
