Does anyone have a large chunky lab? Luna was 35.1kgs when weighed at 8 months. She is solid, very strong and very fit. The vet is saying she needs to lose weight and think about putting her on diet food but she is still growing. The vet says there is no such thing as a chunky lab but she didnt even feel down her sides to see that it is just skin that she is yet to grow into. Has anyone else had a lab like this at 8 months and if so how did they end up? She is bigger than her mum height wise who is 32kg and nearly as tall as her dad who is 44kg!
I think this happens a lot when a vet takes the so called "breed standard" as gospel instead of a guide line and looking at and evaluating each dog separately. I had this argument a few times as when Cookie came to us she was skin and bone, every rib showing and she looked terrible plus she had no confidence and was very nervous. Yet the vet said she was at her ideal weight. Come forward a year and Cookie was a solid, happy and confident girl with rippling muscles and a gleaming coat. The vet meanwhile, said she was fat and needed to go on a diet. Facepalm... Bruno, our blind boy is a stocky lad but when you lay hand on him you can feel the big pads of muscle under his fur. Billy on the other hand stands three inches taller than Bruno and is much slimmer yet powerful all the same. We're slowly getting some beef on him but he's one of those labs that seems to burn off whatever goes down his neck. There are great variations in Labradors and vets need to use their eyes and recognise this instead of using a textbook approach. If Luna is fit, strong active and happy I wouldn't worry too much, the fact that your here asking about it shows that you care and are the type of person who'll notice if she's getting podgy and act accordingly. As a side note, I'm sixteen stone and carry a lot of muscle but my doctor says I'm overweight, despite the fact that I could pick him up and carry him for miles. We're all different, and so are our dogs
Cooper is around 75 lbs. but she is by no means chunky. She is very tall and very fast. She has a small waist relative to her chest.
Thanks for the replies. I just feel that she is fit and healthy as she is so active and so happy. She is still growing and I have noticed her grow taller in just the last 2 weeks. Her head is also starting to fill out more. What age did your labs stop growing at? Luna is nearly 9 months old and we can see she is still getting bigger! This is her zonked out after a walk at the weekend, stole all the cushions and blankets on the sofa to make herself comfy!
As I only adopt rescue labs these days it's been a long time since I raised a pup. Hiker and her daughter Jassie were the last ones I raised many moons ago. Both were what I'd think of as fully grown at around 12 to 15 months but they filled out a bit after that.
I'm not saying all vets are right, but in many cases, owners can be in denial if they're dog is over weight just because they love them so much and they don't care how they look. That being said, I don't care what my vet says about how my dog looks. I am pretty good at being able to realize where he needs to be looks and weight wise.
I agree and sometimes I see other dogs and think they need to lose weight. Luna is still growing and she does have skin there still to grow into. She has a waist and is very active but I have still cut out her treats and will see what she weighs in another couple of weeks. She was 37kgs at the weekend!
Ziggy is 6 months old tomorrow, a whole 26 week old bundle of joy and happiness. We took him to the vet for a weigh in a week and a half ago and a quick check up because he is a bit stiff of an evening after a walk. He was 33.6kg and the loose skin was a combo of loose skin and too much fat. Vet was happy he could see a waistline, but did suggest we trim him down a little more, just enough to see the definition of his last rib. He felt this would take pressure off his forming joints because he is a big lad. We have cut his food back a little and we are seeing some minor slimming. Ziggy is 57cm tall at the shoulder. Already as tall as an adult male according to the breed standard. At just 6 months old, he still has another 25% growth to come. His rump is higher than his wither so we are expecting his shoulder height to me another cm or more in a couple of weeks. I don’t want a ribby, thin lab, but I do want a healthy one with sound joints so we are following the vets orders. I am also feeding glucosamine with chondroitin and fish oil, although he already has DHAs etc in his feed.
