Is this normal? Taz is an akc dog with breeding rights (but I neutered him because he wasnt breed standard). Mom is 80 lbs and dad is 85, a duck dog. Neither parents are from a puppy mill and have good blood lines. I asked the vet at his last appt and he said no worries because he has the right infrastructure for his weight, but its been 5 months. I feared he was fat, but I can feel and see his ribs and his underside tapers up. He has short legs Still, his chest is a good deal larger than my friends mastiff. Even though his parents and grandparents have health clearances, I worry if he might be more prone to hip and elbow issues.. Anyone have experience with a dog like this? Kelly
Hi Kelly and welcome! Wow, 127 pounds, that is huge!!! I must say he does look on the large side from your avatar... My pup is 35 kilos (77 pounds) at 12 months, and tall with it, and I really, really do everything I can to keep his weight down as like you I worry about hips and elbows... But if your vet says it is ok, then presumably you don't need to worry too much! How tall is your boy?
Hi and welcome! Wowsa, that's a big Lab. I had a Rottie that size, but he was a Rottie. A lot can change in five months. Maybe have him round to the vet again just to be sure? I think sometimes with puppies (and he's still a puppy) you can mistake excess fat for baby floppiness and it can happen quite quickly without giving you a chance to realise it. I still remember taking my Rottie boy to a dog show where his breeder was showing. I thought he was looking amazing and couldn't wait for his breeder to see him as she'd not seen him for several months. She nearly took my head off for letting him get too fat! I felt terrible, I really just thought he was meant to look that way - but it was no great crisis, just a few less treats and it came off quickly.
I have to say I would be very concerned at 127lbs when the AKC breed standard is 80lbs and parents were around max for breed standard. A little fluctuation would be normal but the difference to breed standard is over 40lbs . Although I don't like to question vets they aren't necessarily a good indicator as many are so used to seeing over weight Labradors that they don't really know what they should look like. Have you spoken to the breeder about your pups weight?
No, that's not normal at all. 57kgs is no weight for a Labrador. That is the same weight as both my show line dogs put together. Unless your dog is really, really, exceptionally tall - as in the size of a Great Dane - then I think your vet maybe isn't up to telling you the truth....
I have seen other Labs that weighed over 120 and were not fat. One of our neighbors has two that make my 80# girl look like a puppy. It would not be my choice, but if he is that big then you just work with it. I would hate to be lifting him into a boat though.
Sounds like it's his normal but it's not average. The Lab across the street from me was 110 lb., 115 with only a wee bit of extra weight.
I agree that if it's been 5 months you should have the vet take a look and feel at let you know. The scale on this site http://www.thedrakecenter.com/services/pets/blog/fit-or-fat-your-pets-body-condition-score-bcs is what I'm used to using. My boy is 1.5 years and had surgery for elbow dysplasia so we keep him at a body condition score of 3/5. If your 13 month lab is 127lbs my guess is there is likely some weight to be lost before the pet is considered too skinny.
