Hello! My chocolate Labrador just turned old year old 11 days ago and he appears to be very small/skinny for his age, I've seen people on this very forum being being concerned about their Labrador weighting only 55lbs at one year old while mine only weights 44lbs! Here is what I have been feeding him since he was 2 months old; http://www.canisource.com/fish-ingredients-and-nutrient-analysis.php It's the best and healthiest food available in my province as far as I know, and also the one that was recommended by the breeders. I've been feeding him the recommended amount of food for a 60lbs dog since August and he's very slowly gaining weight. A box of food costs around 140$ and I simply can't afford doubling his portions, and I wouldn't want to lose the benefits of the food. (bright white teeth, very healthy fur, etc) He doesn't seem sick at all, he's a huge ball of energy all the time and he seems happy! My mother thinks I might be overexercising him, resulting in him possibly burning more calories a day than he eats? My dog walks at the very least 2 and a half hours every day, often more, and that's without counting playtime at home. What do you guys think? *I can't attach any pictures here so I've made an imgur album instead; http://imgur.com/a/1LPWk
HI and welcome to the forum . I`m sorry but I cant access your album . Labs vary greatly , there is no set rule re weight , the general rule of thumb being that you should be able to feel the ribs but not see them . Also, if you stand over your dog, you should be able to see a definable waistline but no bones sticking out ! If he is happy and energetic as you say he is , then I really wouldn't worry , much better to be slim than fat
He's a very similar build to my two, who are 15 months of age and just under 21kg each. My boy, Shadow, is too skinny at the moment, as all his ribs are visible. I can struggle to get weight on him as, if I over-feed him, he ends up with the squits, so if he loses condition, it can take a while to get it back on him. Willow's ribs aren't visible and she looks pretty similar to your boy. Both of mine are very leggy as far as Labs go. I don't really have any decent pictures from recently which show their build, but here's the best I have: Shadow: Willow: What I always try to aim for is being able to feel the ribs, as if being covered by a blanket, not a sheet and not a duvet. Shadow is definitely more sheet-like at the moment, and his ribs are a lot more prominent than in that photo.
Hi there, and welcome to the forum. Your boy has such a sweet face, He looks slim to me, but not underweight, although I guess you wouldn't want him to loose any weight. Far preferable to being overweight! Rosie started a thread about weight http://thelabradorforum.com/forum/n...90-how-much-does-your-puppy-weigh?view=stream She has a little chart of all the logged weights from forum dogs https://www.dropbox.com/s/lohrbykusgiezz6/dog weights 7 feb 15.JPG?dl=0
I have to start by saying that the only Labrador I am an expert on is my own Molly. It may sound like a dumb question but what sort of Labrador is your boy. The field or working lines are generally smaller and lighter than their show or bench cousins. Molly is field line and is quite light, but like your handsome chap she is a ball of energy. She is very muscular and athletic. He has a lovely shine on his coat and if he has the stamina to walk for a couple of hours a day I reckon there cannot be too much wrong with him. Molly has around 60% of the recommended amount of her high quality food everyday, if I fed her the recommended amount she would soon become overweight which is not good for any animal.
I'd say he's ok, as long as he doesn't get any skinnier. He's fairly lightly muscled though - if he was my dog I'd want to see more muscle in the shoulder and rump/thigh area. Perhaps he could do with a little bit more protein in his diet. Otherwise he looks great though - lovely coat and alert/bright expression.
Hello there His weight looks fine to me - if my (much heavier) dog was stood turned like yours is in one of the photos, his last rib would be sticking out, and you'd see the outline of the next one. And my vet thinks he could lose a 1lb or two....(my vet likes his Labradors thin!). I agree he does look very, very lightly built, and not a great deal of muscle, so it wouldn't harm to think about that. But still, some Labs do still look a little gangly at a year, my dog certainly put on 2 kgs (5lb) between year one and year two. He is a show line Lab, but much shorter than a lot of field line Labs that are often heavier.
Thanks for the answers everyone, it sure is reassuring because I have yet to meet another Lab owner who hasn't said anything about his weight, just a month ago an old man I met on one of my walks thought he was 4 months old. As for what kind of Labrador my dog is, he's a show Lab, all of the breeder's Labs do animal-assisted therapy. Now you got me concerned about his built! My dog is very active, he plays all the time and walks from 2 to 4 hours every single day so I'm not too sure how he could be lacking muscles, I'll try more proteins, thanks!
He's fine stop questioning yourself. If your worried go to the vet and ask them or give him the TV remote and feed him pizza.
Here here Mr Grumpy! Everyone thinks Lilly is a youngster and are surprised when I say 5 and a half. Mind you I'm not sure if that is because she LOOKS like a puppy or if it's the way she behaves!!!
Personally i think he looks fine, i often see far too many over weight labs, including my own at one point, he never looked fat but he weighed 35kgs but ive got him down to a healthy 32kg the vet wanted him down to 30 but hes very tall and muscly, i can feel his ribs already i think hed have been underweight at 30kgs
I think he is absolutely fine. Too many Labs are overweight putting strain on joints and hearts. Here is a good graphic to help you.
My Lab was like a bag of bones when he was that age, quite a worry at the time, but nothing wrong with him and today I have to watch his weight. The best way to feed a dog is to look at the dog and if you think he looks a bit thin, just increase the food a little, say a quarter or less of a mug and if he looks too fat, then feed less. I only used the advice on the packet as a starting point.
Lots of young dogs have yet to build muscle - my dog started to put on more muscle at about 10 months and it continued easily until he was 2 years old, even a little beyond that. I like to see slabs of muscle down my dog's shoulders and clear muscle bulk on the rear, particularly down the thighs. Good muscle helps lots of things, it particularly supports joints and ligaments. I struggle to maintain my dog's muscles on his rear and he could definitely do with having more - he has had some injuries, and I've got to watch it because the more muscle he has, the better he will be supported. The best way I know to build muscle is a good diet and a dog walking in a water treadmill, then walking uphill (quiet slowly) and a range of physio exercises, swimming is good too - just cruising along on walks didn't help my dog build muscle much though. It is definitely best to consult a vet or a qualified physio before you start anything.
Your lab looks good to me! He has such a nice and friendly face! And you do a wonderful job giving him so much exercise! I think a lot of us can't give our labs so much time you spent with your lab! I think the image boogy has placed on this forum will be very helpful to you! Finn still looks like a puppy.... He is two years old. My vet told us his weight is fine. I thought he was a bit fat after he was neutered. Now he weighs 31 kg. He comes from a show line. He is shorter than Euan. Euan is from a combined show and working line. His father and mother were quite "heavy". We kept him short in over feeding. He now weighs 35 kg. You can feel his rib cage, covered with a blanket, so just fine, even though his parents were over 40 kg...
Hi there,welcome to the Forum.Your boy is a very similar build to our dog. I've just got a new iPad and don't have many photos saved to show you and it's bedtime now to take one! We live in the Middle East and during our cooler winter months Dexter gets about the same amount of exercise as your boy but he is nearly 3 and I did work up to that .So just a note of caution to be careful not to over excercise him whilst he is still a youngster and finishing growing. You can see from some of the other replies there is such a massive variation between all the dogs so continue as you are doing and keeping an eye on general well being as well as appearance.Dexter drops weight very quickly if he has a couple of tummy 'off' days....if I think he look a bit rangy I give him a small lunch for a couple of days Best Wishes Angela x
Thanks for the answers everyone! I've decided to give him a little bit more food for a while and less exercise as some of you recommended, even though his weight is fine he is a little bit too skinny for my taste and honestly, I'm getting tired of people thinking my dog is undernourished! I personally think all the exercise is the cause of why he is so skinny, I have been going on these very long daily walks for a very long time now, way before I even owned a dog and I'm a "bag of bones" myself, like father, like son I say! From now on I will take a closer look at his weight and juggle between the portions I give him. And thank you JulieT for the tips, I'm a bit ashamed to admit my Labrador has never even been in the water! The only lake nearby is very deep and although I know they are good swimmers I've always been a bit scared, . I'm a poor student and I don't yet have a car so my options are very limited. I'll talk about it to my vet when I see him, as some of you said, maybe he is just still growing and I'm worrying for nothing!
He will probably look more solid by the time another 6 months to a year has rolled around. But he'll need the nutrition to support that development, so I think your plan to feed a bit more is a good idea. You probably don't need to add a lot each day to what you're giving now.
