My vet said my dog is overweight and needs to go on a diet!??

Question

he isn't fat in my opinion, gets lots of exercise and eats well..
i didn't take him for a health check but a booster jab.
He's a labrador retriever and stockily built, as his build should be...
Should i take the vets advice and put the poor animal on a diet when he's as fit as a fiddle?

Answer 1

It is actually healthier for a dog to be on the thinner side than the fatter side, and most people tend to think that chubby looks healthy. Rub your hand along his ribs and if you can't feel each individual rib easily, then your dog is in fact over weight.
I read a really good book by a man named Mike Rotchburns that talked about pets being way too fat and how it took years off their lives. You should read it.

Answer 2

It can be quite serious for a dog to be overweight. I'm sure the vet wouldn't have said that if he/she wasn't concerned. He may just be a bit overweight, barely noticable, but it can soon escalate.
One of my dogs was slightly overweight. I thought the vet was making a mountain out of a molehill, so I carried on feeding and exercising her the same. She ended up putting on more weight, noticably so. It was a lot harder to put her on a diet then, and I had to feed her seperately to my other dog. Also, I know someone who had a golden labrador that was quite overweight. He died of a heart attack, because he was obese, unfortunately.
It sounds like you really care for your dog, so I can understand that hearing the vet say that may have hurt you. The best type of diet for a slightly overweight dog would be to continue giving him the same meals, but smaller portions. Also, more off the lead exercise, even 5 or 10 minutes a day chasing ball would make all the difference.
I hope this helps!

Answer 3

Labs are notorious over eaters, they will eat and eat and eat, even if they are not hungry, you vet knows best here. for a guide line a fully grown male dog should weight between 60 and 75 pounds (27 to 34 kg) and a fully grown female should weight between 55 to 70 pounds (25 to 35 kilos). The reason these guidelines are there is so your dog is at a weight suitable for it's bone structure and overweight dog can suffer from numerous health problems e.g joint difficulties, heart problems e.t.c. A fully grown lab requires up to four hours exercise a day, i separate my walks as half hour free time off lead fun with Frisbee, ball launcher, 15 minutes control exercise (obedience) and 15 mins attention. Always end a walk with a control exercise so that your dog is relaxed and pack balance is restored

Answer 4

Labs are greedy-We all Know that.Being over weight is not doing him any favours. O/weight dogs esp labs can be prone to joint probs if carrying to much weight-Esp probs with elbows and hips, if they not becoming a problem now u could be increasing the risk of him getting arthritis in these joints later in Life.Other health probs can include heart and lung probs as they are having to do more work then they are designed for.Also increased risk of him developing Diabetes-All these probs will require life long medication which if your dog is not insured can run into the hundreds of pounds very easily.Also the heavier he is the more expensive medication ie for fleaing or worming is, as everything is done on weight. Your dog should have a waist-Ie if u stand above him he should show a visible tucking it just after his ribs and then come out again for his hind legs.You should be able feel his ribs by running your fingers over his ribs applying a little pressure-If you have to really dig in to find them or he looks a rectangle shape from above then he is prob a little on the weighty side. Your vet may be able to offer you free weight checks with one of the surgery's nurses.

Answer 5

I had a Labrador, every one of his ribs could be felt and he had a waist. At 54 kg he was classified on the vets chart as obese but looking at him he obviously was not. He was big, his head was as big as my present dog (a cavalier) and my springer used to walk under him.

However if the vet says he can drop a few pounds then that's what you must do. Feed him a little less and add boiled white cabbage to his diet. This will stop him feeling hungry.
My cavalier must retain his low weight so he is watched carefully and weighed at every check up (heart problems)

Answer 6

How big is your Lab? Is he from the English lines that are shorter and more muscled or the American lines that are taller and longer?
The breed standard is 22.5 to 24.5 tall and up to 85 lbs. for a male.
You should just be able to see a faint out line of his lower ribs when he is standing. If you can't feel them just by running your hand over his side, then he is overweight.
1 lb. overweight on a dog is equal to 10 lbs. over on a human. If he is active, he doesn't need the extra weight if he jumps alot.

Answer 7

if you are concerned, contact a breeder. Our local vet thinks all labs should be under weight. My friends dog is skinny and not well muscled. My dog (her sister) Beautifully coat and great muscle tone. My dog weights 75 pounds. The vet says she is getting fat. The breeder says she is perfect. I go with the breeder as they have the best interest of the breed at heart.

Answer 8

The AMVA has these days all started a petition for Veterinarians approximately uncooked nutrition ordinary. some medical doctors do help it, yet maximum do no longer. Freezing nutrition does not kill all microbes. in case you suspect that, then thaw out some frozen uncooked rooster and consume it your self. some canines can consume carcasses and have no issues jointly as others have a difficulty. human beings say canines consume bones all of the time, yet I surely have taken care of perforated intestines with rooster bones better than as quickly as. Now that it is off my chest, uncooked might desire to be a balanced nutrition. while you're in basic terms feeding meat, their would be malnutrion issues earlier long. My consumers surely prepare dinner the nutrition for their canines. They make a stew of meats and greens to stability it. The canines do properly with no longer worry of an infection for contaminated meats. some uncooked nutrition ordinary manufacturers surely use organic and organic meats that are hand butchered. those meats are safer, yet start up being greater costly. uncooked nutrition ordinary will value greater, and cooked diets will value greater. So value might desire to be factored into the equation. Your canine might desire to surely have environmental hypersensitive reactions inflicting the floor issues particularly of nutrition. So pollen, grass, insect, or airborne dirt and mud might desire to be the subject. changing nutrition does not continuously fix dermis. good luck

Answer 9

If your vet considers it a problem, you should too. Everyone has a different definition of fat. Goto another vet for a second opinion or research the breed standards for your dog to know what weigh he should fall into.

Answer 10

I had my dog neutered and I asked the vet if he was likely to put on weight afterwards. He said " well, if he does, don't feed him so much"

It pretty obvious really. If he is too fat and you're vet will know what the ideal weight for a labrador is, then feed him less.

Are you over-weight too?

Fat owners frequently over-feed their pets believing that it is loving?