amount of food to give my lab

[cromey]

hi i have a five year old lab i have been told by the vet she is over weight and needs to go on a diet can anyone tell me how much a bitch lab of 5 years old needs.

[lankeela]

This depends on the activity level of the dog, the size of the dog and the type of food. If you feed a good quality complete dry food, then you would need to feed less than say if you were feeding tinned meat and biscuits.

Try cutting down her food by a third, and see if that has any effect after a couple of weeks. Gradually increase her exercise at the same time. Keep a note of her weight and if she is not losing any cut it down to half the original amount. Split her feeds up into two, so she has something to look forward to and isn't going so long without any.

Don't be fooled into giving her more because she is 'hungry'. She is a lab and labs always try to tell you they are hungry, when in fact they are purely greedy!

If you are feeding a tinned meat and biscuits diet, or household scraps, then consider feeding a complete food, and follow carefully the instructions on the bag. Again don't be tempted to give her more because it doesn't look much - they digest much more of the food so need to eat less. The other advantage is that they poo less! Many of the better quality foods do a 'light' version. I would recommend Eukanuba, Purina, Skinners who all do diet feeds.

[File Cutter]

Use a good complete, large breed, dog food, get a set of scales and weigh out her meals to follow the manufacturers guidelines on the packaging. Don't give scraps or treats or if you do, reduce the amount given in meals.

Also increase the amount of exercise you give her - labs will take as much exercise as you can give them.

The ideal weight for a lab should be between 30 and 35 kg. Base the meal size on those weights. Females are generally smaller than males so should weigh close to 30 kg.

It may seem cruel witholding treats but she'll have less risk of hip dysplasia and should hopefully live longer.

[lankeela]

Not sure I agree with the bit about hip displaysia - I would have thought at 5 she would have got it by now if she was going to get it, as it is mostly an inherited condition, but can be exacerbated by incorrect rearing and too much exercise when young. However, heart disease is a very real threat to overweight dogs.

Increase the exercise gradually, or you may cause more problems if she has not lost any weight.

[File Cutter]

My understanding was that HD often only shows itself later in life? And being overweight puts more stress on the hips and may exacerbate the symptoms.

Your vet should have advised you how to reduce your labs weight. I'd suggest you check progress by regularly weighing her - my vets have a set of scales in their reception which are free to use.