Can you overfeed a Labrador

Risks of Overfeeding Your Dog

You love your dog, and you want to provide him with the best nutrition to keep him in top shape. But when it comes to portion size or the number of snacks you share per day, you're not really sure whether you're giving him too much. Just like humans, there are many health risks for dogs associated with overfeeding your dog. The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention reports that a staggering 54 percent of dogs in the United States are considered overweight or obese. Consumption of too much dog food or treats may lead to obesity, so it's important to know your pet's eating habits are keeping him healthy.

How Much to Feed Your Dog

The best way to figure out how much to feed your dog is to talk with your veterinarian. Before your next appointment, measure the average serving size of your wet or dry food and mark down how often (and at what times) your dog eats. Also keep a log of how often you feed him snacks, and what kind of food he's given for treats, including rawhide, peanut butter or table scraps.

It helps to bring all of the nutritional labels from your dog's food to an appointment so your vet knows how many calories your dog is consuming and what ingredients are in his food. Doing this will help your vet make sure your pup is receiving the vitamins, nutrients and minerals he needs for a balanced meal plan.

In the meantime, most retail food brands offer suggested portion sizes based on a dog's current weight. Just be aware that if your dog is currently already overweight, the guidelines may not be as helpful as you'd like. Don't reduce your dog's food drastically. Instead, visit your vet for their opinion.

Signs You're Overfeeding Your Dog

Unfortunately, there aren't many obvious signs that you're feeding your pet too much. Monique Udell, an animal behaviorist from Oregon State University, tells National Geographic that "most people wouldn't know if they're overfeeding their dog. The more they see other people's dogs of similar weight, it becomes harder and harder to recognize." You may notice an overweight dog lacks energy or has trouble exercising, but that isn't always the case.

If he's nearby, call your dog over and do a physical examination. If you can easily feel your dog's ribs (but not see them), and he has a "waist" behind his chest, your dog is likely at an ideal weight for his body. Ribs covered by a thick pad of fat or a waist that is barely visible are visual clues that your pet is overweight.

If you have multiple dogs, they might need different kinds of food for their ages and breeds. It's possible the same type of kibble could be overfeeding dog A while giving dog B just the right amount of nutrition.

Risks Associated with Overfeeding Your Dog

There are many short and long term risks for feeding your pet more than he should be eating. According to the Banfield Pet Hospital's 2017 State of Pet Health report, overfeeding a dog leads to increased medical bills for pet parents. The report suggests that dog parents with an overweight pet spend 17 percent more in healthcare costs than those whose dogs are at a healthy weight. In addition, they spend almost 25 percent more on medications.

The amount spent on medical needs isn't the only alarming thing. What's worse are health risks that overfed pets face. The State of Pet Health study reports that the prevalence of other diseases, such as arthritis and breathing problems, has spiked as more dogs are becoming overweight. The decreased mobility from excess weight also makes healing much more difficult if your dog faces an injury like a fractured limb. Finally, obese dogs tend to lead more sedentary lives, making exercise more difficult to introduce and putting them at risk for heart disease.

You love your pet and would do anything to keep him from getting ill. Don't let another day of potential overfeeding slip by. Take some time to monitor your pet's baseline eating habits, and talk to your vet to see if any changes need to be made. Yes, he may beg or give you those eyes, but dogs don't have the same internal conscious telling them that they're full and will often eat well beyond what they should. It is up to you to help curb your dog's weight by feeding him proper meal sizes.

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Erin Ollila

Erin Ollila believes in the power of words and how a message can informand even transformits intended audience. Her writing can be found all over the internet and in print, and includes interviews, ghostwriting, blog posts, and creative nonfiction. Erin is a geek for SEO and all things social media. She graduated from Fairfield University with an M.F.A. in Creative Writing. Reach out to her on Twitter @ReinventingErin or learn more about her at http://erinollila.com.

Why Labradors Eat So Much?

Labrador retrievers are lovely pets and every dog lover would want to own one. They exhibit the type of behavior you expect from your pet. Their eyes are particularly very appealing and anyone will fall for their look. The one problem with the Labradors, however, is that they tend to eat a lot. It seems that some Labradors are never satisfied and always want more food, even when they have just finished eating the food in their bowl they are still hungry. This can be quite baffling for owners of Labradors, but there is an explanation for this greedy behavior.

Reasons Why Dogs Overeat

An experiment was conducted to find outwhy Labradors eat so much. This study was done at the University of Cambridge and they took 310 Labradors for their experiment. It was a detailed study and it involved the owners of the dogs as well, to know how they would feed their dogs. Questions were asked to know whether the dogs would look for food between their regular meal times. The results were very interesting and explained why the Labradors are always hungry

Genetic Reasons

It emerged from the study that the Labradors with this unending appetite had a particular gene in common. This gene is responsible for regulating the appetite of dogs. In normal circumstances, whether in humans or dogs, a message goes to the brain that the stomach is full and the individual or the animal stops eating further. However, in Labradors with this POMC gene, such a message is not sent to the brain. This leaves the dog with that feeling of not having had its full meal and keeps searching for more. In addition, Labradors that have this defective gene have a greater propensity to suffer from obesity.

The Medical Reason for the Condition

Delving a little deeper into this scientific study to find the reasonswhy Labradors eat so much, there is more information that can be shared. The researchers chose obese and lean Labradors for their experiment. There were 15 of the former and 18 of the latter. The objective was to study if there are any differences in their genes.

The medical term used is DNA deletion and it was noticed that the obese Labradors did exhibit mutation at the POMC gene. This mutation leads to the absence of neuropeptides required to regulate the consumption of food. These neuropeptides, identified as -MSH and -endorphin are responsible for weight control and sending the appropriate signals to the brain.

The study was then expanded to include 310 Labradors. They concluded that at least a quarter of the Labradors in their experiment conformed to the theory of gene mutation and excess eating. This was corroborated by the owners of the dogs. This defective gene is the main reason why so many Labradors are so hungry all the time, however, there are other reasons why your Labrador is hungry all the time, read on to find out what they are.

DNA Testing For Dogs

DNA testing can help you discover your dogs ancestry, find out about your dogs breed composition, and even find your dogs canine relative. Testing your pets DNA can also be very useful for keeping your furry friend healthy by detecting genetic risks for potential health problems. DNA Tests can also find hereditary conditions that can affect your dogs health in the future. This information can help your Veterinarian to provide adequate preemptive healthcare.

Medical conditions that make dogs hungry all the time

Intestinal parasites

Many Labradors can have intestinal parasites, which are small worms that lodge in the intestines of the dog and steal nutrients from the food the dog eats. Which makes the dog look for more food to feel satisfied. The worms should be treated on time. There are multiple types of worms like tapeworms, hookworms, whipworms, and roundworms. These intestinal parasites can be easily treated with medicines prescribed by your veterinarian, dogs can ingest the eggs of these parasites when they pick up something from the ground with their mouth, so if you suspect that your dog may have parasites, take him to the veterinarian quickly.

Nutritional deficiency

When dogs do not get the nutrients they need from the food that their owners give them, they will look for more food elsewhere to satisfy their needs. This can be caused by the dogs owner not giving him the amounts for his size, the food being of poor quality, or the dog suffering from a digestive problem that does not allow him to absorb all the nutrients. Give your dog quality food and consult with your veterinarian to rule out any medical problems and make sure you give your dog the proper portions.

Stress and emotional issues

There has never been any doubt that dogs have emotions. They exhibit it in subtle ways and experienced dog lovers fully understand them. Like humans, when dogs are stressed or bored, they tend to overeat. this is not good for the dog. So make sure that your dog has enough mental and physical stimulation so that he does not suffer from these problems

How to Prevent Your Labrador from Overeating?

Now that we know what are the reasons why Labradors eat so much, it is time to know what we can do to remedy it and prevent our dogs from overeating

Feed Them High-quality Food

One of the best ways to prevent our Labradors from being always hungry is to give them good quality food that nourishes them and makes them feel full. Food rich in nutrients and with enough fiber will make the dog feel satisfied and stop asking for food all the time. Make sure to feed him good quality dry food that meets your Labradors nutritional needs. Another option is to give your dog homemade food made with vegetables and meat. If you do not have time to prepare food for your dog, some companies prepare fresh food for dogs according to the specific needs of your pup and deliver it to your home. Check out the link below to find the best food for your Lab.

Click Here To Find The Best Food For Labrador Retrievers

Use Puzzle and Slow Feeders

Labradors are quite curious and intelligent by nature, and they are also very food-driven. For this reason, using a slow feeder or food puzzle is a good way to keep them entertained and busy for a good time and stop them from overeating. If you do not want your Labrador to be asking for food while you are having lunch, you can give him a food puzzle with treats inside so you can have a peaceful lunch without a dog begging for food beside you. Slow feeders make your dog unable to devour his food quickly, this helps to avoid the risk of suffering from bloat from eating too fast, and also when dogs eat slowly they feel fuller with their portion of food so it prevents them from overeating.

Click Here To Find The Best Puzzle Toys And Slow Feeders For Labs

Stop Your Lab from Begging at the Table

Discipline is very important to control the tendency of Labradors to overeat. You should not allow your Labrador to ask for food at the table, for this, no one in the family must give food to the dog at the table while they are sitting at the table if any member of the family feeds the Labrador while they are dining this behavior will never be corrected. You can also use the slow feeders that we mentioned before, to feed the dog while you are dining at the table.

Talk to Your Vet

You can bring up this issue of your Labradors craving for food at your next visit to the vet. The vet will be able to determine why your Lab is always hungry and may come up with some ideas to curb the habit.

Consequences of Overfeeding a Labrador

Out of excessive affection for their pets, many pet parents overfeed their Labrador. There is a natural tendency for this breed to eat more than needed and become obese and overweight. This can give rise to many diseases.

Obesity

An obese Labrador wont be very active and cant play as a thinner dog would do. This will further complicate its health, including joint problems like arthritis, heart problems and high blood pressure, kidney and liver disease, diabetes, and even cancer.

Bloating

Bloating is related to gastric issues in Labrador Retrievers due to overeating. You have to feed it in a way that it feels happy to eat but does not keep looking for more food.

Diabetes

Just like humans, dogs too can contract diabetes. The causes are also similar obesity, lack of exercise, and so on.

Other Health Issues

Besides these issues, there can be other health complications for Labradors due to overeating. These include arthritis, respiratory problems, and even skin-related issues. Now any or all of these can also result in the Labradors life span being cut short. There are cases of dogs developing heart problems too.

Click Here To Read More About Common Labrador Health Issues

Tips for Labrador Owners

It is essential for pet owners, especially those raising a Labrador, to be completely responsible for their pets. Some pet owners may not know there are so many issues involved in having a pet at home. Mere affection for the pet is not sufficient. When it comes to feeding the Labrador, you have to involve everyone in the household and probably even in the neighborhood to see there is no overfeeding.

Making the dog play games to keep it active is another important task for Labrador owners. Keeping the dog interested in the game or puzzle and ensuring it gets enough physical exercise is crucial to the objective of keeping your dog healthy. The Labradors weight has to be kept under control for its health.

Related post: Are labradors good apartment dogs?

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