So I went to the vet today so that my girl can get her kennel cough shot. And the vet said to cut back her food because she is overweight. She clocks in at 62.8lbs. He said for her frame size she should be about 58lbs. I told him I feed Canidae ALS and he said either get her out more to burn calories or I could try a new food. Yikes, he suggested :rolleyes: anyway I feel she does well on Canidae and in the future will probably try something new but for now, I think she is fine. I honestly do not think she is overweight. What do you all think?

Excuse the "frontline+" grease and shoes, haha.

pic from above.

Its always so hard to tell from pictures, and I can't tell her frame from them, but the general rule of thumb is that if you press lightly and can feel their ribs, that's good. If you can't, they could slim down.

Unless your Labrador is a hardcore athlete (i.e. agility) being able to clearly see a dogs ribs isn't appropriate, since Labradors were bred to be cold-weather water dogs, and that thin layer of fat plays a role (protection/buoyancy).

From what I can see from the pictures (taking into account my disclaimer above) she doesn't look overweight to me, though certainly additional exercise is always good :)

Interesting story: A friend of mine brought her lab in for an annual exam a year ago, and the vet said he looked OUTSTANDING! Perfect muscle tone, perfect weight, everything perfect.

A year later she brought the same dog in and the same vet said he was overweight and needed to lose several pounds, and maybe should switch foods (I think). When my friend looked at the weight from a year ago and the current weight, they were the same. So I just don't know.

My Grip holds steady at around 74/75 lbs and all of my vets have said he's a perfect weight, and he is only of average height & frame.

Your dog looks well proportioned to me right now to me at least....Again as the previous poster stated.. check for the rib test. As far as changing foods... if you are happy with the one your dog is on now... maybe lighten up on the amount.

The Vet my need to get his eyes checked. Looks to be in perfect shape.
You have a side tuck up and the above shot shows an hour glass.

But the prior posters mentioned the rib check only you can do.

I believe it's called a sales pitch. He thows out the bait, you didn't take it. I would bet the food was "SD"... He had to try...

:D yeah maybe the vet needs his eyes checked. i will do the rib test but again i honestly felt my dog is in good shape. so when he said overweight i was kinda shocked but he said needs to lose maybe 5lbs or change the food to well you know the brands vets promote. didn't make any sense.

thanks guys!

She looks great to me :)

I'm no expert but she looks good to be, certainly doesn't have that sausage look as my vet refers to overweight dogs. He also checks how they are standing & their paws. If paws are flat with wide spaces in between digits (don't know what to call them) they that's when he feels they are bearing too much weight.
BTW~~~She's a beauty.

also if this matters she is from "British" or English lines. So they tend to be short and boxy looking. Maybe he just doesn't know. as long as he can diagnose and treat I don't care for him to talk "nutrition" with me.

I agree with Zencat about the pressing or running your hand down her side. If you can feel her ribs through a little bit of fat then she's ok. Is there really a "set" weight for a lab? I had one that was 115# (not fat) and now I have Sumo who is 81#.

I don't think she looks fat. How old is she? A dog can weight the same at 1 year old and at 3 years old, but the difference can be the filling out of inches that may make them look heavier from one year to the next..

I would not change foods if she is doing well, maybe just increase her activity...

she is 20mo old now. just a small frame lab. smaller than the norm i think. but according to the breeder "british" labs are smaller than american bred ones. When I see other labs they look so much bigger than her, people ask me if she is 6mo old!!

it is true though, the majority of labs i see out in public do look fat or overweight. this one choco lab i saw was so big it couldn't walk normally. it would hobble and snort like a pig! it would walk a few steps lay down walk a few lay down. and the guy himself was pretty large. and he kept trying to get his dog to walk by feeding it bits of hot dog.

I think she looks good! :)

Your dog looks great! The fact that you would think to post here and ask, suggests that you are already ahead of the game.

Yay for concerned dog owners.

I think she looks great! my chocolate is 5 months old and close to 40 lbs but she looks llike yours from the top view. sometimes i can see the hour glass sometimes i cant!! she looks fine!!! where in ct do you live? just wondering.. i was born and raised in stamford

Wow. I grew up in Stamford, too. My son was born in Stamford Hospital. Small world.

My 3 kids were born in Stamford Hospital also! Where in stamford did you live? we first lived in springdale then moved to north stamford up past the italian center. Then to Bethel ct. and now im here in florida..

I take the word of most vets on lab-specific issues like weight with a huge grain of salt. I think they don't know as much as many of the long-term lab owners on here.

I think she looks great! my chocolate is 5 months old and close to 40 lbs but she looks llike yours from the top view. sometimes i can see the hour glass sometimes i cant!! she looks fine!!! where in ct do you live? just wondering.. i was born and raised in stamford

thanks...

i live in farmington area. use to be from West Hartland (the boon docks)

Stamford is at the other end of the state for me. very far away.

I think she looks good, too. That being said, I try to keep my 7 year old lab a little on the thin side to protect his joints. If your dog is an older adult, you might consider that.

Your dog appears to be a fine weight.



Unless your Labrador is a hardcore athlete (i.e. agility) being able to clearly see a dogs ribs isn't appropriate...

I consider my dogs athletes and I'd never want to see ribs :thumb4:

That the vet suggested switching foods seems odd to me. Why wouldn't he simply suggest cutting back on the amount fed? We're only talking a couple pounds here, it's not like you need a special type of diet food.

In any event, your pup looks great in the pictures.