Labrador Retriever nutrition: appetite, weight and joints

Weight is the nutrition problem in Labrador Retrievers. In UK veterinary records for 2,074 randomly sampled Labradors, overweight or obesity was the second most commonly recorded problem, after ear infections, and degenerative joint disease came third. Part of the reason is genetic: many Labradors carry a deletion in the POMC gene that makes them hungrier and lowers the calories they burn. The rest comes down to how much food reaches the bowl.

The American Kennel Club gives adult weights of 29 to 36 kg (65 to 80 lb) for males and 25 to 32 kg (55 to 70 lb) for females, and a life expectancy of 11 to 13 years. It describes a very energetic breed that needs a lot of exercise every day and notes that some Labs are prone to getting overweight.

The POMC deletion and appetite

In 2016, researchers reported a 14-base-pair deletion in the POMC gene of Labrador Retrievers. It made up 12% of the gene copies in the Labradors they studied, and each copy was associated with higher body weight, more body fat and greater food motivation. Among other breeds it turned up only in the closely related Flat-Coated Retriever. It was significantly more common in Labradors selected as assistance dogs than in pets, possibly because food-motivated dogs are easier to train with treats.

The deletion stops the body making two signaling molecules, beta-MSH and beta-endorphin. A 2024 follow-up study looked at what that does. Affected dogs burned markedly less energy at rest and responded more strongly to the sight of food, a sign of increased hunger or wanting. Yet when offered as much food as they wanted at a meal, they showed no difference in satiety from unaffected dogs. The picture is of a dog that wants food more between meals and needs fewer calories, rather than one that never feels full.

That has two practical consequences. A Labrador that always acts hungry is not necessarily underfed, and its begging is a poor guide to portion size. And a carrier on the same amount of food as a littermate may gain weight while the littermate stays lean, so portions have to be set by body condition, not by the feeding chart. The guide to Labradors that are always hungry covers the behavior side in more detail.

Calories, neutering and weight control

Feeding starts from the general formula in the Merck Veterinary Manual. Resting energy requirement (RER), in kcal per day, is 70 multiplied by body weight in kilograms raised to the power 0.75. An intact adult dog needs about 1.8 times RER, a neutered adult 1.6 times, and an adult that gains weight easily 1.4 times. For a Labrador that gains weight easily, as many POMC carriers do, the last column is a more realistic starting point. Rounded to the nearest 5 kcal:

The gap between the intact and neutered columns is about 11%, so portions usually need trimming after neutering. Merck also notes that two dogs of the same weight can differ by as much as 30% in what they need. Puppies need about 3 times RER until four months of age and 2 times RER after that: roughly 1,180 kcal a day for a 10 kg puppy under four months and 1,325 kcal for a 20 kg puppy over four months.

Keeping a Labrador lean

• Weigh the food on a kitchen scale. Scoops and cups vary, and small daily errors add up over months.
• Count treats as food. The AKC points out that treats help with training but too many cause obesity. Take training treats out of the day's ration, or use pieces of the dog's own kibble.
• Check body condition every few weeks. Ribs should be easy to feel without pressing, with a waist visible from above and a tuck behind the ribs from the side. The guide to signs of excess weight shows what to feel for.
• Make meals last longer with a slow-feeder bowl, puzzle feeder or scatter feeding, which gives a hungry dog something to do without adding calories.
• Agree the rules at home. One person handing out scraps undoes careful portions.

If a dog on measured portions keeps gaining, see the vet before cutting food hard. Underlying conditions such as hypothyroidism need ruling out, and a weight-loss diet keeps nutrients adequate when calories drop.

Joints and a lean body

Some of the best evidence for lean feeding in dogs comes from Labradors. In a lifelong study of 48 dogs paired from 8 weeks of age, the dog in each pair fed 25% less weighed less, carried less body fat, lived significantly longer and generally developed signs of chronic disease later. Degenerative joint disease was the third most common problem in the UK Labrador study, recorded in 5.5% of the dogs during 2013, one more reason to keep weight down.

Joint protection starts in puppyhood. The AKC advises breeders to screen for hip and elbow dysplasia, so ask for the parents' results. Feed a puppy food labeled complete and balanced for large-breed growth, keep the puppy lean, and do not add calcium. Merck warns that excess calcium harms the skeletons of growing large-breed dogs, with supplemented diets above 3% calcium on a dry matter basis causing more severe osteochondrosis.

Joint supplements

Supplement evidence splits sharply. A 2022 systematic review and meta-analysis of 72 trials in dogs and cats with osteoarthritis found clear pain-relieving effects for omega-3-enriched diets and omega-3 supplements, weak effects for collagen, and a marked lack of effect for glucosamine-chondroitin products, which the authors said should no longer be recommended for osteoarthritis pain. For a Labrador with stiff joints, fish oil or a joint diet rich in omega-3 is worth discussing with the vet, alongside pain relief where needed. The same review gives no reason to start glucosamine in a young, healthy dog.

Active and swimming Labradors

A Labrador that works, hunts, runs field trials or swims for long sessions uses more energy than a family pet and may need the intact-adult column or more. Adjust by body condition. A food labeled for active or performance dogs gives more calories per cup, which helps a hard-working dog eat enough without a very large meal. For most pet Labradors, a performance food only makes weight control harder.

Ears matter more than food for swimmers. Ear infection (otitis externa) was the most common problem recorded in the UK Labrador study, recorded in 10.4% of the dogs during 2013. Dry the ears after swimming or bathing, and have a vet look at any head shaking, scratching at the ears, smell or discharge.

Bloat and feeding practices

The AKC notes that, like other large, deep-chested dogs, Labradors can develop bloat, or gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV), in which the stomach fills with gas and can twist. In a prospective study of large and giant-breed dogs, eating quickly and feeding from a raised bowl both increased the risk, as did older age and having a close relative with GDV. Labradors were not among the breeds in that study, but its practical points carry over:

• Feed from a bowl on the floor, not a raised stand.
• Slow a fast eater with a slow-feeder bowl or puzzle feeder.
• Split the daily ration into at least two meals.
• Avoid hard exercise straight after a large meal, although the evidence for this is weaker.

A swollen, tight belly, repeated retching that brings nothing up, restlessness or collapse needs an emergency vet immediately.

Sources

1. Labrador Retriever dog breed information. American Kennel Club.
2. A deletion in the canine POMC gene is associated with weight and appetite in obesity-prone Labrador Retriever dogs. Cell Metabolism, 2016.
3. Low resting metabolic rate and increased hunger due to β-MSH and β-endorphin deletion in a canine model. Science Advances, 2024.
4. Labrador retrievers under primary veterinary care in the UK: demography, mortality and disorders. Canine Genetics and Epidemiology, 2018.
5. Nutritional requirements of small animals. Merck Veterinary Manual.
6. Effects of diet restriction on life span and age-related changes in dogs. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 2002.
7. A 2022 systematic review and meta-analysis of enriched therapeutic diets and nutraceuticals in canine and feline osteoarthritis. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2022.
8. Non-dietary risk factors for gastric dilatation-volvulus in large and giant breed dogs. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 2000.