# Dogs and weight



## clu__82 (Jun 27, 2006)

I have a question ...and want to know if anyone has experienced similar things with their dog....first...I have a 22 month old male black lab ....and a 16 month old female black lab...both have been fixed...the 22 month old is long and lean and starting to fill out ....the only place that you can see large amounts of muslce are on his shoulder and neck region ...his chest doesnt stick out ...and he has a small boy bum ....now our 16 month old female ...she is the total opposite ....she is short and stalky ....and her chest protrudes out .....and her butt is thick .....overall she is a very thick dog....like I said polar opposite...both are very active ....love to hunt and love to retrieve.....now we feed them Canidae All life stages ....2 cups in the morning and 2 cups at night ....maybe 1 large milkbone treat throughout the day ...and maybe another small steak shaped treat on some days as well......we walk them at least 4-5 times a day for atleast an hour...either lesh walk .....free run at the park or hunting training sessions ...and we've done this since we've had them ....now we weighed them about two months ago .....the 22 month old weight about 78 and 16 month old about 82 ........we then weighed them about a week ago .....22 month old was 82 and 16 month old 90 ...........and we were shocked ......soooo being that they weighed what they did .....we just wanted to see if it was us ...were we feeding too much ...soo we honestly took them in the morning for an hour training session and an hour leash walk everyday this past week ...at least 2 hours a day ....(were students in grad school ) ... :smile: ...we weighed them in yesterday ....22 month old was 84 lbs and 16 month old 91.5 lbs .......now I have no idea how this has happened...becuase I know if that was me I would have lost 15 lbs .......so please .....let me know if this is normal .....at such a young age.....sorry fo the long message ..but we're kinda concerned

Thanks


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## Chaws (Oct 12, 2007)

Feed each dog differently, no two dogs will eat the same or digest and retain the calories the same. You should feed your dogs per the instruction on the package of the feed which is usually 1 cup per 20 lbs for ideal fit conditions however you should really be looking at their muscle and bone structure. Feed the dogs so their fit and you can see some rib. If they look too round, drop their food intake a little and after a couple weeks see what they're like.


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## theplain (Aug 6, 2006)

I feed the Canidae All Life Stages to my two labs and wirehair. They each get 1 1/2 cups(8 oz. cup) in the a.m. and 1 1/2 cups in the p.m. They are active and not kenneled all day. I am able to maintain their weight with that level of feeding and not put on lbs. in the off season. If I see a weight gain, I will cut down on their food intake. I control the food and therefore their weight.

The Canidae All Life Stages has 469 k/calories per cup. This is a very high calorie content. As a comparision, NutriSource Super Performance, which I will use with the Canidae during hunting season, has 480 k/calories per cup. Canidae recommends 2-3 cups per day for a 50 to 75 pound dog.

My opinion would be to cut back to 3 cups per day and see what happens.

Another consideration is if they are indoor or outdoor dogs. Mine, for the most part , are outdoor dogs(heated dog house) and I will increase food intake as the temperature drops and decrease as the temperature warms. The summer months food intake will drop to 2 cups(Canidae) for the labs and remain at 3 cups(Canidae) for the wirehair.

I think Canidae and the NutriSource are both excellent dog food but I would have overweight dogs if I maintained a 4 cup regimen throughout the year with that calorie content. During hunting season I increase to 5 to 6 cups to maintain their weight.

Find a feeding portion that will maintain the dogs at the weight you want and that matches their activity level.


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## clu__82 (Jun 27, 2006)

Thanks for the tips so far.....the other hard part that we are having is the actual amount of food that they are eating.....they both have their own food dish ....and we have recently tried seperating their bowls and observing how much they eat.....but apparently the other bowl is always better...so unless we're actually there watching we don't know .....but when we have watched ....I would say that my male eats about 2 1/2 cups and he is lean and in great shape....and my female eats about 1 1/2 cups and she is much stalkier....she is in great shape....because when we go training ...or when we go for runs she is right beside my male ....their body types are just so differnt.....the only thing that I want to make sure is that we are feeding them enough to be healthy.......because thier coats are beautiful and they're energy is always up.....so thanks again for the tips


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## Springer (Dec 21, 2004)

Are they house dogs or kept outside during the day. In the winter cold months it takes more food to maintain, You could easily cut back or try a different feed maybe a maintinance in the same line if you like it.


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## brianb (Dec 27, 2005)

Quit looking at the scale. Look at the dogs. I've seen labs that were in great shape weigh anywhere from 50 to 110 lbs. Poundage is just a number.

Look at them from above. Do they have a waist or is straight from shoulders to butt? Can you feel ribs with only a slight covering? If you have to press very much it is too fat.

From the side. Does the belly tuck up nicely from the chest? If it is level with the chest then the dog is too fat.

Here is a link to Purina's Dog Body condition chart. http://www.purina.com/dogs/health/bodycondition.aspx

If one or both is too fat, cut back on food by a half a cup a day for a couple of weeks and see if it makes a difference.

Brian


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## cancan (Feb 28, 2008)

what are you feeding them? I have 3 dogs and feed them all seperately....each has its own needs and if i let them one would eat 
way more than the others.

Labs inparticular will blimb up easy if you let them. But I totally agree actual weight is just a number...its body condition that is the key.


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## clu__82 (Jun 27, 2006)

Well.....we have kept a keen eye on our pups ....and I think the weight gain for my female was muscle to start ....we weighed her again after week two of bootcamp......and she has lost 4 lbs and is down to 88......my male has gained which he can afford to ...and he is up to 84 .....so thanks again for the tips ....looks like the excercise and food regulation/treat regulation is paying off

Thanks


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## bigbrad123 (Dec 22, 2005)

I have a male choc lab who is 2.4 years old. He has a very stalky muscular build like your female. When he was young, I tried to feed him like it suggested on the bag. After awhile, it was apparent he didn't need that much and was gaining weight. I also feed him twice per day. He seems to do better with that. I just had to tinker with his food for awhile and see how he responded. I agree with the guys on here that say don't look at the scale. As in humans, muscle weighs more than fat, so your female may tend to weigh more. I would definitely try to feed them seperately so one isn't eating the other's food. I would start feeding them less for now and see how it goes. You can always adjust if it looks like they are losing too much weight too quickly.


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## clu__82 (Jun 27, 2006)

well here's the deal and why we are using the scale as a gauge ....because we thought she was looking great ....and that she had actually lost weight before I posted ....to find out when we actually weighed her that she had gained 4 lbs ......I guess being around her all of the time it is a littl more difficult to accurately gauge her weight .....that being said I understand what you're saying with the scale/ look at her body argument .....and she has trimmed up in the "mid/hip section"...there has been a noticeable difference,.....so again the scale is just for reference ....thanks again


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## kgpcr (Sep 2, 2006)

I have a 53lb small Chocolate pointing lab. When i took her to the vet who is a lab freak she told me after measuring her that she was a few pounds over weight according to the charts. She then told me that we needed to put a few pounds on her as she is as solid as a rock and looks pretty thin. My little girl is all muscle and can run all day pheasant hunting in heavy cover. My point is my dog always has food in her dish. i have tried many top brand foods and she always stays the same even though i am trying to put a few pounds on her. every dog is different


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## clu__82 (Jun 27, 2006)

Made a trip to the vet yesterday for yearly shots ...wow what a bill ...anyways and it turns out that my female has low thyroid ....well which ever one makes her gain weight....so that was bad...but good to hear in the same sense ...so we are on a 60 day trial for pills to see if that will help her out.....vet wants her to drop 20 and be around 70lbs....we have her on a low calorie diet along with the thyroid pills......so thanks again for the tips ...


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## verg (Aug 21, 2006)

One of my dad's labs has a low thyroid too. She is now 10. She has been overweight all her life. Has to give her a pill in the am and pm. 
I'd say she is 20lbs overweight. As my dad hunted and exercised her more she would lose maybe ten. But both my dad and dog aren't overly active so the weight is back to stay.


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## clu__82 (Jun 27, 2006)

Yeah we started the pill thing ....I just want her to be healthy


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