labs weight

Question
my lab seems to look thinner than most young labs i have seen. i feed her a normal amount of food and she eats just about anything i give her, but she doesnt seem to be gaining weight. She is about a year, and does run a lot and spends a lot of time in the backyard, but still looks very thin. Is this normal? if not, what should i do?

Answer
Hi Lauren,
First, have you given your dog some de-wormer?  You may want to take her to the vet, along with a stool sample, and have her de-wormed.  You may also want to consider pulling a thyroid panel on her.  An out of balance thyroid can cause weight loss, or the inability to gain weight.
If worms are not the problem, then I'd consider her food.  Feeding a medium to high-quality food may seem to be a bit more expensive at first, but in the end, it is less expensive.  I would not feed anything less than IAMS.  You may need to put her on something that has more fat in it.  If she's as active as you express, she could just be burning off all the calories she takes in and she needs more.
It is not uncommon for a young, active dog to be thin, but if you think she is excessively so, the above are what you should look into first.  You can "measure" weight by running your hands along her spine and ribcage.  If you can feel ribs, but not so much that they are sticking out excessively, she is at a good weight.  You should not be able to see her ribs while she is standing still.  You may see them while she is moving, however.  If you cannot easily feel ribs, she is overweight.  Your vet should be able to help you with this.
Good luck, and if you'd like to let me know how she does, please do!