School Assignment

Question
Hi I am doing a certificate in animal care and for one of the questions we have to answer what to feed a Labrador who is staying in a boarding kennel, he is 26kg and is 10months old now to me he seems very over weight for his age am I right? Could you please tell me what he should be fed and how to work out what the ideal way to measure out food quantity for dogs and cats.
Your help would be greatly appreciated!
Nikki

Answer
You might get a better grade if you dug the answer out of your text book.  Not all of what the dog guide schools know may have made it into academia.  The experts here have an ''I don't do homework'' button, but feel this is too important of an area to refuse to answer.   

Since they don't pay any attention to charts, I am not sure if that is too much or not.  He could just be a big boy.  The best method is using your eyes and hands, not a scale or chart.  See http://www.longliveyourdog.com/twoplus/RateYourDog.aspx  There are links from that to a fine study on obesity that was published in the JAVMA.  I am afraid many people giving dog advice have no idea that some ideas are backed by rigid, controlled tests.  

I would continue to feed what the dog was eating only less if it was a dry, commercial chow, or a diet version of the same thing.  The dog guide schools with all their experience feed nothing but dry chows, no supplements or anything else, no tripe, no mince, nothing.  To avoid having to stock a hundred different chows, I might say feed Pro Plan chicken and rice in place of Iams chicken and rice, but stick to the same protein source.  Sudden changes of diet can cause digestive upset.  The more different proteins a dog eats when it is young, the more chances of allergies and harder to work around later.  

One of the advantages of a dry chow is the ease of scooping out just what the dog needs to maintain ideal body condition.  I would expect a kennel to be using a calibrated cup.  I use an old 28 ounce can, but it has ridges and lands on it allowing me good repeatability.  I can even mark it as I change dogs.  I am about to trade my 14 month old female, yellow Lab, Holly, in on a new 7 week old one.  i will have to dig out my old, smaller can.