good weight for labs

Question
I have a black lab who is 1 1/2 years old.  She weighs 88.6 lbs.  She doesn't eat alot. She gets 1 1/2c dry food w/1/4 can wet twice a day.  She gets exercise too.  The vet said she is overweight, but her mother and father are both big dogs, can someone tell me what she should be at?

Answer
Kim, 88 pounds >>is<< a bit heavy for a Lab, depending on her bloodline, but I cannot tell you exactly what weight your dog should be at, because it depends on her genetics, as well as her body condition. If she is very muscular, she's going to weigh more than if she is not, because muscle is heavier than fat. It does sound like you >>could<< be feeding her a >>tad<< too much if she's primarily a couch potato, but not if she's very active.

When you say she gets exercise, could you elaborate? What kind of exercise does she get, and how often?



A simple way to figure out if your dog is at the right weight or not is by look and feel.

First, look at your dog when she's standing, from the side. Just behind where the ribcage ends, does her belly 'tuck up' a bit? It should. If you stand behind her and look down at her back, does the shape of her body more closely resemble a sausage or a peanut? I'm sure you know, she should more closely resemble a peanut. When your dog sits, is there a 'roll' of skin at the base of the tail? There shouldn't be.

Next, run your hands down your dog's sides, from front to back, with your thumbs on either side of her spine. Can you feel the bumps of the ribcage with your fingers, without pressing, or is she pretty soft? You should be able to feel the ribs, under a thin layer of skin & muscle, without having to press against the dog's sides. Can you feel the hipbones under a thin layer of muscle, without pressing down? These bones, like the ribs, should not be poking out, but you should be able to feel them without having to squish through a layer of fat.


The following are some visual aids to help you understand what I have tried to explain to you:

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l190/runningtsjak/weight_too_thin.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l190/runningtsjak/weight_ideal.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l190/runningtsjak/weight_too_heavy.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l190/runningtsjak/dog_weight_chart.jpg

This website also has some good information about overweight dogs: http://www.caninesports.com/fatdogs.html