I cant stand seeing the fat labs, who can barely move, what quality of life have they got, its mainly the show labs who are overweight, thats why i like the working dogs, they look fab!

I'm really strict about Luna's food intake.

I know that labs gain weight really easy, so I worry, and probablely way more than I have to.....

But I weigh her food, morning and night.

Jeanette

Thats good J, you do need to be careful with labs, but i wouldnt worry too much, luna looks fab!

I read in a dog magazine the other day a quote... and it goes like this:

''if your dog is overweight, then you arent getting enough exercise''

Aaawww thanks Gem

Good one SA and oh so true !!!!

I think its simple, unless the dog has a medical problem if you give sufficient food and plenty of exercise there should be no reason that a dog is overweight. A lot of the time I think it is down to ignorance and laziness on the owners part.

Imo if you cant provide the dog with plenty of exercise and know little about nutritional requirements then you should not have one at all. People have a tendency to treat dogs like humans feeding them sweeties etc when its not fair on the dog to do so and only encourages begging etc.

You never see a fat wolf do you......

I dont think you can always judge by sight though. My very first Boxer was a super dog who was always just "right". In later years she did put on weight but we found out she had a thyroid condition and had to go onto treatment for it. However in the early days before the treatment started to take effect, I remember one day in particular. We had driven to a local beauty spot by the shore and I had her out for a walk. A woman coming past and really quite rude started up a conversation and her third word was "Fat". At this point I started to move off as I did not see why I had to justify why my dog was overweight to a complete stranger. She followed me and gave me a lecture on overweight dogs andall the dogs she had etc etc. Gritting my teeth and having had a pleasant walk spoilt I took the dog back to the car, helped her in [yes not only was she overweight but older] and shut the door, I turned to this really rude and pass remarkable woman and said very quietly and controlled "She is overweight for a reason, she has thyroid problems for which she has just started treatment". I didnt wait for a response, just got in and drove off.

I realise what you are all saying but maybe 9 out of 10 overweight dogs are just that but there will always be the 1% that there may just be a reason for it. Once she was stablised on her medication, my girl became the right weight once more.