Weight management

[PRH]

Evening,

My labs eat Skinners field and trial. The youngest is almost 18 months and very small for a lab, but eats the same amount as my 8 year old- normal sized lab.

I don’t want to fire more of the same food into the the youngster to help her fill out. Any suggestions for something to supplement her food to help build a bit of muscle? As you can see from the pic she is very fine.

B09E7839-B871-483B-9D70-F06F77D25E36.jpeg

Many thanks

Paul

[Springfield Pointers]

Paul. Food doesn't build muscle. There is also no fixed amount to feed a dog. Get the dog active and feed to its condition - it will soon get into the right shape.

[PRH]

Thank you for the reply. As an athlete for 20+ years I’m reasonably confident the right food does help build muscle in combination with the right exercise! I was simply looking for advice re sensible additions to her existing diet to help build her up.

[Naj]

Dogs don’t come in standard sizes. She might never be the same size and weight as your older dog. Not sure what you’re looking for because it doesn’t take much to get a dog into hard and lean condition, which I’d presume an active dog of this age already is. Maintaining that condition might be an issue if your dog is working several days a week but I get the impression that’s not what is concerning you. I feed raw lamb bones and chicken wings and as SP mentioned, feed to condition and don’t have any problems with a dog that is being shot over 3 or 4 times a week. But my GSP is small for her breed and no amount of feeding is going to alter that.

Naj

[newf]

PRH, what are the pup's parents like? I have a 16 month old springer that eats like horse but is still too lean for my liking. I've added fatty can food to his kibble for months, still no additional weight but plenty of energy. My lab is 85 lbs and eats less than the springer but I have to be continually vigilant that he doesn't gain. They are both worked on average two hours a day, hunting. Needless to say, the springer covers more ground then the lab.

[Springfield Pointers]

Thank you for the reply. As an athlete for 20+ years I’m reasonably confident the right food does help build muscle in combination with the right exercise! I was simply looking for advice re sensible additions to her existing diet to help build her up.

Great. I suggest take the dog running with you then, that should keep it fit enough. I'm sure you understand the nutrition part far better than me after 20 years of being an athlete. The rest is pretty simple. If the dog looks fat - feed it less. If it looks thin - more food is needed. What food you decide to feed it is up to you, there's lots of options out there, just make sensible choices - but I'm sure after all your years of being an athlete you understand all that pretty well. Good luck.

[PRH]

Thanks all. She is working once a week at the moment but we have a busy period coming up from now to end of the season and I was looking to get ahead of that and build her up a bit beforehand, without adding fat.

[Springfield Pointers]

Fat is energy. Increasing it will build a dog up.

[Judy]

Some dogs don't body up until they are 2.5 - 3 years old, some never do. To stop her getting skinny during your busy period you have two choices, feed more of the same or change it for a higher fat diet. Dogs don't gain as much energy from carbs as we do, they find it easier to metabolise fat for energy so cheap fatty lamb mince or tinned tripe added to her existing diet may help or change her kibble for a higher fat version. Which food are you giving them now?

Don't make the mistake of treating the dog's metabolism the same as yours, dogs break down fats for energy first then the carbs after which protein is used so they need sufficient fat for energy, enough protein for repairs / muscle building.

[Naj]

Thanks all. She is working once a week at the moment but we have a busy period coming up from now to end of the season and I was looking to get ahead of that and build her up a bit beforehand, without adding fat.

You can only build her up in the sense of increasing exercise in synch with diet but nothing you do can replicate the demands of a day’s hunting so in reality the best that you can do is to ensure she is hard, fit and lean now and then she is best placed to meet the increasing physical demands as the season progresses and Her condition will naturally adjust to meet current needs. I don’t find it takes much of a tweak in diet to keep the dog in condition, especially on 2 or 3 days a week, but as others have said a reputable performance kibble or high fat foods like raw lamb will up the all important fat intake. Canned sardines/cottage cheese/eggs/olive oil added to kibble are also popular and effective additions.

Naj