Why Is My Golden Retriever Too Skinny
Golden Retrievers are one of the most energetic breeds there is you can always see them everywhere running around, ready for playtime 24/7.
Unfortunately, Goldens also have a great tendency to become overweight, as their vigorous attitude sometimes applies to their eating habits as well, which makes them prone to obesity.
It is rare but it happens that sometimes Golden Retrievers can become skinnier than they should be this goes back to a lot of reasons including malnutrition, them being genetically skinny, or maybe feeling stressed or suffering from a certain illness.
My Dog Is Losing Weight And I Don’t Understand Why
Weight loss in dogs may be associated with many normal and abnormal conditions.
“Weight loss is considered to be clinically significant when it exceeds 10% of the normal body weight.”
Weight loss is considered to be clinically significant when it exceeds 10% of the normal body weight and when it is not associated with fluid loss or dehydration. For example, a healthy Golden Retriever weighing a breed-normal seventy pounds would have to lose over seven pounds before the weight loss would be considered clinically significant. Changes in diet, environment, or stress levels, including the addition of new pets, may lead to weight loss that is rarely permanent or significant.
Why Does The Golden Retriever Gain Weight So Easily
One of the main reasons that overweight golden retrievers are so common is due to the fact that they are almost always hungry. Because dogs are direct descendants of wolves, they are constantly on the lookout for more food. They always want tasty snacks every now and then.
Being a dog owner, this can prove to be a great challenge for you. Your dog is very much like your baby, so every time that it begs and mooches for food, you tend to give in to its demands. It also doesnt help that golden retrievers are just so adorable. Its quite difficult to say no to them when theyre asking for food.
More food leads to them gaining weight over time. Once they gain that extra weight from the snacks that they keep eating on and off, it makes it harder for them to move around more and exercise. This starts a very bad cycle of eating and laziness that almost always results in an overweight golden retriever.
While more food and less exercise may seem like the most obvious reason for overweight golden retrievers, there are a lot of other reasons that might play a part. Some dogs are genetically inclined to gain more weight. A study conducted at Cambridge University showed that the POMC gene is responsible for controlling a golden retrievers appetite. Another study showed that another main reason for overweight golden retrievers could also be spaying or neutering at a young age.
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When To Talk To Your Vet
If your golden retriever is following healthy lifestyle tips but still not losing weight, its worth chatting to your vet about it.
Perhaps theres an underlying condition that needs to be explored. In addition, if you find that your pet just doesnt seem happy or healthy after youve tweaked their diet, you should also check in with your vet. Perhaps your pet isnt getting enough of the nutrients or calories they need to thrive!
Add Healthy Fiber To Your Dogs Diet
Along with focusing on wholesome proteins, think about high-fiber snacks and mix-ins for your dogs food. Most dogs love carrots, for instance, or bites of fresh apple. A spoonful of plain canned pumpkin is a known tummy soother for pets. And our office dogs here at Rover love homemade dried veggiescheck out the recipe here.
Whatever you choose, replacing some of your dogs regular treats with fresh, fiber-packed options is a sensible weight loss step.
The answer to keeping dogs weight optimal is to feed them a fresh, whole food diet.
Some pet owners have gone further than this, choosing to replace some of their dogs kibble with whole vegetables, such as green beans . We asked veterinarian Dr. Gary Richter about the green bean diet for dog weight management. He agrees that replacing dry food with green beans and other vegetables can be a good option for reducing a dogs caloric intake, explaining, The goal is to decrease calories ingested while maintaining or increasing the volume of food eaten. This way the dog feels full but ate less calories.
Overall, he says, it doesnt have to be green beansthough theyre unlikely to hurt. The answer to keeping dogs weight optimal is to feed them a fresh, whole food diet. Dry dog food is loaded with carbohydrates that contribute to weight gain.
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Does My Dog Need More Exercise
People often say to me, my Lab is a bit overweight because he hasnt had much exercise lately.
Whilst exercise can help to keep your dog in shape as a part of their daily routine, it is not the critical factor when it comes to putting on weight.
He may well need more exercise, but that is not why he is fat.
He is overweight because when you take into account the amount he exercises along with a number of other factors, he has eaten too much.
The exercise needs of your dog are an important but separate issue, which we look at in other articles. The important thing to remember is this:
The less exercise you give the dog, the less you must feed him.
You cant be forever playing catch up with his weight, or hoping to spend more time walking him next week. Once put on, weight is hard to shift and it will simply go up and up over time.
You need to control it on a regular weekly/monthly basis, starting now.
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Safely Increasing Your Dogs Activity Levels
Dogs who havent had any exercise at all cant go out and run a few miles, just as people cant. Start your dog off slowly with a couple of extra play sessions in the yard, incorporating catch or tug-of-war games to get them active. Over time, you can build up to short walks. As little as 20 or 30 minutes per day can do a lot to help your dog lose weight, even improving his attitude in the process.
Find some new toys, hide treats in the yard, and consider setting up playdates with other dogs . Make increasing your Golden Retrievers activity levels into a family project, giving everyone a small task or game to play with your pup on a regular basis.
Need to entice your dog to play? Save some of your treats for training time. You can make your treats last longer by breaking them into smaller portions. Your dog doesnt really care how big the treats are they just love getting them from you.
Your Golden Retriever has no control over the food they eats or how often you take them out for a walk or to play. They are depending on you to keep them active, fit, and healthy. While some factors are out of your control, doing what you can to control the risk factors you can influence will ensure your dog lives a longer, healthier life.
Are You Contributing To Your Dogs Weight Problem
While genetics may play a role, we as pet owners play a huge role in whether or not our Golden Retrievers become overweight or obese. Many dog owners regularly overfeed their dogs, giving them incorrect serving sizes, too many treats, and unhealthy table scraps. A lot of us also lead busy lives, and that can make it a little too easy to skip an extra play session in the yard or take that leisurely evening walk.
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How To Make Your Overweight Golden Retriever Lose Weight
Before you put your golden retriever on a strict diet, you should schedule a visit to the vet once. You need to do this to be sure that your pets weight gain isnt being caused by other factors, and is only a result of overeating and a lack of exercise.
Here are a few things that you can do that can help your obese golden retriever lose weight.
What Are The Possible Causes Of A Skinny Golden Retriever
Your Golden Retrievers intake of calories must meet its daily energy expenditure to maintain its weight. Calories in must equal calories out.
Provided there are no underlying health issues , and no dehydration or fluid loss, the most likely causes of a skinny Golden Retriever is a calorie intake that is too low or a change in the dogs environment and stress levels.
Your Golden Retriever will lose weight if:
- Its energy expenditure from daily physical exercise exceeds the intake of calories over a prolonged period.
- Calorie intake is below the level needed to maintain weight, i.e., the dog is underfed.
- The food is of poor quality.
- The dog is a finicky eater or fed table scraps, i.e., diet may be inadequate.
- A change in environment or stress levels resulting in a loss of appetite or reduced physical activity, e.g., a pet companion passes away.
Regarding the last point, I wrote an article on common reasons a Golden Retriever might be suddenly lazy or lethargic, and it can be found here:A Lazy Golden Retriever? . Please take a few minutes to read it as it identifies some reasons why a Golden Retriever may suddenly become less active.
On the brighter side, provided any of the above is the cause, then the outlook is excellent.
Changes in diet, environment, or stress levels, including the addition of new pets, may lead to weight loss that is rarely permanent or significant.
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When Does A Golden Retriever Gets Its Mature Coat
When your golden retriever reach 3 months old he will start to develop his full coat. However the process takes a while. Your golden retriever wont have his full coat until he is about 2 years old. At the beginning stages you would really have to look hard to notice the coat is changing at all but as time goes by it becomes more obvious. All dogs are not the same so some golden retrievers get their full coat faster than others.
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Exercising A Fat Golden Retriever
If youve spent hours on the treadmill at the gym, you know that losing weight is a lot harder than not eating calories in the first place.
Its no different for dogs.
While an appropriate amount of daily exercise increases the number of calories burned, its not as crucial as food intake when it comes to trying to lose extra pounds.
Increasing your Goldens activity level will not only help him lose weight it will also increase his overall fitness and health.
If your dog is very overweight, proceed with caution.
Start off slowly by increasing walking time on flat surfaces.
As his fitness capacity increases, you can introduce more intensive exercise such as chasing balls and running.
Swimming is also an excellent form of exercise for Golden Retrievers.
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Iams Proactive Health Large Breed Dog Food
Rating:
ProActive Health Large Breed is one of 14 dry recipes covered in our review of the Iams ProActive Health product line.
- First 5 ingredients: Chicken, ground whole grain barley, ground whole grain corn, ground whole grain sorghum, chicken by-product meal
- Type: Grain-inclusive
- Profile: Maintenance
- Best for:Adult goldens
Iams ProActive Health Large Breed derives the majority of its meat protein from chicken. Dry matter label analysis reveals the recipe contains 25% protein, 14% fat and 53% estimated carbs producing a fat-to-protein ratio of about 56%.
This classic, grain-inclusive, large breed design has been offered by Iams for many years. Its especially popular with professional breeders. We like the fact that its also 100% free of BHA and other high-risk chemical preservatives. Highly recommended.
Sample buyer reviewAll the pets in the household love Iams. My puppies just switched to adult food and this has been a quick an easy switch. Would recommend Iams to anyone.
Slim Dogs Live Longer
Not only will a slim dog have a better level of fitness and a lower likelihood of becoming unwell, they will in all probability live longer too.
Purina PetCare carried out a lifetime study on 48 Labradors, where they were divided into two categories, one of which was given 25% more food than the other.
Those Labs on the large food ration had a median lifespan of over 11 years old. Those on the smaller food ration lived to be over 13 years old.
When you look at the difference which can be made in these terms, by helping your Lab to stay slim you could be giving him an incredible two more years with you!
So, if you are going to help your Lab to lose weight lets have a look at the best way to go about it.
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What Has Caused My Dog To Lose Weight
Weight loss is the result of insufficient caloric intake relative to the body’s requirement. This may be caused by:
- high energy demand associated with excessive physical activity or prolonged exposure to a cold environment.
- a hypermetabolic state during which, the body burns calories at a faster rate due to an underlying illness.
- inadequate or poor-quality diet.
- insufficient quantity of food intake associated with anorexia , swallowing disorders, or regurgitation.
- malabsorption and/or maldigestion disorders .
- excessive loss of nutrients or fluid from vomiting, diarrhea, or excessive urination.
What Is The Life Expectancy Of Golden Retrievers
If youre the proud owner of a Golden Retriever, you can expect your pup to hang around for a good while.
Although the average life expectancy of a Golden Retriever isnt as long as some of the smaller breeds. Typically, the Golden Retriever is expected to live anywhere from 10-12 years long!
Speaking of longhow long do golden retrievers grow? Golden Retriever males can be around 23 to 24 inches tall where females can reach around 21.5 to 22.5 inches tall.
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How Many Puppies Do Goldendoodles Have
While many larger breeds often have litters up to 11 puppies or so, this is not the case with Goldendoodles. On average, they have between three and eight puppies in a litter.
They can still have more than that or even fewer than three puppies at a time. Even if your dog has previously had a large litter of puppies, each pregnancy is different and you might find yourself with only a pup or two with the next litter.
The amount varies just as much as it can in other animals and has more to do with genetics than anything else.
Golden Retriever Size Chart
To help you evaluate your Golden Retrievers growth process, weve included this chart down below, separating the growing stages of both the male and the female Golden Retriever.
If youre a first-time Golden Retriever owner, youll want to make sure youre using the chart correctly, to be able to check whether or not your pup is hitting the average weight according to their ageor at the very least, hitting the minimum sizes.
On the left side of the chart, youll find the column dictating the age of your Golden Retriever, which can be measured in weeks.
Since the first seven weeks of your pups life are pretty standard and unpredictable in growing times, the chart first starts at this week number, where they should be reaching the standardized sizes.
At seven weeks, a Golden Retriever male puppy should be weighing at the very least 4 lb, whereas the female puppy actually has a bigger stature at a 5-pound minimum.
As the weeks progress, youll notice the minimum weight going up just a few pounds to even as much as almost 20 pounds at certain stages!
We would recommend consulting with your veterinarian about any particular questions you may have about your specific puppys size.
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How Much Does A Healthy Golden Retriever Weigh
Your golden retriever is a large dog, but how large is too large?
A healthy male should weigh 65 to 75 pounds, while a healthy female retriever should weigh 55 and 65 pounds.
You should get into the habit of weighing your golden retriever on a regular basis to check that he or she hasnt put on too much weight.
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