Labradors and flatcoated retriever dogs have a gene that makes them fat – NRK Nordland

Six-year-old Luna is like most Labradors.

She likes people, sociable and absolutely everything she comes across.

– She reacts to cupboard doors, the fridge door or if plastic crackles. She appears even though it looks like she is in a deep sleep, says chef Leif Sanden.

And according to him, he weighed two to three kilos too much.

– She is strong and a little short in the legs. She also finds it a bit easy to lie down and relax, says Sanden.

– She always finds something to chew on if she gets the chance. She finds the treats quickly, and uses her nose. She ate almost everything.

But why is it that Labradors get a little chubby a lot and easily?

Some researchers at the University of Cambridge may have found the answer, and what you can do to keep your dog in good shape.

Gene mutation

One in four Labradors and over half of flat-coated retriever dogs have a gene that makes it very difficult for their owners to keep them slim.

It concerns a mutation in the gene POMC. This gene plays a role in regulating hunger and energy consumption in the body.

In 2016, researcher Eleanor Raffan at the University of Cambridge discovered that a mutation in POMC seems to have something to do with the weight of the two dog breeds, the Labrador retriever and the flatcoated retriever. This was written by forskning.no, which wrote about the case first.

25 percent of labradors and 66 percent of flat coated retrievers have this mutation. This means that they can put on weight very easily.

Now researchers have found out why it happens.

After several experiments, it appears that the dogs with the unfortunate mutation are twice as affected.

They are more hungry, and at the same time they have a lower metabolism than the dogs with the normal gene variant.

That’s what Raffan says in a press release from the University of Cambridge.

– It is very difficult to keep these dogs slim, says Raffan.

– It must be genetic

Veterinarian at Rana Veterinærkontor in Mo i Rana, Lene Rasmussen says she has heard about the findings from the University of Cambridge, and says she is not surprised.

Obese Labradors and flat-coated retrievers are something she has seen a lot. She feels that Labradors in particular struggle with their weight.

– Flatcoated is often overweight, but not as often as a Labrador. A Labrador has a slightly different shape. He is more round in shape, so it might look better on a Labrador than a flat-coated retriever. But both are fairly well represented in the overweight class.

She says that the owners who come to the veterinary office with these breeds laugh it off a bit when they are told that their Labrador is fat.

– It is just as if it is logical that a Labrador should be overweight.

She says it’s understandable since the labradors eat everything they come across.

– Find something, then eat it. Completely independent of whether it is good or not, says Rasmussen.

There are many breeds that they come across, but according to the vet it is typical that labrador and flat coated retriever do it.

– It must almost be genetic.

Tips to keep your dog slim

– Anyone who has Labradors or flat-coated retrievers must be careful what kind of food these food-motivated dogs get in order to keep them at a healthy weight, says Raffan at Cambridge University.

Although it is difficult to keep these breeds slim, it is possible, she says further.

In the press release, she offers some tips:

• Spread the ration with food throughout the day, and at the same time ensure that the dog gets exercise.
• Hide the food inside activity games or in various places.

The vet at Mo recommends giving a feed with few calories.

– Then you can give them a little more feed without them putting on weight, and they get a greater feeling of satiety.

She says that you can use food bowls which make the dogs eat their food more slowly.

– Research has shown that if they eat more slowly, they get a better feeling of satiety. They think they have eaten more than they have. Many of these dogs gobble up their food and eat it all at once, and they also think that they have had little.

Otherwise, you have to be very strict, and find some goodies with few calories.

– I think these breeds don’t care too much if it tastes good, as long as they get something. So they might as well get something that has few calories.