Have you been met with these eyes......WHY?

Have you ever wondered why your beloved Labrador looks at you with pleading eyes trying to tell you how famished they are? A recent study has discovered that some Labrador Retreivers are born with a mutated or missing gene POMC - the signal to turn off hunger is switched off.

Labradors like Wags and Macca have appetites that seem insatiable and the refusal of food would make you think they were ill. Their greediness could actually mean so much more.

Labradors with this missing gene (quite commonly Assistance Dogs) seem to be more food obsessed making training an easily rewarded activity.

Not all Labs with the DNA variation are obese - some are obese without having the mutation but in general the deletion is associated with greater weight; and affected dogs are more food motivated-they beg their owners for food more frequently.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?

Regardless of this condition, Labradors should be fed a balanced, nutritional, adequate meal without overfeeding - This can be advised by your vet.

There is an upside to this condition should your dog be affected which is that they are easy to train and will WORK for food rewards.