Our little furry friends depend on us for everything. Labradors are such kind dogs, they give us their complete trust and we develop a strong bond very quickly. We should never ever take this for granted. We must act responsibly and ask ourselves, how can we extend the life of our dogs? Unlike your dog getting swimmer’s tail which likely won’t shorten it’s life, there are other things that will contribute to your Lab passing before they should.
A lab is very dependable, to adapt to situations and do things that other dogs might find more stressful. So we should take into account, they can be molded and made to do things. Things that keep them safe, active, and Healthy. They are able to come back from a bout of bad habits. Let’s look at what can shorten a lab’s life and how to do the opposite!
Eating too much
Humans can binge eat, be reckless and not take care of themselves. However, we know what we’re doing to ourselves. We’re gaining weight and we’ll find it difficult to breathe and do other things like walk up the stairs. Dogs have no clue what is going to happen to them, if they become overweight. A Labrador retriever is a breed that is active. Labs are for fisherman, hunters and other activities such as sniffer dogs, guide dogs, etc. They enjoy eating and due to their lifestyle, they can end up eating more than others.
So, don’t feed your dog too much. It’s important to track their lifestyle, and try to figure out how many calories your lab needs to maintain his or her weight. Stick to the right balance. If your dog has done a little more exercise one day, or perhaps it’s a little colder on a particular day, feed them a little more. Likewise, if they haven’t done much, and it’s a nice warm day, limit their intake.
Although it may be tempting to give your lab some table scraps, it’s not wise to do so. We know, chocolate labs are probably the cutest and it’s hard to not give in to their big brown eyes. But, they cannot eat random human food! It’s not good to give them scraps. These foods are not necessarily nutritious for them. Our dishes are mixed with potentially poisonous foods such as onions, rasins or grapes and others.
Keeping your lab healthy is not difficult but it takes a bit of work and also some firmness on your part. It is said that their eyes have evolved to appear sad in order for them to get their way with their hooman. The next time you are
Not getting neutered/spayed
Every male dog is promiscuous. It’s their nature to find a female and breed as soon as they can. It’s a good idea to get a dog neutered or spayed, so as it helps with their sexual health. If you don’t plan on breeding your dog, you should get this done as soon as it is healthy which is usually once your dog is fully grown. Make sure they mature sexually (1 year) before you do this. It can also help your lab from becoming potentially, too aggressive. This can lead to your dog avoiding biting something and thus needing to be put down. Though rare with purebred labs because they are normally trained to behave, an untrained dog or worse yet one who has been encouraged to be aggressive can become a problem once they are fully grown.
Unhealthy teeth
If you have a lab, keeping his teeth healthy is so important. Labs are very inquisitive and they can chew on lots of things that would otherwise be unhealthy to swallow. Anything from furniture, bark, branches, plastic bottles and the like, can become the center of attention. Keeping your dog’s gums and teeth healthy will prevent gum rot and loose teeth. If your dog can no longer eat because he has teeth or gum issues you should make an appointment with your vet. So, make sure you’re brushing your dog’s teeth, giving him teeth cleaning-type treats such as this beef trachea and regularly getting him to the vet for a check up.
Not getting vaccination
It’s important your dog is vaccinated for certain illnesses, just like human babies at a month old. It can prevent some pretty typical illnesses from forming into life-threatening episodes. So issues such as the flu, digestive concerns such as worms and vaccination for rabies among others are highly recommended. Your lab puppy should come from your breeder with their first set of vaccinations that will need to be boosted two times at 4 week intervals. If you adopted your dog from a shelter be sure to ask what vaccinations it has been given.
In addition to a healthy vaccination schedule, your dog should be on heartworm/flea/tick medication. Ask your veterinarian for their recommendation. Normally this is given once mosquito season is upon us until the first frost in the fall that kills the mosquitos off.
And Finally keeping them safe from toxic substances. You can find more about this here.
We hope you see your dog as a member of the family who deserves the same care your children would. They count on us, they depend on us for proper nutrition so that they can live a long healthy life.
