Labrador Retrievers love food. There is no doubt about it. They will become the scavengers of the dog world if allowed to sit around the family meal table. This sort of lifestyle is not conducive to a long life span for a Lab. However, proper care and balanced nutritional food, along with lots of mental stimulation, regular physical exercise, and frequent health checkups by vets ensure that your beloved Lab will lead a long and healthy life.
Get Your Lab Puppy From A Responsible Breeder
It is important to keep in mind that in a large number of cases, health problems amongst various Labradors are caused due to hereditary factors. Therefore, an offspring of healthy parents would most likely enjoy a healthy and long life span. This is because most inherited health troubles will harm Labrador’s life expectancy. So, you should buy your Labrador puppy from breeders who are capable of checking the inherited disorders. That is why it is not advisable to buy a dog from a pet store unless they can give proof of a healthy heritage.
Balanced And Nutritious Diet
The Labrador’s life expectancy is highly affected by the kind of food that he eats. Proper nutrition is essential for maintaining the good health of a Labrador throughout its life. The owner needs to provide his dog with the right balance of vegetables, carbohydrates, and meat. A lot of new pet owners do not realize that dogs should be fed vegetables and will give them an all-meat and dry food diet. This is not desirable at all.
Avoid feeding table scraps to your dog as some foods which are safe for human consumption are unsuitable and toxic for dogs. Examples of such foods include garlic, onion, grapes, raisins, chocolate, milk, avocados, alcohol, and caffeinated beverages. Also, make sure never to feed fat trimmings removed from meat to your dog as it can lead to pancreatitis in them.
Regular Exercise And Play
Besides providing your Labrador with a healthy diet, it is also very important that he gets plenty of exercises regularly. However, keep in mind that exercising too much or strenuous exercises can lead to joint problems in the future; but moderate exercises are essential to keep the dog happy and healthy. Regular exercising also reduces the chances of the dog becoming obese. Exercising does not always mean that it has to be long walks as some good vigorous play in the back garden can be just as beneficial and just as enjoyable for the dog.
Never Overfeed Your Dog
Most Labradors love to eat and often tend to overeat and become obese. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the owner to see to it that he does not keep eating whatever he wants to, as it would lead to overeating. Watching your dog’s food intake is extremely important, especially when he is young and still developing. It is a known fact that the life span of a Labrador retriever reduces by as much as 15 percent when it is obese. Thus, you can easily elongate your dog’s life span by ensuring that he doesn’t overeat.
Following the above-given tips will help you give your Labrador the longest life possible and not only that it should also have a healthy happy life along the way. Take as much care of your Labrador’s diet as you do of your own and hopefully, you both have many happy years together.