Is My Labradoodle Too Skinny? A Labradoodle Weight Guide
Dogs come in all sorts of shapes and sizes from big and fluffy to small and skinny. For every breed, there is an average weight that the dog should be at. With Labradoodles, their fluffy coats can make it more challenging to see if they are too skinny or not.
Is My Labradoodle Too Skinny?
You can tell if your Labradoodle is too skinny or not by checking its bones. If there is no fat on their ribs or if you can see any of their bones through their skin, then your Labradoodle is too skinny.
Labradoodles vary in size from mini to standard-sized Labradoodles. Each kind of Labradoodle has its ideal weight that it should be.
Mini Labradoodles
Miniature Labradoodles are the smallest size of Labradoodle that you can own. These dogs have the ideal weight of 15-25 pounds for their 14-16 inch size.
Medium Labradoodles
The medium Labradoodle is slightly larger than the mini Labradoodle. For their weight, these dogs should be 30-45 pounds. With medium Labradoodles, there is more variation in their weight depending on if they are female or male. Male medium Labradoodles are 18-20 inches in size while female medium Labradoodles are 17-19 inches.
Standard Labradoodles
Standard Labradoodles are the largest of the Labradoodles. They are the tallest and the heaviest in their weight. Standard Labradoodles are considered medium-sized dogs while mini and medium Labradoodles are still considered small-sized dogs.
Standard Labradoodles should weigh between 50-65 pounds. A male standard Labradoodle is 22-24 inches tall while the female standard Labradoodle is 21-23 inches tall.
How To Tell If My Labradoodle Is Too Skinny Without a Scale
While Labradoodles are smaller dogs, most scales that you can buy at the store won’t work with these dogs. Either they are too small for the dog or won’t read their weight right because they are made for humans and not dogs.
However, you can still check if your Labradoodle is too skinny without needing a scale.
The easiest way to tell if your Labradoodle is too skinny or not is by taking a look at its bone structure. A healthy Labradoodle will have fat and even muscle padding its bones. They’ll have padding around their ribs and hips.
If your Labradoodle is too skinny, you will see their bones through their skin. You’ll be able to see their ribs and hip bones. In more extreme cases, their waist will become very pronounced with seemingly protruding hips. Your Labradoodle can also have less muscle mass if they are too skinny.
While this can be harder to visually see because Labradoodles have thicker coats that cover their skin, you’ll also be able to feel these changes. While petting your Labradoodle, you might find that you can easily feel their bones if they are too skinny.
Other Symptoms of Malnutrition in Labradoodles
If a Labradoodle is too skinny or malnourished, there will be other symptoms that your dog will face other than just having protruding bones. Labradoodles that aren’t getting the proper nutrients will have several other noticeable problems that can indicate the problem.
Problems With Their Coat
A Labradoodle that is too skinny might also have various problems with its coat. Without the proper nutrients, a Labradoodle won’t be able to grow a thick and healthy coat.
An underweight Labradoodle’s coat may have hair loss (excessive shedding) and will be dull in appearance. Their coats will also face higher amounts of dandruff.
In more severe cases of malnutrition, a Labradoodle can have bald spots on their coats from losing so much fur.
Skin Problems
An underweight Labradoodle can face skin problems along with problems with their coat. They can face various skin disorders that can damage the structure of their skin and therefore cause more problems with their coat.
These Labradoodles can face dry and flakey skin, increased skin allergies, irritated skin, and various other problems.
Fatigue
Without the proper amount of nutrients, a Labradoodle won’t have the proper amount of energy that they need to get through the day. The Labradoodle will feel more tired than normal and will spend more time napping than playing.
Food is fuel for energy and without it, that fuel can’t be made. This causes dogs to become very tired. With this fatigue, your Labradoodle will also seem more disinterested in the things they may have once loved.
They won’t be as interested in playing or doing their favorite activity.
Digestive Problems
A Labradoodle that is too skinny and isn’t getting the proper amount of nutrients will start to have digestive problems.
This can also be a result of eating a food that they are allergic to. A Labradoodle’s digestive system won’t be able to absorb nutrients from the food properly or be able to pass it properly when they are very underweight.
Usually, when a Labradoodle is facing digestive problems and are very underweight, there is an underlying condition. This can be a parasite problem, an allergy to their food, or them being sick with a disease.
With this symptom, it is a very good idea to take your Labradoodle to the vet as result.
Stunted Growth
If you have a Labradoodle puppy that is too skinny, you first might be able to tell because they aren’t the size they are supposed to be at their age. Without getting the proper nutrients, a Labradoodle won’t be able to grow to the same size as the average Labradoodle. This means that they are facing stunted growth.
The effects of stunted growth can be permanent or temporary, depending on when their growth got stunted and the severity of the malnutrition.
How Can I Make My Labradoodle Gain More Weight?
If you realize that your Labradoodle is too skinny, there are things you should consider with getting your Labradoodle to gain weight. In some cases, a dog doesn’t become too skinny because the owner is purposefully limiting their food. It can be from a lack of feeding awareness or the kind of food that they are using.
Check The Food
For an adult Labradoodle, they should be fed twice a day. In total, a Labradoodle should be eating 1-2.5 cups of food a day. If your Labradoodle is too skinny, try increasing the amount of food that they are getting per day.
However, don’t increase the amount too quickly as that can also make your Labradoodle sick. Don’t ever increase the amount of food they get in a day more than half a cup at a time.
If your Labradoodle is getting the recommended amount of food, check the quality of their food. Some dog foods are very poor quality and don’t give your dog the proper nutrients it needs.
When buying dog food, make sure it has clean ingredients that don’t rely on grains or corn.
Get Checked for Parasites
If your Labradoodle spends a lot of time outdoors and seems to be losing weight quickly, bring your Labradoodle to the vet to get checked for parasites. A parasite will steal the nutrients from your dog and cause it to lose weight. Luckily, parasite problems can be solved by getting medication.
Get Checked for a Medical Disorder
Several disorders that a dog can get are paired with rapid weight loss. Again, if you notice your Labradoodle losing weight rapidly, get them checked at the vet. From there, the vet can figure out what is causing the weight loss and if it is from a medical disorder.
If so, the vet can give your dog medicine or recommend surgery to fix the problem.
It doesn’t ever hurt to get advice from a vet on what to do if your Labradoodle is too skinny. They can figure out what is causing the low weight and help you make a plan of how to get your Labradoodle’s weight back on track.
Final Thoughts
No owner wants their dog to suffer in any way. Sometimes, suffering can slip under the radar for a long time before getting detected as physical symptoms. A Labradoodle that is too skinny can face other health problems that should be addressed as soon as possible.
If your Labradoodle is too skinny, you will be able to see or feel their bones very easily under their skin. Its hip bones might protrude, and its waist may be extremely pronounced. There are specific weights that each kind of Labradoodle should be at depending on their size.
A Labradoodle being too skinny can have a variety of causes and also a variety of solutions. Always check your Labradoodle’s food to make sure that they are getting enough food and the right kind of food.
You should always avoid dog foods that rely on grains and corn to fill up your dog’s diet. Clean ingredients should be a top priority.
If you need specific advice on what to do for your dog’s weight, call up the vet. There might be an underlying condition that needs to be solved regarding your Labradoodle’s weight.
