With their friendly and outgoing nature, it’s no surprise that Labradors are among the most popular dogs in the world.
But Labradors are known to pack on the pounds – and now scientists think they know why.
A genetic mutation in a quarter of Labradors causes them to be obese, a study has found.
About 25 percent of Labradors suffer a ‘double whammy’: feeling constantly hungry and burning fewer calories due to a genetic quirk, research suggests.
Experts say this combination causes obesity and that dog owners must be particularly strict about feeding and exercising their dogs to keep them slim.
With their friendly and outgoing nature, it’s no surprise that Labradors are some of the most popular dog breeds in the world. But Labradors are known to pack on the pounds – and now scientists think they know why (stock image)
The mutation is in a gene called POMC, which plays a key role in hunger and energy expenditure, and changes the way dogs behave with food.
They no longer need to eat to feel full, but they feel hungry between meals, the researchers discovered.
In addition, dogs with the mutation were found to use about 25 percent less energy at rest than dogs without.
As a result, they don’t need to eat as many calories to maintain a healthy body weight.
In addition to Labradors, two-thirds of flat-coated retriever dogs also have the mutation, the team said.
Dr. Eleanor Raffan, a researcher at the University of Cambridge’s Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, who led the study, said: ‘We found that a mutation in the POMC gene appears to make dogs hungrier.
‘Affected dogs tend to overeat because they get hungry more quickly between meals than dogs without the mutation.
‘All owners of Labradors and flat-coated retrievers should pay attention to what they feed these highly food-motivated dogs to keep them at a healthy weight.
‘But dogs with this genetic mutation face a double whammy: not only do they want to eat more, but they also need fewer calories because they don’t burn them as quickly.’
The new study found that the mutation changes the way dogs behave with food. They no longer need to eat to feel full, but they feel hungry between meals, the researchers discovered
The study, published in Science Advances, found that the gene mutation altered a pathway in the dogs’ brains linked to body weight regulation.
The mutation causes a hunger signal that tells their body to increase food intake and conserve energy, despite not needing to do so.
Dr. Raffan said: ‘People are often rude to the owners of fat dogs and blame them for not managing their dogs’ diet and exercise properly.
‘But we have shown that Labradors with this genetic mutation are constantly looking for food and trying to increase their energy intake. It is very difficult to keep these dogs slim, but it is possible.’
The researchers suggest that owners can distract their retrievers from this constant hunger by spreading out each daily food ration.
This can be done by using puzzle feeders or by spreading the food around the garden so it takes longer to eat.
In the study, 87 adult Labrador dogs – all of a healthy weight or moderately overweight – took part in various tests, including the sausage-in-a-box test.
At first, they were given a can of dog food every 20 minutes until they decided not to eat anymore.
All the pets ate a lot of food, but the dogs with the gene mutation did not eat more than the dogs without.
This showed that they all feel full with a similar amount of food.
On another day, the dogs were given a standard amount of breakfast and three hours later they were presented with a sausage in a transparent plastic box and their behavior was recorded.
The dogs could see and smell the sausage, but could not eat it.
Researchers found that dogs with the mutation tried significantly harder to get the sausage out of the box than dogs without the mutation, indicating greater hunger.
The dogs then slept in a special room in which the gases they exhaled were measured.
This showed that the animals with the mutation burned about 25 percent fewer calories than dogs without it.
Researchers say the new findings are consistent with reports of extreme hunger in people with POMC mutations, who tend to become obese at a young age and develop a host of clinical problems as a result.