An adult Labrador of 30 kg, neutered and moderately active, needs about 833 kcal a day, which is about 731 g of our Chicken recipe. With this breed, though, the number matters less than sticking to it: more than one Labrador in five carries a genetic variant that makes it hungrier, and in a study that followed 48 Labradors for their whole lives, the dogs fed 25% less had a median lifespan almost two years longer.
The FCI breed standard used across Europe gives no weight at all, only height at the withers (56-57 cm for males, 54-56 cm for females). What it does do is warn against extra weight twice: the Labrador is ‘very active’, which rules out excessive body weight, and its broad chest should not be the effect of carrying excessive weight. The American Kennel Club standard gives an approximate weight ‘in working condition’: 65-80 lb (29.5-36 kg) for males and 55-70 lb (25-32 kg) for females.
In practice, many Labradors sit at the top of that range. In the records of 33,320 Labradors seen by UK first-opinion vets, the average adult male weighed 35.2 kg and the average female 30.4 kg; in a sample of 2,074 of them, overweight was the second most common diagnosis after ear inflammation (8.8% of dogs in one year).
So are Labradors prone to obesity? Yes, but less than their reputation suggests. In a Royal Veterinary College study of 22,333 dogs, Labradors were 1.7 times as likely as crossbreeds to be recorded as overweight: only sixth, behind Pugs, Beagles, Golden Retrievers, English Springer Spaniels and Border Terriers. The reliable guide is body condition, not the scales: on the WSAVA 9-point scale, 4-5 is ideal, meaning ribs you can feel without pressing and a waist visible from above.
For many Labs, the answer is in their DNA. In 2016 a University of Cambridge team found a small deletion in the POMC gene, which helps control hunger and energy use. Of 383 UK Labradors tested, 22% carried at least one copy, and in a separate group of 310 Labradors each copy was linked to an average of 1.9 kg more body weight and higher food motivation. Among the other breeds tested, the variant turned up only in the closely related Flat-coated Retriever. It was far more common in Labradors chosen as breeding stock for assistance dogs (more than three in four, in a group of 81): the authors suggest that food-driven dogs are easier to train with rewards.
In 2024 the same group showed how it works. Three hours after a meal, the dogs were shown a sausage that was then sealed in a perforated box: Labradors with the variant tried much harder to get at it, and in another test they ate more quickly, yet at an all-you-can-eat meal they ate no more than the others. It is not that they never feel full; the hunger comes back stronger. And in Flat-coated Retrievers with two copies, resting energy expenditure was about 25% lower. For the Cambridge team, that is a double whammy: more hunger and fewer calories burned.
One of the best-known studies in dog nutrition was carried out on this very breed. Forty-eight Labrador puppies from seven litters were paired with a littermate of the same sex and weight. From 8 weeks of age until the end of their lives, one dog in each pair was fed 25% less than the other, always the same food.
The dogs fed less had a median lifespan of 13 years against 11.2, and the signs of chronic disease appeared later, especially osteoarthritis: in the hips, the median age at which it first showed on X-rays was 6 years in the group fed more and 12 in the other. Yet the dogs fed more were not obese. They scored 6-7 out of 9 for body condition, mildly overweight, against 4-5 for the leaner group.
This matters because joints are the Labrador's biggest weak spot: in 2016 VetCompass data, osteoarthritis was the disorder with the highest odds compared with other dogs, 2.8 times, out of 35 common conditions. The study does not say every Labrador should eat a quarter less. It says that the gap between a lean dog and a ‘well-covered’ one, kept up for years, shows in the end.
Ear inflammation (otitis externa) is the most common diagnosis in Labradors: 10.4% of dogs in one year in the UK study. It varies with coat colour: 12.8% in black Labs, 17.0% in yellow and 23.4% in chocolate, which also had more hot spots (4.0% against 1.1% in black dogs) and a shorter median lifespan. The authors suggest a genetic cause: chocolate is a recessive colour, and breeding for it may mean breeding from a narrower set of lines.
Food reactions are real, and Labradors turn up often in the case series: in a review of 825 dogs with skin reactions to food, German Shepherds, West Highland White Terriers, Labradors and Golden Retrievers together made up about 40% of cases, and ear inflammation was one of the most common ways they showed. The same authors conclude, however, that there are no reliable data on breed predisposition: only nine studies had compared affected dogs with the local dog population, and Labradors came out as predisposed in three of them. When a food is to blame, it is most often beef (34% of documented cases), then dairy (17%), chicken (15%) and wheat (13%). The only way to find out is an elimination diet set up by your vet, lasting at least 8 weeks.
The Labrador is one of the breeds predisposed to copper-associated chronic hepatitis, alongside the Bedlington Terrier, Dalmatian, Dobermann and West Highland White Terrier, and two gene variants that affect how much copper builds up in the liver have been identified in the breed. According to the consensus statement of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM), an excessive intake of copper from food also strongly influences how much accumulates. A US study found copper above the reference range more often in Labrador livers examined from 1998 onwards than in those from 1980-1997, and points to diet as the most likely cause. In a Dutch study of 28 healthy Labradors with too much liver copper, a low-copper, high-zinc diet brought it back to normal in 15 dogs. Diagnosis needs a liver biopsy: if your vet finds copper building up, choose the food together.
Every Pappa Fresh recipe contains one meat only and declares the percentage of each ingredient on the label, so you always know what your Labrador is eating and can show it to your vet:
They are cooked in the pouch and keep outside the fridge until opened; once opened, they go in the fridge and should be used within 2-3 days. On the Complete plan a Labrador eats more than one 400 g pouch a day. For dogs over 25 kg the quiz starts from the Topper, a quarter of the ration alongside your dog's usual food. There is also the Mix, half the ration with your own kibble. Either way, take the same share out of the kibble: for a Labrador, adding without taking away just means more calories.
An adult Labrador of 30 kg, neutered and moderately active, needs about 833 kcal a day: with our Chicken recipe that is about 731 g, with the richer Beef recipe 613 g. An unneutered Lab burns more, about 907 kcal. Our quiz's method treats the Labrador as a breed that gains weight easily and applies a lower breed factor.
For a dog of this size the Complete plan costs about €12.84 a day, the Mix about €6.55 and the Topper about €3.27. If you compare the grams with a bag of kibble, remember that for the same calories wet food weighs about three times as much: kibble has around 350-400 kcal per 100 g, our recipes 110-136. For the general logic behind portions, see how much a dog should eat.
| Weight | Energy need (kcal/day) neutered / intact | Grams per day neutered / intact | Complete plan | Mix (½) | Topper (¼) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 kg | 727 / 791 | 638 g / 694 g | €11.67/day | €5.70/day | €2.90/day |
| 30 kg | 833 / 907 | 731 g / 796 g | €12.84/day | €6.55/day | €3.27/day |
| 36 kg | 955 / 1039 | 838 g / 911 g | €14.31/day | €7.03/day | €3.64/day |
Grams based on the Chicken recipe (114 kcal/100 g); with Beef, which is richer (136 kcal/100 g), you need about 16% less. Prices for a neutered dog.
Figures calculated with the same method as our quiz (FEM×K: maintenance energy adjusted for breed, activity, neutering and body condition). They are an estimate: take the quiz for your dog's exact plan, and talk to your vet about any health concern.
Two minutes: enter weight, age and activity to get the exact portion, with 30% off your first order.
An adult Labrador of 30 kg, neutered and moderately active, needs about 731 g a day of our Chicken recipe, or about 796 g if unneutered. Across the AKC weight range, that goes from about 638 g for a 25 kg female to about 838 g for a 36 kg male. These are estimates: adjust the portion to your dog's body condition.
Often it is genetic: more than one Labrador in five carries a POMC gene variant linked to stronger hunger and about 1.9 kg more body weight per copy. Dogs with the variant get hungrier again after a meal and, in the related breed where it was measured, use less energy at rest. Begging does not mean the portion is too small: go by body condition.
The AKC standard gives about 29.5-36 kg for males and 25-32 kg for females in working condition. The FCI standard used in Europe gives only height and warns against excessive weight. Body condition matters more than the number: ribs you can feel but not see, a score of 4-5 on the WSAVA 9-point scale.
Recalculate the portion after the operation. In UK vet records, neutered male Labradors were overweight almost three times as often as entire males (11.4% against 4.1%). With our quiz's method, a neutered Labrador of 30 kg needs about 833 kcal a day, an unneutered one about 907.
Not necessarily. Labradors appear often among dogs with skin reactions to food, but studies show no reliable breed predisposition. Among dogs with documented food allergies, chicken comes third (15%), after beef and dairy. Only an elimination diet of at least 8 weeks, supervised by your vet, can tell.
In a study that followed 48 Labradors for their whole lives, the dogs fed 25% less than their littermates, and kept lean, had a median lifespan of 13 years against 11.2, with later onset of osteoarthritis. In UK vet records the median lifespan was 12 years overall, and 10.7 years in chocolate Labradors.
Written by the Pappa Fresh editorial team from published veterinary studies (see sources). Not a substitute for your vet's advice.
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