An adult Lagotto Romagnolo needs a complete food and a portion matched to its weight: for a 13.5 kg dog, neutered and moderately active, that is about 498 kcal a day. With this breed a healthy weight matters more than it seems, and the reason is its hips: in Swedish Kennel Club data almost one in three X-rayed Lagottos had hip dysplasia, more than German Shepherds or Labradors, and among Lagottos the heavier dogs were more likely to have a worse grade.
The FCI breed standard gives 13-16 kg for males and 11-14 kg for females, with a height at the withers of 43-48 cm for males and 41-46 cm for females; a dog that is too big or too small is disqualified in the show ring.
For what Lagottos actually weigh, look to Sweden, where a dog's weight must be recorded at every official hip X-ray. Among 2,448 Lagottos screened between 2007 and 2016, aged one to two, males averaged 15.6 kg and females 13.4 kg, in the upper half of the standard. The more surprising finding is the trend: over those ten years the average Lagotto got lighter by 2.5 kg in males (−15%) and 1.4 kg in females (−10%), in percentage terms the steepest fall among the 72 breeds in the study. The researchers cannot say whether Lagottos became smaller or leaner; one explanation they put forward for the breeds that got lighter is a shift in what owners see as a normal body shape.
There is also a practical catch with this breed. The curly, woolly coat, which the standard says must be fully clipped at least once a year and kept no thicker than 4 cm after clipping, hides the outline of the body. By eye, a Lagotto carrying a little extra just looks fluffier. So check with your hands: the ribs should be easy to feel under the curls, which is a score of 4-5 on the WSAVA 9-point body condition scale.
Hip dysplasia, a developmental fault of the hip joint, is usually linked with big dogs, and a dog of 11-16 kg might seem safe from it. For the Lagotto, the data say otherwise. In the Swedish Kennel Club screening programme, X-rays are graded centrally and every result is recorded, not just the good ones. Of the 2,448 Lagottos screened between 2007 and 2016:
In total 30.1% of Lagottos had hip dysplasia, against 19.8% of the 114,568 dogs of 72 breeds in the same programme. That put the Lagotto 12th out of 72, ahead of the German Shepherd (25.6%), the Golden Retriever (25.2%) and the Labrador (16.2%). Elbows tell the opposite story: only 4.2% of the 574 Lagottos screened had elbow dysplasia.
These are screening figures from young dogs: a dog that already has hip problems before its first birthday is often never screened, so the most severe cases are probably under-represented. Dysplasia can cause no discomfort or only a little, but it can also lead to pain and arthritis over the years, which is reason enough to take your Lagotto's weight seriously.
Hip dysplasia has a hereditary basis, but nutrition, growth rate and exercise can influence how it develops. A second study of the same Swedish data compared each dog's weight at the time of its X-ray with its hip grade, within the same breed: within a breed, heavier dogs were more likely to have a worse grade. The link was significant in 13 of the 21 breeds analysed one by one, and the Lagotto was one of the three where it was clearest, alongside the Spanish Water Dog and the Bernese Mountain Dog.
To give an idea of the size of the effect: in the Spanish Water Dog, another curly-coated breed, a little heavier than the Lagotto, the chance of perfect grade A hips was about 80% for a dog well below the breed's average weight and about 30% for one well above it. The study has an important limit: weight alone cannot tell a bigger or more muscular dog from a fatter one, nor show which came first. Even so, the authors conclude that a lower body weight might be protective, and that overweight is worth avoiding whatever a dog's size.
This fits a classic study in Labradors: 48 puppies, half fed as much as they wanted and half given 25% less, up to two years of age. Scored with the Swedish method, hip dysplasia was found in 5 of 24 dogs in the restricted group against 18 of 24 in the other. In practice, for a Lagotto:
A Lagotto starts out tiny. In a University of Turin study using a breeder's records, 82 Lagotto puppies had a median birth weight of 287.5 grams (range 170-400 g): an adult weighs 11-16 kg, roughly 40 to 55 times as much. The hip takes shape during exactly this phase of fast growth, and the Labrador study suggests that extra kilos at this stage do the joints no favours.
The Turin study is also one of the very few feeding studies to include Lagottos (alongside a second breed, the Appenzeller Sennenhund). Twenty-two Lagotto bitches (in the last three weeks of pregnancy) and then their puppies (at weaning) were fed either a fish-based limited-ingredient diet or a standard diet with several protein sources. Relative to the mother's weight, puppies on the fish-based diet were heavier at birth but lighter at 60 days. The findings need confirming in more dogs, but the practical message is clear: a puppy's growth should be tracked on the scales. The right growth food and portions, which change month by month, are for you and your vet to decide; the basics are in our puppy feeding guide.
The FCI standard lists a single use for the Lagotto, truffle dog, and praises its very good nose. Many Lagottos today are mainly family dogs, though: in Sweden, the researchers note, the breed is primarily a companion dog, even if many also take part in shows and competitions. A Lagotto that spends its weekends searching for truffles in the woods and one that gets two walks round town have very different energy needs, which is why our quiz asks about activity level.
With scent dogs there is one more thing to count: rewards. Anyone training a Lagotto for truffles or scentwork usually pays in food, and by the end of the day the titbits add up. WSAVA advises keeping rewards below 10% of daily calories: for a neutered 13.5 kg Lagotto, less than a tenth of its 498 kcal. On busy training days, take a little out of the bowl.
Every Pappa Fresh recipe contains one meat only and declares the percentage of each ingredient on the label:
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. For a 13.5 kg Lagotto one 400 g pouch covers about 0.9 days of meals, so each opened pouch is finished well within that limit. If you would rather keep some of your dog's usual kibble, the Mix plan covers half the daily ration. Turkey is poultry: if your dog has reacted to chicken, ask your vet before trying it.
An adult Lagotto Romagnolo weighing 13.5 kg, neutered and moderately active, needs about 498 kcal a day: with our Chicken recipe that is about 437 g, or 366 g with the richer Beef. An intact Lagotto burns more, about 623 kcal. The feeding chart below covers the weights in the breed standard, from 11 kg to 16 kg. If your Lagotto weighs more, check with your hands that the extra is muscle rather than fat: the quiz also takes body condition into account.
If you compare these grams with the chart on a bag of kibble, they will look like a lot more. Kibble is far more concentrated (around 350-400 kcal per 100 g, against 110-136 for our recipes), so for the same calories a wet food weighs about three times as much. The general method is explained in how much should a dog eat.
| Weight | Energy need (kcal/day) neutered / intact | Grams per day neutered / intact | Complete plan | Mix (½) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 kg | 427 / 534 | 375 g / 468 g | €6.74/day | €3.41/day |
| 13.5 kg | 498 / 623 | 437 g / 546 g | €8.04/day | €3.97/day |
| 16 kg | 566 / 707 | 496 g / 620 g | €9.07/day | €4.50/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 Lagotto Romagnolo weighing 13.5 kg, neutered and moderately active, needs about 498 kcal a day, which is about 437 g of chicken wet food; a large 16 kg male needs about 496 g. These are estimates: the right portion also depends on activity and body condition.
The FCI standard gives 13-16 kg for males and 11-14 kg for females. In Sweden, Lagottos X-rayed at one to two years old averaged 15.6 kg for males and 13.4 kg for females. Under the curly coat, judge body condition with your hands: the ribs should be easy to feel.
A growth food, in weighed portions that change month by month as the puppy grows, rather than a bowl that is always full. Weigh your puppy often, because the hips take shape during growth, and ask your vet how to adjust the amounts.
More than most people think: in Swedish Kennel Club data 30.1% of X-rayed Lagottos had hip dysplasia, against 19.8% of dogs across all the breeds analysed, and heavier Lagottos were more likely to have a worse grade. Food cannot change genetics, but keeping your dog lean is something you can control.
We found no study showing that Lagottos have more food allergies than other dogs. Itching and upset stomachs have many causes; if your vet suspects a reaction to food, the reliable test is an elimination diet with a protein your dog has never eaten, kept up for at least 8 weeks. Turkey is poultry: if your dog has reacted to chicken, ask your vet before trying it.
No study shows that one food or format is best for this breed: what matters is that the food is complete and the portion keeps your Lagotto at a healthy weight, with rewards under 10% of daily calories. Kibble and wet food both work; wet food holds more water, so for the same calories the portion in grams is about three times that of kibble.
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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