Country Diary

Tony Jackson A strict diet and more exercise is on the cards to help tackle weight gain in our dogs — but will switching from dry food to raw also help?

Labradors, as we know, are notoriously greedy. They love their food and, if given the opportunity, will also joyfully act as household waste removal units — resulting in the steady increase in waistlines and overall weight. And if, like mine, your dog is neutered, the danger of unwanted weight is almost doubled.

My yellow dog, now six, works hard during the season as part of a pickingup team, assisted until last year by his mother. She, however, is now 13 and, while reasonably fit for her age, will probably only be working half-days this coming season.

The problem is that once the shooting season is over, despite a deliberate and substantial reduction in hard food, the younger dog rapidly puts on weight.

By the end of the summer, though not in any way obese, he is carrying an excess of weight. This is partly due to a reduction in exercise but might also be attributed to the fact that he may be carrying a variation in a gene that should act as a switch to cut off hunger. As reported last issue (Gundogs, 4 October), a study has shown that a genetic variation in Labradors means that they are constantly seeking food. The team who investigated this variation of a gene, called POMC, studied more than 700 Labradors and discovered that about one in four is likely to carry it. True, not all the Labradors carrying the “scrambled” gene were obese, but those with it were constantly scavenging and begging for food.

Some 38 other breeds of dog were checked for this gene variation but only one other breed — flat-coated retrievers, which are closely related to Labradors — was found to be carrying it. I have no way of knowing whether my Lab carries it, but I have to take urgent action. So what is the answer to the weight problems in Labradors? There is no quick fix; no miracle cures, only one answer: exercise and a reduction in food intake, while also ensuring that the right type of food is made available. At the same time there must be a strict embargo on feeding household scraps in any form.

I would prefer to switch from dry kibble to a raw meat diet and would appreciate hearing from any readers who have taken this path. Where are the best sources of raw meat? Are chicken wings a viable food source? Any help would be greatly appreciated and, of course, I am increasing exercise, using dummies.

Sparrowhawk assaults

Readers may recall that I have referred to attacks on my outdoor finch and dove aviary by sparrowhawks. Despite the very small mesh a sparrowhawk, clenching its talons, can reach through the netting to snatch a bird, drag it to the wire, tear off its head and eat it through the wire. I have lost about half-a-dozen finches in this manner, and while attacks ceased for a year or two, there has been a resumption of assaults this summer, though with no losses.

Only a few days ago, while inside the aviary feeding the birds, I heard a thump and opened the door to discover a hen sparrowhawk sitting on the roof. She somersaulted off in alarm, nearly hit the ground and took off.

This is, I suspect, the same bird that has been making inroads among the local woodpigeon population in our paddock. Over the past few months I have found the remains of three pigeons killed by a sparrowhawk. Flushing a bird from a thick oak, she swoops and knocks it down within 20 or so yards of a hedgerow. The wretched bird is plucked alive, before being killed and eaten and in each case only the sternum and head is left amid a powdering of feathers.

A Wiltshire gamekeeper to whom I mentioned these sparrowhawk assaults told me I was lucky, for he now suffers from an increasing population of goshawks. He believes they come from the New Forest area where they were apparently deliberately released to try to control the grey squirrel population. Now, however, these large, powerful hawks have spread out into neighbouring areas, to the annoyance of shoot owners and keepers.

“There are no quick fixes to weight problems, just exercise and a reduction in food intake”

Tony Jackson, former Editor of Shooting Times, lives in Somerset, stalks, picks-up with Labradors and helps run a small shoot

Labradors are notorious for seeking food, but could it be a gene problem rather than plain greed?