Summary
Labrador Retrievers carry a clinically distinctive gut health profile driven by three converging vulnerabilities: a documented deletion in the POMC gene that disrupts satiety signalling in approximately one in four of the breed; a consistent pattern of adverse food reactions documented across multiple peer-reviewed studies; and a recognised predisposition to inflammatory bowel disease and protein-losing enteropathy at the severe end of the spectrum. Together, these create a gut-metabolic and gut-immune landscape that demands targeted nutritional support. This guide, written by a canine nutritionist holding qualifications in both canine nutrition and canine nutrigenomics, sets out the evidence base for Labrador gut vulnerability and presents a supplement protocol built specifically around Bonza’s Biotics, Boost, and Belly Bioactive Bites. The goal is a practical, science-grounded protocol that any Labrador owner can implement with confidence.
Your Labrador is not greedy. That is the thing the science finally confirms, even if it feels like little comfort when you are measuring out 250 grams of food while your dog stares at you with the absolute conviction that you are starving them.
Labradors are the breed most strongly associated with food motivation and obesity in the veterinary literature, and for years the explanation offered to owners was behavioural: insufficient exercise, too many treats, a dog that had learned to beg effectively. What research published in Cell Metabolism in 2016 made clear is that for approximately one in four Labradors, the drive to eat is not a learned behaviour at all. It is written into the genome.¹ A 14 base-pair deletion in the pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) gene disrupts the production of two neuropeptides, beta-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (beta-MSH) and beta-endorphin, that are responsible for signalling fullness after a meal. Dogs carrying this deletion do not receive the same “I have eaten enough” signal that their unaffected peers do. The hunger is biological, not behavioural, and it does not switch off.
The gut consequences of that biology are what this article is about. Chronic hyperphagia and the resulting obesity do not stay localised to weight and appetite. They create conditions inside the gut that compound the Labrador’s other documented vulnerabilities: a consistent pattern of adverse food reactions, and a predisposition to inflammatory bowel disease at the more serious end of the spectrum. The result is a breed whose gut health needs more than a generic probiotic and a hopeful attitude. What follows is the supplement protocol I would build for a Labrador, starting from the science and ending with practical guidance on how to implement it.
Key Takeaways
- Approximately one in four Labradors carries the POMC gene deletion, which drives hyperphagia, obesity, and a direct pathway to gut-metabolic dysbiosis
- The gut-metabolic axis is the dominant clinical framework for Labrador gut health: weight regulation, inflammatory tone, and microbiome composition are all biologically connected in this breed
- Labradors appear consistently across multiple peer-reviewed studies as one of a small group of breeds over-represented in adverse food reaction case series
- Calsporin® (Bacillus velezensis DSM 15544) is the only EFSA-authorised live spore-forming probiotic for dogs and the cornerstone of any Labrador gut supplement protocol
- Biotics Bioactive Bites delivers the complete Biotics Triad: prebiotics, live probiotic, and postbiotics, as the non-negotiable microbiome foundation for this breed
- Boost Bioactive Bites addresses the gut-metabolic axis directly, supporting the metabolic consequences of the POMC mutation and the obesity-dysbiosis cycle
- For Labradors with active digestive symptoms, chronic enteropathy, or post-antibiotic gut disruption, Belly Bioactive Bites provides targeted digestive support alongside Biotics
In This Guide
- Why Labrador Gut Health Drives Their Supplement Needs
- The Best Gut Health Supplements for Labradors
- Best Probiotics for Labrador Gut Health
- Best Prebiotics for Labradors
- Best Supplements for Labrador Weight Management and Metabolic Health
- How to Use These Supplements Together
- Safety, Dosage and When to See Your Vet
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion
- Related Articles
- References
Why Labrador Gut Health Drives Their Supplement Needs
The Labrador’s supplement needs are not arbitrary. They follow directly from three biologically distinct gut vulnerabilities that converge to make this breed one of the most nutritionally complex to support.
For a full clinical exploration of the Labrador’s gut health profile, including the POMC mutation, IBD predisposition, and the eight gut-organ axes most relevant to the breed. Read our complete guide: Labrador Retriever Gut Health: The Hunger Gene Problem. What follows here focuses on what to do about it.
The POMC mutation and the gut-metabolic axis
The 14 base-pair deletion in the POMC gene, first described by Raffan and colleagues at the University of Cambridge in 2016, has an allele frequency of 12% in the Labrador population, meaning approximately 23 to 25% of dogs carry at least one copy.¹ The deletion disrupts the coding sequences for beta-MSH and beta-endorphin, neuropeptides that operate within the melanocortin pathway to signal satiety after feeding. Dogs carrying the mutation experience blunted fullness signalling, greater food motivation, and statistically higher body weight, each deletion allele conferring an increase of 0.33 standard deviations in weight, equivalent to approximately 1.9 kg per allele.¹
That weight gain matters for the gut. Excess adipose tissue is metabolically active: it generates chronic low-grade systemic inflammation, drives oxidative stress, and alters the fermentation environment within the colon. Research comparing the fecal microbiome of obese and normal weight dogs has consistently found compositional differences at the phylum level, with obese dogs showing shifts in the Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio and alterations in the genera associated with short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production.⁴ SCFAs, butyrate, propionate, and acetate, are critical regulators of gut barrier integrity, immune signalling, and energy metabolism. When their production is disrupted by dysbiosis, the effects are not confined to the gut.
This is the gut-metabolic axis in practice: a genetic predisposition to excess weight creates a gut environment that amplifies metabolic dysfunction, which in turn compounds the original metabolic pressure. For the Labrador, the loop is particularly tight because the hunger gene that drives weight gain is the same gene that initiates the microbiome disruption.
Adverse food reactions
Labradors appear consistently among a small group of breeds over-represented in adverse food reaction case series. A 2019 critically appraised topic review published in BMC Veterinary Research, drawing on data from multiple peer-reviewed studies across different countries and time periods, found that German Shepherd Dogs, West Highland White Terriers, and Labrador and Golden Retrievers together accounted for approximately 40% of dogs presenting with cutaneous adverse food reactions.² The review authors acknowledged that no firm causal predisposition data exists, but noted the repeated appearance of these breeds across studies conducted in different contexts as a consistent observational signal.
Adverse food reactions add a gut-immune dimension to the Labrador’s profile. Immune activation in response to food antigens compounds microbiome instability, increases intestinal permeability, and sustains the inflammatory environment that obesity has already primed.
IBD predisposition and protein-losing enteropathy
At the more serious end of the spectrum, Labrador Retrievers have been identified among breeds with elevated odds for enteropathy in large-scale UK veterinary data.³ The most severe manifestation within the chronic enteropathy spectrum is protein-losing enteropathy (PLE), a syndrome in which gut inflammation or lymphatic dysfunction causes excessive protein loss through the intestinal wall. PLE carries a guarded prognosis and requires veterinary diagnosis and management. For the majority of Labrador owners, concern is more appropriately focused on the earlier parts of that spectrum: food-responsive or immune-mediated enteropathy presenting as chronic loose stools, fluctuating digestive consistency, and poor nutrient absorption.
Across all three of these presentations, the gut microbiome is an actionable target. Dysbiosis is documented in obesity, adverse food reactions, and chronic enteropathy. Supporting microbial diversity and resilience is the logical starting point for any Labrador gut health strategy.
The Best Gut Health Supplements for Labradors
Three Bonza products together address the Labrador’s gut-metabolic and gut-immune vulnerability: Biotics as the non-negotiable microbiome foundation, Boost as the gut-metabolic axis support, and Belly for dogs with active digestive symptoms or chronic enteropathy.
Biotics Bioactive Bites: The Microbiome Foundation
Every Labrador gut protocol starts here. Biotics Bioactive Bites delivers the complete Biotics Triad: prebiotics, a live probiotic, and postbiotics, in a single daily supplement designed to support the gut microbiome at three distinct levels.
The centrepiece is Calsporin® (Bacillus velezensis DSM 15544), the only live spore-forming probiotic strain with EFSA authorisation specifically for dogs.⁵ Calsporin® is categorised as a zootechnical additive in the functional group of gut flora stabilisers (EU identification number 4b1820). Unlike conventional probiotic strains such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, which begin to degrade above approximately 49°C and are frequently non-viable by the time they reach the canine intestine, Calsporin® survives as a heat-resistant endospore through manufacturing and through gastric acid, bile salts, and digestive enzymes, germinating in the large intestine where it is needed most. The 2017 EFSA scientific opinion confirmed its safety for dogs and its efficacy for improving faecal consistency, enhancing gut microbiota diversity, and increasing faecal IgA levels.⁵
The prebiotic layer comprises two named ingredients: Fibrofos™ 60 (minimum 60% inulin, sourced from Cosucra) and Biolex® MB40 (beta-glucans, sourced from Leiber GmbH). These fermentable substrates selectively feed Bifidobacterium and Faecalibacterium populations, supporting the production of butyrate and other SCFAs that are particularly depleted in the obese and dysbiotic Labrador gut.⁶
The postbiotic layer includes L. helveticus HA-122, a heat-inactivated strain that functions as a postbiotic through its structural components and metabolic products, and TruPet™, a standalone postbiotic that contributes bioactive compounds without requiring a live organism to survive gut transit. Both are named individually in all full Biotics Triad descriptions because their contributions are distinct from one another and from the live probiotic.
For the Labrador specifically, Biotics addresses the dysbiosis that flows from obesity, the immune dysregulation associated with adverse food reactions, and the microbiome instability common to chronic enteropathy. It is the supplement that does not vary with clinical presentation: every Labrador benefits from it, regardless of whether their primary concern is weight, sensitivity, or digestive symptoms.
Boost Bioactive Bites: Supporting the Gut-Metabolic Axis
If Biotics is the foundation, Boost is the supplement that speaks most directly to the Labrador’s genetics.
Boost Bioactive Bites is Bonza’s whole-body wellness and metabolic health supplement. It is not a weight loss product, it does not claim to reduce appetite or burn fat, but it addresses the gut-metabolic axis consequences of the POMC mutation and the obesity-dysbiosis cycle that it initiates. The formulation is designed to support metabolic function, inflammatory balance, and long-term wellness in dogs whose genetic profile places their metabolism under chronic pressure.
For the Labrador owner managing a dog that gains weight on a measured diet, that requires ongoing portion discipline, or that carries a higher body condition score despite conscientious feeding, Boost provides the metabolic health and longevity support layer that Biotics alone cannot offer. It targets the systemic consequences of the gut-metabolic axis, the chronic low-grade inflammation, the metabolic inefficiency, the whole-body wellness dimension that flows from a compromised gut-metabolic relationship.
Positioning is important here: Boost is not a substitute for dietary management or veterinary guidance on weight. It is a complement to both, addressing the biological environment that makes weight management harder for POMC-affected Labradors than it is for most other dogs.
Shop Boost for Labradors
Belly Bioactive Bites: For Digestive Sensitivity and Chronic Enteropathy
Belly Bioactive Bites is the acute-to-ongoing digestive support layer, and for Labradors with pronounced gut symptoms it sits alongside Biotics rather than replacing it.
The clinical contexts where Belly is most directly relevant are loose stools, chronic digestive inconsistency, food sensitivity reactions with gastrointestinal signs, post-antibiotic gut disruption, and dogs with confirmed or suspected food-responsive enteropathy. For the subset of Labradors with IBD or PLE, where veterinary management is the primary intervention, Belly provides complementary nutritional support for gut barrier integrity and microbial balance during and after treatment.
Belly addresses the digestive end of the gut-immune axis. Where Biotics works at the microbiome level and Boost addresses metabolic consequences, Belly provides targeted ingredients that support the gut mucosa and the local digestive environment that food sensitivity and chronic enteropathy disrupt most directly.
The Biotics Triad: Why Foundation Matters for Labradors
The Biotics Triad: prebiotics, a live probiotic, and postbiotics operating together, is the framework that underpins Biotics Bioactive Bites. In a breed where dysbiosis is driven by three distinct and converging mechanisms (obesity, immune dysregulation, and chronic enteropathy), the case for addressing the microbiome at multiple levels simultaneously is stronger than it is for most other breeds.
Prebiotic supplementation supports the growth of beneficial bacterial populations and the production of SCFAs. Research in obese dogs has shown that prebiotic supplementation with short-chain fructooligosaccharides (scFOS, a compound with structural similarities to inulin, positively impacted microbial diversity and microbiota composition in a direction associated with improved metabolic outcomes.⁶ Fibrofos™ 60 delivers a minimum 60% inulin content as a concentrated prebiotic substrate.
The live probiotic (Calsporin®) occupies the centre of the Triad as the only EFSA-authorised live spore-forming strain for dogs, providing both direct and immunomodulatory effects in the canine gut.⁵ The postbiotics (L. helveticus HA-122 and TruPet™) extend the Triad’s reach beyond what live organisms alone can achieve, contributing bioactive compounds through a mechanism that does not depend on survival through manufacturing or gut transit.
For the Labrador, all three levels are clinically relevant. The Biotics Triad is not a single-mechanism intervention, it is a systems-level approach to microbiome support that matches the complexity of the breed’s gut vulnerability.
Best Probiotics for Labrador Gut Health
When owners search for the best probiotic for their Labrador, they are usually confronted with an overwhelming number of products making similar-sounding claims about live bacteria and gut health benefits. The question worth asking is not which probiotic sounds most convincing on its packaging, but which probiotic strain has been assessed for safety and efficacy in dogs by an independent regulatory body.
The answer is Calsporin® (Bacillus velezensis DSM 15544). It is the only live spore-forming probiotic strain to receive EFSA authorisation specifically for use in dogs, assessed under the Qualified Presumption of Safety (QPS) framework and confirmed as non-toxigenic, free from antimicrobial resistance genes of concern, and safe for dogs, owners, and the environment.⁵
For the Labrador, strain selection matters beyond regulatory status. The breed’s obesity-associated dysbiosis involves disruption at the level of microbial diversity, SCFA production, and inflammatory signalling. A probiotic that cannot survive manufacturing heat or gastric transit will not reach the intestine intact. Calsporin’s® heat-stable endospore structure, confirmed viable at temperatures of at least 90°C and stable for more than 12 months in pet food products by EFSA’s technical assessment, addresses exactly this limitation.⁵
Conventional Lactobacillus-based probiotics are not without value, but they face fundamental challenges in the canine gut environment that spore-forming strains do not. For a Labrador requiring reliable gut microbiome support across the metabolic, immune, and digestive dimensions documented in the breed, the regulatory and biological case for Calsporin® is the strongest available.
Best Prebiotics for Labradors
Prebiotics are the substrates that selectively feed beneficial bacterial populations in the gut. They are not interchangeable: different prebiotic fibres ferment at different rates, feed different bacterial genera, and produce different SCFA profiles. For the Labrador specifically, the prebiotic case centres on inulin-type fructans and beta-glucans.
Inulin (Fibrofos™ 60)
Inulin is a fructan prebiotic derived from chicory root. At a minimum 60% inulin content, Fibrofos™ 60 provides a concentrated substrate for Bifidobacterium and Faecalibacterium populations, bacteria associated with butyrate production and gut barrier maintenance. Research in obese dogs showed that inulin-type prebiotic supplementation improved microbial diversity indices and positively influenced the composition of bacteria associated with better metabolic outcomes.⁶ For POMC-affected Labradors, where metabolic dysbiosis compounds the consequences of excess adiposity, this is a targeted mechanism.
Beta-glucans (Biolex® MB40)
Beta-glucans from Biolex® MB40 (Leiber GmbH) complement the inulin fraction by providing a structurally distinct fermentable substrate and contributing to immune modulation through interaction with gut-associated lymphoid tissue. The gut-immune dimension of the Labrador’s profile, driven by adverse food reactions and enteropathy predisposition, makes beta-glucan support particularly relevant.
The combination of Fibrofos™ 60 and Biolex® MB40 within the Biotics Triad provides a broader prebiotic profile than single-fibre products, addressing both the metabolic and immune arms of Labrador gut vulnerability.
Best Supplements for Labrador Weight Management and Metabolic Health
Weight management in the POMC-affected Labrador is a biological challenge that responsible feeding practices can address but not fully resolve on their own. The mutation does not respond to willpower, the dog’s or the owner’s. What it does respond to, at the gut level, is targeted microbiome and metabolic support that works alongside dietary discipline rather than instead of it.
The two supplements most directly relevant to the metabolic dimension of Labrador gut health are Biotics and Boost.
Biotics addresses the underlying dysbiosis that both results from obesity and perpetuates it. In the obese Labrador gut, disrupted SCFA production reduces the signals that support satiety, energy regulation, and inflammatory control. Restoring a more diverse and resilient microbial community, through the combined action of prebiotics, Calsporin®, and postbiotics, creates a gut environment that is better equipped to support the metabolic demands the breed’s genetics place on it.
Boost addresses the downstream consequences of the gut-metabolic axis disruption: the systemic inflammation, the metabolic inefficiency, the whole-body wellness deficits that accumulate in a breed under chronic metabolic pressure. Together, Biotics and Boost represent a complementary approach to the metabolic consequences of the POMC mutation, not a substitute for dietary management or veterinary weight monitoring, but a meaningful biological support layer for those interventions.
How to Use These Supplements Together
The protocol below is designed for the majority of adult Labrador owners. Puppies, pregnant or lactating bitches, and dogs with diagnosed conditions should always be managed in consultation with a vet.
- Start with Biotics
Begin with Biotics Bioactive Bites as the microbiome foundation. Introduce over seven to ten days by starting with half the recommended serving for the first three to five days before moving to the full amount. This allows the gut microbiome to adjust without causing loose stools or digestive discomfort from the rapid shift in microbial substrate.
- Add Boost after the initial settling-in period
Once Biotics is established (typically after two to three weeks), introduce Boost Bioactive Bites as the gut-metabolic axis layer. Again, introduce gradually if your dog has a sensitive digestive history.
- Add Belly if digestive symptoms are present
For Labradors with loose stools, chronic digestive inconsistency, post-antibiotic disruption, or known food sensitivity reactions with gastrointestinal signs, introduce Belly alongside Biotics. Belly and Biotics work together rather than in sequence for dogs with active gut symptoms.
- Maintain consistency
Supplement benefits accumulate over time. The microbiome does not transform overnight: meaningful shifts in diversity and composition require consistent daily supplementation over weeks to months. Set a routine, the same time of day, with food, and maintain it.
- Monitor and adjust
Watch for changes in stool consistency, energy levels, coat condition, and digestive comfort over the first four to eight weeks. These are the most observable indicators of microbiome change. If digestive symptoms worsen or persist, consult your vet before continuing.
Safety, Dosage and When to See Your Vet
All three Bonza Bioactive Bites supplements are formulated for adult dogs and carry the dosage guidance on their respective product pages. Follow the dosage instructions for your Labrador’s weight and adjust as directed.
Interactions and contraindications
Biotics, Boost, and Belly are functional nutritional supplements, not veterinary medicines. They are not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any condition. Dogs on immunosuppressive therapy for IBD or other conditions should have their supplement protocol discussed with the prescribing vet before starting.
When to consult your vet
Seek veterinary advice promptly if your Labrador develops any of the following signs: persistent vomiting, severe or bloody diarrhoea, marked weight loss despite normal or increased appetite, swollen abdomen, lethargy, or loss of appetite. These may indicate conditions including protein-losing enteropathy, intestinal obstruction, pancreatitis, or other serious gastrointestinal disease, all of which require veterinary assessment, laboratory diagnostics, and in many cases endoscopy or intestinal biopsy.
If your vet suspects chronic enteropathy, they may recommend serum albumin measurement, cobalamin (vitamin B12) assessment, a canine trypsin-like immunoreactivity (cTLI) assay to exclude exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, and a canine microbiota dysbiosis index to quantify gut microbiome disruption. These investigations provide actionable data that can guide both dietary and supplement decisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Biotics Bioactive Bites is the non-negotiable starting point for any Labrador gut health protocol. It delivers the complete Biotics Triad, Fibrofos™ 60 and Biolex® MB40 as prebiotics, Calsporin® (Bacillus velezensis DSM 15544) as the only EFSA-authorised live spore-forming probiotic for dogs, and L. helveticus HA-122 and TruPet™ as named postbiotics. The combination addresses the microbiome at three distinct levels, which is particularly relevant for a breed whose gut health is under pressure from three distinct biological directions simultaneously.
No. Approximately one in four Labradors carries at least one copy of the 14 base-pair POMC deletion identified by Raffan and colleagues in 2016.¹ The deletion is more common in Labradors selected as assistance dogs (found in the majority of assistance dog cohorts in the original study) than in companion dogs. Labradors without the mutation can still benefit from gut health supplementation because the breed’s adverse food reaction predisposition and IBD risk are not dependent on POMC carrier status.
Weight management in Labradors, particularly those carrying the POMC deletion, requires dietary discipline and veterinary guidance as the primary interventions. At the supplement level, Boost Bioactive Bites addresses the gut-metabolic axis consequences of the obesity-dysbiosis cycle. Biotics Bioactive Bites supports the microbiome environment that SCFA production and metabolic signalling depend on. Neither is a substitute for appropriate caloric management, but both provide meaningful biological support for the metabolic environment in which weight management takes place.
Start with Biotics Bioactive Bites, introduced gradually over seven to ten days. Biotics is appropriate for all Labradors including those with sensitive digestion. If your dog has active loose stools, chronic digestive inconsistency, or a history of food sensitivity reactions, add Belly Bioactive Bites alongside Biotics. Belly is the supplement most specifically targeted at acute-to-ongoing digestive sensitivity and gut barrier support.
Shop Belly for Labradors.
Protein-losing enteropathy (PLE) is a syndrome in which intestinal disease causes excessive protein loss through the gut wall, leading to dangerously low blood albumin and associated complications including fluid accumulation and thromboembolism. It represents the severe end of the inflammatory bowel disease spectrum and requires prompt veterinary diagnosis and treatment. Most Labradors will not develop PLE, but owners should familiarise themselves with the warning signs, persistent vomiting, diarrhoea, significant weight loss, and abdominal swelling, and seek veterinary attention without delay if any are present. Gut health supplementation is not a treatment for PLE.
Yes. Biotics and Belly are designed to work together for dogs with active digestive symptoms. Biotics provides the microbiome foundation; Belly provides targeted digestive and gut barrier support. They address complementary mechanisms and are safe to use concurrently in adult Labradors.
Meaningful microbiome changes take time. Most owners report observable differences in stool consistency within two to four weeks, and broader improvements in coat condition, energy, and digestive comfort within six to eight weeks of consistent daily supplementation. Microbiome diversity shifts require sustained supplementation over several months for more significant changes.
Yes. Bonza’s Superfoods and Ancient Grains is a nutritionally complete plant-based diet suitable for adult Labrador Retrievers. Given the breed’s caloric management requirements and obesity predisposition, accurate portion control is important and best confirmed with veterinary weight monitoring.
Conclusion
The Labrador Retriever is not a difficult dog to love. It is, however, a breed whose biology requires more than standard nutritional thinking. The POMC mutation does not make life easy, not for the dog, not for the owner, but it does make the gut-metabolic argument for targeted supplementation unusually clear. When the hunger is genetic, when the weight pressure is biological, and when the microbiome consequences of that weight are documented in peer-reviewed research, the case for a Biotics-led protocol is not speculative. It is the logical response to the science.
For the majority of Labrador owners, the protocol is straightforward: Biotics Bioactive Bites as the daily microbiome foundation, Boost Bioactive Bites added once established for gut-metabolic axis support, and Belly Bioactive Bites for any dog showing active digestive symptoms, chronic sensitivity, or post-antibiotic gut disruption. That three-supplement stack addresses the gut-metabolic axis, the gut-immune axis, and the microbiome instability that connects both, from a single, coherent nutritional strategy.
None of this replaces veterinary guidance on weight management, food sensitivity investigation, or chronic enteropathy diagnosis. What it does is create the best possible gut environment within which those interventions can work. And for a breed that faces the biological headwinds the Labrador does, that is not an optional extra. It is foundational.
Shop Biotics for Labradors | Shop Boost for Labradors | Shop Belly for Labradors
Related Articles
- Labrador Retriever Gut Health: The Hunger Gene Problem
- Best Gut Health Supplements for French Bulldogs: A Canine Nutritionist’s Guide
- The Bonza Biotics Triad: Prebiotics, Probiotics and Postbiotics for Dogs
- Best Probiotics for Dogs: Canine Nutritionist’s Guide to Real Gut Impact
- Best Prebiotics for Dogs: Canine Nutritionist’s Complete Guide
References
- Raffan E, Dennis RJ, O’Donovan CJ, Becker JM, Scott RA, Smith SP, Withers DJ, Wood CJ, Conci E, Clements DN, Summers KM, German AJ, Mellersh CS, Arendt ML, Iyemere VP, Withers E, Söder J, Wernersson S, Andersson G, Lindblad-Toh K, Yeo GSH, O’Rahilly S. A deletion in the canine POMC gene is associated with weight and appetite in obesity-prone Labrador retriever dogs. Cell Metab. 2016;23(5):893-900. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2016.04.012. PMID: 27157046. PMC: PMC4873617.
- Olivry T, Mueller RS. Critically appraised topic on adverse food reactions of companion animals (7): signalment and cutaneous manifestations of dogs and cats with adverse food reactions. BMC Vet Res. 2019;15(1):140. doi: 10.1186/s12917-019-1880-2. PMID: 31072328. PMC: PMC6507158.
- Pegram, C., Woolley, C., Brodbelt, D.C. et al. Disorder predispositions and protections of Labrador Retrievers in the UK. Sci Rep 11, 13988 (2021). doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-93379-2. PMID:
- Kim H, Seo J, Park T, Seo K, Cho HW, Chun JL, Kim KH. Obese dogs exhibit different fecal microbiome and specific microbial networks compared with normal weight dogs. Sci Rep. 2023;13(1):723. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-27846-3. PMID: 36639715. PMCID: PMC9839755
- EFSA Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP). Safety and efficacy of Calsporin® (Bacillus subtilis DSM 15544) as a feed additive for dogs. EFSA J. 2017;15(4):e04760. doi: 10.2903/j.efsa.2017.4760.
- Apper E, Privet L, Taminiau B, Le Bourgot C, Svilar L, Martin JC, Diez M. Relationships between gut microbiota, metabolome, body weight, and glucose homeostasis of obese dogs fed with diets differing in prebiotic and protein content. Microorganisms. 2020;8(4):513. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms8040513. PMC: PMC7232476.
Editorial Information
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Published | April 2026 |
| Last Updated | April 2026 |
| Reviewed by | Glendon Lloyd, Diploma in Canine Nutrition (Distinction), Diploma in Canine Nutrigenomics (Distinction) |
| Next Review | April 2027 |
| Author | Glendon Lloyd |
| Disclaimer | This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute veterinary advice. Always consult a qualified veterinarian before making changes to your dog’s diet or supplement regimen. |
