How much food does it take to fill a labrador?

[StayingDavidTennantsGirl]

I know the answer to this now - apparently it is 4 kilos of Science diet! Whilst dh was dropping ds2 and I at choir, our lab got into the cupboard where the brand new sack of dog food was stored, tore open the top, and opened the self-service department.

She went and pooed in the dining room (presumably to make space for more food), and when dh got back from dropping us at choir, ddog had to make a dash for the back garden, where she was sick. Several times.

Dh was worried about her, until he noticed the open cupboard and the torn sack - and saw how barrel-shaped the dog was! Her tummy was so full that she was sitting down on the lawn waiting to be sick again - she couldn't manage to stand!

I suppose we should be glad that it was the light science diet - we had thought she had put on an extra kilo or so, and wanted to get her back to her healthiest weight - but God alone knows what 4KG of food is going to do to her waistline (it's non-existant at the moment)!

Dh rang up his brother, who was with MIL in hospital (she's having major surgery tomorrow for a pancreatic tumour), and MIL laughed so much she nearly fell out of bed - so the dog has cheered her up, at least.

She is now lying in her bed, looking like she's expecting a huge litter of puppies, and feeling rather sorry for herself (the dog, that is, not MIL).

[TrillianAstra]

It's not physically possible to fill a labrador - they will vomit and eat the results.

[LadyOfTheFlowers]

Ours used to do this as pups.

Would gorge themselves and once broke into the store cupboard.

I remember a teeny baby pup, led on our bed between us, belly up, groaning and popping off every 5 mins.... :o

Be sure there is plenty of water around.

[StayingDavidTennantsGirl]

Dh says, yes, she was trying to do that. But she had left some 8kg or so in the bag - maybe she was thinking of seconds..

Oh - and this is in addition to the wooden spoon and spatula that she ate earlier on today.

[LadyOfTheFlowers]

Trillian - That just brought back vivid memories!! :o :)

[AFatLabrador]

I am shocked. This is my first post on mumsnet, and already I have found a vicious nest of vipers, poking fun at a poorly labrador, whose only crime was to have a little snack whilst she was viciously and cruelly abandoned by her owners.

Shame on you all. Bad humans. Bad!!

[StayingDavidTennantsGirl]

Poor old Coco has spent the night lying in her cage looking very uncomfortable. Luckily we left her cage open, so she could get to her water bowl, because she drank a whole bowlful of water overnight, and then pooed in the kitchen - hopefully that has relieved some of the internal pressure!

She doesn't seem very interested in doing anything terribly active, though......

[Slubberdegullion]

oh dear, poor Coco.

Holy cow 4 kilos is a lot. I don't think they do have a 'full' indicator do they?

fwiw our old golden retriever ate a whole entire giant stilton (you know the great big cylinders you'd see being made on tikkabilla) on christmas eve.

That was a whole lot of cheesy shit my mum and dad had to deal with on christmas day.

[frostyfingers]

Been there done that - our young lab ate so much that she was sick for 3 days - twas gross. Worse than the sick though was the farts which continued for days - we were sitting there with windows open and candles burning in a vain attempt to get rid of the smell.

Get Coco out for a walk though, to move it through her system (and make space for that remaining 8kg of food)!

[StayingDavidTennantsGirl]

A whole Stilton??!! My god, what an appetite!

I will look forward to the farts, frostyfingers - Coco is a past master of the silent but deadly ones that blister the paintwork and make the eyes water, so this should be really fun ........

[midori1999]

My friends dog (crazy dalmation) once ate a whole, unopened 15KG sack of dog food, including the bag. He couldn't even move the fat so and so.

He also once ate a child's potters wheel, including paint, paintbrushes and clay, which had been left by the postman outside the back door.

[StayingDavidTennantsGirl]

I think your friend's dalmation wins, midori - paws down! Coco is clearly a rank amateur and should look to her laurels - when she can get herself moving again, that is!!

[Bella32]

There, there, AFatLabrador. Your poor little podgy thing, you

[Slubberdegullion]

I can trump the damlmation, but only with a goat so not sure if that counts.

My dad used to work at the Royal Veterinary College. One day the goat went missing and was AWOL for several days. The college thought some students had nicked him. Turned out the stupid thing had got inside one of the big metal food sheds, and managed to close the lid on himself. He was very happy inside eating away months and months worth of cow feed.

[Bella32]

Aaah, Slubber

I once turned up to muck out my horse, only to find his bum sticking out the feed room door. Thankfully he had avoided the sugar beet and gone straight for the cool mix, but we were on colic watch all weekend

[StayingDavidTennantsGirl]

When dh was a teenager, their young lab went missing - it turned out that she'd got into the coal bunker at the side of the house that his parents were using as a compost container - it worked very nicely, because you could throw the compostables in at the top, and there was a useful little door at the bottom through which to shovel out the matured compost.

The pup had found the little hatch at the bottom open, had gone in, and was eating her way up through the compost. She did do an awful lot of puking in the next few days, but was otherwise utterly unharmed by this interesting addition to her diet.

[frostyfingers]

Bella - I have to put a clip on my feed room door. This summer I spent ages tidying up in there - chucking out feed bags, clearing up loose hay etc and I was feeling very virtuous.

My two boys are in the yard during the day to stop them getting too fat (haha), but when I went to let them out I couldn't find them anywhere - not round the back, they hadn't escaped into the field - they were nowhere to be seen. Then I noticed that the feed room door wasn't shut properly... they had got in there, turned on the light, shut the door and got going. The dustbins with the food in were tipped out, the nut sack ripped to shreds and then they'd gone on to the hay. They'd been there a while as there were at least two poos each!

I know the door had just got knocked shut as they manouvred themselves round, likewise the light, but once I'd stopped being cross I laughed and laughed. They knew they shouldn't have been in there, they shot out as guilty as hell. I too spent a night on colic watch! They now check whether I've put the clip on the door, and if I haven't will fiddle with it to see if they can get it open again.

Sorry, post hijack!

[Lizcat]

Record is actually a full 10kg sack of science diet I believe, by the labrador of a RCVS and European specialist veterinary surgeon.

[Batteryhuman]

Mine managed half a 15kg bag in one night. He was officially full and did not want to eat for several days. He also pooed almost hourly for 3 days. I was on holiday at the time and like to think I would not have left the sack in the kitchen. Dog sitting friend took him to the vet who said it is not unknown for labs to damage themselves doing this and to keep a very careful eye on him. She has never offered to dog sit again......

[StayingDavidTennantsGirl]

We didn't give Coco any breakfast this morning - I am wondering whether to give her a little bit of supper or not - what do people think? To be honest, she doesn't seem particularly interested in food at the moment.

[mateysmum]

No, don't feed her. Even if they have'nt been naughty, dogs can go for 3-4 days without food and not suffer ill effects - wouldn't want the little darlings to do that of course, but that's what my vet said when I was worried about my little darling not eating.

Just keep up the water and gentle walkies.

[StayingDavidTennantsGirl]

Thank you mateysmum - I am glad I have the wisdom of mumsnet to call on! Not sure Coco will be so pleased though.....

[misdee]

when our lab x ate their way through the entire bag of rabbit food, i just gave them a small amount of their food (a handful) and plenty of water.

[Bella32]

rofl frosty - love it

[StayingDavidTennantsGirl]

Madam now has a waistline again - thanks in part to the huge amounts of poo that I have picked up off the lawn! She also had a three-quarter of an hour romp outside with another labrador, which helped.

[Bearskinwoolies]

I laughed like a drain reading this thread, and then paused and wondered; are we sharing the same dog?

My rescue lab doesn't have a fill point, he will eat everything he can get his paws on, and then sit and drool at the fridge and kitchen cupboards or rather the goodies he knows is inside them!

Last christmas my dh rather stupidly unwisely left a bag of biscuits and a massive iced fruit cake on the kitchen counter. Upon his return to the kitchen approx 15 minutes later my lab had eaten both, and was begging for more!

The dog spent the night belching and farting; and dh discovered the dog had returned all the fruit from the cake the next morning at the bottom of the stairs