Raw food for overweight Labrador

A 42kg Labrador on a vet-approved raw trial for weight loss — that's a really sensible approach, and you're in a good position because you've got clinical backing rather than just winging it. Raw feeding done well can be excellent for weight management: it's naturally lower in fast-burning carbohydrates than most kibbles, and the high moisture content helps dogs feel fuller on fewer calories. Done badly though — wrong ratios, too much fatty mince, no organ balance — it creates nutritional gaps and can actually make weight control harder. So before I point you anywhere, a few quick questions: have you fed raw before, or is this completely new territory? And are you looking for a complete ready-made option, or do you want to build the meals yourself?

That's exactly the right instinct for a first-timer, and your vet has given you a solid target. 525g of a nutritionally complete raw product at around 1.5% of target weight is a sensible, conservative starting point — you can adjust after four to six weeks depending on how his body condition is tracking. One thing to flag with Labradors specifically: they are genuinely prone to obesity partly due to a genetic mutation affecting appetite regulation, so consistent portioning matters more than it does with most breeds. Weigh the food rather than eyeballing it, at least for the first month.

For a raw beginner managing weight, I'd go with Natures Menu Country Hunter Raw Nuggets. Each nugget is roughly 20g, which makes portioning to exactly 525g per day straightforward without any cutting or guessing. They're nutritionally complete — correct meat-to-bone-to-organ ratios, added vitamins and minerals — so you're not relying on your own balancing. Critically for a weight-loss context, the chicken or turkey varieties are genuinely lean; the duck is slightly richer so I'd avoid that one for now. They're frozen, defrost overnight in the fridge, and the format suits dogs that haven't transitioned before because it's less intense than a whole prey or chunked format. Available on Amazon UK in 1kg bags, and buying a multipack brings the cost per day to well under £3 for your portion size.

With a food-motivated Lab on a calorie deficit, treats need to come out of his daily 525g allowance rather than on top of it — otherwise you quietly undo the deficit without realising. Easiest approach: weigh out his daily nuggets in the morning, set 60-80g aside in a small container as training treats, and that's his treat budget. The nuggets themselves work fine for training — defrosted, they break into pea-sized pieces easily. If you want something drier for your pocket, single-ingredient dried meat treats like Lily's Kitchen Bedtime Biscuits or plain dried chicken strips are low-calorie options, but still count them toward his total.

At a genuine calorie deficit, most dogs lose around 0.5–1% of body weight per week — for your Lab that's roughly 200–400g per week. At that rate, getting from 42kg to 35kg takes somewhere between four and five months, which is actually the healthy pace. You won't see much on the scales in the first two weeks because the switch to raw often causes water weight fluctuation as gut bacteria adjust. Weigh him every two weeks rather than daily, and look at his waist and rib feel as much as the number. If he's not losing after six weeks on this portion, drop to 1.3% of target weight and reassess. Keep your vet in the loop — a follow-up body condition score at eight weeks is worth doing.