Health and Miscellaneous issue of Labrador Retriever

Labrador life expectancy is generally 12 to 13 years, and it is a healthy breed with relatively few major problems. Common Lab health issues are:

Labs are somewhat prone to hip dysplasia, especially the larger dogs, though not as much as some other breeds. Hip scores are recommended before breeding.

[ Some lines of Labs are fast and athletic, as demonstrated by this Lab doing the weave poles in dog agility. ]

Labs are sometimes prone to ear infection, because their floppy ears trap warm moist air. This is easy to control, but needs regular checking to ensure that a problem is not building up unseen. A healthy Lab ear should look clean and light pink (almost white) inside. Darker pink (or inflamed red), or brownish deposits, are a symptom of ear infection. The usual treatment is regular cleaning daily or twice daily (being careful not to force dirt into the sensitive inner ear) and sometimes medication (ear drops) for major cases. As a preventative measure, some owners clip the hair carefully around the ear and under the flap, to encourage better air flow.

Labs are often overfed and are allowed to become overweight, due to their blatant enjoyment of treats, hearty appetites, and endearing behavior towards people. A healthy Lab should keep a very slight hourglass waist and be fit and lithe, rather than fat or heavy-set. Excessive weight is strongly implicated as a risk factor in the later development of hip dysplasia and diabetes, and also can contribute to general reduced health when older. Arthritis is Labs can also take place in the later years if weight is put on. Typically labs should stay at least under 100 pounds. Weight on dogs, specifically Labs is easier to put on than take off.
A Labrador that undertakes significant swimming without building up can develop a swelling or apparent kink known as swimtail. This can be easily treated by a veterinary clinic and tail rest.

Many times Labs also suffer from the risk of knee problems. A luxating patella is a common occurrence in the knee where the leg is often bow shaped.

Miscellaneous:

Puppy mills and dog theft

Because the Labrador is such a popular breed, they are often reared in puppy mills where the people responsible care primarily for profit, and not for the dog's well being.
Labs and Lab owners also commonly fall victim to dog theft, where any purebred-looking Labradors may be sold to puppy mills or unknowing prospective owners for a high profit to the thief. Micro-chipping for Labradors—as for any dog—increases the possibility of finding lost or stolen dogs, because the microchip cannot be easily removed like a collar and dog tags.

Labrador variants

Although kennel clubs and registries recognize the Labrador in variations of only three colors—black, yellow, and chocolate—some breeders sell light-colored yellow Labrador puppies as a "white" Labrador, the dark yellow Labrador puppies as "fox red," or chocolates possessing the dilution factor as "silver Labradors".

These colors are nonstandard and would disqualify them as show dogs; however, the dog's color does not affect its behavior or health and many people own them as companion dogs. There is some controversy over whether these rarer colors are worth more (because they are rare) or less (because they are nonstandard and unsuitable for breeding show dogs and for showing).

Black labs have dominated the field trial and hunt test scene. (Fergus, 2002). Because the lighter variants are a recessive trait, breeding for a litter of yellow or chocolate pups requires mating a two dogs with those traits. This means that dogs from these litters were selected for traits other than nose, bid ability, intelligence, and hunting desire. (Fergus, 2002). Because even a pairing of black labs may produce chocolate or yellow offspring, this rule does not hold 100% of the time. Even so, many serious field trailers and hunters prefer black Labradors over the other variants to increase the odds of solid hunting genes. (Fergus, 2002)

[ A black Labrador is structurally the same as a yellow Lab but the coat color makes them look quite different. ]

In addition to color variations, differences in the physical build of the dog have arisen as a result of specialized breeding. Although the majority of dogs bred are of the type generally displayed in the show ring, distinct lines are bred for specific working purposes. Dogs bred for field trials tend to be lighter in limb and often lack the very large, square head seen in the show ring.

Differences tend to occur as dogs bred for hunting and field-trial work are selected first for working ability, whereas dogs bred to compete for show championships are selected for conformation to a breed standard. In fact, breeders and owners sometimes distinguish the "working" Labrador from the "show" Labrador, given the marked differences in their physical characteristics.

The Labradoodle is a common mixed-breed dog that combines a Labrador with a Poodle.

Another common mix is a Lab-Border Collie mix.
 

Famous Labs

U.S. President Bill Clinton's pet Labrador was called Buddy.

For Father's Day, Clinton received another pet Labrador named Seamus.

Vincent from Lost

Labrador Retriever Breed Information and Pictures

History, Temperament and activities of Labrador Retriever

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Labrador Retriever".