Your labrador may not be to blame for being overweight, study suggests

When it comes to greedy canines, labradors take the biscuit. Now researchers have shed light on why the breed is prone to a portly form.

- Nicola Davis

Scientists previously revealed a mutation in a gene called POMC (proopiomelanocortin) predisposes dogs to obesity. The genetic variant is found in about a quarter of labrador retrievers and two-thirds of flat-coated retrievers.

Now two explanations have emerged for the association: not only are dogs with the mutation hungrier between meals, but they burn fewer calories when at rest.

"It means that these dogs have a double whammy," said Dr Eleanor Raffan of the University of Cambridge, who led the study. But canine obesity is not a fait accompli.