PREVIEW

If your Labrador retriever is carrying a bit more weight than a Crufts winner it may be down to genetics rather than greed. New research from scientists at the University of Cambridge has found that around a quarter of Labrador retrievers have a genetic mutation that means they are constantly hungry and burn fewer calories than other members of the breed. Around 25% of Labradors and 66% of flatcoated retriever dogs have the POMC mutation, which increased interest in food and risk of obesity. The new study gave the dogs a “sausage test” - in which they could smell a sausage in a box they could not access. Those dogs with the mutation worked significantly harder to get at the sausage. Dogs with the mutation were also found to use around 25% less energy at rest, meaning they don’t need to consume as many calories to maintain a healthy body weight. The solution to this obesity-driving combination of genes? The same as for those of us humans who are predisposed to overindulge - keeping to a strict diet and exercise.