SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — If your Labrador retriever constantly feels hungry, genetics may be to blame, according to a recent study.
The study, published in the Science Advances journal, looked at a specific gene mutation in dogs, specifically Labrador retrievers, which increases their interest in food, but at the same time causes them to burn less calories than they tend to consume.
According to the research, written by Eleanor Raffan from the University of Cambridge, nearly a quarter of Labs have a mutation in a gene called POMC, which plays a role in balancing energy taken from food and energy used by the body.
To study the effects of the gene mutation, researchers offered a standard amount of canned dog food to dogs with and without the POMC mutation every 20 minutes until they chose to stop. They found no significant difference between the two groups regarding how much food it would take for them to feel satisfied at the end of their meal.
A separate test looked at whether Labs with the gene mutation had a stronger desire to eat. To test this, researchers placed a sausage in a plastic box and left it in plain sight to see what the dogs would do. According to the study, Labs with the POMC mutation spent significantly more time and energy to get the sausage out of the box, indicating they felt hungrier between meals.
In addition, dogs with the POMC mutation burned 25% less calories at rest than those without. Researchers said this paired with their increased hunger could be why some Labradors tend to be overweight.
Next time you scold Fido for begging for more treats, remember his hunger might just be in his genes.