What is that like time wise? Do you think your dog is fit? Do you genuinely think your dog is getting enough exercise?
I grew up with labs. My mom did field trials with them and my dad hunted with them. A fit middle aged lab should be able to hunt upland for several hours at a time.
If your dog has a physical limitation that’s different.
An hour or so. Our walk is in addition to throwing the ball for her for a bit every afternoon. She’s fairly fit but she had TPL surgery a couple of years ago so I try not to do anything too strenuous that might damage her other leg. She’s nowhere near as fit as your dogs, she is not a hunter in any way, shape, or form.
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I can appreciate that. My dog had a partial CCL tear in the fall. The joint was stable under sedation and there was minimal arthritis on x-ray so we opted to rehab her instead of referring to ortho. She’s back to doing everything she was before.
However, like you I’m under the assumption that there are degenerative changes on both sides. We don’t throw the ball for her at all under more. The sudden stops and starts place way more forces on those ligaments than running through the bush at their own pace.
Anyway, I’m not saying that exercise alone will help her drop weight. It’s just something to consider. A fit dog is a healthier dog all around. And if a food motivated dog could talk they’d probably tell us they’d rather go for an extra run everyday than give up their dinner.
Edited to add, have you done bloodwork to check things like thyroid levels? Hypothyroidism is fairly common in dogs and your dog would be at that age.
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No, I haven’t had any bloodwork done recently. The last time was before she had her surgery which was in 2022, if memory serves. The vet gave her a clean bill of health at that time.
Might be worth asking about. I pushed my SIL a couple years ago to get her dog tested. She was overweight and while her coat was thick and shiny I felt like it was course. Sure enough she was hypothyroid. The medication wasn’t expensive, unfortunately they were terrible about remembering to give it to her, they even admitted this. So last year when she was diagnosed with diabetes they opted to euthanize, there was no way they would have been able to manage that appropriately.
Do you find it difficult to balance the two/ worry about meeting mineral/ vitamin needs? My aforementioned lab mix is struggling recently with digestive issues and I blame having to switch from the Keto kibble (she’s had lab work done twice since and both came back normal, vet doesn’t see any other thing that could be contributing). I’ve yet to find something that works that is also affordable and was considering mixing 2 kibbles or kibble with raw but am concerned about not meeting her vitamin/ mineral needs as she doesn’t get a lot of food (often below the recommendation for her weight as she isn’t active and will get fat otherwise). I wish there was a ration balancer + meat option for dogs 
FWIW, I did order the Ziwi Peak chicken “kibble” (really it’s air dried raw IIRC). It’s ungodly expensive ($30/lb) but this is my heart doggo and she’s a senior so whatever is healthy that she will eat that won’t make her belly gross is what it has to be.
Also more related to OP - I bought a device called a FitBark for $50 that attaches to her collar and acts like a doggie fitbit. It tracks her activity and set a goal based on her age/ breed and shows me how active she is in relation to other dogs. I find it useful to make sure she’s getting enough exercise and found it useful when she had her CCL surgery to make sure she was coming back slow enough/ not doing too much. It also has GPS tracking but I will say that isn’t the most accurate (and the activity may not be 100% either but is helpful in a “she’s more active today vs yesterday” way).
The big city veterinarian I travel over an hour to for special cases (anything that requires superior differential diagnosis) told me that the manufacturer’s recommendations on the bags are excessive, and will result in an overweight dog. I’ve had a Lab, Pit bull, American Water Spaniel, Shih Tzu, etc., – so large to small, very active to lap dog, and none of them ate as much as the label suggested.
Also, my local small town veterinarian warned about feeding OraVet dental chews too frequently. She said they are very high calorie, and should only be given once or twice a week because of that, not daily as the package states. Mentioning this as an example of something seemingly innocuous that could be making a difference in a dog’s weight.
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Great question. She was 100% on K9 Naturals until 2 months ago and will go back to 100% K9 Naturals in July when she hits a year. Both foods (the kibble and freeze dried raw) that I use, K9 Naturals and Zignature are all stages complete diets so no, I am not worried about minerals and vits. She also gets Orijens Regional Red treats as training rewards along with carrots, blueberries, and any other veg or raw meat I am cooking with. And I just started her on that live ocean kelp in the probiotic thread.
Adding the kibble is to “fill” her up since she is part lab, part vacuum cleaner. She is getting better about not inhaling her food or thinking she is getting her ‘last’ meal so to speak. I can even drop food and she will wait and not lunge for it.
I also split (she gets a 4th) a can of sardines/mackrel/tuna/salmon between her and Buma every Friday.
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Viva Raw is another good brand. Not too expensive, and it’s delivered to your door.
A daily walk around 6 acres isn’t that much exercise.
On Purina One healthy weight my dog dropped right down to where we wanted her pretty quickly. She gets tons of exercise (on average 6 miles a day, including running) but if she gets less exercise a few days in a row I cut back on feed and replace with green beans.
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Viva Raw
50lbs in box
$377.50
This 
(what Leather said about carbs in dry food) my beagle gets a can (13 oz) canned food divided by five meals, with 1/4 cup frozen chopped green beans with 1/4 cup hot water added to the green beans and a T of pureed pumpkin.
She eats four times a day (or she gets an upset stomach). Smaller more frequent meals means she’s never hungry.
Shes dropped the couple pounds she was “overweight” and has a shiny healthy coat.
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I would just ask about the thyroid test. I haven’t had a dog with that issue in a while, but when I did it was a fairly cheap med that made a difference. Aside from that, I’ve found that some of mine just had slow metabolism and couldn’t eat that much. I personally (controversially - don’t come for me) try to do part kibble and part some sort of “real food” mixture (usually Dr. Harvey’s). It is $$$ but I find it helpful.
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There is NOTHING wrong with a 50/50 diet. We all do the best we can with what we have. Adding any fresh foods (raw meats or fresh veg) is better than 100% kibble.
And yes Dr. Harvey’s is very $$$ you can get all of the same foods that are in the Paradigm fresh and feed that instead of paying for his premade bagged foods. (I don’t know which one you are feeding).
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I bought a large package of hamburger and have been mixing a portion of that with a small amount of kibble, vegetables, and part of a cut up apple. She loves it.
I think dog food is such a hard subject. Some people feel like you should feed all fresh, and others think that the only thing your dog should eat is food from one of the big companies that meets specific guidelines. It can be a really tough topic. I want to do the best thing for my dogs, but I’m not always sure what it is.
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That is awesome!
Great first step into cooking for your dog!
Berries, cantalope, sweet potato, veggies, eggs are other items you can add in too.
You may want to find a mineral/vit supplement since you are feeding muscle and not organs to make sure your dog is getting enough of those. And I don’t know how much taurine you should give, but it is essential for heart health.
I also like to stock up on tinned fish (sardines and the like) when its on sale.
@Casey09, I totally agree with you about wanting to do what is best for our dogs. And asking questions, being open to suggestion, and leaning on people with experience will help. Its scary to jump from conventional feeding (kibble from the supermarket) to going to fresh/raw based diets. I had a ton of trepidation when I started 15+ yrs ago. But as you watch your dogs coat and eyes shine more, energy levels are higher, poops get smaller and less stinky plus their over all health improves you will see how beneficial changing a dog’s diet can be.
I got a lot of dirty looks from vets over the years when asked what I feed and I proudly state freeze dried raw. 10+ yrs ago I would get a lecture in the exam room, 5+ yrs ago, I got a head shake and the silent treatment, this year… This year I got a smile from a vet that recognized that this is a better way to feed our best friends. AND he is nearly at retiring age so “old dogs can learn new tricks” 
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How many cups are in the 8 lb bag then?
I have 3 dogs to feed - two 60-65 lb female greyhounds and one 80 lb greyhound. Would love to switch to something other than kibble but can’t seem to find anything that is not $$$$$. We currently spend about $600/month on Stella & Chewy Kibble (that’s 176 lbs of kibble per month).
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I feed raw, have for over 10 years. Currently I feed a locally produced option that is the full balanced meal. The chicken and beef blend that I feed (with fruits and veg included) comes in 1/4 lb frozen pucks. A 15lb box costs me $50 and I feed 1lb per day so it’s about $100 per month (plus taxes). We also feed carrots and other veg as treats plus one cookie (the big kirkland ones) each day.
The beef product that I fed my older dog who just passed (each dog needed a different blend to suit their needs) was $68 per lb or about $136 per month (plus taxes).
In the summer when we are more active I feed more (1.25 lbs per day). This is for a 50-55lb senior dog (he’s a bit on the chunky side right now).
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I’ll have to price out some organ meats at the butcher counter. Meant to pick up some pumpkin yesterday. She loves berries, eggs, and even tomato. Big Lots had a good selection of sardines for cheap prices so will check it out.
