Springer Spaniel Owners Please Help

SpringerKY

Hi Guys,

Have a very fussy 18 month old male springer spaniel who I cannot for the life of me put weight on (in perfect health). He is the fussiest eater of a dog I have came across my 13 year old cocker will eat all around him as will my 9 month old springer who is actually bigger than my 18month old (he eats all round him and is probably a bit chubby).

Just want to know has any other springer spaniel owner experienced anything similar? Dog is very slim but he is full of energy, extremely agile and quick dog just want him to be a bit broader to reach his true potential.

Will he fill out naturally in time? Thought he was slim as he was growing but he isshould be out of the growing/puppy stage now I assume.

cocker5

SpringerKY wrote: »

Hi Guys,

Have a very fussy 18 month old male springer spaniel who I cannot for the life of me put weight on (in perfect health). He is the fussiest eater of a dog I have came across my 13 year old cocker will eat all around him as will my 9 month old springer who is actually bigger than my 18month old (he eats all round him and is probably a bit chubby).

Just want to know has any other springer spaniel owner experienced anything similar? Dog is very slim but he is full of energy, extremely agile and quick dog just want him to be a bit broader to reach his true potential.

Will he fill out naturally in time? Thought he was slim as he was growing but he isshould be out of the growing/puppy stage now I assume.

What are you feeding him OP?
he may not be getting the proper nutrition he needs from his food.

SpringerKY

cocker5 wrote: »

What are you feeding him OP?
he may not be getting the proper nutrition he needs from his food.

Hi cocker,

I have tried him on Burns, Josera High Energy, Josera Kids (puppy) and have just ordered Lulluks off zooplus last night. He gets a cup of dry mixed with half a tin of wet (wont touch dry food on its own) morning and evening along with treats and any left over meat from day before. I have also ordered botine supplement too.

Its more fussiness than anything I think, he will only pick at dog food would hound down burger meat or a chicken fillet. He will only eat certain brands of wet food and he would rather starve himself before eating dry food on his own.

SpringerKY

cocker5 wrote: »

What are you feeding him OP?
he may not be getting the proper nutrition he needs from his food.

Hi cocker,

I have tried him on Burns, Josera High Energy, Josera Kids (puppy) and have just ordered Lulluks off zooplus last night. He gets a mug of dry mixed with half a tin of wet (wont touch dry food on its own) morning and evening along with treats and any left over meat from day before. I have also ordered botine supplement too.

Its more fussiness than anything I think, he will only pick at dog food would hound down burger meat or a chicken fillet. He will only eat certain brands of wet food and he would rather starve himself before eating dry food on his own.

When I walk him he never stops and loves swimming so he burns a lot of calories too. You cant see his ribs only when he runs or is soaked wet.

andreac

Would you consider feeding him minced tripe? Slaney pet foods do it and its great for putting weight on them. I feed it to one of my Rotties as hes on a grain and cereal free food but that doesnt put enough condition on him so i feed him a 1lb bag of minced tripe then every second day.

Its very reasonable too. Less than 20euro for 14 x 1lb bags.

andreac

Just a thought, if he is very active then having him slim isn't a bad thing. If you cant see his ribs then he is probably in good condition. A lot of people think they need their dogs chubby when that isn't good for them at all. If he's a very active dog then its good to have him a bit trim.

At 18 months he is still quite young and will still fill out and muscle up over the next year or so.

SpringerKY

andreac wrote: »

Just a thought, if he is very active then having him slim isn't a bad thing. If you cant see his ribs then he is probably in good condition. A lot of people think they need their dogs chubby when that isn't good for them at all. If he's a very active dog then its good to have him a bit trim.

At 18 months he is still quite young and will still fill out and muscle up over the next year or so.

Hi Andreac,

Thanks for your reply. Maybe I am just overthinking because of the fussy eating. Im only 23 so he is my first dog which I bought myself (cocker my childhood dog) so think I just worry about him like a person with their first child haha! I also will try that minced tripe can you buy it online?

jimf

ask your vet about vitamin b12 it has worked wonders for me with picky grubbers

I have 5 springers who all probably should be going to weightwatchers

it can be got in syrup form

Cherry Blossom

Hi OP, I used to feed my terrier Burns and Burns dogs tend to be on the lean side. At the moment I'm feedin Lukullus and its quite low in fat, not sure if it's just the flavour I'm using or if they all are. To put weight on him you'd want to be feeding something with a higher fat content, especially if he's high energy. If it were me my first port of call would be a vet visit to check for malabsorption problems.

FrostyJack

My springer cross is fairly fussy eating. She tends not to eat dried food without some wet but we have finally weaned her off it. She won't always eat her breakfast in the morning or her dinner when we give it, but by the end of the day the bowl is licked clean. She lost 1.4 kg about a month after we got her. Purely due to exercise. If the dog is over weight, it puts extra weight on the joints, which will cause problems in later life, especially if he is a puppy.

SingItOut

Hi, have you checked his teeth? to make sure none are loose or painful for him? this may a contributor as to why he may not be eating.

DBB

What wet foods have you tried OP? I have a fussy fecker Cocker x here, so might be able to make suggestions (*note to self... keep meaning to trey Jimf's suggestion of Vit B12*).
As AJ said, ramping up the fat content will help, it would help improve the taste of the food too. Dogs use fat more efficiently than we do as an energy-provider.
That said, as andreac said, if you can't see his ribs, then you're doing something right. I think too many of us (myself included) are a bit too conditioned to thinking that slightly-too-pudgy is normal.

jimf

I tend to go the pudgy route at this time of the year dbb maybe its because all my dogs sleep outdoors and a little bit of extra fat doesn't do them any harm in the colder weather

as for the b12 it has worked only again recently on our new recruit molly bichon/maltese/ yorkie x and the beauty of it the taste must be nectar to dogs as they will lick it off the spoon and come back for more

but as with all these vits talk to your vet first

jimf

andreac wrote: »

Would you consider feeding him minced tripe? Slaney pet foods do it and its great for putting weight on them. I feed it to one of my Rotties as hes on a grain and cereal free food but that doesnt put enough condition on him so i feed him a 1lb bag of minced tripe then every second day.

Its very reasonable too. Less than 20euro for 14 x 1lb bags.

reading your post here andreac brought back memories from years ago of my dad feeding tripe and liver to the greyhounds for a few months once they reached maturity something to do with getting on the weight before the training started

DBB

jimf wrote: »

I tend to go the pudgy route at this time of the year dbb maybe its because all my dogs sleep outdoors and a little bit of extra fat doesn't do them any harm in the colder weather

I'm okay with a little pudge jimf, I'm more talking about the increasing trend for owners to view excess pudge as being normal, whilst owners of lean dogs often report that people comment on it negatively! It might be fair to say the same thing is happening with humans too?
My dogs are not lean

jimf

maybe im old fashioned but no ribs shown and a curve in from the mid body with a good shiny rich coat and im happy

tylerdylan

I thought you were talking about my 5 month old springer Sadie
She is exactly the same.

She has a vet visit today as its becoming a worry and she does look a bit thin.
Some really great advice here guys though

cant see myself using tripe though

iguana

There are different types of springer. There is the obvious difference between worker and show lines, with the workers having more white in their coats, shorter hair and shorter ears. And within worker breed springers there are distinctive differences with the more traditional broader dog, with a square face and more muscular physique and those with more pointed faces who have slim lean bodies. It's possible that your dog's healthy body type is to stay very thin for all his life. Both of my dogs are worker springers and one is broad and the other is incredibly skinny. He's a very healthy dog, can run lightening fast (he can nearly hold his own with greyhounds), can zip over a 2m fence and at nine and a half is usually mistaken for a year old dog. He's extremely healthy, just has a naturally skinny frame.

He's not even remotely picky about food though. He and his 'brother' have just knocked over my compost bin and eaten the manky carrots I threw out earlier.

SpringerKY

jimf wrote: »

ask your vet about vitamin b12 it has worked wonders for me with picky grubbers

I have 5 springers who all probably should be going to weightwatchers

it can be got in syrup form

Hi Jim,

Will try this. How long did your springers have to stay on it for?

SpringerKY

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

Hi OP, I used to feed my terrier Burns and Burns dogs tend to be on the lean side. At the moment I'm feedin Lukullus and its quite low in fat, not sure if it's just the flavour I'm using or if they all are. To put weight on him you'd want to be feeding something with a higher fat content, especially if he's high energy. If it were me my first port of call would be a vet visit to check for malabsorption problems.

Vet says he is fine, just a picky eater, he doesnt live to eat he eats to live if you get me which the total opposite f my other two dogs!!

SpringerKY

FrostyJack wrote: »

My springer cross is fairly fussy eating. She tends not to eat dried food without some wet but we have finally weaned her off it. She won't always eat her breakfast in the morning or her dinner when we give it, but by the end of the day the bowl is licked clean. She lost 1.4 kg about a month after we got her. Purely due to exercise. If the dog is over weight, it puts extra weight on the joints, which will cause problems in later life, especially if he is a puppy.

Ya I think he is more lean than thin and I was just worrying about it too much as the majority of dogs you see today are probably overweight.

SpringerKY

SingItOut wrote: »

Hi, have you checked his teeth? to make sure none are loose or painful for him? this may a contributor as to why he may not be eating.

Hi yes all his teeth are fine, I think it is just picknyness as he as always been like this since I got him as a pup.

SpringerKY

DBB wrote: »

What wet foods have you tried OP? I have a fussy fecker Cocker x here, so might be able to make suggestions (*note to self... keep meaning to trey Jimf's suggestion of Vit B12*).
As AJ said, ramping up the fat content will help, it would help improve the taste of the food too. Dogs use fat more efficiently than we do as an energy-provider.
That said, as andreac said, if you can't see his ribs, then you're doing something right. I think too many of us (myself included) are a bit too conditioned to thinking that slightly-too-pudgy is normal.

I only feed him pedigree tins (I know they arent the best but im on a budget and already get good quality dry) and he seems to like them, usually! He absolutely hates supervalu/centra tins and for some reason he loves the aldi brand tins!

He also gets a lot of meat which is left over from our meals. I purchased Bovine fat powder which arrived today aswel as Lullukus dry food, pigs ears and cows ears.

I think he is jusy picky and lean rather than a skinny dog. Full of life, eyes bright as can be and he is so quick and agile compared to the other dogs it is crazy.

SpringerKY

tylerdylan wrote: »

I thought you were talking about my 5 month old springer Sadie
She is exactly the same.

She has a vet visit today as its becoming a worry and she does look a bit thin.
Some really great advice here guys though

cant see myself using tripe though

Hey did you get any news on your Springer? Interesting to hear from somebody in a similar situation!

SpringerKY

iguana wrote: »

There are different types of springer. There is the obvious difference between worker and show lines, with the workers having more white in their coats, shorter hair and shorter ears. And within worker breed springers there are distinctive differences with the more traditional broader dog, with a square face and more muscular physique and those with more pointed faces who have slim lean bodies. It's possible that your dog's healthy body type is to stay very thin for all his life. Both of my dogs are worker springers and one is broad and the other is incredibly skinny. He's a very healthy dog, can run lightening fast (he can nearly hold his own with greyhounds), can zip over a 2m fence and at nine and a half is usually mistaken for a year old dog. He's extremely healthy, just has a naturally skinny frame.

He's not even remotely picky about food though. He and his 'brother' have just knocked over my compost bin and eaten the manky carrots I threw out earlier.

Ya I think I was just over thinking it all. Like your springer he is so quick, we always compare him to a greyhound with his speed too absolutely miles ahead of the other dogs, could jump anything he is so quick and agile its unbelievable!!

jimf

SpringerKY wrote: »

Hi Jim,

Will try this. How long did your springers have to stay on it for?

about a month getting half a teaspoon once daily

tylerdylan

SpringerKY wrote: »

Hey did you get any news on your Springer? Interesting to hear from somebody in a similar situation!

Hi yes the vet said she is ok as far as she can tell.
Weighed her and she is a bit under but reckons she just a fussy eater also.

Also said she needs to be about 6 months old before she will spay her due to her size. But other than that its within the range .

Yeah its good to know others are in the same boat

Ashbx

jimf wrote: »

ask your vet about vitamin b12 it has worked wonders for me with picky grubbers

I have 5 springers who all probably should be going to weightwatchers

it can be got in syrup form

5 springers in one house....well done you!!