feeding and getting weight on skinny spaniel.

[ditavonteesed]

sure I have posted about this a million times so sorry, Eric is still thin as a rake, whatever I feed him he seems to have the runs, he starts the day fine and as the day goes on he gets looser until before bedtime he has the proper runs. He is currently on Skinners, although previously been on Raw, barking Heads, fish4dogs been the same on all of them. He is totally hyper so it is going to be hard to get weight on him, thinking of changing food again but not sure where to start, I seem to spend hours analysing food on the internet. thinking maybe barking heads fuss pot, what does everyone else feed? I took them off raw as eric still had runs and cherry ended up being constipated most of the time. could really do with them both having the same food although it starting to look like we might have to forget that idea.

Have you tried Burns? It's grain free, and hypo-allergenic and has done the trick for one of mine.

Try switching to plain cooked chicken and rice for a while until his tum improves, before gradually introducing Burns kibble. Also small frequent meals instead of one or two big ones, and feed after exercise, not before.

just had a look at burns, looks doable, but which one they seem to have a variety on a par with the royal canin.

Google satin balls...
Make them
They work really well

And pumpkin helps loses stools

Mine all lost condition on burns
I found royal Canin good though
I now feed grain free and raw though

was slightly scared to google that, will have a look in abit, sounds very odd.

My springer was very skinny but looking much better now. He's on Vitalin Sensitive twice a day, with a kong of raw some days. He also has a lot of raw bones, most of which he eats, and it's since having those that his weight has improved I think.

If you try Burns start on the basic chicken or fish and rice, and if that suits him it might be ok to try a high energy one.

I'm surprised you had a problem Piffle as it is a fairly well tolerated food. I guess all dogs are different though. I do find the recommended amounts are too low though, and my dogs would lose weight if I fed by the guide. I feed by eye i.e. what they need to keep them healthy and lively.

Burns tends to keep all dogs on the lean side so not great for putting on weight.

May sound mad but can you cut back on his food - sometimes too much food is hard to digest and that actually causes more poo. Especially if his poos start off ok and then tend to degenerate.

How old is Eric?

he is 8 months old, I have wondered about feeding him too much but it just seems so illogical (wish that worked for me).

had a look at satin balls, looks good except the gelatin, that worries me, dont know why.

he si so thin that even the trainers have commented and usually say dogs are fine, should be thin, you can see all his ribs and his hip bones stick up. also i could live without the melted mr whippy poo when we are out and about.

We still have the melted Mr Whippy poo, but only when we're out - all
garden poos are firm! I assume it's excitement in his case.

I feed in a tug a jug or treat ball, which means he gets the kibble
more slowly. I don't know if this is helping with digestion. But certainly finding the right food for him has meant firmer poos and a bit more flesh.

he does eat at an alarming rate, got him one of those bowls with the lumps in it. think a tug a jug may cause figghts. he seems that the more food I put in the more he runs about like a nutter so no weight goes on.

I forgot you'd got two to feed! Our trainer/ dog sitter said that one of her's always needs his kibble soaking otherwise he has the runs. Maybe you could try that. I did (and fed in kongs) until I found this food that seemed to work.

I have exactly the same problem with my Springer.

Last time I took him to the vet he said he was bordering on underweight unlike my collie who has a rather large rump
He eats half as much again as my collie but he never stops moving. He spends most of the day out side and drops his ball (actually it's a bit of mutilated plastic) at anything or anyone who so much as breathes within a hundred yards of him.

He's been on Arden Grange, James Wellbeloved and at the moment he is also on Skinners for working dogs, which has helped his weight a bit but not his poo.

I had a sheltie cross who was similar and the only thing that kept him solid was tinned Chappie which he had everyday for 17 years.

If you come up with a solution I'd be very interested
Maybe they are related!

My satin balls contain mince
Oil eggs oats molasses

piffle,
Is it -
Mince
cornflakes
oatmeal ???? is that oats???
wheatgrem (which is? and would come from?)
veg oil
molasses
raw eggs
gelatin
Can you just leave items out then? How big do you make them, like a meat ball or like a burger? this is todays project.
Would It be worth just giving him a raw egg with every meal? (have chooks so eggs no problem)
Fruits, you think it is just a spaniel thing?

My friend who I dog walk with had this with her springer! I've just asked and she feeds him Orijen, with a once a week meal of oily, fatty fish.

My neighbor has 2 westie & the boy one had terrible problems. In the end she had him allergy tested & I'm sure she said he was allergic to chicken - which you think is going to be ok for most dogs.

I'm sure she said she feeds him on Arden grange lamb & he also has chappie. (apparently lost conspdiotion & unwell on nature diet) She shows him at crufts & has westies for years, so I assume she knows what she is talking about.

My cav is similar - currently fed on royal canin as recommended by her foster mum (she is a rescue) Either she doesn't like it or has a small appetite because she is never impressed when I feed her. She's looking a bit whippet like at the mo...

I use cheap porridge oats, molasses, fatty mince and vegetable oil and eggs
I roll them into balls and freeze them, I make tons at a time
I have bitches who went anorexic during their seasons and lost 5 kgs literally in a week or two, and this got 2 kgs on them in 7 days
my dogs are 30-40kg size though so a smaller dog would need less but mine had 1-2 a day plus their usual meals

right, satin balls made, chappie bought. making them was actually quite good fun. made about 10 but they are quite big, about the size of a gourmet hamburger. will try one a day and see how we go.

I feed my skinny spaniel on Symply.

Poos are great, small and dark and firm.

mine on mostly raw are also firm, bone content helps a lot

no runs last night and poo that I cold actually pick yup this morning :) thats gotta be a good sign.

A bit late, probably, but I don't think Burns is the way forward - it keeps dogs too lean to suit a skinny span.

Chappie is a good idea - it's always been a good food. Not a clue about satin balls though; sound to scary to google, but from the ingredients look as though they must be fab.