[Lori]

Does anyone on the forum have an American Cocker Spaniel? I’m feeding him the same food as my Lab. Should I be feeding 2 separate foods (large/small breed). He also needs to lose a couple of pounds. I’m feeding them both Whole Earth Farms (not the grain free) for the past 2 weeks. This food seems greasy to me, but I don’t know if that matters or not. The other food I have is Premium Edge Healthy Weight I and Fromms Pork and Applesauce.

[Mom2Cavs]

I don’t have a Cocker, I have Cavaliers and they also can be prone to weight gain. Both dogs should be able to eat the Whole Earth Farms just fine, unless there are health problems necessitating special foods. Of the foods you mentioned you have I prefer the Fromm, but if they all work for the dogs then I don’t see why you couldn’t rotate them. I know that WEF is a Merrick food. While Merrick is considered a good company and lots of people like it for their dogs, I personally am not a fan anymore. I used to feed the regular Merrick years ago, though. I don’t know anything about WEF but the greasiness would put me off. I believe Premium Edge is a Diamond food, but I may be wrong. I’ve never fed it but I have heard of it. I like Fromm. I have Fromm Salmon a la Veg in my dogs’ rotation. As for the dog that needs to lose weight. I would just watch how I feed, start with the bag’s recommendations….and reduce the dog’s portion if it’s not losing weight. Remember, though, that the bags usually have higher than necessary feeding amounts listed. I remember that I’ve heard that the Premium Edge Healthy Weight is not bad as far as weight loss foods go. I would also try to increase the dog’s exercise.

[Melissaandcrew]

Hi Chuckles-

I have 15 dogs from 6lbs to 85lbs, and everything in between, lol. I have two cockers-one around 18.6lbs and the other a touch smaller, Both are perfect weight for their sizes according to myvet. With that said, they all pretty much eat the same thing-

Cockers are prone to gluttony and weight gain : ) Just cut back a bit if yours is gaining weight, My girls would eat all day long if I let them and would be 50# easily in no time.

[Lori]

My vet said Teddy should weigh 24 lbs. He weighs 25.6 today. I think 23 is good for him. I have always like Fromm’s too. I stopped pretty much using the PE healthy weight–tried 2 bags and neither lost or gained on it at the time. My lab also is a glutton for food, but he is the only one out of us (meaning myself) that has maintained his weight this winter 🙂 Exercise is hard for me to give my dogs in the winter as I have a disability, so I try to play indoors with them a bit, although I have a small townhouse. Their favorite activity is eating of course! I was also told that my dogs since they are not active for the most part, don’t need any protein higher than 26% and not to feed grain free foods because of the high protein, so I am always confused about what’s appropriate and what’s not as far as that goes.

[Lori]

I was wondering for those who know about homemade dog foods if you could comment on the Puppy Stew recipe? A lot cocker owners make this for their good. Is it nutritionally sound, or would their need to be extra supplements added in? Thanks!

http://www.cockersinneed.com/puppystew.html

[Melissaandcrew]

I feed a lot of grain free foods toy crew (99 percent of the time) as well as raw etc. The average protein content of the dry I feed is around 31 to 33 percent. While I have a huge fenced yard there are no winter track stars here either, lol. I just cut back on amounts if someone is looking hefty.

[SpanielMom]

I have two English cockers and they did well losing weight on grain free food + raw as a topper. Took me a few weeks to introduce them to raw because cockers tend to have a little more sensitive tummies in my experience, but it has been the best thing on earth to keep weight steady. My cockers have done well on the nutrisource brand as well – grain free nutrisource and also the PureVita – 28% and 24% protein, respectively. I like the grain free nutrisource because it is pretty easy on the pocket as long as your dog has no sensitivity to chicken.

Also – my cockers are not very active either right now because I also have a dog recovering from heartworm who has to be on cage rest and I don’t think it’s fair to take the others out to play and leave her there. 🙁 poor thing. My cockers have done fine on low activity (past 5 months so far) since I started adding a little raw. And I definitely agree with Melissaandcrew, just cut back on the kibble a bit if someone is looking chunky. 🙂

[Lori]

Thanks spaniel mom. I’ve never owned a cocker before I adopted Teddy 1-1/2 years ago. I probably just need to cut out some extras and the food a bit. What kind of raw do you use as a topper. I have fed my lab in the past both Nutrisource and Pure Vita and he did well and not too hard on the pocketbook!

[SpanielMom]

My favorite raws are Stella & chewy’s & primal, they both have good veggies in it. The nice thing about primal is that they have the 1 oz nuggets and their “pronto” forms that make using it as a topper really easy. I know I’ve heard people on here saying they like Darwin’s raw but I’ve never personally tried it because it’s not readily available in my area. And yeah, try giving stuff like carrots or freeze dried liver/lung as treats, they are nutritious and low calorie!

[Mom2Cavs]

I agree with what everyone above has said. My dogs get virtually no exercise here, as well, so I understand where you’re coming from. I did find that my 1 Cav that needed to lose a little actually lost a whole pound when I just cut out some of the treats she was getting. And there weren’t all that many! It sounds like Nutrisource (which I think is a fine food) might be one to consider again. Primal is one of my favorite premade raws, and I’ve used Stella & Chewy’s, but only the freeze dried version. Good luck to you! I love Spaniels! 🙂

• This reply was modified 10 years, 12 months ago by Mom2Cavs.

[InkedMarie]

You got lots of answers to the food question but I wanted to say that I’m glad I’m not the only one who’s dogs aren’t getting much for exercise. Usually they can run in the backyard but we can’t even open the kennel door to get into the yard. I’ll be so glad when snow stops.

[Lori]

Yes, Marie and we just got another foot of snow Friday–it’s been a brutal winter! I’m putting myself on a diet too this week. I’ve been eating so much junk food that I normally wouldn’t if I could be a little more active 🙂

[InkedMarie]

Chuckles. Where are you located? NH here.

[Lori]

I’m in MN. No snow any more! Getting my dogs out again to the park. Teddy has lost 1 lb finally and is 25 lbs still wanting to get at least 1 or 2 more lbs off of him. Chuck, my lab is perfect at 74 lbs (so my vet said at his visit last week).

[Lori]

So, here we are again with winter time! I had to stop bringing my guys to the dog park a week ago and now they’re pretty sedentary again. Does anyone feed their more sedentary dogs Orijen or some of the higher protein foods? Wondering if I should go down on the protein again. They recently finished a 15-pound bag of Orijen Adult, which was the first time I fed that. They both liked it, but pretty pricey. I also gave them a try at Dr. Tim’s All Life Stage Kinesis, but wondering if the grain-free might be a better choice.

Thanks!

Lori in MN Winter Wonderland 🙂

[theBCnut]

Endurance athletes need carbs, not couch potatoes. Just decrease the amount you are feeding.

[Lori]

Thank you BCnut 🙂

How do I upload pictures and put a picture for my profile (instead of a blank head)?

• This reply was modified 10 years, 2 months ago by Lori.

[Dog_Obsessed]

You can use Gravatar.com to create a profile pic. It’s pretty easy and straightforward. It might take a few minutes for your photo to show up though.

[Lori]

Thanks, Dog Obsessed!

[Dog_Obsessed]

No problem!

[Melissaandcrew]

No snow yet in my part of NY but the cold is nasty for the dogs. They go out, run around a bit then want in..15mins tops. Just cut back on amounts. My crew just finished a bag of Orijen senior and the new bag in their bin is Acana. These days they get dry perhaps once a week, and the rest raw depending on the dog.

[Lori]

Melissa, I can’t believe you didn’t get snow. I thought NY got bombarded this past week! not a whole lot of snow yet, but very, very cold. My lab loves it, but my cocker not so much. 🙂 I’m feeding them Live Free Salmon now. This morning they got Honest Kitchen. They get all crazy when they get HK LOL. Chuck, my lab, and i just became certified pet therapy team through Pet Partners. They forbid raw feeding, raw bone, etc. I think HK falls under that (or not?), but I’m not sure so he gets it about once or twice a week.

[InkedMarie]

THK is NOT raw so you’re good to feed it!

[Lori]

That’s what I thought Marie! Thanks for the confirmation.

[Azeem Shafique]

I have a Cocker Spaniel named Bailey, and I can understand your concerns. Generally, it’s fine to feed an American Cocker Spaniel the same food as a Lab, but since they have different size and energy needs, it might be worth considering foods specifically formulated for small or medium breeds. As for the greasiness of Whole Earth Farms, it could indicate higher fat content, which might contribute to weight gain, especially if your dog needs to lose a couple of pounds. Portion control is key, and I’d suggest mixing in a weight management formula like Premium Edge Healthy Weight, which could help with weight loss.

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