# Springer spaniel and his food!!



## Pink-poppy (Mar 29, 2008)

Can anyone shed some light on this subject please? We have been told that a high protein diet can be the worst thing for our springer puppy and to get him off the food he is on!! At the moment he is on Butchers complete puppy but it's protein is about 29%!! We have been told that the last thing he need is too much protein, is this true or complete rubbish? He is a very hyper active pup and we need as much help as we can get!!
Cheers!!


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## carol (Nov 2, 2007)

my pup is on puppy food with has high protein but when his grown he will be on a low protein food,
i think most puppy food has a higher protein in it for them to grow right.


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## HandsOnPaws (Apr 18, 2008)

The food he is on now will be sending him off the planet on protein! Not to mention, its an awful food!

Have you thought about natural feeding? Or if you want to stick to a commercial food, the only ones i would recommend are Burns, James wellbeloved or Luaths (i actually think this is better than Burns).


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## Guest (Apr 18, 2008)

All kitten and puppy food is higher in protein than adults to compensate for their rapid growth and development,springers are loopy nutters anyway,dont think this diet will really make much difference to that!was it a vet that said this? or a friend.Do you feed a dry or wet food?


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## Pink-poppy (Mar 29, 2008)

Well it was a gun dog trainer that said the protein is off the scale and have also been told by other people my husband shoots with that from about 7 mths onwards they take them off puppy food, due to the breed of the dog!!
Have looked up james well beloved and that is also high in protein!! He is on dry food and that is what we would like to stick too!!


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## Debbie (Nov 10, 2007)

How old is he now?
I like Arden Grange or Royal Canin for puppies but if hes a little older than a baby I would look into changing him to an adult food - I totaly agree with your hubbies shoot mates.


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## HandsOnPaws (Apr 18, 2008)

Burns is only 18.5% protein


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## Pink-poppy (Mar 29, 2008)

He is now 7 mths so really considering changing to adult food!! All these foods recommended are they from local shops?


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## Debbie (Nov 10, 2007)

I would change him over then 
Both Arden Grange and Royal Canin can be ordered online ...and you can buy them at some pet stores but they are cheaper through the food companies themselves.
Not sure on Burns as its not a food I have ever fed...but I am sure they have their own site you can order from


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## catzndogz (Mar 12, 2008)

If you change over from puppy food to adult do it slow by adding some adult food less puppy food then each time cut down on puppy and add more adult food utill its all adult food. I,ve had springer spaniels all my life and they are loopy but when out with gun a totally different dog. 
My 2 are 11 & 10 still charge around the fields nose stuck to floor ;we can have been out all day but put my coat & they are at door befor me wanting to go out again.
Enjoy your springer i know you will.


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## Guest (Apr 19, 2008)

A good quality digestable food that has a higher protein content actually gives less protein to your dog than a low protein diet such as burns because of its digestability.

Because it is more digestable they need to eat less of it to get the essential nutrients they require. High quality digestable foods with a high protein content will have a high meat and low cereal content. ORIJEN Adult Dog Food: Great Deals on ORIJEN Dog Food at zooplus


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## begley08 (Apr 20, 2008)

hi there...i'm no expert, but i read last night that too high or too low protein in food can cause behavioural issues in puppies... what i wanna know is how do you know if its too high or low!!!! My boy is 12 weeks and is on a natural food called autarky...it was recommended to me by some springer owners and is a cheaper although very similar in content to Burns and Skinners foods. I used to use Arden Grange with my boxer and would use it again as an alternative if for any reason we had to change food!! Good luck.


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## Pink-poppy (Mar 29, 2008)

Well now I'm totally confused lol!!!!!! God knows what one I'm going to try!! We were just told that a low protein diet would calm him down a bit and that the Bakers puppy complete is like giving a kid a bag of skittles lol!!! He dont need anything else to make him more hypo!!


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## Guest (Apr 21, 2008)

So long as you get him off Bakers and onto something of a better quality you will be doing him a favour, if he calms down bonus, if not you can start looking at other reasons he might be this way.

All the foods suggested here so far are much better foods than Bakers. 

My personal opinion is that dogs are meat eaters and should eat a diet that reflects that. I don't think there is any place for grains or cereals in a dogs diet but so long as you get him off Bakers you will be taking a step in the right direction.


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## Guest (Apr 21, 2008)

I don't think there is a worse food than bakers,I feed mine Burns,they were both fed puppy till around 8 months then we switched them straight over to Adult.
Both have done very well on it,very few upset tums etc...

Natural holistic pet food - Burns Pet Nutrition dry and moist dog food, cat and rabbit food.


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## Nina (Nov 2, 2007)

It is not just the high protein content that will cause hyperactivity, but the awful e numbers and colorants.

It is a dreadful diet, and personally I would recommend James Wellbeloved for puppies. However, when altering a dogs diet, you should do this gradually over time to avoid an upset tum


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## Pink-poppy (Mar 29, 2008)

Well thx all for your advice I think we are going to try Burns, we have driven past a local pet store and they sell it there, so off there tomorrow to purchase some!! I think my pup has a stomach of steel though as he has eaten many things and not had any problems!! He managed to get hold of a pot of salt and vinegar pringles, and ate the lot lol!! We thought we would be in for a bad night but nothing happened!! If the Bakers is so bad shouldn't we just get onto this better stuff straight away?


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## Guest (Apr 21, 2008)

If he's got a stomach of steel I would just switch him, I have never messed about mixing foods when changing from one to another with any of my animals and have never had a problem.


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## Pink-poppy (Mar 29, 2008)

Yeah I think that will be for the best!! I'm sure I will be posting more problems on here as he is a little devil!! We should have called him Taz as in Tazmanian Devil not Harley lol


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## lovespringerspaniels.com (May 6, 2009)

Hi There
Get your Springer on a Hypoallergenic diet, they are notoriously sensitive and this type of diet works wonders with their temperament.

Here is a page dedicated to Springer Spaniel Diets
Springer Spaniel Diet

This site is also very good at helping you decipher a good doggy diet lingo
Dog Food Comparison, Ratings and Reviews - In-Depth Easy-to-Read Guide

Good Luck
A


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## james1 (Sep 21, 2008)

Ive go two springers myself so i can pretty well say take him off Butchers. They are active dogs so the last thing you need is sugars and fillers making them hyper and harder to train. Their diet is essential, I changed my pup from Beta to Burns mini bites and overnight biting and bursts of energy completely stopped. Hes now more attentive and much easier to train.
My pup is near 5 months and ive just this week moved him to orijen which is 42% protein so long as you get the reccommended feeding guidelines correct for their weight and age as good protein diet will do them the world of good. 
Is he a house dog or do you do a lot of walking/poss gun training? If hes largely kept in the house and not exercised then put him on Burns as this is a good food and doesnt put weight on. 
The other food mentioned are good though i havent used them but anything would be better than butchers. Order it online get it delivered save some cash and dont buy from supermarkets are my tips lol:wink5:


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## james1 (Sep 21, 2008)

Pink-poppy said:


> Well now I'm totally confused lol!!!!!! God knows what one I'm going to try!! We were just told that a low protein diet would calm him down a bit and that the Bakers puppy complete is like giving a kid a bag of skittles lol!!! He dont need anything else to make him more hypo!!


it could have no protein in at all but if all its got in is sugars etc hell still be over excited, change him to a more stable food like the ones mentioned


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## james1 (Sep 21, 2008)

Pink-poppy said:


> Well thx all for your advice I think we are going to try Burns, we have driven past a local pet store and they sell it there, so off there tomorrow to purchase some!! I think my pup has a stomach of steel though as he has eaten many things and not had any problems!! He managed to get hold of a pot of salt and vinegar pringles, and ate the lot lol!! We thought we would be in for a bad night but nothing happened!! If the Bakers is so bad shouldn't we just get onto this better stuff straight away?


youll also see them not wanting to eat as much if they are fed something decent .

sorry all for the multiple posts :001_tt2:


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## Badger's Mum (Mar 23, 2009)

I've changed my to raw feeding. best thing i did


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## haeveymolly (Mar 7, 2009)

Pink-poppy said:


> Can anyone shed some light on this subject please? We have been told that a high protein diet can be the worst thing for our springer puppy and to get him off the food he is on!! At the moment he is on Butchers complete puppy but it's protein is about 29%!! We have been told that the last thing he need is too much protein, is this true or complete rubbish? He is a very hyper active pup and we need as much help as we can get!!
> Cheers!!


I fed a hight protein food to my 2 first springers as that is what i was led to believe. About 3 years ago i change to burns having 1 with health problems when we got our last pup, (being a burns convert) i gave my pup from 5 weeks burns it is produced by a vet that promotes slow growth in puppies which means a lower protein than the commercial foods, a fast growth can cause skeletal deformities in later life.

Ive got to say as well that i have never had a calmer puppy much easier to train as better concentration, burns is a complete ,natural food no additives or preservatives and colourings. An excellent food


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## haeveymolly (Mar 7, 2009)

Debbie said:


> I would change him over then
> Both Arden Grange and Royal Canin can be ordered online ...and you can buy them at some pet stores but they are cheaper through the food companies themselves.
> Not sure on Burns as its not a food I have ever fed...but I am sure they have their own site you can order from


Look on the burns website for their number, they have an excellent nutrition team that will speak to you.


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## haeveymolly (Mar 7, 2009)

Pink-poppy said:


> Well thx all for your advice I think we are going to try Burns, we have driven past a local pet store and they sell it there, so off there tomorrow to purchase some!! I think my pup has a stomach of steel though as he has eaten many things and not had any problems!! He managed to get hold of a pot of salt and vinegar pringles, and ate the lot lol!! We thought we would be in for a bad night but nothing happened!! If the Bakers is so bad shouldn't we just get onto this better stuff straight away?


I would normally do it gradually bur to be honest i put them straight onto burns, with no problems, dont think its as important as with a lesser food as its so natural but the best advice would be to do it gradually


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