# Accidentally been under feeding 13w/o Working Cocker Spaniel



## fryerrobin (Sep 3, 2015)

Hi all,

I have had a working cocker from 8 weeks old and been feeding him approx 100g per day (split into 3 meals).

I realised to my horror this morning I have been under feeding him, the bag with the food uses portions measured against an 'expected adult weight' (around 11-15kg) whereas I was feeding him for his current weight! (4.5-5kg)

http://www.powerscourt-cockers.co.uk/advice_pages/images/health_pictures/weight/newadultweights.jpeg

He is about 5kg at the moment and looking his weight up against the average standard cocker spaniel he should be around 6.5kg (which doesn't sound like a lot but it's actually 25% lighter than he should be!). In other words I have been giving about half of what he should have had!

Is this going to stunt his growth?

I should say that his appearance is fine, coat etc, he seemed a little skinny as in you can feel his ribs but I heard this was normal. I only re-checked because he gobbles his food up in about 20seconds. He had been getting plenty of treats as part of his training including chicken and dog treats so at least that supplemented his undersized portions!

Any advice or similar experience appreciated!


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## Siskin (Nov 13, 2012)

As you have been giving him treats when training, it's probably bringing his food allowance closer to what you should have been giving him. The food labelling is annoying, what is on one brand of food is entirely different on another and it can easily catch you out. I have a bit of a tendency to feed to appetite initially, but keeping in mind what breed of dog I have. Goldens can easily eat for England, so I gave her plenty, but watched her weight as well as her 'feel'. Yes, feeling ribs is a good thing in adult dogs, but less so in a very young pup as they need a little bit extra for growing and to fall back on if for any reason they are ill. Don't worry about stunting his growth as you have realised quickly and are no doubt sorting him out. If you think he is bolting his food too quickly, look into ways of slowing him down a bit as he could choke if something went the wrong way. I use a 'Green' feeder or a Kong Wobbler or you could simply scatter his kibble onto the floor so he has to search around a bit more for it.


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## 0310star (Jul 7, 2015)

I find dog food bags so confusing!! I have 2 young dogs, a 9 month old rottweiler who is currently 25kgs and an almost 6 month old Pointer who is roughly 10kgs... they both get the same amount believe it or not! As the Pointer is younger he is still on a higher rate of food and the Rottweiler is started to decrease in her quantities slightly.

I wouldn't panic, start giving him the rate he is meant to have and just see how he goes. My Rottweiler is so fussy that when she was younger she wouldn't eat dog biscuits (still wont) and she never had the recommended amount as she just left them! She was fairly small for her age so I changed her food and she soon bulked out and shot up


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## Burrowzig (Feb 18, 2009)

5 weeks of under-feeding isn't going to make any substantive difference to his eventual size. The many street dogs imported to rescues you see have been underfed their entire lives, and still reach normal height/weight. What I would do is make sure he catches up on his mineral intake as that's essential for bone growth. 

Working Cockers tend to be lighter-framed than show ones anyway, which should account for a good portion of the weight deficit.


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## fryerrobin (Sep 3, 2015)

Siskin said:


> As you have been giving him treats when training, it's probably bringing his food allowance closer to what you should have been giving him. The food labelling is annoying, what is on one brand of food is entirely different on another and it can easily catch you out. I have a bit of a tendency to feed to appetite initially, but keeping in mind what breed of dog I have. Goldens can easily eat for England, so I gave her plenty, but watched her weight as well as her 'feel'. Yes, feeling ribs is a good thing in adult dogs, but less so in a very young pup as they need a little bit extra for growing and to fall back on if for any reason they are ill. Don't worry about stunting his growth as you have realised quickly and are no doubt sorting him out. If you think he is bolting his food too quickly, look into ways of slowing him down a bit as he could choke if something went the wrong way. I use a 'Green' feeder or a Kong Wobbler or you could simply scatter his kibble onto the floor so he has to search around a bit more for it.


Thanks guys for putting my mind at ease, I was worried he might grow up a bit of a runt! But it sounds like as long as I start feeding him normally and maybe get some dog vitamin/mineral supplements I can correct my own stupidity!


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## lostbear (May 29, 2013)

TBH, I usually just feed the buggers till they stop eating, but I have had two dogs (both staffies) who would have continued to eat until they exploded, so I used to be a bit harsher with them. My criterion is "feel the ribs, but not see the ribs" - of course puppies need proportionately more for their size because they are growing and are wilful expenders of calorie-dense energy, so it's hard to judge sometimes. You sound a nice owner - I'm sure that he will be fine and think it's his birthday when he gets his tea tonight .

I find food bag recommendations to be confusing and often useless.


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## Wiz201 (Jun 13, 2012)

I don't follow feed amount recommendations on the bags, they're often too much for the dog.


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

The guide on good bags is just that a guide and in a lot of cases they are sometimes too much for the average dog.
Its better to go by eye and feel sometimes then stress about what the scales say.
You should be able to comfortably feel the ribs but not see them and when viewed from above they should have a waist, and when viewed from the side there should be a sloping upwards from the back of the ribs to where the tummy tucks. Its easier to show you sometimes rather then explain see below body conditioning chart, so you can compare.

https://dogchow.com/articles/1871/body-condition

Maybe use this to assess him, and if he is too thin you can adjust the quantity.


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