Poll

What do you feed your cocker?

Pedigree Advanced
2 (4.1%)
Pedigree Complete
6 (12.2%)
IAMS
5 (10.2%)
Science diet
4 (8.2%)
James Wellbeloved
8 (16.3%)
Tinned food (Chappie, pedigree chum, etc etc)
3 (6.1%)
Other Please state
21 (42.9%)

Total Members Voted: 9

Author Topic: What do you feed your cocker?  (Read 13366 times)

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Offline Barry Sharpe

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What do you feed your cocker?
« on: July 24, 2002, 03:23:38 PM »
Hi everyone,

We started George on pedigree complete but was told this was not good for him. So we switched to james wellbeloved on the advice of vets and friends. However every now and again about once a week we provide George with Cooked rice and gravy as well as a handfull of his dry food ( just to make things interesting for him). We notice that he does not gulp his dry food but actually sits down and eats his food slowly. However give him rice and the food is gone is a few secounds. As dogs are geared up to gulp thier food is it healthier for him to eat slowly? It also now matter how much i turn it over in my mind seems an awful lazy way to go about his feeding him. just a couple of handfulls of dry food 3 times a day and that is it. But i alwys get that niggling feeling that he must be bored with the same food day after day.  I guess you could say that the rice helps my conceince more than anything else. What do you use and why? Are you happy with it? Does your cocker gulo his dry food or does he eat it slowly?                    

Offline FionaM

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What do you feed your cocker?
« Reply #1 on: July 24, 2002, 03:45:13 PM »
Poppy gets Eukanuba twice a day with a small amount of Chappie tinned food mixed in with it. She just flings the dry food round the room unless there's something a bit tastier in with it!                    
Fiona & Poppy :)

Offline Jane S

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What do you feed your cocker?
« Reply #2 on: July 24, 2002, 04:55:44 PM »
I feed our Cockers on Nutro (another of the premium dry completes) mixed with a little raw tripe & they all do very well on it. Whether dogs gulp their food down depends a lot on whether they are greedy eaters or not - some of ours gulp their food down like canine vacuum cleaners but a couple of the less greedy ones, eat slowly & carefully. The greedy ones couldn't care less whether they get the same food day in or day out - if it's in their bowl, it gets eaten  ;D
With the ones that are not so greedy, I might ring the changes a little - add chicken or minced beef instead of tripe (though the base food stays the same) I don't believe in chopping & changing diets just for the sake of it - if the dogs eat it & it suits them, then why change? Sure, complete foods are more convenient for us but that doesn't make them bad (though I would avoid the cheaper ones that have goodness knows what kind of animal parts in them, not to mention E colourings & other additives!)                    
Jane

Offline *Jay*

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What do you feed your cocker?
« Reply #3 on: July 24, 2002, 07:35:24 PM »
I feed Vegas pedigree complete puppy as this was what he was weaned on. Brook is fed on James Wellbeloved senior/light. I put him on this in the hope that it may help with his aggression and he really enjoys it. I was planning on switching Vegas to the James Wellbeloved too but he loves what he's getting just now - you would think it was going to be his last meal on earth! And to think Brookie's breeder told us cockers were very fussy eaters! :D                    
Dallas ( 10) & Disney ( 9 )

Playing at the Bridge: Brook (13/06/04), Jackson (23/12/05) & Vegas (14/07/10)

Offline joanne

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What do you feed your cocker?
« Reply #4 on: July 24, 2002, 08:52:04 PM »
Jenna eats Burgess Supa Dog for puppies.  She seems perfectly ok on it although I wonder if she is getting a bit bored of it.                    
Joanne and Jenna xx

Offline Louise

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What do you feed your cocker?
« Reply #5 on: July 24, 2002, 10:49:43 PM »
I'm still feeding Jazz on the diet the breeder gave me which is 3 meals a day which always consists of Puppy Beta.

Breakfast is Puppy Beta mixed with either condensed milk, scrambled egg or rice pudding, lunch is Puppy Beta mixed with lukewarm water and dinner is Puppy Beta mixed with mince, tripe or scrambled egg (if she didn't have scrambled egg for breakfast).

Looking at the other posts I've got a feeling I'm doing something wrong???                    

Offline Jane S

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« Reply #6 on: July 24, 2002, 11:07:47 PM »
Hi Louise

Beta Puppy is a perfectly good complete food, but it is a "complete" ie you should only add a little meat if you like - anything more & you are increasing the protein (Beta Puppy is already high in protein) & altering the balance of the food. Scrambled Egg is fine as a meal in itself but personally, I wouldn't add it to the Beta. Rice Pudding again is a meal in itself - not something to be added to a complete food. These sort of milky feeds are also not really needed in a puppy Jazz's age & can give some pups the runs  :) However, if you are happy & Jazz is happy, then don't worry about it  :)                    
Jane

Offline shaendix

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What do you feed your cocker?
« Reply #7 on: July 25, 2002, 07:56:03 AM »
Hi Louise - I would be a bit worried about the condensed milk due to the sugar content - could be a cause of tooth decay?  
my lot all get Pedigree Advance either Growth for the young or pregnant or maintainence for the adults.  I have just switched from maintanience to Energy as both the Adults were looking thin (its winter here) I haven't had that problem before.  Generally I don't mix the feeding as I find they can get loose stools and they certainly aren't fussy.
cheers                    

Offline Mike

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What do you feed your cocker?
« Reply #8 on: July 25, 2002, 09:30:47 AM »
Pedigree complete (had to go home and check the name). She seems happy enough. She used to wolf it down, now takes her time. Occasionally bits of chicken. Having seen some right tubby dogs around, I am determined to keep mine in shape through moderating their eating habits.                    

Offline Gilly

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What do you feed your cocker?
« Reply #9 on: July 25, 2002, 10:33:27 AM »
I feed Fudge Pedigree Complete. Tried various dried foods and some didn't agree with him, and gace him the trots ::)
Although he's only 8 months I've changed him from the puppy, which he did like, as my Husband bought the wrong bag by mistake a couple of weeks ago, and he enjoyed it much better. I was told dried food is better as it's better for their teeth, plus I don't find his breath smells, my other dogs breath smelt with tinned food. I also put some pasta and a bit of left over veg a couple of times a week - is this OK :-
Cheers Gill & Fudge                    

Offline Louise

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What do you feed your cocker?
« Reply #10 on: July 25, 2002, 01:29:47 PM »
Jazz also pinches carrots out of the rabbit's cage.  I kinda wedge the carrot between the bars so that it doesn't fall into the rabbit's wood shavings and Jazz chews off the bit from the outside...she loves it...is this ok?                    

Offline joanne

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What do you feed your cocker?
« Reply #11 on: July 25, 2002, 01:32:38 PM »
Hi Louise.

Jenna loves carrots as well, I always give her some carrot when I am chopping up the rabbits carrot. (poor thing has no front teeth).
I'm sure carrot is good for our doggies in moderation anyway.                    
Joanne and Jenna xx

Offline Goddy

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What do you feed your cocker?
« Reply #12 on: July 25, 2002, 04:44:30 PM »
Good to see this post as I also find the whole subject of feeding confusing!  

We feed Barney on James Wellbeloved and I also put a spoonful of Chappie in it to liven it up a bit - before he was on Burns as I was told 'natural ingredients' are best.  Also used to add Delicius Dog Gravy to it for interest but haven't been able to get it at Tesco recently!!  Barney absolutely wolfs his food down, you'd think he was permanently starving although he gets two meals a day plus a lunchtime Kong or Bustercub and usually quite a few treats in the day as well!!  He seems in good condition, coat is shiny, not moulty, no smelly breath or body, not at all overweight - only thing is he does poo a lot (4 a day!!!) - or maybe that's entirely normal :-                    

Offline stueymac

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What do you feed your cocker?
« Reply #13 on: July 26, 2002, 01:28:59 PM »
Good Poll thread Barry.  :)

Anyway, we give ours (Burgess) SupaDog Active. No particular reason except that Sweep had always had this from the start so when she joined us it was just as easy to get Libby to eat that too.                    

Offline Barry Sharpe

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What do you feed your cocker?
« Reply #14 on: July 26, 2002, 02:03:26 PM »
LOL  ;D ;D ;D ;D

I know i should have put this in the poll section. All this new confangled technology  ::)



Good Poll thread Barry.  :)

Anyway, we give ours (Burgess) SupaDog Active. No particular reason except that Sweep had always had this from the start so when she joined us it was just as easy to get Libby to eat that too.