Too thin?

[KarIng]

Hi everyone,

Teddy's been to the groomer's today and she said he's even thinner than last time (six weeks ago) and I should take him to the vets because he may have thyroid problems ...

I took him to the vets just after we got him, so in February/March and then again three weeks later.  When we got him he was 9.5 kg and three weeks later he was 12.8 kg and the vet said to watch how much we are feeding him as he was putting on weight too fast; she said he wasn't too fat but we should slow down a bit.

Well, as Ted is always hungry we haven't actually cut down his food at all, but we did swap to Burns.  He is very greedy and has about 200g (which I now weigh to make sure it's accurate) spread over three meals, morning lunch and evening.  I've also started giving him porridge or weetabix made with water at lunchtime to fill him up - I have to be careful what I give him, chews and things give him the runs.  He seems to enjoy the food and it disappears very quickly.  He also has treats when we are out walking/training and the odd bonio when he gets in his crate at bedtime or when we have to leave him during the day. 

You can maybe just about see his ribs and you can feel them.  I've just weighed him when I got back from the groomers and he's 12.6 kg.  So I guess I should go the vet and see what they think. 

I don't really want to add anything into his diet as it may and probably will give him the runs.

I wondered what everyone else thinks.  I've also emailed Burns to ask how much I can give him as a maximum and they said 15 g per kg of body weight, so about what he is getting.  What should he weigh?

thanks for any advice.

Karen and Teddy x

P.S. just modified to say, I don't think he is thinner than last time he went to the groomers, but he also hasn't put on weight and my friend's Springer who is about half a year older than Ted, is quite broad and fat, so there is quite a difference, and we took them to the groomers together ...

[Helen]

'ello...after me recommending burns i've done a u-turn 

i feel really really bad - some dogs really thrive on it, but jarv isn't and i guess teddy isn't either 

we're moving onto arden grange (and more and more raw....)

working cockers are quite lean anyway in comparison to show but post a pic if you can karen, i'd love to see your choccy lad...)
(by the way Jarv looks fine and he's 12.7 kg's).

did that shampoo help at all?

hx

[anita96]

Everyone keeps telling me mocha is to thin because you can see his ribs, but as Helen said workers are a bit like that.  I asked the vet and he said he was fine, lean and fit was his words.  Also at this age they are charging around so much they burn it off.  Increase his food, the vet told me to go back to three meals a day and he has more that the recommended on the dog food packet, but he needs it so I feed him it.  I would rather see a lean dog than some of the lardy a**es I see on some of my walks 

[happydog]

What do I think? This is just my personal opinion but I think your groomer is overreacting and perhaps too used to seeing overweight dogs. Why? 1.Cockers come in all shapes and sizes and the working cockers I have seen, in my area anyway, although muscular, are of a slight build. In other words it's genetic. 2. He may be going through a growth spurt and a gangly phase is quite normal. He will catch up later. 3. Fern my working cocker is 11.1 Kg and like Teddy never refuses her food or treats. (She did get too fat when she was about 18 months old and got to 16Kg! but that was due to extra 'treats' of bread crusts and digestive biscuits from OH which have now stopped). She is regularly wormed, very fit, bouncy, has a glossy coat and never has the runs(tempting providence there perhaps  ) I can feel her ribs too and perhaps lately, just see them, in a very bright light so she is getting a few more Bonios atm  .
If he is eating well, is wormed regularly and is otherwise quite happy and healthy I really wouldn't worry. .

I would rather see a lean dog than some of the lardy a**es I see on some of my walks 

I agree 100% Anita 

I asked the vet and he said he was fine, lean and fit was his words. 

my vet said Fern was in 'awesome condition' the other week 

[KarIng]

'ello...after me recommending burns i've done a u-turn 

i feel really really bad - some dogs really thrive on it, but jarv isn't and i guess teddy isn't either 

we're moving onto arden grange (and more and more raw....)

working cockers are quite lean anyway in comparison to show but post a pic if you can karen, i'd love to see your choccy lad...)
(by the way Jarv looks fine and he's 12.7 kg's).

did that shampoo help at all?

hx

Sorry, Helen, haven't used the shampoo yet, just generally too lazy in this heat! but will soon and will let you know, thanks so much.

I'm am so loath to change his food again and go through the upset, plus I have just opened a new pack of Burns and it's too expensive to throw away! 
Can't work out how to include a piccie here so I'll email you one if that's ok - feel free to post it here if you know how! :-)

[Cob-Web]

I would take what Teddy's groomer says with a pinch of salt and wait to see what your vet says, tbh 

Some "doggy people" like to see dogs with fuller bodied than vets recommend is healthy  I have to admit my limited experience has been that people who show their own dogs have said they would prefer to see more meat on Molo 

If Teddy is still young, then he may not fill-out until he is about 18 months old - Molo didn't  You could try adding a bit of Tripe to his Burns if it doesnt upset him; but I agree with Helen - some dogs do well on Burns and for others it is too lean and they do better on a different food

[Deb H]

George is a skinny little rake and our vet thinks he is just right. He is about 11.5 kilos and nearly three. There isn't an ounce of fat on him, he's 1/4 working. Don't worry your dog looks smashing to me.

[Abby]

We are currently keeping a close eye on Clive too for his weight. He's 9 months old, 11.4 kilos, and is on 200g adult burns a day. He was 11 kilos for over 2 months when he had problems with colitis, and it was impossible to tell whether he'd finished growing or whether he was having trouble absorbing nutrients because of the colitis. However, he's now put on a little wieght, you can still easily feel his ribs so I'm relatively happy with him.

So long as you and the vet feel okay with his state of health, I wouldn't worry about the groomer. Like other COLs have said, people often like to see plump dogs rather than lean ones, despite the fact this is unhealthy.

Also, Clive is on a large portion of Burns at hte moment, because I think he needs it. Once he starts putting more weight on than is neceessary, or isn't so interested in it (he wolfs it down) I'll cut down, but not before. Package guidelines are juist that - guidelines. ALl dogs are differnet - especially so for cockers ! 

[debbie321]

Ben was on Burns and it is an excellent food but .............. it didn't suit him    He begrudgingly ate the recommended amount but was really hungry and scavaging, when I upped the amount he had the runs.  I was advised to cut down again but he was really thin.  I changed to Arden Grange which is similar in the fact that it has no additives and is a dry food and he loves it!  He is a very healthy weight now (can feel his ribs easily but can't see them anymore).  Looking back it may have been his age as he was 7 months and very leggy when I changed his food, but his appreciation of a tasty dinner is very evident    If Teddy is happy with Burns then I'd stick with it for a while and see how it goes - if he fails to fill out then Arden Grange gets my (and Ben's) recommendation

[Cob-Web]

If Teddy has had a sensitive tum, and you do want to change him to a different food, then I would recommend looking at the % of protein each food contains; as this can have a significant effect on tummies 

Burns is quite low in protein (only 18%), which may be why it suits him; other foods can have much higher protein levels, which can upset some dogs digestion, so its worth checking the labels or manufacturers websites for info 

[Helen]

here's the gorgeous teddy - i think that he could do with a bit more padding, but he is at the gangly teenage stage too....

if you're not keen on tripe karen, you could add a wet food like natures menu to give him a bit more protein

I think he's absolutely beautiful (not that i'm biased AT ALL towards choc's  )

[Petra]

In the first pic he looks perfect , but in the second pic I did think a bit of padding was needed...
BUT, I have no experience of working cockers, and don't see them locally, so I can only compare it to a show, and of course that is not a fair comparison..

You can actually see his ribs in the second pic, and he does narrow significantly behind his ribs, and he appears to have a bony bum...
However, if he is happy, healthy and lively then I don't think it is a huge issue...
Obviously, you as his owner know him best and will be the first to notice if he may be poorly.
Personally I would add something 'wet' to his food, like tripe or naturediet and see if that puts a bit of padding on.   If it doesn't then perhaps see the vet to see what they think as failure to put on weight may be significant...

He is absolutely gorgeous - I love the chocolate cockers

[Rhona W]

Totally agree with everything Petra said. Chocolate cockers are gorgeous. Teddy is lovely.  But he does look a little boney in the second photo.

[lyn]

when mine look thin i fatten them up with pasta.i just add some pasta to the complete food.my paddy tends to be on the thin side and the pasta does the trick every time.paddy is not a foodie it's a job and a half getting him to eat anything.ellie who is 4 months went through a skinny stage and the pasta sorted her very quickly :005:she is a pig and tbh she could do with losing a little weight.she weighs nearly 7 kilos.

[happydog]

He's gorgeous but obviously a bigger frame than Fern. I agree with Petra and Rhona W. Just a little more padding perhaps? ( but dont do it like my OH did with Digestive biscuits and bread crusts   ) I've heard tripe is good for this too but imo do cook it with a clothes peg on your nose