Much needed advice on whether to switch food

[bec1970]

I havent been on for a while & can see that there are lots of dry food threads that I have read with interest, but I would just like to ask a quick question if anyone could give me some advice that would be fab.

My 6 month old working cocker Winnie is raw fed & has been since she was weaned, however, I have been wondering for a while if this is the best food for her. I dont do the proper raw feeding (as I call it!) due to a weak stomach & lack of freezer space, but she has Prize Choice blocks, Nature's Menu banquet nuggets, chicken wings & the occasional meaty bone when I've been to the butchers.  She just seems to be permanently hungry, I have posted before & wondered if she was just greedy but she is on the skinny side & have had a lot of comments about her being underweight!! She is quite leggy so maybe will just fill out as she gets older, but the constant hunger is a worry.She is up to date with worming.

I have been considering changing over to a dry food & have been researching which would one be best, so far I have narrowed it down to Burns, Skinners field & trial, Barking Heads or Arden Grange.  Burns doesnt have as high protein content but I seem to remember seeing a post on here where it was recommended for weight gain, they also dont do a puppy food only small bites which is suitable for small adult dogs would that be why the protein is lower?

Your thoughts & opinions would be greatly received 

[jaybee]

Hi bec

Has the vet said she is underweight? She is still very young and they do go through stages of looking a bit lanky every now and then! And the way Bingley goes on around food you'd think he never got fed, he would eat forever if we let him   I'd just be a bit wary of trying to get her to gain weight purposefully unless she is definitely underweight. Apologies if you've already spoken to your vet about this and been advised she needs to gain weight, but i can't see that in your OP  

I do know that a woman we used to go to training classes with fed one of her older dogs Arden Grange, he had some problems holding his weight. No first hand experience i'm afraid. Someone will be along that does, i am sure!

[bec1970]

Thanks for replying Jaybee, no the vet hasnt said anything about her being underweight, I weighed her there 2 weeks ago when I picked up her wormer & she was 9.4kg, I dont know if this is good or bad? 

She is very gangly & looks skinny as I say she has a layer over her ribs but you can still feel them & she feels quite bony?

She is very greedy & would eat anything she can get hold of! She has developed the knack of climbing on their chair & opening the bin so she can eat whatever (& I mean whatever!!!) is at the top 

[jaybee]

They're all different bec, and if the vet is happy then i wouldn't worry. Bingley was looking very gangly up until a couple of months ago and he has started to fill out now, she might have just had a big growth spurt!

If she has a layer over he ribs but you can still feel them, then that sounds good to me! It's so hard using those blimmin weight charts that are online because they all grow differently and are all different statures. Keep an eye on it, maybe voice your concerns next time you pop into the vet and see what they think?

This is going to sound really awful, but i do think there are quite a lot of overweight dogs around  and sometimes they can make those at a healthy weight look a bit gangly. Kind of skews our perception of what they're supposed to look like. Ignore other peoples comments, she sounds healthy to me!

[maddy74]

I spent the first year of Willow life trying to put weight on her,she too was leggy and her ribs were always showing and it wasnt through her not eating,she ate then and still eats like there is no tmw (very greedy doggy infact  ) However now nearly 2 years old and she has filled out nicely and im trying to get her to shed a bit of weight  You will probably find once she matures she will fill out.

In terms of raw feeding I dont know much about it, in terms of kibble we give Willow barking heads and she is thriving on it 

[Jonnydog]

I think for six months she sounds an okay weight. As Jaybee said, they do go through gangly stages. Penny's weight is still only 10k at sixteen months, although she's a show type and quite diddy.  After being incredibly fussy about her food, Penny is now very keen on her meals and seems to be permanently hungry, but if we let her have too much she gets an upset tum, so we're just thankful that she now woofs down all her food instead of turning up her nose at it. I think most cockers are permanently hungry, for what it's worth. I know my last one was as well!

[piph]

Certainly sounds an ok weight for a six month old to me!

[Ali101]

My working girl is nearly 8 months and as.we have come to the end of her sack of puppy food (Arden Grange chicken puppy), we have just completed transferring her over to the adult food that our 2 year old lab is on, which is salmon and rice Arden Grange.
Isla is doing a lot better on the salmon, her poo's are firm and not a.huge amount, and better still....no wind, as she could clear a room on occasions  
We don't feed any human food to our dogs and snacks given are Arden Grange Light bites, dried wild rabbit ears and stagbar chews.
Isla is very gangly, long and slim but weighs 12kg so I am very happy, she is never still so.we are keeping an eye on the amount of adult kibble we give. Neither dog ever appears hungry and both wolf down their food, so appears to do the trick. I do feed also at set times as I was.told this can help a dog not to have hunger pangs...
On an aside, our black lab gets constant compliments on her coat and how well and "trim" she looks, but we do weigh the amount out at.each mealtime for both.
I have spent a lot of time looking for a good diet and for me Arden Grange is auperior to most amd competitively priced from online sellers. I have previously fed the AG lamb, but salmon is the best. If I do ever swop, I would always be looking to feed the fish option.

[bec1970]

Thankyou to everyone for your replies.

I agree that there are quite a few overweight dogs around so maybe she just looks underweight compared to them!!

I will if I can remember how post a couple of pics of her so you can see her size.

One of the good things of a raw diet is her stools are usually quite firm & she never has wind, not sure if this would be the case with dry food?

I feel happier that you all think her weight is fine for her age, & esp happier that some of your pups were gangly too as I am sick of people asking if she's a springer then saying ooh she's tall for a cocker isnt she!!

[Ali101]

I get all the time " OOohhh isn't she long....is she a.sprocker?", so I.know.how you feel. We.had a.working lab before and she was like a.whippet and ALL the time we would be asked "Is she full lab?" because she was like  a rocket...  Used to.drive me nuts.
You know your dog  best....don't forget that             
 

[MaggieR]

I don't have a worker but know of a number and it seems to be the case generally that as pupsters they tend to be quite "stringy" till they're over a year old at least.  Winnie sounds like she's doing really well on the raw diet, and your balance sounds fine 
Don't listen to folk.. they generally know nowt!  There are two working cocker brothers at our local park, one owner is very much from the "I know best" school of thought and constantly telling the other owner that her boy is underweight.... when in reality, "Mrs Know It All" has a little porker, who needs to lose a few pounds! 

[BobnDot]

Milly was 9.2kg at seven months and looked quite thin and gangly but soon filled out. She's now just over two years old and weighs 12.5kg.

I got quite worried about her weight as well, even invested in a postal scales to weigh her regularly but soon after she was a year old she started filling out nicely. She's weighed every week or so and keeps to between 12.4kg and 12.7kg.
The only difference to her feeding was when we changed from JWB puppy to the adult version, she didn't take well to it so we went for Orijen Adult and she's been on that ever since.
Milly's kibble is augmented with fresh vegetables every day and sardines in oil once a week. Her stools are fine and we only make the very occasional grab for the gas mask.

[bec1970]

It sounds as if I'm worrying for nothing then phew!! 

Thanks to everyone that replied, am still trying to get her to keep still so I can get a decent picture!!