Jump to content

help food for gaining weigh for Ess


aka_t50
 Share

Recommended Posts

ok guys ive had a friend on today his springer has been to the vets and for the third month running the vet is saying its under weight and it needs to put weight on the dog does look a little thin in the back end and although its not a working dog it is very active and gets two good walks a day the problem is he has tried just about all the high protein working foods and cant get any weight on the dog anyone got any suggestion's on what mite help he asked me about tripe but having had little experience with tripe I said I would but it to you guys who have much more knowledge any help will be greatfull Thanks Tim

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Call CSJ dog food suppliers, the call is usually answered by the owner of the company and she will get the nutritionist to call you to discuss.

 

I did it with mine for the opposite reason, mine put weight on after having the snip. They sent me some free samples as well, and worked for me. Had my dog on CSJ after being recommended from her and he is very healthy and fit.

 

Very good quality food without the fancy packaging, if you do a comparison of the ingredients, it'll match any of the well know quality brands and cheaper

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This might sound a bit contradictory but has he tried putting it on a low protein diet. I put mine on a higher protein food in the winter when they are working and using energy to keep warm but the fact that it tends to make them hyper means that they loose weight. Maybe a bit more lower protein food will help it to put on a few more pounds. Your friend could also try it on ale and kebabs, that's worked for me.

Probably a bit of a no brainer but has the dog been wormed?

Edited by hambone
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1) How old is it, if it's less than two year old and healthy forget it and let it fill out - one year up, one year out applies to ESS

 

2) How many times a day is it fed? A larger number of smaller meals works better to put weight on. I would definitely feed twice a day and add a third smaller meal to get him built up.

 

3) As hambone says, high protein could be speeding up everything, including its metabolism, what is it fed on just now? For example, I needed to get weight on one of mine at the end of the season so took him off the Skinners Working 23 which I use most of the year and put him on Skinners Muesli for a month, lower protein but more oily and bulky - put weight on him no problem.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ahhh is he quite a 'hot' dog and does he circle, pace and do laps in the kennel in the day?

I have had one or two that lost weight in the kennel because of this but once brought inside in a crate with a soft comfy bed then put weight on no problems......

I've recently been sort of 'gifted' a bitch from a top trialling chap - he couldn't keep weight on her because of this. Once inside and chilled out she put it on like a good 'un :)

Edited by bigbird
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I take it ur friend is feeding the right ammount of feed? Know sounds simple but don't take guidlines on back too literally ie xgrams for a dog of a size, mibee ur dog just needs to be feed more quantity, obviously not so much that stools become runny, polite way of putting t.

 

I've alwats thought adding a bit of minced tripe works well., mate puts milk into his dry feed to soak and his dogs are always big well built dogs

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Make sure it is wormed correctly and is getting the right amount of food and then if that is all in check then try Millies Wolfheart.... dry food or wet - found there people rather good and since Blue (ESS) has been on this food he has put weight on and is doing well......

Link to comment
Share on other sites

But is it realy skinny for a working type springer? Vets vary

 

Three meals better than two if you can and remember cold burns calories a heater could be part of the solution

 

I am this scientific. Dogs looking a bit porky drop a handful of feed. Dogs a dropping weight gain a handful

In fowling season I feed a good 50 percent

More because it's cold out and the dog burns it off

Do you need to do walkies? And how far are you doing?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Not having a dig at anyone here, but there seems to be rather a lack of understanding regarding the basics of nutrition. I've had to find this out due to having an extremely active springer who'se bee nthin a a rake his whole life - it's a constant struggle as my dogs are not only out on shoot days during the game season but also out with me a lot of the year shooting pigeons, dogging in etc..

 

Protein builds muscle. Plenty is needed for active dogs for obvious reasons, but over and above a certain amount you get diminishing returns; it can't all be used and is passed out as waste. More protein does not stop a dog getting thin in the areas you look at to judge "thinness" or "fatness" such as ribs and waist. Try simply upping the weight of a complete "worker" high protein food and you'll notice the dog just s##ts like a racehorse without putting on any weight.

 

Carbohydrate is the key. During digestion, carbohydrates are converted to sugars which give energy. When the body is using more energy than can be gained from the available carbohydrate intake, it burns its fat reserves instead. This is why very active dogs can struggle to maintain enough weight even though they may be eating like crazy.

 

There are different sorts of carbohydrates; we need the "complex" type like is found in starchy foods. Rice is absolutely perfect for the job, producing plenty of glucose. Grab yourself a bumber-sized bag of long grain rice, boil it up in batches (no salt of course!) enough to fit in a suitable container that you can keep in the fridge and use up over 4-5 days. Every meal time, add a decent amount to the usual portion of food. Scald it with boiling water if using dry complete food, mix and cool and watch the dog lick the bowl clean for every last grain. They love it! Monitor condition and weight over time and adjust accordingly.

 

On the subject of dry food, I know everyone has their own opinion but I firmly belive there's no need to buy these expensive brands which claim to be superior - I'm adamant that they are simply making a fortune out of marketing to a certain type of buyer, and there is absolutely no advantage to the dog over a more economical food. After using one or two more expensive brands, then switching to Wagg Worker (22% protein? can't remember) I have absolutely no reason to change. My two springers are fit as a fiddle, full of life and energy - it's what you put with it that makes the extra difference. No dry food is truly "complete" in my opinion (would you want to eat bland soggy biscuits twice a day the rest of your life?!)

 

As said above, 17kg bags of wagg can be picked up for £10 - £13 in the supermarkets depending if they have offers on.

 

Also completely agree with giving sardines as suggested above - oily fish is a fantastic nutrient, maybe once or twice a week added in as a treat. Omega-3 for the joints, protein and extra energy from the oil it's usually stored in. Very useful for reluctant eaters or if you need to give medication in the food as it hides the taste/smell and makes sure they lick the bowl clean as a whistle! Awful stinking breath afterwards though, no kisses! Mine get it in their breakfasts along with extra helpings of rice on shoot days, or any other "big" days out.

 

Also (sorry to waffle on!), going back to protein, how many of us who regularly shoot pigeon give it to our dogs? It's really quick and simple to give your faithful shooting companion a treat they absolutely adore. Pretty sure most people ar familiar with the technique, but for those who aren't you can see quite a few youtube videos on how to de-breast a pigeon really quickly by hand. I do mine over the wheelie bin outside, take the breasts inside, wash off and then pare off the meat and dice it up. I store it in a take-away container in the fridge, boiling up portions fresh for each evening meal. You just have to bring it to the boil and let it simmer for a minute. Use the water on dry food, nice and juicy and tasty! Only one downside, because it's a very bloody meat you're cooking the proteins which stick like the proverbial to the pan, so best allocate a small, old saucepan as your "pigeon pan" and don't use it to boil your sweetcorn for dinner afterwards!

 

Sermon complete, happy feeding :)

Edited by Jim Neal
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...