Feeding my springer spaniel

elsien

I do half and half - fits round my work patterns, and helps keep mutt regular!
It wouldn't last in her bowl for more than a couple of minutes anyway - once me and mum got confused and we both fed her, and she still managed to scoff the lot. I also find it useful to tell when she's ill - if the food's there for longer than 5 minutes I know there's something wrong.
You might find though that because your dog is used to always having food, it's a bit of an adjustment for him, so be prepared for lots of mournful looks.

Hightower13

Thanks elsien!! That sounds like a good idea - I'm going to try it tomorrow. :-D

foreign_correspondent

yes, I feed twice a day - what I did was weigh out the recommended amount for one meal, then made a container that when full, held exactly that amount.

If you put the amount you want to feed at one meal (ie. half the daily amount) into a see-through container, eg. a plastic milk bottle, or pop bottle, you can draw a line at that height on the bottle, then cut the bottle off at that line, so you have a plastic 'cup' which holds exactly the right amount for one serving.

I would feed this amount twice a day, and remove the bowl after about twenty minutes, and not offer any alternatives if he turns his nose up at it to start off with - after a few mealtimes he will realise he needs to eat what is offered, when it is there....

foreign_correspondent

nikki702 wrote: »

If you decide to feed him on Wagg sainsburys have it on offer at the moment

http://www.sainsburys.co.uk/groceries/index.jsp?bmUID=1259412987288

£6.98 for 15KG

Great deal - thanks! Very money saving! - the OP could feed their dog for about two months on Wagg for the cost of one weeks Bakers!

For how much Wagg to feed, see this chart:
http://www.waggfoods.co.uk/animals-dogs-fact_sheets.aspx

Remember, you should feed the amount recommended for your dog's ideal weight, not his current weight, and to keep an eye on his shape and adjust the amount given as needed - to help you judge whether your dog is overweight, this may be useful: http://www.waggfoods.co.uk/animals-dogs-health.aspx

lottylouj

i have a springer, she is fed on Tesco dry dog food, its about £5 ish for a 5kg bag( chicken or beef), if i remember correctly. it lasts about 3 weeks. her meal is then topped up with tesco wet pate, in the foil container think its 27p each.
personally for her it works out great, she isnt the most active of dogs, and stays a nice steady weight.
occassionally they will have their big 15kg bags on offer for £10.

Humphrey10

foreign_correspondent wrote: »

Remember, you should feed the amount recommended for your dog's ideal weight, not his current weight, and to keep an eye on his shape and adjust the amount given as needed - to help you judge whether your dog is overweight, this may be useful: http://www.waggfoods.co.uk/animals-dogs-health.aspx

That's a great guide to judging a dog's weight, thanks for the link!

Re: feeding times, we feed our dog about lunchtime, we started off feeding her in the morning but she wouldn't even look at the food then so feed her a bit later now.

We use Autarky autumn, personally I think she doesn't like it, she often leaves it until the evening or night before touching it. If we feed her meat (or any 'human' food like leftovers) it disappears as soon as we put it in her bowl!

We don't need her to finish eating by a certain time, so just leave her bowl down until she's eaten it. Sometimes she doesn't eat for a day, but she's 13 and not very active in the house, and isn't losing weight, so I think she's ok...

Debt_Free_Chick

Humphrey10 wrote: »

We use Autarky autumn, personally I think she doesn't like it, she often leaves it until the evening or night before touching it. If we feed her meat (or any 'human' food like leftovers) it disappears as soon as we put it in her bowl!

Probably because it's closer to what would be a "natural" diet. Although dogs are domesticated and have many years of breeding, I'm not convinced that the breeding has resulted in a change of "natural" diet.

Feeding a dog dry food is rather like asking a human to consume a whole packet of dry cream crackers :eek:

This is not a criticism against those that do.... just an observation all just IMHO

olias

You can always buy a pack of cheap/value gravy granules and make some up to add to the dry food to make it more appetizing/digestible. Just make sure to make it up as a weak mix and get the low salt variety.

Also I would reccommend you don't feed him prior to walking him. Springers are very active and you can risk a twisted gut if you feed a large meal just prior to any energetic exercise.

Olias

Fire_Fox

I've never seen a low salt meat flavour gravy, only low salt vegetable stock cubes (unfortunately not that nice!!): reduced salt means exactly that, lower than the original but can still be high in sodium. The maximum salt intake for an adult human is 5g a day and will be a lot lower for small animals. IMHO human gravy might be fine for a treat but not on a regular basis.

Debt_Free_Chick

I have to say that "I agree"

Don't use a "human" gravy mix for dogs. If you must moisten their food (and why?), then just add water. Preferably at room temperature. But if you have the water bowl next to the food, this really shouldn't be necessary.