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Cocker Spaniels - 6 month old cocker spaniel pup eating anything and everything
Expert: Delores Beck - 11/5/2009
Question
Hi, I have a 6 month old blue roan cocker spaniel puppy, I have had her since she was 9 weeks old. She is a good little girl, but I do have a slight worry in that she eats anything and everything, she is very greedy and constantly on the look out for something she can eat, she enjoys her walks, but just recently they have turned more into a food hunt than a walk, she is constantly looking for something she can eat.
This wouldnt be so bad, but she eats so much some days she is making herself vomit, but no matter how hard I try I am unable to stop her doing this. If she is not taken out, she will even resort to eating her toys and bedding. (not just chewing, actaully eating them)
I have thought about putting a muzzle on her, but she is otherwise such a good girl, I really dont want to have to do this, it seems so unfair to muzzle such a good dog, but when she is being sick all the time I dont know what else I can do.
She is very well fed (hills science plan three times a day) has the occasional doggy treat or chew, is not fed my table scraps at all, she is a good healthy weight (checked at vets regularly) and has been regularly wormed and flea treated and is walked for at least an hour every single day with out fail. She drinks well and passes urine fine and her stools are normal formed stools.
She has free acsess to the garden, fresh water and lots of toys all day, so I dont think its because she is frustrated or bored (there is also always someone home with her too, so she is very rarely left alone)
She is well in herself and otherwise such a perfect dog, other than eating until she is sick constantly I do not have any problems with her, I am just at a total loss as to why she may be doing this and more to the point, what can I do to stop it. It is happening 3 or 4 times a week now.
She has not had a season yet, but will be getting speyed after her first season.
please help.
Answer
The reason she's doing this is because you're feeding a really, really inferior food which is loaded with cheap fillers and not enough protein.
I can only beg you to get her on a better diet and continue to feed her 3x daily. What I highly recommend for cockers is Innova EVO or Orijen. If you go to Naturapet.com you can find a store near you that sells Innova and any store that carries premium brands (which Science Diet is most definitely not) will also sell Orijen and other top quality foods. Switch her over slowly by adding a bit more of the new food every day.
I know that probably your vet recommended Science Diet but vets get about 4 hours training in nutrition
and basically know zip about it. Sad, but true. Bluntly put - it's crap!
Please don't use a muzzle unless it's a soft muzzle so she can open her mouth to pant (which is how dogs perspire) and ONLY on walks to prevent her eating garbage, which can be dangerous.
You sound like a really good owner and I love the hour daily walks.
I'd also recommend buying her a couple of Kongs (the very safest toy) and putting a teensy bit of peanut butter inside. She is only 6 months and they are "chewers" at that age so distraction and prevention are the way to go. If she eats the bed - remove it.
She's also still in a massive growth spurt so make sure you're feeding her enough. A puppy eats twice as much as an adult dog of the same weight. So don't skimp on the food :)
If I can help further, please write. I'm so hoping you'll get her on a better diet and if my suggestions prove hard to find (which would be unusual) then write back and I'll give you a few more.
Delores
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