The Zim Family Cocker Spaniel Forum

I know there have been earlier postings on weight but just want to get a bit of feedback on our female cocker. Tessa is 7 and a half....for the first 6 years of her life she weighed a consistent 25lbs. The past year and a half she has put on weight and is now at 33 lbs. She is on a dry dog food (California Natural Sweet Potato and Herring) and gets 3/4 cup twice a day with a small bit of chicken added (tbsp or two) and a couple of biscuit treats a day....she gets a couple of walks a day and usually an off leash run twice a week...just wondering if those with more mature cockers could tell us if this is fairly normal for a dog of Tessa's age to begin to put on a few pounds??....she is pretty typical in that she would eat a lot more if we gave in to her. Thanks for any feedback from your experiences with your cockers.....Kevin

Hi Kevin: When is the last time you had her thyroid checked? That would be the most obvious culprit, IMHO, unless she is eating significantly more. Have you noticed any hair loss (a lot of times along their back) or dry skin?

Thanks for the replies....never had her thyroid checked before....as far as her coat....definitely no hair falling out nor is it particularly dry...I will definitely make an appt. with her vet though this week.

I think that is a lot of food for her too. I now feed raw but I was feeding 1/2 cup kibble twice a day with only a tsp of pumpkin or yogurt added. My two are nearly 10yo.

I agree with Deborah. I would feel 1/2 cup twice a day of kibble and keep up the chicken. If she still continues to gain, then drop some of the chicken. You might also try a kibble for seniors/less active. I would also have her thryoid checked.

Don't forget, different foods have different calorie amounts. So one and a half cups of one food doesn't necessarily equate to one and a half cups of another. It's like comparing ice cream to low fat cottage cheese. On one you'll get fat eating a cup and a half a day, on the other you'll likely lose weight.

That being said my dogs eat between 1.5 and 2 cups a day, but their food has 336 calories per cup. The herring food you feed has 419.

Even so, if you are feeding her the same amount and she has gained that much weight (that is a very significant amount for a 25 pound dog) something is amiss. I would definitely go to the vet and ask for her thyroid to be checked.

I agree with the above postings. In our case Holly was a good weight until she was around 6-7 years, suddenly she started gaining weight and nothing will keep her weight down. She was also panting a lot during walks. She got tested for thyroid and hers was low. She started on Soloxine around at 8 years. She was at almost 37 pounds even with the medication and it took about 2 years to have her weighted at a good level. She has been between 24-26 pounds since last summer. I feed her Wellness Senior 3/4 cups twice a day.