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WELCOME to FOLKVANG DOGS

'Fit for Function' Working Cocker Spaniels and Labrador Retrievers are our passion.

Feeding


You will get food packs free with your pup to take home. Once your dog is adult, spaniels about 12 months, you can feed what you like, but please take my advice while your dog is young.

The pups are eating 4 meals a day. The pups are weaned on Fish4Dogs puppy food, and I use the small bits as treats or training treats as well. The puppy food you are given is small bite, and in a few weeks you can change to large bite size, it gives them something to chew. Please don't change food unless realy needed, and only very slowly over 4 days to avoid upset stomach. I bet you many of you will be advised by the vet on the first visit to change to their reccommended food; they will tell you that your pup is either 'too thin', or 'too fat'.

Cows milk will give them the runs so if you have to give milk, use ewes or goats. But it should not be needed now. If you only have one dog, you may prefer to ‘free feed’ your dog. Thais means leaving a bowl full of dry food available all the time. Water must be available all the time too! Some people believe this leads to a dog that never scavenges. However if you want a little more control of when your dog does their poo... make meal times regular and then you can work out when it needs to poo.

After 4 months you can feed 3 meals a day then after 9 months drop down to 2. It’s up to you if you want to feed 1 or 2 meals a day after 12 months. I feed my adults a small breakfast after walk and a main meal later in the day. Never feed BEFORE exercise, wait until about 1 hour after before you do as we think this can prevent gastric torsion occurring. Also stuffing some KONGs with nice things can keep your pup occupied in his crate now and again during the day or when putting to bed.

If you want to go natural feeding, talk to me first and read Ian Billinghurst ‘Grow Your Pup With Bones’, or google BARF diet for dogs on the internet. It is great but takes a lot of work getting it right. I cheat and buy BARF diet in frozen form and defrost as needed. (from Anglian Meat Products AMP, or www.barfpetfoods.co.uk)

Just like small children, pups get dehydrated very easily. While at the vet get two packs of LECTADE rehydration salts to add to water if pup is unwell. It has saved more lives than any medication. If your pup gets the runs, carry on feeding him as normal and give rehydration solution instead of water. This normally fixes stomach upsets in a few hours. Obviously, if your pup is looking or behaving unwell take him to the vet fast. They go down hill very fast, so don’t leave it till later if pup is lacking in energy or feels floppy.In the old days we used to starve any one with the runs, but this is not the recommended medical practice for humans or animals now.