Shaved like a lion

No one is bashing you down so I hope you don't take it that way. We just generally care about the dogs on this forum and just want the best for them. In all honesty, before I joined this forum I didn't think to even second guess any dog foods. I would have probably fed pedigree or science diet without a second thought... I've learned a ton from the people on this forum and I've become a much better dog owner for it.

When I had cockers I feed Innova. But really any good food will work just fine Just make sure that the first five ingredients are not some type of grain as a rule of thumb. The first five should be meat.

Also my cocker was 25 lbs and he would eat about 1/2 cup twice daily with occasional treats.

Don't apologize for it.. Learn from it (as you seem to be doing).

You may think he's in good condition now.. but he could be in better condition. He really should feel like the back of your hand.. ribs shouldn't be hard to locate. Fat can feel more solid than you'd think.

I'd guess you possibly shaved him with a 7 blade.. or a guard on a 10 blade? If he was shaved down with a 10 no guard.. I'd expect to see the shadows of ribs on a dog in good condition honestly.

You can get him fitter with some help if you'd like it

Hey you don't need to be sorry to us We are glad to be able to help. And def post pics. I bet his legs will grow lol. Kat, who was in good shape just lost 1/2 a pound or so as she is going to be showing. Even though she went from good to great she still looked like her legs grew.

Thanks for all your help.

I'm pretty nervous now about the dog food. I've heard peoples dogs have died because of this brand.

Jesus. Gotta change.

If you have access to Costco, the Kirkland food is great and some even carry a decent grain free now: Nature's Domain.

You're on the right track with not feeding what the bag states - most, especially on the lower end foods, overestimate the amount to feed, so when in doubt use less ime.

Cute haircut!!

and as for the food, no worries.. many of us have fed worse before we knew better lol I had my dog on those little cesar wet food square things and he was basically a walking soccer ball he was so fat! lol

check out The Dog Food Project - How does your Dog Food Brand compare? ... my favorite section is "Ingredients to Avoid" and those are the first things I look for when reading ingredients... Then if they pass that 'test' I look for other things, but its a good place to start!

Awww he's adorable!!! Good for you for changing his food, don't be sorry, none of us knew any better at first! It's just something you learn. Good luck, I look forward to seeing his progress!

Don't apologize about the food - I think most of us have fed a not so great food in the past Nothing to do but research your options and switch the dogs over.

Both my girls are on Acana Grasslands (grain free). Quinn gets ~1 3/4 cups a day, Dally gets 2 cups. Both dogs are 40-45 pounds and quite active, especially Quinn. I like to keep Quinn fairly lean - I can feel her ribs quite easily. Dally has been tough to keep weight on since her spay but she's back up to a decent weight - wouldn't mind a bit more meat on her. Both dogs do very well on Acana - Quinn has the prettiest copper sheen to her coat!

Cute clip job! Reminds me of when my friend and I shaved her dog except for a little tuft at the end of his tail. I was laughing so hard I actually had to go back into the house to compose myself LOL.

Thanks all for your kind words and everything about different pet food. No grain or corn, plus a lot of other stuff mentioned.

Also thanks for the kind words on the clipping, cannot wait till he leans up and loses weight and his mane becomes thicker lol.

He will be such a handsome lion lol

You did much better with those clippers than I would have!

If you don't have a Costco, you can find the Diamond Naturals (it's a beige bag) at most livestock feed stores. It usually runs about 25-30 for a 40 pound bag. When I was feeding Saga that (until we figured out chicken doesn't sit well on her tummy) she was eating 2 cups a day. She's a Doberman, if that gives you an indicator of feeding guidelines.

Tractor Supply stores actually sell Taste of the Wild and Blue Buffalo (and a few other okay brands too) if you have one near you.

Taste of the wild, my dogs love that stuff and blue buffalo, so I'll switch to those.