Cocker Spaniels

Congrats on your new adoption!
 
I have a cocker spaniel too - mine's only a year old. Cockers are typically big chow hounds and can easily get overweight, but with your dog's special dietary needs that may not relevant for you. With their long furry ears they are prone to ear infections. When you bathe him it's a good idea to put cotton balls in his ears to keep the water out, and flush them with an ear cleaner every couple of weeks or so (just pour it in, massage it, and wipe the outside with cotton balls - it's less uncomfortable for him if you warm the bottle in your hand or a bowl of warm water first). You'll probably have to do a lot of brushing and either shave him down if you prefer, or get him groomed every 6 wks or so. I love cockers... when not badly bred they are so happy, friendly, and sweet, just lovely dogs.
 
Sorry about his food issues - there is no "spaniel thing" about a rash that I've ever heard of. More likely he has an allergy, some kind of food allergy seems likely. The Benadryl provides good short-term relief but it's not a cure. I'd suggest that if you have it in you you could try doing an elimination diet. Or you could try feeding him a allergy-friendly food like California Natural, which has very few ingredients (made by Natura). Which organic food have you been trying?

Hi,
 
I'm new to the forum but I am a cocker spaniel expert.  I currently have 3, all rescues.  Harley is 12, Kahlua is 7 and Carnegie is 2 (in August).  If you are going to feed him kibble, may I suggest Innova Senior for large breeds?
It has excellent ingredients and Harley loves it.
 
I know cockers tend to have coat/skin issues so may I also suggest giving your pup some coconut oil.  It's very tasty and will do wonders for his coat.  This is where I ordered mine:  TropicalTraditions.com.
 
Good luck with your new pup.  I have been rescuing cockers since 1984 and they have brought be nothing but joy.
 

Cockers arent Large Breed dogs and though I dont know much on nutrition IMO a Large breed food would do more harm than good. Too rich for a smaller dog

I can't see that it would be harmful,but I'm guessing the large breed would have supplements that a cocker does not need.

My error, I meant to say that I am feeding regular, senior Innova to Harley, my senior citizen. [8|]
 
I feed Pinnacle, Trout to the others, ages 2 and 7.

 Last week Wednesday, exactly 3 years and 7 days after I adopted my little black American Cocker Spaniel, I had to euthanize him, due to his having developed a brain tumour.  He had a seizure on the Thursday evening before and I had to take him to the emergency vet clinic since the regular vet was closed.  They kept him for 24 hours for a "seizure watch", charged me $900.00, told me was fine and sent us home.  Monday morning he had another seizure and the Wednesday morning a third.  By this time my little guy was in such pain that it was cruel to go on.  If those bloody vets at the emergency clinic had noticed more he could have been spared all that pain and confusion.  At the end he couldn't hear and he couldn't see, in addition to being in constant pain.  This could not possibly have sprung up over night, so why did these idiots not see anything?  They all concentrated on his heart, which was not a problem.  I am so mad at these people I could do something drastic!  My poor pup!

 I am so sorry

What was the little guy's name?

I am not a medical expert, so I don't know if that sort of thing CAN spring up overnight, but I do know some tumors can grow very fast, and vets do have to do a kind of process of elimination, ruling out the most likely or obvious first.... When the disease is acute and aggressive this sometimes means they run out of time.  This must be so hard for you and I don't blame you for being angry.

I'm so sorry. 

Chuffy

 I am so sorry

What was the little guy's name?

I am not a medical expert, so I don't know if that sort of thing CAN spring up overnight, but I do know some tumors can grow very fast, and vets do have to do a kind of process of elimination, ruling out the most likely or obvious first.... When the disease is acute and aggressive this sometimes means they run out of time.  This must be so hard for you and I don't blame you for being angry.

 

I'm sorry about your dog, but Chuffy makes a good point - also, it's important for everyone to remember that the ER vets are there to stabilize or treat a dog that they really haven't a relationship with.  It's always best to follow up the next day with your own vet, who, sadly, may also run out of time on some of these difficult situations. 

 Thank you.  His name was Charlie and he was, for me, the most perfect dog I could have asked for.

 Dear Chuffy :  His name was Charlie and I'm still angry!  My poor boy suffered so much.  There is no way he would have gotten seizures from a heart being too big or beating too rapidly or anything along that line.  Yet this is what was the main focus of all 3 vets.  How do you get seizures?  Mostly from something dealing with the interruption of the electrical impulses in the brain.  Being an epileptic myself, this is not new.  Another cause of seizures is a very high fever.  Charlie had not been sick a day in his life.  Sorry to rant at you like this, Chuffy, but I'm still not quite sane on the subject and won't be until I get some answers that make sense!  Will keep you posted.

Thanks for your interest, though, it really is appreciated.

This might seem like an odd question, but did you ask for a post mortem to be done to find out the cause of death?

I'm so sorry for your lose. You did a wonderful thing adopting a senior dog. Even when we start out with a puppy, our time together is always too short. I'm sure Charlie had the best 3 years of his life with you and went to the bridge thankful for having been owned by you.