Used to have a cocker who suffered the same issue. Took to carrying home made granola biscuits with me and feeding him one every couple of hours. Solved the problem. He was just running out of gas. Blood sugar levels I think. I still do the same for the other dogs today and have never had a problem with any of them.
Cocker spaniel tiring out
- Thread starter danban
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countrryboy
Well-Known Member
Have actually seen quite a few spaniels (both cockers and springers including some FT ones) carried off the hill early season on both grouse and partridge, just a combination of possibly(mainly) not fit enough excitement of being back working and heat of the day.
Even 1 day was worried about my own springer due to dehydration/heat exhastion and everywhere i had to walk was dry as a bone, had to pour my drinnking water down his neck till me found a wet bit. and being a spaniel wasn't for slowing down much
Possibly just gettin that wee bit older too, most working dogs tend to forget their age on shoot days, my old labs totters along behind me most days now but on a shoot day u'd never guess how old he is the way he moves.
I still occasionally would give mine a mars bar, esp in a situation like mentioned, even thou ur not meant too.
I have been told its something in the chocca that can kill a dog but most dogs need to eat a fair bit of it to be damaged (althou size dependant and there always could be 1 thats takes a more severe allergic reaction)
The likes of a mars bar has very little cocco in it as only a small ammount round outside, i woud not fed my dogs bits of yorkie as pure chocalate
I'm sure this has been mentioned a few tmes in the Q&A bit off ST and they usually say not really meant to but mny FT boys will/do
Have thought about the kronch bars before but are they not mega dear?
I have taken tinned dog food up on grouse moors before for dogs lunch as i thoughrt it would be a high protien treat but then noticed most are 60-80% water. Then took that spam like dog rol stuff up but its not much better.
Even 1 day was worried about my own springer due to dehydration/heat exhastion and everywhere i had to walk was dry as a bone, had to pour my drinnking water down his neck till me found a wet bit. and being a spaniel wasn't for slowing down much
Possibly just gettin that wee bit older too, most working dogs tend to forget their age on shoot days, my old labs totters along behind me most days now but on a shoot day u'd never guess how old he is the way he moves.
I still occasionally would give mine a mars bar, esp in a situation like mentioned, even thou ur not meant too.
I have been told its something in the chocca that can kill a dog but most dogs need to eat a fair bit of it to be damaged (althou size dependant and there always could be 1 thats takes a more severe allergic reaction)
The likes of a mars bar has very little cocco in it as only a small ammount round outside, i woud not fed my dogs bits of yorkie as pure chocalate
I'm sure this has been mentioned a few tmes in the Q&A bit off ST and they usually say not really meant to but mny FT boys will/do
Have thought about the kronch bars before but are they not mega dear?
I have taken tinned dog food up on grouse moors before for dogs lunch as i thoughrt it would be a high protien treat but then noticed most are 60-80% water. Then took that spam like dog rol stuff up but its not much better.
You could ask your vet about doing a blood test. Not at the practice, but when the incident occurs by using the small meters and glucose strips for monitoring diabetics.
Chocolate - the amount in a mars is not great about 60mg, toxic dose is 100mg/kg (very rough figures). So in an emergency, it's fine. However, if your dog keeps having episodes like this, then keeping small amounts of feed in your pocket is a good plan. Who here fancies an all day shoot without food?!!
Chocolate - the amount in a mars is not great about 60mg, toxic dose is 100mg/kg (very rough figures). So in an emergency, it's fine. However, if your dog keeps having episodes like this, then keeping small amounts of feed in your pocket is a good plan. Who here fancies an all day shoot without food?!!
Heym SR20
Well-Known Member
On a shoot day a dog gets far more exercise than on a normal day, especially if it is a dual purpose family dog / working dog. I know some springers that are prone to fading out. Simple fix - their owner keeps a pocket of dog biscuits and in the middle of drives he brings them back into heel to catch their breath, have a biscuit and regroup - and then off they go again. At lunch time, on go their blankets and they have a normal helping of their daily food. His last one passed away aged 16. I am doing the same with my young pup.
Makes sense. A big days walk or ski tour in the hills and mountains, especially in winter uses a huge amount of energy and I constantly graze and take in water. For a couple of days before hand will also fuel up. Now if I had that calory intake all day every day I would be grossly overweight. But for a couple of days, not a problem.
Makes sense. A big days walk or ski tour in the hills and mountains, especially in winter uses a huge amount of energy and I constantly graze and take in water. For a couple of days before hand will also fuel up. Now if I had that calory intake all day every day I would be grossly overweight. But for a couple of days, not a problem.
Always used to give mini mars bar each at lunchtime,but when told it was no good to them I changed. A small bit of raw tripe an egg and flake food is easy to carry in double freezer bags in you game bag already mixed. A small feed an hour before off in the morning and plenty of water in the day. Worked in the line and picking up all day, no probs with my labs or cockers. Too many dogs are unfit at the start of the season but a good few days dogging in through the summer gets them match fit.
sir-lamp-alot
Well-Known Member
go very carfull with this i had a springer who "flaked out" on a shoot day i had only walked a hundred yards up a hedge noticed the dog wasnt coming to the wistle so walked back down the hedge to find him drowned in only 6" of water that was in the ditch which was just covering his mouth it took only a few moments but that was long enough
Very sorry to hear that. You must have been distraught.
I always keep her close but I can see how this could happen.
My dog got stuck in brambles overhanging a pond a couple of years back. I can't swim but luckily a mate waded in and saved her.
So I was out Saturday again. I gave her some rice pudding to get her to eat her breakfast and made sure she ate it. Then at 10 I got her to drink.
She had more go in her than for the last couple of years. She was totally fine.
I will keep a close eye on her but it may have been an off day.
Regards Dan
She had more go in her than for the last couple of years. She was totally fine.
I will keep a close eye on her but it may have been an off day.
Regards Dan
It can happen. I have a good, wiry working Lab, that is also a pet. Normally he'll work quite happily all day, generally doing a bit of hunting/beating but with some drives being a peg dog (much to his annoyance). Last season due to a few coincidences, he was the only dog available to work. I try to pace him, but they will go at full speed all the time. Eventually he did flake out. A bit of sustenance and a bit of time and he was off again! Yes, chocolate in any quantity is not good for them, but if all you have is a chocolate bar in your pocket when the dog needs a shot of something, it's better than nothing. I always now carry something non-chocolatey.
Just as an aside, on Saturday I sent him to retrieve a shot snipe. Off he went and came back, I thought with nothing. But lo and behold he presented me with it. Had been wholly in his mouth!
Just as an aside, on Saturday I sent him to retrieve a shot snipe. Off he went and came back, I thought with nothing. But lo and behold he presented me with it. Had been wholly in his mouth!
Hi my dogs have been fine working but I always gave them mini mars bar through the day that I carry in my pocket as back up. I always carry milk chocolate in mars twix or snickers I also used to get cartons of cheap custard as very high sugar & give at lunch time. I always feed my dogs 2 meals a day a little in morning & main at night as I read it's better for there stomach than one big meal. I also have a tripe licence so feed them tripe morning & night as well as deer heart/liver/kidneys/tounge & diofram when I have. I can be busy at grouse most years & work 2-3 dogs a day in the line or pick up with 5 dog at a time for up to 3-4 days in a row sometimes & 2 of them are cockers I lost my 3rd but have a 5 month cocker pup off my bitch coming on just now & he never stops
I have a GSP that suffers from this full on fits lasting anything from a couple of minutes up to about twenty takes about Haif an hour to return to normal once he comes round, need to feed him snacks constantly through the day to prevent them occurring.
243 fallow
Well-Known Member
Get your dogs fit that would be a start, I've seen a few spaniels over the years flake out. Some of the problems are people who claim to have working dogs when in reality all they get is a walk round the block and on two Saturdays a month these dogs are expected to shift hell and high water covering all types of terrain including water. You can't feed them fit.
It's also worth noting that at 8 years old, despite what you think, your dog is no spring chicken. It's probably around two thirds of it's way through life's journey and it most positively won't have the staying power of when it was 3 or 4. Police dogs are generally retired in their eighth year, for example. So whilst many dogs can work on happily into double figures, to expect them to work at the same rate is not reasonable. What's more, it's wise to remember that as dog's lives are so much shorter than ours, their ageing processes are much quicker. "I don't know why, he was fine all last season" is something I've heard before.
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