I have a 12month old working cocker as a pet, i can feel all his spine and his hips, he is fed on eukanuba twice daily and sometimes get pasta, veg and meat as a treat. he is wormed every 3 months and was last done only a few weeks ago.
When it comes feeding time he gets over excited and almosts swallows his food without chewing.

I also have other cockers that are fed exactly the same and they are perfect weight.

has anyone else had this problem, should i get him to the vets or do i just need to change his food????

One of my working cockers looks very thin (you can see his ribs), and  I know other people who have cockers like this, too.  Like yours, he is always desparate for his dinner, and seems to inhale his food - and he has double the quantity of a much higher calorie food than my other cocker.  But his coat is lovely and glossy and he is full of life so I'm pretty sure he's not starving and malnourished.  The best food I've found for him is Arden Grange Premium - he looks even thinner on the other foods we've tried.  I know someone else who is trying one of the Hills foods on their underweight cocker.

Oh to have an underweight cocker lol!

Sorry, I know, not very constructive but couldn't resist.

I know someone with an underweight working type springer who swears by CSJ CP30. 

I used to have a border collie bitch that I daren't let anyone stroke. I would have been prosecuted for neglect !!
She was fed as much as she would eat, but was convinced that she shouldn't allow swallows into her airspace, we have flocks of them ! she would run and run after them. Extremely fit but not enough meat on her to even cover her bones.
She did improve as she got older and was spayed at 5 and that made quite a difference.

One of my mum's W.Cockers was like this, he wasn't just the usual nice trim shape of a W.Cocker he was always just that little bit too thin, I used to hate giving him a stroke and cuddle, (hopefully he did not know :-) ) it's what I was saying about metabolisms being different on another thread, he too would gulp down his food, but run like the wind his walks always used up 4 times the energy of all the other dogs put together, I think he was the fastest dog she ever had. He was always given extra chicken wings to try to keep a little weight on and that may be a good idea for your boy too.

The only time he put weight on was when he got to approx 7yrs my mum had him neutered, and he also then filled out nicely, still as active but it did somehow help him to keep the weight on.

But, I would not recommend you doing that for a while if you do, as long as he is healthy and active with a nice coat as said don't worry. TBH many, many breeds at this age are quite thin at adolescence then fill out from aged 3 onwards, he may well do the same.

Worth a vet check if you are worried as you can never be too cautious, if your vet says he's healthy don't worry. :-)

> TBH many, many breeds at this age are quite thin at adolescence then fill out from aged 3 onwards, he may well do the same.
>

  A friend at agility has a young working cocker coming up to about 20 months old and he is exceedingly lean and it's very hard to keep weight on him. He is fit and active and will probably fill out a bit more when he has fully matured.

Well if he is ravenous maybe simply giving him more will get weight on him.  Dogs of same size and breed can vary wildly re how much food they need to keep them fit.

I am assuming his motions are normal and firm, to point to him digesting the food well?

My youngster (12 months today) is on almost twice the amount of food that her granmother gets.

Agree with the previous post, if the dog is lean and hungry feed it more. T he guides on food are just that, a guide. I have one girl who was returned to me at 18mths, hers had struggled to getbher to hold weight, she was very thin when she came home and she was always hungry. I just kept gradually increasing her food and she started to gain weight beautifully BUT she requires almost double the quantity of food recommended for her size to maintain her weight.

A lean dog wih good coat healthy appetite and loads of energy is far better than a fat lifeless dog. Some working cockers just don't seem to carry any weight but remain very healthy. Try adding  some tripe, green is best nice and smelly and naturally full of nutrition. My cockers hold their condition very well even during the shooting season, I obviously increase their rations when they are working but do not use complete feeds just natural wet raw meat and tripe with a terrier mixer biscuit.  Dry complete feeds are not "natural" but they are convenient. If you do decide to use tripe or fresh meat make the change slowly so as not to upset the tummy.

> A lean dog wih good coat healthy appetite and loads of energy is far better than a fat lifeless dog.

I agree and am still not convinced that we are not simply being spammed here.

Most 12 month old pups are slim, it is how it should be, why would a young active dog want to carry any weight.

There is good condition weight and "overweight", no dog should have to be overweight if fed correctly. I don't think anyone here is talking about overweight!      Maybe I just misunderstood the last comment!

Maybe I just misunderstood the last comment!

Perhaps, I meant that at 12 months a pup will have lost its 'puppy fat' and slimmed down and become an active teenager and is unlikely to regain any body until maturity is reached, there are exceptions but what I have described is the usual way. Providing a pup is fit and being fed enough and is eating it may be slim but that is not a problem, many animal are slim during their adolescence even in some cases us.

PENFOLD, 16,2,12        
An overweight dog is usually overfed by it's owner and I find the cause is quiet often the convenient dry "complete" feeds. In it's dry state looks like a very small feed but when swollen by liquid is probably half a bucket full! Change your feeding to a natural diet of fresh meat or tipe, add cooked vegetables or use just a very little biscuit meal and see the results! but you will still have to be strict with the amount that you give.

NOVA,  Yes I misunderstood your previous comment, I understand what you say and agree with you.

Change your feeding

Or feed the correct amount.

YES!

My WCS is good weight wise. i do have to be careful that she doesnt put on weight. however i know some WCS that are skiny malinkys! it is the way they are built they are not built to carry much weight. i have a friend sho is the same herself, doesnt matter what she eats she is a lean machine. you cannot put weight on if it isnt meant to be there.

Absolutely, they are still very happy and healthy and I agree that some never carry any weight. I have though seen the ocasional young dog who has been worryingly thin, I do wonder if sometimes it is the owner thinking that a puppy/young dog should be a lean machine and not feeding enough to allow for a little "puppy fat" whilst growing to maturity, what a shame but I'm sure they make it in the end.

not feeding enough to allow for a little "puppy fat" whilst growing to maturity,

Would be worried if an adolescent was not developing muscle but not if there was no sign of extra weight, there is no reason for a dog to be carrying extra food supplies if the owner is feeding well and regularly as that will sustain development without adding weight. Now a young pup is different you expect some extra weigh on a pup but from 12 month on it is not needed or in fact required, quality food in the correct amounts is the best way and adjust the amount to suit the dogs metabolism so the finished result is slim not thin, well muscled not rolling, you should be able to feel both spine and ribs but whether you should be able to see them depends on the breed.