My springer puppy was very very poorly a few months ago.  Diagnosed with french heartworm, giardia and campylobacter as a result of faeces tests thanks to my fantastic vet!  She spent some time very very loose, didn't want to eat at all.  Real nightmare

Now, she has a good healthy appetite, on James Wellbeloved and is doing ok.  But she is still tiny, about 2 months behind where she should be growth wise and I can't get enough food in to her without it going straight through her.  She is really lean.  Too thin really but not to the point where she looks neglected.

She is a working springer so cutting down exercise is not an option!

A friend recommended something called B sorb - found it on a website called Osmonds and they also stock a all round conditioning supplement.  Not sure if any one has had any experience of either of these.  They seem pretty well priced but delivery is a bit steep so don't want to spend a load of cash on something that either does not work, or worse makes her squitty again!!!

Any suggestions or recommendations?

>She is a working springer so cutting down exercise is not an option!<br />

I'm confused here.  I thought you said she is a puppy?

In which case, exercise needs limiting until those bones have finished growing.

She is 8 months

We don't walk miles or do loads but she needs to get out and stretch her legs.  I can't just limit her to 10 minutes on a lead around the block.

Has she been in season yet ? She may well be slower to mature and fill out .Some ESS working lines are slimmer.Rather than walking and exercise burning off the food intake , better to teach her stuff , things to do , free play .

No season yet.  She still looks a real puppy to be honest.  She looks well in that she has a nice coat, bright eyes and all just no cover on her.  I am all for lean fit dogs, but I like my puppies to have a bit of puppy fat for want of a better word. 

As for exercise, we do a bit of lead work, 10 to 15 minutes - heel work sits at kerbs and the like.  When we get to the park she gets some off lead play with my beagle - 20 minutes or so may be a bit of play with her ball.  In the house we practise sits and downs and waits etc as well as plenty of playtime in the garden.  I use food rewards with a lot of this so she is getting extra kibble for those as well as her meals. 

My problem is that if I fed to appetite for her she would go down hill rapidly as it just makes her loose.  Even a small increase in food can upset her digestion quite quickly.

I was quite tempted by the osmonds stuff, they do a seaweed as well, I used a seaweed supplement for my horse and it worked really well, it seems to slow the rate food passes through as well so it is absorbed better.

How often do you feed her?

If you're feeding her twice a day, then increasing her food intake by adding a third meal seems to cause less of a runny tummy than increasing the other two meals.

At the moment she is on twice, I did try 3 but it just comes flying out the other end!

I was just looing at maybe adding a bit of tripe or something to her meals?  Then I wondered about something like black pudding? 

My springer looked terrible at that age too.  All skin and bone with very thin hair.  She did mature into a podgy lady though.  It's a phase they go through at this age so I wouldn't be too concerned about how she looks but what her stomach can manage.  If you start messing around with her meals, it might start off the sensitivity again.  I have no knowledge about that though as my springer can eat anything(and usually does).  I do know that if I add meat to her meals, she piles the weight on, but she didn't at that age.  She was about 2 before I started having to watch her food intake.
I add all types of meat to the meal but watch liver with a sensitive tum.  You should maybe try yoghurts too(add good bacteria)

Thanks, I do give them both a bit of yoghurt which they seem to enjoy.

This is why I was looking at the Osmonds supplements.  I struggle so much to get a balance between the amount I put in and the speed it comes out!!!  I was interested to see if anyone had any experience of their stuff particulary the seaweed and all round supplement.  Not sure about the B sorb as she is not picky and she has a good appetite it's just utilising it!

Personally I wouldn't start adding this and that in way of supplements .I found minced raw tripe appeals to most of ours and gives good body . Adding very small amount  may be the way to go . Most dogs go through an awkward puppy /junior stage at some time or another. Some of us rear more slowly and gently than others preferring the puppies skeleton to grow and mature before putting too much weight on , and some of us certainly refrain from too much exercise when dogs are young.

My concern is not that she doens't look great, actually she does apart from being really really thin.  Ugly duckling puppy I could live with as long as she was healthy.  Physically I know she is as we treated all the earlier issues but it really has knocked her digestion out of whack.  I understand what you say about supplement but my worry is that all it takes is one meal being unusual - a little tripe or whatever - and her tummy is loose for days.  Which is unpleasant for all of us!
And while I understand about not over feeding or over exercising young bones etc I don't think that 30 to 40 minutes exercise is excessive for what really ought to be a mostly grown dog now.  And I don't want her fat but it would be nice not to be able to swat up on anatomy when she walks past as you can see bone and muscles right under the skin.  In my experience young animals put on a little weight, grow a bit and look a bit lean, put on a little, grow a little etc.  She is neither putting on nor really growning much.  I am seriously worried she may end up stunted.

Roxylola, My springer was out working by that age and would be out for a good few hours at a time.  A good bit would be waiting time but a lot of working too.  Never did mine any harm.  I would just feed little and often.  Maybe run through a obedience routine once a day using her complete biscuits as treats and that will get another little bit into her.  I swear, you will be sitting a year from now with your springer on a diet!!lol.  Ugly ducking describes ours perfectly at that age!

If only she were a bit more like my hound I could pump treats into her that way!  My beagle was the easiest dog in the world to train to heel, so food motivated.  Roxy can have a sausage in front of her and she would leave it to go and put birds up, or chase leaves in the wind lol.  Hope she does come to at the moment she is about the size of a cocker!

I dont believe in packing the food in. it will just come out splruge at the other end. you may have a  pup that was going to be 'fine' anyway, whether ill or not. who knows. as for excersice. try some mental simuli instead of physical. also split back to three feeds.

Proper working springers shouldn't be a lot bigger than a cocker.  My cockers are perfect size(show type) and the springer only stands a bit taller.  She's not big at all but that's how they should be.  The taller ones are the show types.  I've got one that comes to me that must be about the size of a pointer! And he gets mistaken for one once he's had a haircut!lol.  You must just have a pocket rocket, like mine!  And if you can survive a beagle, you can do anything! Honestly, she will start filling out over the next year or so but I wouldn't think she'll get any taller at that age.

Also, if you look on page 2, you will see a similar topic with a working cocker.  Might help re-assure you somewhat.

Pocket rocket, lol that is definitely one way to describe her.  I think I have been panicking after the whole ooh look at those paws that I get from people - they are monsters - but her mum was a similar size to my beagle, just chunkier.

And as for the beagle - I actually dna'd her - 50% beagle, 25% foxhound.  Imagine a beagle on crack!

What was the remaining 25%?

Mixed breed - spitz mainly but only about 10%.  And various other hound ancestry - weimaraner was in there somewhere which anyone who has ever met her found quite hilarious!

Following a lot of pretty useless advice from JWB I have her back on their fish puppy food and she is doing much better on it.  Anybody else found that these so called nutritionists are not worth much?

I can honestly say that the nutritionist at Arden Grange is worth her weight in gold. Qualified, knowledgeable and helpful!

Yes I vote AG too - Nessa I think

I've also had good advice and support from Fish4Dogs and CSJ

I tried csj - their name has come up a few times in different forums as being pretty good.  Got a prompt reply suggesting 3 of their foods which are wheat free.  Unfortunately my local stockist had two different ones but I am giving the Champ one a try if it don't get on with her the beagle eats anything so it's not wasted at least

Ah yes, forgot CSJ ... vote for Ceri there too, she's brill :D Never spoken to anyone at F4D :(

I have my crew on this at the moment http://www.natureslogic.com/ seems to be doing lovely with them.

I also add stuff into their food at supper- dehydrated/freeze dried food with their kibble which they love, let it sit for a bit
in some water, then add their kibble. Also some green tripe.
(Grandma Lucy's & Honest Kitchen).

I found Moose was very loose due to new food, plus I was free feeding (now schedule feed) but she got use to it and as long as I keep switching stuff up her
stool seems to stay solid- reason why I add stuff to their food. I also give frozen pumpkin sometimes just as a treat.

Hmm, that looked like a North America supplier?  No good for me but it sounds like it is working well for your crew!

CSJ sent me free food!!!!

If I had read their email properly I would have seen they were sending me samples and might have been a little less excited this morning lol

They recommended 3 foods, and sent samples of all 3.  They advise to offer them all and see what the dog prefers, I know what the result of that would be, all 3 gone!

I bought a bag of their champ as that was all my local place stocked.  They could order but would be 2 weeks!!!!  So I am transitioning them both slowly on to that and all is going well so far!  Have to say for sure JWB have lost my business one way or another as the advise and attitude I have had from CSJ is far superior to what they offered in a customer service respect.  I am determined to find a food from CSJ that works for my girl now

goats milk

I had a similar thing with my giant breed puppy - she was very ill at 5 months old and has taken ages to get to what I would call acceptable for her age

We have always added minced tripe if we want to feed up a dog - and goats milk twice weekly,usually within a week you can notice the difference.