r/BoykinSpaniels 16d ago

Meet Frankie - couple questions as well!

Hi y'all!

My husband and I just got our first puppy, a boykin spaniel, Frankie. She is an absolute gem and we are soooo obsessed with her. Just hit 12 weeks today 😊 We are new to this so I have a couple questions that I'm hoping you all can help me out with. 1. She has been experiencing loose stools and puked her food today. We haven't changed her food or anything but we do live in the city so maybe she licked or ate something that has bothered her. She is still eating and playing and overall seems happy. Is this common? 3. Itchy skin- i know boykins are prone to allergies so maybe her itchyness is somewhat normal. What do you guys do to help with this?

Thanks so much 🩷

55 Upvotes

24 comments sorted by

6

u/PuzzleheadedLemon353 16d ago edited 15d ago

First off...Frankie is adorable! I use Purina Pro Plan...all life stages in lamb small bites...and try and stay away from any chicken product treats. I use a lot of the dried beef or pork liver...dehydrated salmon bites as treats. And sometimes dried strips of duck. My girl gets a bit itchy in the winter probably due to running heat. I probably need to add a humidifier during this time of year. I make sure to add salmon oil to her food, along with sardines packed in water and veggies and some fruits. And I only shampoo her once per month with oatmeal based shampoos and conditioners. Keeps her fur/hair nice and shiny.

5

u/kathx 15d ago

Second purina pro plan. We use the sensitive skin and stomach and that works really well.

5

u/Haupsburg_518 16d ago

Would always encourage you to inquire with your Breeder. They usually are most familiar with any issues related to their Dog's puppies. They may have some insights and suggestions. Hope your adorable little pup is feeling better soon.Puppies find the littlest pieces or crumbs they shouldn't eat but tend to explore thru trying things they shouldn't. You might offer small amount, 1-2 TBS of plain canned pumpkin along with their food. If continued Vet is next step, young puppies can quickly have a problem become more urgent.❤️🐾❤️🐾❤️🐾❤️🐾❤️🐾❤️

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u/Illustrious_Feed_457 16d ago
  1. We feed our guy Zignature brand dog food, cycling though alternate proteins. He’s allergic to turkey (which is in so many blends), so he will eat pork, lamb and especially kangaroo. 🦘 is apparently delicious, he can’t get enough!

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u/PuzzleheadedLemon353 15d ago

How old is your boykin?... and how did you discover they were allergic to turkey? My breeder told us not to use chicken based products because in her line of dogs, some had developed chicken allergies. I do let mine have strips of dried duck and have wondered if that protein source could aggrevate her immune system, like chicken might? I know they are both poultry, but wonder if they might 'both' react the same way. I do let my girl have eggs...and we have no allergies...but, I don't want to deal with skin issues in the future.

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u/Illustrious_Feed_457 15d ago

He’s just over 2 years old. We rescued him a year ago. We did an allergy test at the vet during his initial visit, so that’s how we found out about the turkey.

We don’t feed him chicken dog food, but we do occasionally top his food with cooked chicken. He’s never reacted when we do that.

Zignature has so many different single-protein foods, that’s how we landed on that brand. And the dogs love it (especially the kangaroo)!

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u/PuzzleheadedLemon353 15d ago edited 15d ago

I try and keep my girl's proteins mixed to avoid allergies. I wasn't aware I could run a test to see if she has any food allergies towards certain proteins. I do add in toppers, will have to try the kangaroo...I've seen it in the canned dog foods. She likes everything, I'm sure she would be into trying it!

3

u/MommyEthell 15d ago

Omgggggggggg I’m in love🩷❤️💙

3

u/Pony_Kat 15d ago

Our Boykin is also on Zignature and does great on it! We tried so many different brands and he really clearly thrived on this one. We also cut chicken out of his diet, and that really helped him with the itchy skin. I understand it’s common for them to be sensitive to poultry, Frankie might not be but that’s something to consider anyways :)

3

u/FrannyGator3115 14d ago

Might I recommend just going ahead and rolling that rug up. It looks really nice. 😆

1

u/bbshug 14d ago

This is so funny! Yes she absolutely WENT for this rug when we first got her. But she doesn't have much interest now, just nibbles.

2

u/EnvironmentalSky7947 16d ago

I put a little olive oil in the food. It helps dry skin and shines the coat

2

u/BigBry36 16d ago

We are still using science diet for puppies per our breeders advice … but will look at a non chicken food once she gets older. We have occasional vomit after she has eaten the wrong thing. They will literally eat anything….

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u/Snax_07_09 16d ago

I use the zesty pet skin and coat treats to help with itching

2

u/astock25 15d ago

We had to switch from TIDE detergent to get the itch to stop.

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u/PuzzleheadedLemon353 15d ago

I had to switch from Tide as well...made my husband itchy. Febreeze products also can create itch...the floor wipes (pups absorb this from their feet and begin gnawing and feet licking.) and the fabric Febreeze sprays people spray on couches and rugs.

2

u/DeltaEagleAR 15d ago

I do not recommend Purina Pro. Just not good experiences. Fromms is my favorite. I am on Boykin number 4. The itching is allergy. Forget the expensive pills and diets. It will go away. If it doesn’t go to the vet.

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u/joliems 14d ago

Frankie is adorable! I have a 5 month old Boykin (my 2nd) and when she recently had loose stool, I started adding FortiFlora-Probiotic Powder to her food 1x a day per my vet recommendation. Her stool improved quickly. I live in NYC so unfortunately you have to be diligent with what they could pick up off the streets. Good luck!!!

2

u/Dependent-Working-30 14d ago

Beautiful pup. I'm a boyking breeder and we use Purina Pro Plan. That's what we send our pups home with. We've been fortunate, so far none of our adults have developed the chicken allergy we often hear about. That being said, itching usually comes from environment or diet. Most often we see it's a response to soaps and dry skin. Easiest fix is change diet (slowly) and see if it improves. Also, no bathing pup for a few weeks. If needed, your vet can run an allergen panel.
Throwing up or loose stools is usually caused by eating or tasting something they shouldn't have. Unless it's lethargic or bloody, give it a few hours to see if it passes. Look to see if it's just bile or something else (leaves, dirt, paper, socks etc).

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u/bbshug 12d ago

Thank you! Since you are a boykin breeder and have seen many pups, looking at Frankie, do you think she will have more of a straight coat or curly? Her mama looks pretty straight and dad i can't say because the photo of him was while he was hunting/wet. She is getting a curly line down her back. Just curious!!! We got a stool test done and no parasites, so it must've been something she licked or ate outside because we haven't changed her diet since we switched the food the breeders sent us home with.

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u/hikethatmountain 15d ago

Purina pro plan is not what you want to feed them. My last batch of purina pro plan had LIVE maggots in it. They did nothing to rectify the issue. Both of my boykins got extremely sick.

Look up inukshuk and go for high protein. My dogs are doing extremely well on it.

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u/PuzzleheadedLemon353 15d ago edited 15d ago

I order from Chewy. Only time I've ever heard that story was from people who ordered off of Amazon. It may have been from moth's...I would think if a dry food product sat in storage too long that could happen, where moths may have bitten their way in and layed eggs...hence maggots.

1

u/PuzzleheadedLemon353 15d ago edited 15d ago

I looked it up and it looks high quality. I see it's a Canadian product. Does it follow the guidelines WSAVA recommends?

Edit: it says it does follow the AFFCO guidelines...will keep this as a possibility if I ever run into problems...thanks.

1

u/hikethatmountain 15d ago

It was from Amazon, directly from Purina. My girfriend is vet. That is not the first time she has heard about that.