Cavalier King Charles nutrition

Aruba08

Bit of history, I have 2 stunning cavvies, (age 2 and 3) mostly outdoor dogs, as well bred as the breed can be. No heart, hip, head issues. A male and a female both neutered. The ruby is lovely and slim but our male black and tan has gotten quite heavy. Both exercised. so fit and healthy

Can I ask what those with the breed feed theirs and how much. I would like to see him back to a normal weight. He gets 1 small cup of royal canin a day now as part of a new diet and does look smaller. Just interested in what everyone else is feeding their dogs.

merryhappy

I have two CKCS's male and female both neutered also, they are five and six.

They are both an ideal weight and they eat one cup of James Wellbeloved once a day. At the moment Holly is on j/d reduced calorie for joint problems but when she's back to health she will be back on JWB.

Royal Canin is a good food but it was a bit rich for my dogs and one of them go recurrent UTI's when they were on it. However you mentioned your dogs are in good health so I see no reason not to keep then on it and keep restrictions in place if you are seeing results.

A good tip that my vet gave me was to feed according to how much activity they have had that day. We go for extra long walks at the weekend so the dogs get a big more food ans maybe some chicken, on the days Holly goes to hydrotherapy I give her about a third of a cup extra.

When you say that your dogs are mainly outdoors do you mean that they are outside when you're not there/ at night? it's just that there has been an awful lot of dogs particularly this breed stolen from gardens recently and ultimately they are not outdoor dogs anyway.

lorebringer

Cavaliers are renowned for weight gain, esp after neutering. It is usually more of a problem with the ladies but can happen with the boys.

There are two options with regards to food when trying to get a Cavalier to slim down - smaller portions of a regular food or a light food. I have gone down both routes with one of my dogs in particular (and with others when they have put on a few pounds) and it's really up to you. Royal Canin, Arden Grange and James Wellbeloved all do a decent light food which have worked well for me in the past. Because Cavaliers are small dogs, portion size can feel quite stingy and the last thing you want is the dog to be hungry so the light foods can be a good option.

Recently, I have been feeding Burns and have noticed that my guys have dropped a few pounds without meaning to - due to it's lower calorie content that other foods - so this could be worth a try also. It's a good quality food and the portion for a Cavalier is pretty good without the poor thing going hungry. There is a portion guide on the pack for "target weight" for dogs that are losing weight so it takes the guess work out of feeding. The slower the weight comes off the better, if your dog loses weight too quickly not only is it unhealthy for the dog but they are far more likely to put it back on. Perhaps splitting the dogs meals in two but doubling feeds (so instead of feeding one meal per day, feed half the same amount twice a day) would help prevent the dog getting hungry through out the day.

Exercise is very important when it comes to losing weight. I know you said that they are well exercised but if you could increase it, even by as little as 15 minutes per day, it would really help getting the pounds off. Anything aerobic - running around, playing, chasing a ball, a brisk walk - will make a difference.

Aruba08

really informative answers and thank you to you both. Just in from feeding them now and Oscar is starting to look a bit slimmer so it must be working.

Great info on the different foods. The royal canin seems to be agreeing with them so i may stick with that.
One thing i have noticed since changing to the better quality food, Chili my ruby used to have a nasty habit of eating lots of grass and this behaviour has completely stopped. I know dogs and cats do this when their tummy is at them but she was quite obsessive about it. I am so happy it has stopped.

I have upped their exercise to an longer run in our local woods (which they adore). Have to say even their stamina has improved since changing the food. I wonder will I get the lower calorie one for Oscar anyway. When he is at a perfect weight he is stunning, so regal. He was a massive pup in caparison to the rest of the litter and quite tall for a cavalier so i know he will never be a tiny skinny type.

They are a gorgeous breed

sotisme

I have a 4yr old male neutered cavalier. He was on Madra and/or Bakers but was getting a bit chubby so I moved him onto Burns.
He has been on Burns for a few months now, and there is a big improvement
He gets 3 small meals a day of v small handfuls.
+1 on the Burns