Cavalier Breeder Serving Florida, Georgia and Beyond
How To Feed Your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
To understand how a Cavalier digests his food, you have to understand the metabolism of a dog. It is much faster than a human’s metabolism which is why they can eat disgusting things and not get sick. Dogs in the wild eat once every so often and gorge their food because there is no telling when their next meal will come from. Their systems are set up for that sort of food intake. Therefore it is really not necessary to feed twice a day. You can if you wish.
Use a "snood" to feed your dogs, especially if you feed wet food. Use a Spaniel Bowl for water so that your Cavalier does not get the ears wet every time he/she drinks water.
KIBBLE DIET is traditionally easy to buy and prepare.
- Pro - Does not Spoil - Travels Well.
- Pro - Comparatively Inexpensive.
- Con - May cause Allergic Reactions. Cavaliers sometimes are allergic to chicken or turkey.
- Con - Puppies will drink a lot on kibble as it is dry food. Best to soak it with hot water or broth, let it cool and mix it up a bit.
- Con - Meat product in the kibble is minimal, poor quality and exposed to high heat which removes any nutrition it may have offered your puppy. Kibble also has more carbohydrates than protein.
- Con - Some dogs will be finicky eaters.
RAW DIET is gaining in popularity. Not all ready-made, frozen, raw diets are complete thus make sure you feed a complete frozen diet if you decide to feed raw.
- Pro - You will Feed a Lesser Amount.
- Pro - Finicky Dogs Seem to Prefer Raw.
- Pro - Puppies do not drink as much water and therefore their output is less - makes housebreaking a breeze.
- Con - Spoils if Not used in a Timely Fashion.
- Con - Refrigeration Required if Traveling.
- Con - May Be Expensive.
- Con - If your Pup Gets Sick your Vet May Blame the Raw Diet.
If you decide to feed both Raw & Kibble Diet, do not mix them. Dog’s digestive systems digest meat and kibble at a different rate. Meat meal is given at night as it is light on the intestines and a puppy should be able to get through the night.
Feeding Puppies
PUPPY DIET
In general, you should let your pup dictate how much he/she wants by offering plenty to eat. Puppies can eat as much as they want. Do not worry if they are plump or fat. They will lose it as they grow. It is not a sin to feed leftovers – just avoid fat, cooked bones and skin.
Puppies cannot regulate their sugar levels in their blood. If they go long hours without eating something, they may have a hypoglycemic episode. It is not life threatening but you want to avoid it. Just make sure your puppy is eating something twice a day at least, even if you have to hand feed him his food.
Feed IN THE CRATE with the door locked. Leave puppy in there for at least a half hour unless the puppy is crying to get out – then take puppy outside and give the command “go potty” or whatever command you prefer, but you will want to use the same one consistently.
Make sure pups have access to water an hour after they eat. That is when they will be thirsty.
FEEDING PUPPIES KIBBLE - (Do not use a Grain Free food-Amounts given are approximate)
- 2-3 Months: 1/3 cup PUPPY kibble - 3 Times daily
- 3-4 Months ½-3/4 Cup PUPPY Kibble - 2 Times Daily PLUS ½ Duck Duck Goose Freeze Dried Patty broken up in the middle of the day.
- 4-6 Months: 3/4-1 Cup PUPPY Kibble - 2 Times Daily PLUS ½ Duck Duck Goose Freeze Dried Patty broken up in the middle of the day.
- 6 Months switch to ADULT kibble.
If the pup eats it all, offer slightly more at the next feeding. You should increase the amount your puppy consumes as he/she is growing. If you measure/keep a record of how much puppy is eating on a daily basis, then you can increase/decrease appropriately to keep your pup is at a healthy weight.At 4 months on you can start adding different foods to the puppy’s kibble such as a little cooked egg, fruits (blueberries, other berries, apple, pear etc), cooked green vegetables, cooked sweet potatoes, fish oils, left-over food from the table (but do not feed the puppy when you are at the table). When feeding kibble, I usually add a tablespoon of chicken or beef with a little broth to make it yummy! From 2 months to 6 months or so I also keep 1⁄2 cup kibble in a bowl on the counter to feed as training treats throughout the day by the entire family to teach the puppy commands. There is no free lunch – puppies must work for their lunch! to teach the puppy to focus on you and learn to sit, come, down, stay and whatever trick you wish to teach the puppy. Use training treats when you take puppy out to eliminate as a treat for when they do eliminate.
FEEDING PUPPIES RAW
- 2-3 Months: 1/4 to 1/3 of an 8oz patty 3x day.
- 3-4 Months: 1/3 to 1/2 patty of an 8oz patty 2x day.
- 4-6 Months: 1/2 – 3/4 of an 8oz patty 2x day.
There is approximately 2 oz of meat per 1/4 of an 8oz patty of raw. Change to a different meat each time you purchase another 6 lb sleeve of frozen raw patties.
Always cut Fresh Cooked Meat or break up into tiny bites. Veggies must be chopped VERY fine if raw (or pulverized.) Cooked chicken (thighs/breasts, boned & skinned cooked in a little garlic salt) Stew meat, ground course cooked & drained or raw ground beef, Cooked turkey, ground or cut into tiny pieces only occasionally. Cooked lamb, ground or cut in tiny pieces only occasionally.
You may use high quality canned food up 2-3 a week. Don't use any that contain liver, as may give them loose stools.
Feeding Adults
ADULT CAVALIERS
Fully grown, mature adult Cavaliers eat approximately 3/4- 1 cup adult kibble daily plus a cookie, training treats such as Charlie Bears and 1 Nuvet Vitamin. Do not overfeed your adult Cavalier!
Measure out the food with a measuring cup. Dogs never become overweight from being spayed or neutered. Dogs do become overweight due to over-feeding and under- exercising.
WEIGH YOUR CAVALIER OFTEN
Obesity is a form of torture. A fat Cavalier is a dead Cavalier! Once your Cavalier is spayed/neutered, you must, must weigh him/her each week or month. It is FAR easier to PREVENT obesity than to take weight off. Once your dog gains the weight, he never gets his figure back completely.
