CKCS Feeding Question Diet

I'm curious to know what and how much Cavalier owners feed their dogs during the course of an average day. My reason for asking is that the vet has said, rightly so, that Poppy is a bit overweight. We have cut her food down to below the amount recommended for a 10kg Cavalier, but Poppy seems to be constantly hungry. On an average day she will have:

Breakfast
0.5oz bran flakes
She does not have dog food for breakfast as it is too rich for her on an empty stomach and the vet recommended bran flakes to help with her anal gland problem.

Snack: 1 Winalot biscuit

Lunch
1 slice ham or turkey & 2oz of James Welbeloved turkey and rice kibble, 1 desert spoon of natural yoghurt

Snack: 0.5 JWB lightbite

Dinner
3oz James Welbeloved turkey and rice kibble

evening snack: 1 Pedigree Markies biscuit and a logic dental chew


She seems to be getting up earlier and earlier in the morning, sometimes as early as 4.30am because she's so hungry. It seems to me that we are underfeeding her based on the recommendations on the packet of JWB, but if we feed her the recommended amount she piles on the weight.


What and how much do other CKCS owners feed and if you don't mind me asking, how much do your dogs weigh?

Thanks

What a rather unusual diet !

My Cavaliers Adults have Pero Chicken & Rice twice a day(AM & early evening). Joedee weighs 7kgs he has never put any weight on or lost any since he was 18 months old & he is very muscular. Loukar wieghs around 8.5 kgs, but e is a much bigger dogs.

Roodee, who is 5 months old, has just come off three meals a day & is on Pero Puppy food fed at the same time as the others.

They do have raw carrots, apples, celery(I jest not), raw eggs(once/twice a week in their shells), any other veggies that I prepare for myself.

They also have raw recreational bones & the training treats when we do training together

If your dog has anal gland problems, its better to give ordinary bran soaked & added to their normal food than to give Bran Flakes.

Most shop bought cooked meat have water plus preservatives added(including salt)-not something I would give daily to a dog

Thanks for your reply Joedee. Sorry to have shocked you.

Poppy does get the occasional raw carrott, but I was giving an average day, not necessarily EVERY day.

She has Pro Fibre in her lunch and dinner to help with her anal glands, so I think I might cut out the bran flakes, but I don't know what to replace them with as like I said any dog food seems too rich for her first thing in the morning. Her treats and biscuits have been cut right back too.

I Poppy goes to under 10kg, she looks skinny and gaunt. She is a couple of inches taller than breed standard and very broad across the back.

The ham and turkey she has are the no added water variety, but I agree with you about the salt, hence her not having it EVERY day.

Hi Deana

I have fed both of my boys on Burns since having them. Other foods are veg, carrots etc, egg and shell, fish, and burns venison tongues, kelties, sea jerky, puffed jerky, bulls what nots.

One has a tendency to put on weight so I monitor everything they eat.

If they have treats I substitute the food accordingly.

The quantity of Burns Dry Food is measured each and every day ( twice a day once in the morning and then again at 3pm)

Hope this helps xx

Thanks Tracy

Do you feed the recommended amount or more/less?

Are they both within the breed standard weight range?

Was going to send you a message on the book of face, but it's down for maintainence - and I have crops to harvest on my farm!

Hi Deana

Both are 9kg and 9.9kg ( last weigh in ) so just within the breed standard.

I feed the recommended amount, as it states on the packaging.

Have you ever taken Poppy to a hydro pool ( sorry I know I bark on about it - but its fantastic exercise )

High Oats is also brilliant, I have used this with Harvey before and its very effective with weight loss!!

Not even set up my farm yet ! ;-)

I feed my two ckcs twice a day Dotty wieghs 6.3kg and has 40g at each meal she has never gained or lost weight and has been spayed. Dotty is at the bottom for size of ckcs and is the perfect weight for her body frame. She was fed a lot less than this when she lived with her breeder and was shown.
Ziggy is neutered and is fed 60g he weighs 9.5kg and again the correct weight for his body frame I feed them both on JWB. I do give them treats but would adjust thier food if I thought they needed less. About three times a week they have chicken added to thier food.

Hi. Hamish is nearly 2 years old now. He weighs just over 9kgs. He is fed twice a day. He is rather fussy and I take all the blame for that as I spoiled him....and still do.
I cook his meals for him. He has chicken, liver, other offal, lamb, turkey and rabbit. I mix the meat with a standard mixer. He doesn't really look for any snacks, but will chew the occasional tripe stick or rawhide chew. Now and again he will accept a gravy bone or two.
Recently, I have been buying my rabbit for him online and if you want to send me a PM, I will provide the details of this excellent firm. They offer a great service and reasonable prices.

I use Royal Canin for Cavaliers, my girls love it and i top it up with veg. It tells you exactly how much your dog should have and is full of all the goodness that a cavalier requires

Thanks Dawney. I have looked at RC for Cavaliers, but couldn't see much difference to the normal Adult Mini.

I've been weighing out Poppy's food according to the packet and have to say it looks a hell of a lot, so I've reduced it. She now has 1oz at breakfast, 1oz at lunch and 2oz at dinner, which is still a lot less than on the packet. She's due her booster in two weeks, so I'll see how much she's lost and see what the vet suggests.

I was worried when she'd only lost 1/2lb, but I've read a dog book which states it would take a dog who weighed 100kg longer to lose 0.5kg than it would a human, so I feel a bit happier now.

Thanks to everyone for your replies. x

I feed my two on James Wellbeloved Junior - even though they are 7 and 2, but get loads of exercise and we are involved in competitive obedience. Ted the older one is 11kg, but before anyone screams - he is very trim (my vet commended me on the fact), very muscular and has a lovely waste, breast bone, just muscly. Bertie is about 8kg. I only feed them about half the recommended amouth of JW with about a quarter of a small time of Cesar wet food - both a bit fussy. They do have some treats during the day and some of my food (yeh yeh) but not too much.

I think you need to just know your dog, give them as much exercise as you can, mine regularly do 8 - 10 miles off lead and love it.