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Finding the best dog food for a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel should be on the top of your list as these dogs have special nutritional considerations. The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is a toy breed and it is known for its social nature and friendly personality. These dogs may be small but they are all heart – they love to spend time with family and they get along very well with children. These are just a few of the many qualities that make this breed so popular. In fact, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is consistently ranked among the top 20 breeds in the U.S. according to yearly AKC registration statistics.
As is true for all dogs, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel needs a well-balanced diet in order to remain happy and healthy so you should take the time to learn about the nutritional needs of your dog. Below you will learn the basics about the nutritional needs for Cavalier King Charles Spaniels – you will also learn about some special considerations to keep in mind when feeding your dog. You will also receive recommendations for three top-quality commercial dog food products that would be ideal for your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
Nutritional Needs for Cavalier King Charles Spaniels
As it has already been mentioned, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is a toy breed. These dogs only stand an average of 12 to 13 inches tall at maturity and they generally weigh between 13 and 18 pounds. Although these dogs are small, they have big personalities. The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel loves to spend time with people and they are very smart and eager to please. For this reason, many Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are trained for obedience, agility and other dog sports. Even though this breed loves to learn and compete, it would also be perfectly happy living as a lap dog. It all depends on your dog’s individual personality and temperament. No matter what your dog’s energy level, you still need to make sure you give him a well-balanced diet.
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel should be fed a high-quality commercial diet formulated for toy or small breeds. This diet should provide a balance of protein, fat and carbohydrates as well as vitamins and minerals. Protein is the most important consideration in a dog’s diet because it helps to fuel healthy growth and development. In terms of your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel’s diet, protein should come from high-quality sources like deboned chicken and fresh fish, not from plant-based sources or animal by-products. Fat is also very important for small-breed dogs because it provides a highly concentrated source of energy. Look for animal-based fats like chicken fat and salmon oil. Plant-based fats like flaxseed and canola oil are not necessarily bad for your dog but animal-based fats are more biologically valuable for your dog.
In addition to protein and fat, your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel also needs carbohydrates in his diet to provide dietary fiber as well as various vitamins and minerals. Look for whole grains and other digestible carbohydrates like brown rice, oatmeal, sweet potatoes and tapioca. Do your best to avoid low-quality carbohydrates like corn and wheat – these ingredients do not provide much nutritional value and they are also responsible for many food allergies in dogs. If your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel develops food allergies you may need to switch to a Limited Ingredient Diet made with a novel source of protein and a limited number of ingredients. Once your dog recovers from the allergy you can take steps to identify the allergen and then remove it from your dog’s diet permanently.
Special Considerations for Feeding Cavalier King Charles Spaniels
Unfortunately, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is prone to a number of serious health problems which put its expected lifespan under ten years. That’s why finding the best dog food for a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is even more crucial than with some other breeds. Responsible breeding practices and regularly vet visits can help to ensure the health of your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel but you should also make sure to feed him a healthy diet that meets his nutritional needs as well as his energy needs. Because small-breed dogs like the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel have such fast metabolisms they need a lot of calories throughout the day. This is why you should feed your dog a commercial diet specially formulated for toy or small breeds. Start your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel on a small-breed puppy formula and switch over to a small-breed adult formula once he reaches about 80% of his adult size.
In addition to being very mindful about what you feed your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, you also need to think about how much you are feeding him. As a small-breed dog, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel has high energy needs compared to larger dogs – they need a higher number of calories per pound of body weight. You should also plan to feed your dog three to four smaller meals per day instead of two larger meals to ensure that he gets a steady stream of energy. If you train your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel for obedience, agility, or other dog sports you should consider switching to an active or working breed formula to make sure he gets the calories he needs. If your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is more of a lap dog, watch how much you are feeding him so that he doesn’t gain too much weight and become obese – this could lead to health problems that might further reduce your dog’s lifespan.
Best Dog Foods for Cavalier King Charles Spaniels
If you need some help in finding the right food for your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, consider one of the commercial dog food brands discussed below. Be careful when considering a breed-specific formula for your dog – do not just assume that the formula will meet your dog’s needs without evaluating the product for yourself. Consider the ingredients list to make sure the product is of high-quality before offering it to your dog.
1. Nutro Ultra Toy Breed Adult Dog Food
The Nutro pet food company is known for using high-quality ingredients in their formulas and for performing rigorous quality checks on their products. This company offers a wide array of different products for dogs and cats, including formulas that are specially designed for puppies as well as adult dogs of different sizes. The Nutro Ultra Toy Breed Adult formula is intended to supply for the high energy needs of toy-breed dogs like the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. This formula is made with fresh chicken, chicken meal, and whole brown rice as the top three ingredients followed by lamb meal, chicken fat, and rolled oats, among other ingredients. The Nutro Ultra Toy Breed Adult formula is designed to support your dog’s immune system as well as his skin and coat while also maintaining lean muscle mass and a healthy metabolism.
2. Earthborn Holistic Small Breed Adult Formula
The Earthborn Holistic pet food company follows a wholesome approach to nutrition, supplying dogs and cats with well-balanced diets made from high-quality ingredients. This company is devoted to supporting the overall health and physical well-being of dogs and cats everywhere by using digestible proteins and fresh fruits and vegetables in their formula. The Earthborn Holistic Small Breed Adult Formula is specially designed for dogs that weigh less than 20 pounds at maturity. This formula is made with chicken meal, whitefish meal, and oatmeal as the top three ingredients followed by ground barley, ground rice, and chicken fat. This formula also supplies a balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids as well as various antioxidants for immune health and a healthy coat and skin. The Earthborn Holistic Small Breed Adult Formula offers superior digestibility and nutrient absorption.
3. Blue Buffalo Wilderness Toy Breed Adult Recipe
The Blue Buffalo dog food company is known for providing high-quality formulas made with the best ingredients. This company offers four different product lines – Basics, Freedom, Life Protection, and Wilderness. The Wilderness line of foods is designed to mimic the evolutionary diet of wild dogs in formulas that are free from corn, wheat and soy as well as artificial preservatives, colors, and flavors. The Blue Buffalo Wilderness Toy Breed Adult Recipe is made with deboned chicken, chicken meal, turkey meal, peas, and tapioca starch as the first five ingredients – it also contains flaxseed, chicken fat, and dried egg. This formula is designed to support your small-breed dog’s fast metabolism as well as his joint health, immune system, and coat. For a dry food that is specially designed to meet your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel’s high energy needs, consider this Blue Buffalo Wilderness Toy Breed Adult Recipe.
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is an active and loyal breed that loves to spend time with family. If you want to make sure that your dog has the longest, healthiest life possible you need to be intentional about what you feed him. To help you choose a healthy diet for your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, consider one of the top recommended brands reviewed above.
