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Canine Nutrition for
Cavalier King Charles Spaniels
What's
the best food for your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel?
There’s
no greater gift you can give your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel than a
well-balanced, healthy diet. Carefully attending to the principles of
canine nutrition and selecting the type of dog food
and
treats you’ll give your pet will ensure that he lives a long, healthy
life. Watching
the amount of pet food you give him helps control his weight, avoiding
obesity and
adding years to your life together.
In their natural
state, dogs are carnivorous scavengers. In
the wild, dogs eat small animals (rabbits and squirrels) consuming
their prey
whole – skin, meat, bones as well as whatever the prey had in its
stomach
(often berries and grasses). In this way, the wild dog had a complete
diet of
protein, vitamins, minerals, and fat (from the animal’s muscles, bones
and
organs) as well as fiber (from the fur and intestines).
Today’s
domesticated dog fortunately doesn’t chase down its
dinner. But your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel still requires a
combination of protein, fat,
vitamins,
minerals and fiber for proper canine nutrition. With a little homework
and some
common
sense, you can find readily available dry and canned dog foods that
will
provide your pet with all its nutritional needs.
Protein
|
Protein is the building block for muscle
tissue and
bones. Protein from meat is probably the most natural source of protein
for
dogs and is more easily digestible than vegetable protein. The typical
adult
Cavalier Spaniel should have a diet that is approximately 18 - 20%
protein. Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppies
need perhaps 22% protein to support their growth. |
Fat
|
Fat provides energy and helps transport
vitamins
in your dog’s body. It is fat, particularly Omega 3 fatty acids, that
give your dog's coat its healthy shine. However, be careful not to
include too
high a
percentage of fat in your dog’s diet because fat has twice the number
of
calories as protein. A healthy diet for your Cavalier King Charles
Spaniel should include approximately 5%
fat, as
a rule of thumb. |
Vitamins
&
Minerals
|
Vitamins and minerals are necessary for your
dog’s metabolism and energy, enzyme activity and for his immune system. |
Fiber
|
Fiber is essential to your dog’s digestive
system for the absorption of nutrients. |
Changing your Pet's
Diet
If
you decide to change your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel's diet, do so
gradually.
Begin by mixing in a little of the new food with your pet’s current dog
food. Over
of period of a week to 10 days, gradually increase the amount of the
new pet food
and decrease the amount of the old pet food.
Some
pets are finicky eaters, but don’t allow them to become
tyrants. If you are introducing a new pet food gradually, and your pet
refuses
the new mixture, don’t go back to their old food just to get them to
eat. Just
wait. Your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel will eat the new mixture when
he becomes hungry enough. We all
tend to worry if our pet won’t eat, but skipping his food for a day
won’t be
fatal. And if you’ve carefully chosen a nutritious pet food that you
believe is
in your pet’s best interest, it’s better to let your pet go a little
bit hungry
until he eventually accepts the new pet food you want him to have.
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