1. Preparation
2. Feeding
3. Grooming
4. Training
5. Health

2. Feeding

Let's stop and think about feeding for just a minute. Forget about advertising. Forget about what we have been told. Let's put on our thinking caps, use a bit of common sense, and think for ourselves. Think about what is considered good food for humans. What does a cow or horse eat? How about zoo animals--what do they eat? Do animals get viruses like us? Of course! Do animals get degenerative diseases such as cancer like us? Of course? Do they have an immune system like us? Of course!

Do you believe the immune system is influenced by diet? Of course! If we eat better, do we tend to be healthier? Of course! Which is healthier for humans--highly processed food such as hot dogs, potato chips and candy -or- unprocessed food such as chicken, potatoes and fruit/vegetables? We all know the answer to that one!

Is there ANY reason to believe our dogs are completely different from humans, farm animals or zoo animals? They get sick like us. They get cancer like us. They get arthritis like us. They have an immune system like us. In fact, dogs share much of the same DNA with humans and we are more alike to each other than either of us are to mice! And their immune system IS affected by diet--just like ours.

Now how about quality of ingredients. Which is healthier--fresh, inspected whole chicken -or- the diseased and/or otherwise leftover parts such as carcasses, beaks, skin, feathers and such? Is it healthier for us to eat whole grains or highly processed rice flour? Do vegetables contribute phytochemicals, nutrients and other things that enhance health? Is there any reason to believe this wouldn't apply to other mammals such as the dog?

Now, grab a bag of dog food and look at the ingredient list. How many ingredients do you recognize? How many are a bunch of chemical names? (LOTS!) Those chemical names are ALL the added vitamins and minerals. Why were all those vitamins and minerals added to the dog food? Could it have something to do with the fact that dog food has been so highly processed/cooked that there is little nutrition left in it? So little that the vitamins and minerals have to be added BACK into the food to make it nutritionally correct? Could this stuff actually be GOOD for our dogs? Think about it! Do you think taking that lovely chicken, rice and salad dinner--baking it in your oven for hours until all the water is evaporated, then feeding it to your children along with a vitamin/mineral supplement would be as good for your children as feeding it to them fresh and whole--with ALL the nutrients still intact, including the ones we don't know about yet?

NOT ON YOUR LIFE!

Dogs are much healthier on fresh food, just as we humans are. For some reason dog food companies have done their best to convince us otherwise, but if we use common sense we know better. The best thing to feed your dog is fresh, whole food.  Unfortunately, dogs do need a different balance of nutrients as compared to humans. And they tend to be smaller so a balanced diet is more critical as shortages are more like to show up quickly. Little research has been done so far on how to feed dogs fresh food properly. It can be a rather tricky thing to do.

Luckily we have two options that work for now.

(1) We can feed a commercially prepared whole foods diet. There are companies who make fresh whole food dog diets and flash freeze them. We can buy them and keep them in the freezer until ready to be used. Then we can thaw and feed. Here is a link to a good site that lists some of the best: https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/best-dog-foods/raw-dog-food/

These foods are completely formulated and balanced according to the same AAFCO guidelines as dog kibble. These are our best alternative to a completely homemade diet and the only whole foods diet I recommend until we have done more research on how to feed our dogs.

(2) We can feed a top-quality dog kibble along with a small amount of vegetables.  More information on how to choose a top-quality dog kibble will follow.

Somewhere along the line the pet food companies convinced both the vets and us that THEIR food is the best for our dogs. But if we use common sense we can see this cannot be true.

There are many different high-quality kibbles. Some of my present favorites are Fromm and Earthborn Holistic.

I would never, EVER feed a typical grocery store bought dog kibble as their quality is quite inferior to the above dog kibbles. This includes Iams and Science Diet which I consider very poor quality as compared to the ones I've mentioned (compare the ingredients to see why!).

I will NOT feed a Puppy Food either. My dogs get only a quality Adult Food. At one time dog kibble was so poor in quality that if you did not feed a puppy food, the puppy would not get the nourishment it needed. Today the problem has reversed. Puppy foods are so powerful they actually cause the bones of a puppy to grow more quickly than the surrounding tissues are able to. This causes uneven development and may exaggerate any genetic predisposition to skeletal problems such as hip dysplasia or patellar luxation. Feed a high-quality adult kibble ONLY.

FEEDING DIRECTIONS
Whether you decide to feed a high-quality kibble or a commercially prepared whole foods diet, the following directions will apply.

Puppies between 8 and 16 weeks of age do quite well on 3 meals a day. They start out with about a large handful of kibble for each meal or about 1/4 cup. At about 3 to 6 months of age you may begin feeding your puppy twice a day, about 1/2 cup or so each time. Somewhere between 10 and 18 months of age you may begin feeding just once a day--with some really good eaters you may need to feed just once a day by 6 or 7 months of age.

Each time you feed your puppy, put the food down for approximately 15 minutes. If the puppy hasn't finished it after 15 minutes, pick it up and put it away until the next feeding time. Do NOT try to feed in between. Refrigerate if you are feeding a commercially prepared whole foods diet. Do not worry if your puppy appears thin. Puppies are just like humans. Some are very thin while growing up and some are not. It is highly unlikely your puppy will starve itself unless it is already ill. A puppy that grows slowly is best--there is no first prize for gaining full size as early as possible! Puppies who grow slowly are more likely to be able to develop muscle and tissue at the correct rate to keep up the bone development. Of course, some puppies are gluttons! Be careful not to overfeed a glutton.

As adults some Cavaliers may only eat 1/2 cup of food per day, others may eat as much as 1 full cup of food per day. I do not suggest feeding an adult Cavalier twice a day unless you are quite resistant to temptation. Why? Cavaliers do not eat much! Half of very little is almost nothing! Nearly every owner I've known who tried to feed an adult twice a day ended up with an overweight Cavalier. When they try to divide 1/2 or 2/3 cup of kibble into two servings the amount barely covers the bottom of the pan--so they add just a little bit more so they don't feel as though they are starving their Cavalier. A little bit more every meal eventually ends up being a lot more and their Cavalier becomes overweight. With one meal a day the amount looks to our eyes as though it is a half way decent amount and we are much less likely to add just a little bit more each day.

Due to MVD, being overweight is nearly a death sentence for a Cavalier. I guarantee you the best way to prolong your Cavalier's life is to keep its weight to a MINIMUM! Not overweight even a little bit. THIN! If your Cavalier is even a little bit overweight, it will hasten the onset of MVD and death. Do not allow this to happen. Studies have shown it will shorten the life of your dog about 2.5 years!

HOW MUCH DO I FEED AND IS MY DOG OVERWEIGHT?
There is no way to tell you just how much your dog will need so far as quantity of kibble.  Cavaliers vary GREATLY in their activity level. I know some 20 lbs. dogs that only need 1/2 cup of food a day and others that need a full cup or even more. I know some 10 lbs. dogs that only need 1/3 cup of food a day and others that need nearly a full cup or even more. It is too dependent on the metabolism and activity level of each individual dog. You will have to use a hit and miss approach to figure out which amount is right for your dog. Try 2/3 of a cup to 1 full cup per day for an adult Cavalier over 1 year of age and watch to see if the dog is gaining weight or losing weight. Adjust accordingly. If they seem to be getting heavier, cut back. If they seem to be getting lighter, feed more. Also, most dogs will need more food when the temperature outside is colder. Now how do you tell if your dog is getting heavy or not?  Hopefully the following will help you figure that out.

Your vet is not the person to ask! Over the years I have been amazed to find out that vets are very reluctant to tell an owner their dog is overweight until the dog is quite overweight--till the dog is so overweight it is very hard to get it off. Here are two ways to judge if your dog is overweight.

First is the rib test. Look for a hand towel or dish towel in your house. Fold it in half. Find a wire crate, wire fencing or ex-pen, something with wire not spaced too far apart. Rub the towel over the wire several times and get used to how it feels. How does the wire feel, how easily does the towel move under your fingers? Now rub your fingers over the ribs on your dog. It should feel quite similar. A VERY thin amount of skin that moves easily over the ribs--ribs which can easily be felt and counted. If you feel some padding under the skin, the dog is mildly overweight. If you feel a lot of padding, you have to press a bit to feel individual ribs, and the skin doesn't move around easily--the dog is definitely overweight. If you can't even feel the ribs, the dog is very overweight!

The second test is the waist test. Stand over your dog and look down at it while it is standing with the dog facing the same direction as you are. You can also use your hands with this test.  As you are looking down at the dog you can see where the ribs are. If you are not sure run your hands from the shoulders over the ribs down to where the ribs end so you will know just where the ribs are. After the last rib, and before the hips, you should see a distinct indentation--a waist. If you can barely see an indentation, the dog is mildly overweight. If there is no indentation at all, the dog is definitely overweight. The following are three pictures of dogs.  None are badly overweight, but they will help somewhat in teaching you what to look for as some have a tinch more weight than they should. I hope to get a picture of a very thin Cavalier and a very heavy Cavalier at some point in the future.

The arrows are pointing at the waist of each dog. Dog #1 is in pretty good weight. #2 is a bit heavier and lacking some waist, but both are in decent weight. Dog #3 is definitely much heavier. The dog has no noticeable waist as you can see and needs to lose several pounds.