Diets for Cavalier King Charles Spaniels

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Obesity is the most common nutritional disease in dogs and can lead to a range of illnesses and diseases. Cavalier King Charles spaniels may have a breed pre-disposition to obesity, according to evidence garnered in a 1986 veterinary research study of dogs in the United Kingdom.

We do not recommend any home prepared raw or cooked food diets, or commercial frozen, canned, or dry dog foods for Cavalier King Charles spaniels.

Instead, we recommend the website of Monica Segal, an animal nutritionist who has had Cavaliers for several years and knows much about the appropriate diets for CKCSs, whatever their health or disorders may be. Her website is MonicaSegal.com. She also moderates a very popular Yahoo! Group discussion group, K9Kitchen.

However, we do suggest that Cavaliers' diets be supplemented with vitamins and oils which may have some positive affect upon the onset and progression of mitral valve disease. See "Preventative Vitamins and Supplements?" on our MVD webpage.

Current Research

4The Satiety Control diet, a diet both high in protein and fiber reportedly was most effective in satisfying appetite and thereby reducing the dog's inclination to begging and scavenging. The diet was developed by a team of veterinarians at the University of Liverpool's Small Animal Teaching Hospital, and the Royal Canine Research Centre in France, which studied various diets for satiety, digestibility and palatability. They published their report in December 2007.

4In a 2007 study sponsored by Pfizer, Inc., the manufacturer of dirlotapide (Slentrol), a weight-loss product for overweight canines, the researchers found that "dirlotapide ... was effective in reducing body weight in client-owned overweight dogs in the absence of dietary restriction or increased exercise. Dirlotapide treatment was found to be clinically safe, and although emesis and diarrhoea occurred in a few dogs, all cases resolved spontaneously." Of the 245 dogs involved in the study, 5% were CKSCs.

Veterinary Resources

Study of obesity in dogs visiting veterinary practices in the United Kingdom. Edney, A.T.B., Smith, P.M. Veterinary Record, 118, 391–396 (1986).

Managing Canine Obesity: a New Therapeutic Approach: Canine obesity – an overview. J. Gossellin, J. A. Wren, S. J. Sunderland. Journal of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 30(1): 1-10, August 2007.

Managing Canine Obesity: a New Therapeutic Approach: An evaluation of dirlotapide to reduce body weight of client-owned dogs in two placebo-controlled clinical studies in Europe. J. Gossellin, J. A. Wren, S. J. Sunderland. Journal of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 30(1): 73-80, August 2007.

Dietary Energy Restriction and Successful Weight Loss in Obese Client-Owned Dogs. Alexander J. German, Shelley L. Holden, Thomas Bissot, Rachel M. Hackett, and Vincent Biourge. J. Vet. Internal Med. Vol. 21(6): 1174–1180 (Nov.-Dec. 2007). Quote: "This clinical study demonstrated body composition changes during weight loss in dogs. Conventional programs produced safe weight loss, but marked energy restriction was required and the rate of loss was slower than in experimental studies."

A High-Protein, High-Fiber Diet Designed for Weight Loss Improves Satiety in Dogs. Mickaël Weber, Thomas Bissot, Eric Servet, Renaud Sergheraert, Vincent Biourge, and Alexander J. German. J. Vet. Internal Med. Vol. 21(6): 1203–1208 (Nov.-Dec. 2007). Quote: "Hypothesis: A diet formulated to contain a high content of both protein and fiber is more satiating than diets that contain only high fiber or high protein. ... Methods: Three diets (high protein [103 g/1,000 kcal] high fiber [60 g/1,000 kcal] [HPHF]; high protein [104 g/1,000 kcal] moderate fiber [35 g/1,000 kcal] [HP]; moderate protein [86 g/1,000 kcal] high fiber [87 g/1,000 kcal] [HF]) were tested. Voluntary food intake was measured in 5 sequential crossover studies, and palatability was assessed with food preference tests. ... Conclusions and Clinical Importance: The HPHF diet had a satiating effect as evidenced by reduced voluntary intake compared with HP and HF diets, and has the potential to lead to greater compliance in weight-loss programs."

Determining the optimal age for gonadectomy of dogs and cats. Margaret V. Root Kustritz. JAVMA; 12/1/07; Vol. 231(11):1665-1675. Quote: "Obesity is the most common nutritional disorder of dogs and cats, with a reported incidence of 2.8% among the entire dog population. It is a multifactorial problem. Risk factors include breed, with an increased incidence of obesity in ...Cavalier King Charles Spaniels... ."