Diets for Cavalier King Charles Spaniels
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Obesity - Body Condition Scoring (BCS)
- Home-Prepared Diets
- Choosing a Diet Specialist
- Heart Diet & Cardiac Supplements
- Obesity Medications
- Current Research
- Related Links
- Veterinary Resources
Obesity
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 and confirmed more recently in a 2007 report.
We do not recommend any particular home prepared raw or cooked food diets, or commercial frozen, canned, or dry dog foods for cavalier King Charles spaniels. However, we caution cavalier owners to be careful about selecting commercially-prepared products. Joseph Demers, DVM, CVA, CVH, a renowned holistic veterinarian, states:
"Another reason for overweight pets is what we feed our pet friends. Commercial pet food is anywhere between 45 percent to 65 percent carbohydrates (grains). Grains are the least expensive part of pet food and can fill the animal quickly. Dogs and cats are more carnivores than we humans are, and we are feeding them almost as much grain (or more) than we humans eat. I feel that this high carbohydrate commercial pet food is the worst food we can feed our pet friends. Our pet friends need fresh meats, not dehydrated meat by-products. I also feel vegetables are an excellent source of fiber and moisture as well as sources of natural vitamins and minerals for our pet friends."
"I feel most commercial foods use poor quality proteins, and destroy even those with high temperature cooking."
Body Condition Scoring
Canine obesity commonly is measured by a scaling system called Body Condition Storing (BCS). BCS is used to evaluate the relative proportions of animal fat, called adiposity, at specific body locations and compare those to a lean musculoskeletal system. The 5-point BCS scale ranges from 1 point (emaciated) to 5 points (obese), as follows:
1 = Emaciated. Ribs, lumbar vertebrae, pelvic bones and all body prominences evident from a distance. No discernible body fat. Obvious absence of muscle mass.
2 = Thin. Ribs easily palpated and may be visible with no palpable fat. Tops of lumbar vertebrae visible. Pelvic bones less prominent. Obvious waist and abdominal tuck.
3 = Moderate. Ribs palpable without excess fat covering. Abdomen tucked up when viewed from side. This usually is the ideal BCS score.
4 = Stout. General fleshy appearance. Ribs palpable with difficulty. Noticeable fat deposits over lumbar spine and tail base. Abdominal tuck may be absent.
5 = Obese. Large fat deposits over chest, spine and tail base. Waist and abdominal tuck absent. Fat deposits on neck and limbs. Abdomen distended.
There is also a more complex, 9-point BCS scale, which veterinary nutritionists are more apt to use.
Home-Prepared Diets
There are advantages and disadvantages to feeding cavaliers home-prepared meals. The advantages include being able to feed the best foods and supplements for the particular health needs of the dogs. For example, nearly all CKCSs may be expected to develop mitral valve disease (MVD). Home-prepared meals can be tailored to provide ingredients which help strengthen the heart, kidneys, and liver to enable the dog to better compensate for the damage which MVD can cause. The less processed a dog food is, the easier it is for the dog to digest it, and the more dehydrated a food is -- such as dry food -- the more stressful it is upon the dog's kidneys and liver to assimilate it.
Disadvantages to home-prepared foods include the risk of not offering well-balanced meals with proper supplements. They also can be time-consuming to prepare, and the ingredients can be more expensive than commercially-prepared foods.
If you are a cavalier owner who may be interested in feeding your dog home-prepared meals, whether cooked or raw foods, we strongly recommend that you begin by researching recipes in books on the subject, such as:
Dr. Becker's Real Food for Healthy Dogs and Cats,
by Dr. Karen Becker. You may order it on-line by clicking the book cover at the
right or
click here.
Natural Dog Care: A Complete Guide to Holistic Health Care for Dogs, by Celeste Yarnall. You may order it on-line by clicking the book cover at the left or click here.
Dr. Pitcairn's New Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats,
by Richard H. Pitcairn D.V.M. and Susan Hubble Pitcairn. You may order it
on-line by clicking the book cover at the right or
click here.
The BARF Diet (Raw Feeding for Dogs and Cats Using Evolutionary Principles,
by Dr. Ian Billinghurst. You may order it on-line by clicking the book
cover at the left or
click here.
If, after doing your research, you are determined to feed your cavalier
a homemade diet, then, before you prepare that first meal, be sure to consult
with a well-qualified, licensed veterinarian who practices holistic care, or a
veterinary nutritionist, to develop recipes which are both well-balanced and
suitable for the health needs of your cavalier. A list of holistic veterinarians
may be found
here. A list of board certified veterinary nutritionists may
be found
here.
Dr. Sean Delaney, a board certified veterinary nutritionist,
provides a list of his pros and cons about feeding home-prepared diets:
"Homemade recipes have several advantages over commercial food, but they also have several disadvantages. (In general, this author recommends commercial foods as a first method of feeding pets.)
"Advantages of home-prepared diets:
• Highly digestible
• Create recipe appropriate for multiple diseases
• As alternative to raw food, less disease concerns
• Meet particular client’s needs
• Increased knowledge about ingredient sourcing
"Disadvantages of home-prepared diets:
• Generally more expensive
• Can be time consuming to make
• Food data may not match food used
• Experimental, no feeding trials
• “Diet drift” – client changes recipe
"Homemade recipes can be successfully used for pets, but there are many nutritional issues that the client and veterinarian must be aware of. Recipe evaluation with clinical nutrition software and/or a board certified veterinary nutritionist is recommended as are frequent health checks to ensure appropriate performance of the diet and client compliance with the specific recipe(s)."
Choosing a Diet Specialist
There are many well-qualified holistic veterinarians who specialize in canine dietary nutrition. See their search webpage here. But there are very few board certified veterinary nutritionists in the United States and Canada -- only about 50 by our last count (see list here) -- and not all of them may be supportive of home-prepared meals. For some of these nutritionists, objective advice about non-commercial diets is not their forte.
A typical example is the recently published Home-Prepared Dog and Cat Diets, Second Edition by Dr. Patricia A. Schenck. In that book, Dr. Schenck starts off in the first chapter stating:
"Some recipes call for the use of raw ingredients. Raw ingredients often contain bacteria that would normally be destroyed by cooking (see Chapter 2, Food Safety). The practice of feeding uncooked diets should be discouraged."
Thus, as far as Dr. Schenck is concerned, the case for a raw diet is closed. Her logic is that (a) raw food may contain bacteria; therefore (b) owners should not feed any raw food to their pets. So, clearly to the those interested in feeding raw food diets, her book would be a waste of money. It is very unfortunate that as late as 2010, veterinary nutritionists such as Dr. Schenck can be so ignorant and closed-minded about raw diets.
An extreme example of bias against homemade raw food diets is veterinary nutritionist Dr. Sherry Lynn Sanderson of the University of Georgia veterinary college. In her un-referenced 2009 paper, "Raw Diets: Do They Make You Want To BARF?" -- a clever-by-half title by which she sophomorically conveys her bias -- she tosses objectivity aside and ridicules, as misguided simpletons, dog owners who feed raw food to their pets. This paper is such an unscientific attack that it could make you wonder if grants from dog food companies could be her department's only source of research funding.
For example, in her paper she denies that the high intensity cooking process of turning raw food into dry kibble can destroy the nutritional value of the food. Side-stepping the vast evidence that it does, she defends the commercial dog food companies by stating that "It is well known that antioxidants are more available in cooked foods, such as tomatoes or carrots, compared to the same foods that are uncooked." When was the last time you saw tomato or carrot listed among the top ingredients of typical dog kibble?
Dr. Sanderson's fervent defense of the over-use of corn as a main ingredient in many commercial foods demonstrates how little scientific evidence she has to work with. She writes, "If one considers that corn was a main staple in the diet of Native Americans for many years, it is difficult to understand how critics can claim that corn is a filler used in pet foods." Her point? She offers no clue. Chickens eat more corn than the American Indian ever did, but neither humans nor fowl are dogs. Corn is not a natural source of food for dogs, is very difficult for them to digest and assimilate, and is of little nutritional value to them. Dr. Sanderson ignores the well established, scientific fact that canines need a lot less grains and a lot more meat protein than humans do.
Dr. Sanderson concludes her attack by confidently stating: "There is no scientific evidence that raw diets are superior to any commercial canned or dry diets. In contrast, the literature is full of decades worth of research supporting the health benefits of commercial pet foods." That simply proves the point that nearly all research into dog foods is funded by commercial pet food companies, and that objectivity in this area of veterinary research loses to those who issue the grants.
So, if you are serious about developing a homemade diet and seek the advice of a dietary specialist, be very careful if you decide to ask a veterinary nutritionist for that advice. Most holistic veterinarians will have a much more receptive attitude towards your request.
Heart Diet & Cardiac Supplements
UK cardiologist Simon Swift noted at a 2010 symposium that:
"Interestingly, asymptomatic dogs fed a 'heart diet' had a reduction in heart size. The 'heart diet' included decrease sodium, increased levels of arginine, carnitine and taurine as well as supplementation with omega 3 fatty acids. Whether this translates into a delay before heart failure develops remains to be proven."
The Heart Diet was reported in a 2006 article by Drs. Lisa M. Freeman, John E. Rush, and Peter J. Markwell. They fashioned "a moderately reduced sodium diet enriched with antioxidants, n-3 fatty acids, taurine, carnitine, and arginine" and fed it for four weeks to fourteen dogs with asymptomatic mitral valve disease. Another fifteen asymptomatic dogs were fed a placebo. They found that the dogs on the heart diet had measurable reductions in heart size, including the left-atrial dimension and left-ventricular internal dimension.
Heart-healthy supplements to consider giving to cavaliers include:
4Vitamins C and E and CoQ10 and fish oils.
4Bio-Cardio, a Thorne Veterinary Products multi-vitamin, mineral, and herbal extract supplement (which includes Vitamin E, selenium, magnesium, potassium, L-Carnitine, L-Taurine, coenzyme Q-10, dimethylglycine [DMG], Hawthorne extract, desiccated bovine heart, and Siberian genseng extract).
4Canine Cardiac Support, and human-grade supplements, including Cardio-Plus, Cardiotrophin PMG, Cataplex E, and Vasculin, which are nutritional whole food supplements offered by Standard Process, Inc.
4Cardio-Support, a veterinary formula herbal supplement to aid heart function and blood circulation, offered by D'Arcy Naturals.
4Flavonex, a salvia and gingko extract herbal supplement made by Health Concern.
Holistic supplements should be taken only if prescribed by a licensed veterinarian who also is holistically trained. A search webpage for finding holistic veterinarians in the United States is located at www.holisticvetlist.com.
Obesity Medications
Dirlotapide (Slentrol) -- see 2007 study -- is a diet drug approved by the FDA for canines that are at least 20% overweight. It is a selective microsomal triglyceride transfer protein inhibitor, which blocks the assembly and release of lipoproteins into the bloodstream. The drug induces the dog to eat less, because it causes reduces fat absorption and sends a signal from lipid-filled cells lining the intestine that the dog's appetite is satisfied.
After the dog has reached its goal weight, the drug's manufacturer, Pfizer Animal Health, recommends continued use for up to three more months, while appropriate levels of food intake and physical activity are determined to maintain the dog's optimal weight.
Adverse reactions associated with this treatment include vomiting, loose stools, diarrhea, and lethargy. It should not be prescribed for dogs with liver disease or in dogs receiving long-term corticosteroid therapy.
Current Research
4November 2007: The 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. Read portions of their report here.
4August 2007: In a 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 diarrhea occurred in a few dogs, all cases resolved spontaneously." Of the 245 dogs involved in the study, 5% were CKSCs.
Related Links
Holistic
Veterinarian Search Engine
American College of Veterinary Nutritionists List
Commercial Dog Food Pros & Cons
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).
Effects of Dietary Modification in Dogs with Early Chronic Valvular Disease. Lisa M. Freeman, John E. Rush, and Peter J. Markwell. J Vet Intern Med, Sep 2006;20:(5)1116–1126. Quote: "The potential benefits of nutritional modification in early canine cardiac disease are not known. We hypothesized that echocardiographic, neuroendocrine, and nutritional variables will differ between dogs with asymptomatic chronic valvular disease (CVD) and healthy controls, and that a moderately reduced sodium diet enriched with antioxidants, n-3 fatty acids, taurine, carnitine, and arginine will alter these variables in dogs with CVD. Echocardiography was performed and blood was collected. After baseline comparison with healthy controls, all dogs with CVD were fed a low-sodium run-in diet for 4 weeks, reevaluated, and then randomized to receive either the cardiac diet or a placebo diet for 4 weeks. RESULTS: At baseline, dogs with CVD (n = 29) had significantly lower circulating sodium, chloride, arginine, and methionine concentrations and higher plasma concentrations of atrial natriuretic peptide compared to healthy controls. In dogs with CVD, plasma aldosterone concentration and heart rate increased significantly after 4 weeks of eating the run-in diet. The cardiac diet group (n = 14) had larger increases in levels of cholesterol (P = .001), triglycerides (P = .02), eicosapentaenoic acid (P < .001), docosahexaenoic acid (P < .001), total omega-3 fatty acids (P < .001), vitamin C (P = 0.04), alpha-tocopherol (P < .001), and gamma-tocopherol (P < .001) compared to the placebo diet group (n = 15). The cardiac diet group also had larger reductions in maximal left-atrial dimension (P = .003), left-ventricular internal dimension in diastole (P = .03), and weight-based maximal left-atrial dimension (P = .03). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Observed changes in both blood variables and echocardiographic measurements warrant additional studies on dietary modifications in dogs with early CVD."
Hey Doc, What Do You Think of My Home-Prepared Diet? Sean J. Delaney. No. American Vet. Conf. 2006.
Prevalence of obese dogs in a population of dogs with cancer. Lisa P. Weeth, Andrea J. Fascetti, Philip H. Kass, Steven E. Suter, Aniel M. Santos, Sean J. Delaney. Am.J.Vet.Research, April 2007;68(4):389-398.
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... ."
AAHA Nutritional Assessment Guidelines for Dogs and Cats. Kimberly Baldwin, Joe Bartges, Tony Buffington, Lisa M. Freeman, Mary Grabow, Julie Legred, Donald Ostwald, Jr. J. Amer. An. Hospital Assn. July 2010 46(4): 285-296.
