Darcy&Zoe

I am not sure where you are situated but there is a pet meat supplier in Bassendean that does goat and plenty of other good stuff. Thanks, I am near Cannington but dont mind travelling to stock up :) When I get goat, is there a certain cut I should ask for (sorry for a stupid question, but I have no idea). She finally ate some of the goat but I think she would like it better in another cut (rather than pieces). Same with the roo, I know I should avoid the tail as it is weight bearing but other than that, no idea at all. I am thinking with a duck and rabbit, I should ask for the whole animal?

I spoke too soon, my non-cavalier just had a go eating some of the goat ... he didn't demolish it, but he had some ... I am hoping my strong willed cavalier will decide to try the goat at some point today. And the cat decided he liked the beef heart :)

Most butchers will have rabbit and duck - Rabbit costs around $27 per bunny, Duck around $20 per bird. OMG $27 per bunny she would want to eat it lol The butcher at Maddington looked at me like I was an idiot for asking lol I will try another butcher I offered her goat pieces this morning and she wont go near it (neither will my other dog which is a bummer coz if he ate it, she might have). The only on bone goat they had was a leg so I thought I should avoid it (as it is weight bearing and I dont want her teeth cracking again), and it was huge for a little dog lol. I guess I should look at other butchers to see what else they have.

I am not even sure Zoe will eat fish tbh but I will give it a try down the track :) I have managed to get hold of some goat and roo so will try her on that as well. Any ideas where I can get rabbit and duck?

Thanks for the info Yanjuro. I must admit, I am little scared with fresh fish coz of the bones. I will have to build up to this. I have seen some goat at the local butcher so will give that a try as well. Any ideas where to get duck and rabbit from as I would love to try her on this. Would I give her the whole duck and rabbit? This is what I am not sure of as well.

Hi everyone Ok we are going well with the raw diet for my cavalier (turns 6 months old on 18th July and currently weighs 5.3kg) and I can already see the benefits of this diet in her energy levels and condition but I need to fine tune it to suit my dog. Her diet to date included chicken necks, chicken wings, turkey necks plus mince or diced beef, lamb, chicken and turkey (she wouldn't touch pork). So far she also likes chicken heart and chicken liver. She wont touch lamb kidney. I am still trying her on beef and lamb heart and beef kidney. She also enjoys carrot, apple and scrambled eggs on occasion (I know a lot of people dont think this is necessary, but it is just on occasion and she enjoys them.) She will reluctantly eat mince and diced meat, but she doesn't seem very keen, particularly with beef and lamb. The only way she will eat mince or diced meat is if it is hand fed to her or tiny portions are put on a plate a time, more commonly I have to hand feed it (she doesn't particularly like to eat out of a bowl or plate). In contrast, with bones she licks her chops when she sees me get them out and gets right into them immediately. Anyone else have a dog/puppy that prefers to eat meat off the bone (plus the bone too)? She has had lamb shanks previously and loved it but since doing lots of reading on DOL I know not to give her weight bearing bones. Wondering what else I can be feeding her? Can anyone help me. This is my little girl :)

yep far more aware for my dogs than I am for myself Pleased to say I think I am finally getting my head around this ... thanks to everyone for their comments and advice, I really appreciate it

Wow you described my son with larger dogs (he also has an anxiety disorder). My son is 13yo now and he owns a cavalier king charles spaniel (so far no shedding). She is a pet, not for showing. I own a ridgeback x staffy who is 2yo and he sheds heaps (and it sticks to everything). My son is much more comfortable around smaller breeds too. I go to a cavalier play day and have noticed there is a huge variation in the coat types and the amount of shedding. My ridgeback x staffy is around 30kg yet is super gentle with the cav puppy and has been since she came home at 8 weeks old. They absolutely adore each other too. The cav puppy is 5.5 months old and is only with my bigger boy under supervision (due to the zoomies lol) but once she is an adult I think she will be fine to be with him outside without my supervision. That is the only part I have found hard about having 2 different size dogs is being aware of the exercise differences including the zoomies(although the cav loves to run flat out too and she is fast). I did a lot of research into the perfect breed for a child, and consistently came up with cavalier king charles spaniel and cocker spaniels. I love cocker spaniels too but I think they were a little bigger than what would suit my son. The cav sizing is perfect for my son and they are so cuddly. Very happy dogs with their little waggy tails and expressive faces, perfect for kids who worry heaps. They apparently are listed as the top breed for people who suffer from depression interestingly enough :) I would seriously consider this breed for your child as the shedding is quite manageable

I used to breed cats and had no issues with people enquiring with other breeders. We generally all know each other anyway so always knew. Just let the breeder know that you will be putting your name down with several. I am sure they will be fine about it.

A neighbour in my street had an issue with their dogs barking (constantly according to neighbours near them). A complaint was put in to council so they wrote a letter and put it in all the surrounding neighbours' letterboxes asking to discuss the complaint with the person. Well one neighbour did go over and say their dogs were a problem and they worked with them to sort it out. So I guess I would approach your neighbours closest to you and ask if there is a problem as you would like to get on top of it now. I would also install your camera and hook it up to your laptop so you can record what goes on during the day. I do agree, a neighbour who takes the time to tell you there is a problem (even if done anonymously) doesn't intend to hurt your dog, they are just unhappy about their sleep being disturbed. If your dog barks when you leave for work, is it possible for you to give him a bone or something to distract him when you leave. Maybe leave some enrichment toys around to keep him mentally stimulated?

Thanks for your help DeltaCharlie and RuralPug. Is turkey too similar to chicken to get any benefits from offering that as well? I will be offering her minced or diced chicken, beef, lamb, pork and turkey. I hadn't thought of the meat aspect of the necks and wings so that is good to know. She seems happier with her chicken necks than the wings (which take her a good hour to eat lol) I am thinking I will keep offering chicken necks but add in other meats to the mix, like today she had a chicken neck but then had some diced beef (she wasn't as keen as she is with minced and diced chicken, but she ate it with a lot of encouragement :D ) I am offering either heart or liver every second day too. The only vegie she likes atm is cooked carrot. Love the poo guide ... that makes it easier to read what she needs :laugh:

Yep trying to get a variety into her, but she is finicky but I will persist. chicken is definitely a favourite. We have only just started on this diet so no signs of issues at this point. I am definitely going way over the 10% Perhaps I will keep going as I am as a back up to see what meats she will eat and what she wont. I have read quite a few threads but none specifically said how much is too much which is my concern. The only fruit she will eat on occasion is apple and cheese is only a treat. She does get offal, but not every day.

Hi everyone On some very good advice I am now feeding my cavalier puppy a raw diet which is working well. My only concern is a few people have mentioned I may be overdoing it with bones as it will cause constipation. She is fed a raw chicken neck for brekky (plus some meat) and another for dinner (plus some meat). (she is also given vegies, cheese, egg, fruit.) I find eating the chicken necks stimulate her appetite (which has been a huge problem). Every second day she is given a raw chicken wing for breakfast (as opposed to the raw chicken neck and meat) which I believe gives a good balance of meat and bone. Is this too much bone for her in one week?

I am changing my cav over from wet food to raw and hoping this helps with her anal glands ... although I suspect if a dog is prone to issues with their anal glands they are prone to it regardless of what they eat (it might just lessen how often they have to have them squeezed). I'd definitely get a vet check.

I have a cavalier and started her on heartworm chewable tablets at 4 months I think it was. I give her chewable tablets that were appropriate for her weight each month ... she is currently 5.3kg so I would round it up (never down). I do not use preventative flea treatment unless I believe the dogs have fleas (if they do it only takes a month or two of treatment to get rid of the fleas completely). I see it as necessary to give them flea preventative treatment month after month year round. I do give worming tablets as prescribed for puppies but once in adulthood I dont tend to give it unless their eating habits change (excessive hunger) or signs of worms in their poo (which I have never experienced).

The turkey wings take a bit more chewing. Available from Woolworths. Thanks JulesP, will try that for him :)

I am just feeding my cavalier puppy chicken necks and chicken wings. I have previously fed my ridgeback x staffy lamb shanks, but that was before reading the threads on here so wont be doing that again. Atm I am giving him chicken wings and chicken necks which disappear very quickly lol Any other suggestions for him (he is 30kg, medium height dog)?

Thank you so much for your feedback Jed. You can probably tell she is my first cav She was vet checked recently in regard to her finicky eating and the vet gave her a clean bill of health. I think I am worrying unnecessarily tbh as she is gaining weight and vet confirmed she is healthy :D Jed, what age do cavs reach their adult size? And your cav is beautiful :D

Zoe is a petite girl and was the runt of her litter ... I guess that made me more aware of her eating habits than I would of been normally. I am doing as much reading as I can on raw feeding as she eats raw chicken necks really enthusiastically. She seems to enjoy raw chicken wings too, although not as much as the necks. Cant help wonder if this is her preferred diet ... really I dont mind what she wants to eat, just as long as she does eat!

I am waiting for my sample bag to arrive :)

I love pugs and I love the name Mason

I am happy to say chicken wings were a success

I think you may be right that I am making too much of it, she is gaining weight steadily and the vet has confirmed she is healthy. I think I am just used to bigger dogs and dogs that eat whatever is put down LOL I have just thrown her a raw chicken wing (she refused breakfast) which she is really getting into, so perhaps this is her preferred food .... who knows. I have added water to her biscuits and even microwaved them which she liked the first day but not the second. I think her eating schedule is quite different to most too; she seems to like breakfast at 11.30 and then dinner somewhere around 4.30pm (I dont tend to have a tight schedule for meals but this seems to be when she is hungry). I was feeding her what the breeder had her on but she was reluctant to eat it. Breeder has been very helpful but just thought others might be able to offer a different perspective.

Thank you for the info and so sorry for your loss I feed my medium sized dog lamb shanks and havent had a problem but my puppy did have a cracked tooth, suspected from chewing the lamb shank (she did get into the bone, which really surprised me ... I thought she would only eat the meat). I will also try the chicken wings, thank you

Hi everyone I would like to offer my Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy (5 months old) some raw bones but unsure which would be suitable for a smaller breed of dog. I am thinking raw chicken necks but unsure what else as I dont want to damage her teeth. She is a very petite CKCS. Can anyone offer advice?