Best Food for Cavapoos: What to Look For

What matters most for a Cavapoo

A Cavapoo is a Cavalier King Charles spaniel crossed with a toy or miniature poodle. Most are small dogs that mature by about a year. That puts them in small-breed nutrition: calorie-dense food, small kibble and careful portions, which a measuring cup and a slow feeder bowl make easier.

Start with the label: an AAFCO statement that the food is complete and balanced for your dog's life stage. The WSAVA suggests looking beyond the ingredient list, which it calls potentially misleading, to whether the company employs a qualified nutritionist and what quality control it does.

Puppies

Feed a complete puppy food, small-breed if you like, in three or four small meals a day, moving to two meals as your puppy matures. Small puppies have small stomachs and can become wobbly or weak if they go too long without food; regular meals matter.

Ask your vet when to switch to adult food, usually around 9 to 12 months for small dogs. Weigh your puppy regularly so you can adjust portions as growth slows.

Adults: weight and portions

Both parent breeds love food and attention, and an overweight small dog quickly carries a large percentage of extra weight. VCA defines overweight as 10 to 20 percent above ideal, so on a 15 lb dog that is just 2 or 3 lb. VCA lists higher risks of arthritis, diabetes and heart disease in overweight dogs.

Measure meals with a cup or scale, use the bag guideline for your dog's ideal weight as a start, and adjust. A cartoon pizza slow feeder bowl is one small-dog option for slowing a fast eater. Keep treats to about 10 percent of calories, and break treats into tiny pieces. A lick mat can make a few tiny pieces last longer. A fluffy coat hides weight, so feel for the ribs.

Sensitive stomachs, skin and coat

Owners often switch foods looking for a fix for loose stools or itchy skin. Frequent changes can upset digestion themselves. Pick a well-made complete food, give it several weeks, and talk to your vet if problems continue, since causes range from parasites and allergies to dietary indiscretion.

Coat quality depends on grooming as much as diet. A complete food supports normal skin and coat; regular brushing to prevent mats in a curly or wavy coat does the rest, and a self-cleaning slicker brush makes that easier. Our slicker brushes cover more options.

Grain-free and other trends

Grain-free diets have no proven benefit for dogs without a diagnosed grain allergy. The FDA has investigated a possible link between some diets, many grain-free and high in peas, lentils or potatoes, and dilated cardiomyopathy; causation is not established. Cavaliers already carry a high risk of mitral valve heart disease, so heart health is worth discussing with your vet for any Cavapoo.

Raw and homemade diets are harder to balance and carry bacterial risks. If you prefer homemade, ask a board-certified veterinary nutritionist for a recipe.

Changing food and when to call your vet

Switch foods over about a week. Keep the same food for several weeks before judging it.

Call your vet for repeated vomiting or diarrhea, refusing food, weight loss, coughing, faster breathing at rest or tiring easily on walks. A puppy that seems weak, cold or wobbly between meals needs a vet the same day.

This page is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your pet.