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Bentley and Me

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will be 1 yrs old in 2 weeks and 23 lbs. He is a tank. I do not care. It seems alot of the Cavaliers come in the 25# size and he is a male. I feed him the best dry dog food I can find and he is not fat but he has really filled out. When they say 12-18 lbs I didnt expect him to get this big but his Daddy was larger and his Mama was pretty small.
 
Skippy hit 29lbs from 2 years' of age on and we thought he was just big-boned compared to other Cavaliers (he certainly is taller). It wasn't until he was diagnosed with hip dysplasia that our vet told me that he was overweight and should try to lose some weight. I still refused to accept it initially, telling myself excuses such as the fact that he did not appear obviously obese, but rather significantly smaller when all wet during his bath, and also since we prided ourselves with never giving him any human food (plus people frequently commented that Skippy was 'big' for a CKCS, but they never said he was 'fat' -- perhaps they were just being nice).

It wasn't until I re-examined the labels on the back of his kibble+treat bags did I realize we had been systematically overfeeding him (calories) for a couple of years. We immediately adjusted his daily calorie intake and tried to give him more exercise, and he dropped 4-5 pounds in 3 months, which I'm told is a lot in terms of canine weight, if you consider the % of weight lost compared to the total body weight. Now, he's noticeably sleeker and his waist is more defined (when you view it from right above). Not to mention easier on my arms when I lift him up to my lap!

Not saying that you are experiencing the same with Bentley, but rather, just suggesting erring on the side of caution (if you're not already doing so).
 
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Because Cavaliers can vary so much in size, it's difficult to say what is the ideal weight for a particular dog. A better method is to look down on your dog when he/she is standing and see that he as a definite waistline, getting noticeably narrower behind the rib cage. And you should be able to feel the ribs quite clearly when you run your hands along the dog's sides. Most manufactured dog foods will recommend portions that are way too large - they are, after all, in the business of selling dog food!

Kate, Oliver and Aled
 
Bella is 20 lbs and a girl, she is very tall though. She is about the average male size.
 
My Charlie will be 11 months old April 5 and is 25 lbs already. I go to Cavalier get-togethers here in our town and he is a little taller than some of the other dogs there but not by much. He is not overweight because he's not a big eater and eats when he wants. I hope he doesn't get too much bigger because we travel a lot together by plane in the cabin and he's pretty comfortable now under the seat. :p
 
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