What Exactly Is a Cavoodle?
Before examining a Cavoodle’s dietary needs, it’s helpful to understand its lineage. A dog’s breed can influence its nutritional requirements and potential health issues. Recognizing this helps tailor the best diet for a Cavoodle’s long-term well-being.
Cavoodles are a hybrid breed, combining the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and the Poodle. Originally developed in Australia, Cavoodles were bred to thrive in warm climates and compact living environments, making them a great choice for apartment dwellers.
These intelligent, affectionate dogs are often praised for being ideal family companions, getting along well with both kids and other pets. With their signature curly coats and teddy bear-like appearance, Cavoodles are undeniably adorable — but they’re not without health vulnerabilities.
Fortunately, nutrition plays a significant role in prevention. Feeding your Cavoodle a fresh, raw food diet may support better health outcomes and help reduce their risk of developing common breed-related conditions.
Let’s explore some of those concerns — and how diet can make a difference.
Common Cavoodle Health Issues
While Cavoodles are cheerful and loving pets, they do face a few breed-specific health risks:
- Degenerative Mitral Valve Disease (DMVD) – A condition that affects the heart’s valves, restricting blood flow and forcing the heart to work harder.
- Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) – A degenerative eye disease that can lead to blindness.
- Chiari-like Malformation (CM) and Syringomyelia (SM) – CM occurs when the skull is too small for the brain, leading to pressure and disruption of cerebrospinal fluid flow. SM is a secondary condition caused by CM that affects the spinal cord and causes pain.
- Canine Hip Dysplasia (CHD) – A musculoskeletal issue where the hip joint doesn’t fit properly, causing discomfort and limited mobility.
What Is a Raw Diet for Dogs?
A raw dog food diet focuses on feeding unprocessed, fresh ingredients — typically Raw meat for dog, bones, and selected fruits and vegetables. When handled hygienically, raw food diets can be a safe and highly nutritious way to feed dogs, including Cavoodles.
Choosing raw means offering your dog high-quality, human-grade ingredients — the kind that supports healthy development and long-term wellness.
Some of the key benefits reported in dogs on raw diets include:
- Enhanced bone and joint health
- Stronger immune function
- A shinier, softer coat
- Healthier skin
- Cleaner teeth and gums
- Increased energy and vitality
It’s important to maintain balance in a raw diet. A variety of raw meats, organs, eggs, vegetables, and fruits — like spinach, broccoli, liver, and apples — can create a complete and nourishing meal plan.
Is Raw Food Safe for Cavoodles?
In short — yes. Cavoodles can absolutely thrive on a well-balanced raw food diet. As long as the food is prepared safely and includes a good balance of protein, fats, and micronutrients from produce, it can meet all their dietary needs.
Why Cavoodles May Thrive on a Raw Food Diet
The raw diet is especially well-suited to dogs like Cavoodles due to its high protein content — an essential nutrient for muscle, bone, and immune health. Historically, dogs evolved eating raw meat, and many still do best on a similar diet.
For Cavoodles, whose genetics may predispose them to joint issues like hip dysplasia, a diet rich in high-quality protein and calcium (from raw meat and bones) may help support skeletal health and reduce inflammation.
If your Cavoodle has experienced digestive issues — vomiting, loose stools, or food sensitivities — it may be worth considering whether commercial kibble is to blame. Many dry dog foods are made with highly processed, filler-heavy ingredients that can irritate your dog’s gut.
A raw food diet, being free of preservatives and low-quality by-products, is often easier to digest. Many pet owners notice improvements in gut health and stool consistency after switching to raw.
And if your pup seems sluggish or less lively than usual, the cause might not just be aging. Nutrition plays a big role in energy levels. Dogs on raw diets often have more stable moods and higher energy — especially when they’re eating protein-rich meals made from real ingredients.