Cavalier King Charles Spaniels' Dental Care Tidbits

 Kathryn Yonkers and the publisher, Cavaliersonline.com provide materials for breeder and the greater breed fancy for educational purposes only. No information in any articles and/or web-pages should be used for veterinary medical purposes. Each Cavalier's owner must consult a licensed veterinarian for the specific diagnosis approaches and possible treatments for each individual Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

Background:

Dogs are susceptible to periodontal diseases, malocclusion, root decay and trauma like their human companions.

Periodontal diseases results from an accumulation of bacterial plaque and the dog's immune response.  This immune response (inflammatory reaction) of the gums is referred to as gingivitis  .... gingivitis can progress to periodontitis (infection in the supporting structures).

Periodontitis results in destruction of tissue around the teeth and can lead to kidney, liver. heart and joint disease if the bacteria is released in the bloodstream.  Periodontal diseases can cause pain, which can be reflected in malnutrition.

Symptoms of poor oral health:

Home care:

Develop a healthy dental home care routine with your CKCS!  Get your dog familiar with you being in his/her mouth by rubbing your index finger along the gumline. Reward him/her with  praises and hugs. After several days, when he/she is used to this, progress to wrapping a chlorhexidine moistened gauze pad around your index
finger or a soft finger brush dipped in a CHX .12% gel / dentifrice. Do not use baking soda or human toothpaste/dentifrice since they contain too much sodium.

When brushing try to angle the brush at a 45 degree angle and brush along the gumline using a circular motion. Concentrate on the molars and canine teeth... they seem to accumulate the most bacterial plaque. These few minutes every day can help your CKCS have a longer, healthier life.
 

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel facts:

* 42 secondary (permanent) teeth begin to emerge at approximately four months.

*  Poor dental health is linked to poor overall health.

*  Broken teeth malocclusion (crooked/crowded teeth) and periodontal diseases are common in this breed.

Dental concerns:

* According to veterinary dental experts, aggressive chewing on hard objects, such as cow hooves, is a primary cause of broken teeth in dogs. Another cause is catching hard objects in their mouth.

* If your CKCS is 2 years of age or older, statistics indicate that 80-85% have some form of periodontal disease (including early gingivitis to severe periodontitis).

* Puppies' developing teeth (primary and secondary) are
susceptible to damage from medications, viruses and trauma.

Who is at the most risk for dental problems?

* Eating soft food rather than dry kibble/natural BARF diet.

* Malocclusion (crowded/crooked teeth), and mouth breathers.

* Chewing on hard objects may cause fractures in the tooth enamel and/or broken teeth.

*Poor dental care, including both homecare and professional.

Warning
Scaling of your CKCS teeth should be 
ONLY performed by a skilled professional using appropriate antibiotic coverage (if indicated) due to the transient bacteremia (bacteria is circulated in your CKCS's bloodstream after any scaling that induces bleeding; this puts them at risk for bacterial endocarditis if MVD is present).
 

* Dry kibble, Milk-bone and other hard biscuits, reduces plaque formation above the gumline.  Does not reduce bacterial composition of that plaque... only brushing the teeth will reduce the bacterial plaque.

* Tartar Check (TM) Biscuits (Heinz Pet Products) contains sodium hexametaphosphate to reduce calculus (tartar) formation... only effective for calculus above the gumline.

*  C.E.T. (R) Chews - flat beef rawhide strips treated with
enzymes to stimulate and increase saliva flow. Always monitor your dog for choking. Contraindicated is knotted rawhide bones, rawhide chips and strips, chopped rawhide treats, cooked beef bones, cow hoof.  They have been noted with increase risk for choking and fractures of teeth.
 

*  Dental Care Dog Foods are currently being marketed to the public. Research has indicated that dogs fed this high fiber treatment food had significantly less plague, stain, and calculus accumulation than dogs fed regular dog food.

*  Tartar control dentifrice - do not use on your CKCS at the same time as a chlorhexidine (CHX) agent; this will bind and make CHX inert. Do not use dentifrices made for humans since they are designed to expectorate.

*  Finger brushes - fits over your fingertip and allows brushing without alerting the dogs.  Good transitional brush until the dog gets use to the action.. then  a regular soft toothbrush would be superior. A soft toothbrush can get below the gumline, while a finger brush having larger bristles does not.

© Copyright Kathryn Yonkers

About the Author:

I have been in the CKCS breed since 1994 both as owner, hobbyist breeder and exhibitor. President and founder of a consulting/educational firm which was recognized by a leading infection control research foundation.  I was former faculty at one of the leading dental schools in the USA.  As an university professor, I have taught undergraduate through graduate level.  I have facilitated continuing education courses, including "changing modalities in periodontics with special concentration on nonsurgical approaches". 

I am a member of the AKC Parent Club, the ACKCSC (http://www.ackcsc.org) and served on the health committee that pierce headed the first breed health survey through Purdue University. I am also a trustee with the ACKCSC Charitable Trust (http://www.ackcsccharitabletrust.org) and ACKCSC Research Liaison. I also am a founding Vice President of the CKCSC of Southern Michigan now known as Great Lakes CKCSC of Michigan http://www.ckcscsm.org