Dog Care – Keeping Your Cavalier Healthy

Keeping Cavaliers Healthy
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Dog care involves a number of things. You’ll need to keep your dog active, well-groomed, and healthy. This is especially important for Cavaliers. Most Cavalier owners know this, but it’s worth mentioning for anyone who might be thinking about getting one. Dog care is more than just feeding and playing fetch. Today, we’ll be covering how to keep your Cavalier healthy.

The Health Aspect of Dog Care

This is so important for a Cavalier. The Cavalier is an outstanding breed full of life, joy, and exuberance. They’re also a breed which tends to have major health issues with their hearts, so staying on top of the health care aspect of dog care is key.



Keeping Your Cavalier Healthy - Dog Care



Heart Health

Cavaliers are prone to a couple of issues. First and foremost is Mitral Valve Disease. I’ve covered this in several articles, because it’s just so important to our Cavaliers’ well being.

Mitral Valve Disease is a condition in which the Mitral Valve weakens and fails to form a tight seal as the heart beats. Over time, this can lead to a sort of reflux within the heart which allows blood to flow in the wrong direction for a very short period of time. This eventually leads to heart failure.

Almost every Cavalier will develop this condition at some point in their lives, so it’s very important to have yearly checkups for your Cavalier. That’s a minimum. That’s because, other than seeing a specialist, the most common way of detecting Mitral Valve Disease is listening for a heart murmur. You want to bring your Cavalier in yearly at minimum, every 6 months is better, to have a thorough exam and a good listen to their heart. The best thing you can do is take care of their heart from the very beginning with these Tips for Heart Healthy Cavaliers

Another common issue with Cavaliers is idiopathic asymptomatic thrombocytopenia. This is a disorder in which the Cavalier has a lower number of platelets than normal. However, this is generally balanced out by the fact that those platelets are larger. It’s important to have blood work done to detect this early, to prevent an improper diagnosis of something sinister down the line.

Oral Care

When it comes to dog care, a healthy mouth is very important, especially for Cavaliers. Studies have proven that the bacteria entering the blood stream from chronic mouth infections can cause Mitral Valve Disease, or – in the case of Cavaliers – cause earlier development of the condition.

It’s important to brush your Cavalier’s teeth regularly, give them dental chews, and have professional cleanings when necessary. This keeps their mouth and their heart healthy. Check out or post Healthy Teeth for a Healthy Cavalier!

Exercise

Exercise is important for any dog. However, again, it’s doubly important for a Cavalier. Because your Cavalier will most certainly develop Mitral Valve Disease, keeping them active can help delay the onset of the disease, or at least help you be certain that their heart is as healthy as it can be when they finally develop the disease. Check out this post on How You Can Keep Your Senior Dogs Active

Proper Feeding

This falls under health care, because an overweight dog is prone to a variety of health concerns, namely cancer, diabetes, joint and tendon issues, and in the case of Cavaliers, Mitral Valve Disease.

An overweight dog requires more capillaries to maintain blood flow to their bodies, which results in a heart that has to beat harder, which results in extra pressure within the heart. That extra pressure can bring on Mitral Valve Disease sooner, rather than later. So always keep your Cavalier svelte.

Health Care is Only One Part of the Dog Care Equation

I chose to focus on this particular area of dog care, because it is so very important to all Cavalier owners. Maintaining a healthy heart, mouth, and weight are key. As you can tell from everything you’ve read, the main health issue to be concerned with when it comes to dog care and Cavaliers is Mitral Valve Disease, and since everything in the body is connected, it pays to keep your Cavalier it tip-top health.

Senior Dogs needs an even more specialized diet. Keeping Senior Dogs Happy and Healthy!



If you follow this dog care guide, you can keep your Cavalier as healthy as possible, so that they live long, happy, healthy lives.


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Comments

  1. Great tips for keeping not only your cavalier healthy but any breed. Hadn’t heard of Mitral Valve Disease before, what a horrible sickness.
    Happy Monday!

  2. Robin Rue (@massholemommy) says

    This is awesome information for Cavalier owners! They are such lovely dogs.

  3. Great tips. We have a miniature schnauzer that we keep healthy. He is probably considered a senior dog thinking about how long we have had him. A healthy dog is always good especially when he has grown up with your child.
    Shalama recently posted..Finding balanceMy Profile

  4. These tips are great for all dog owners, no matter the breed of pet. My dog is getting older so we really need to stay on top of her health.

  5. Such a nice tips, I don’t had a dog but a cat, I would love to spread this into my friends too.

  6. These are great tips I can easily follow with my dog. Not quite old yet but I want her to remain healthy thanks for sharing.
    Patrice M Foster recently posted..Wish KnewMy Profile

  7. Cavaliers are lovely but it sounds like it’s important for their owners to be proactive. I didn’t know about Mitral Valve Disease.
    Liz Mays recently posted..Ready, Set, Roll Pink!My Profile

  8. Elizabeth O. says

    I think these pointers would also apply to other breeds. I don’t own a dog but I love reading about how to care for them. Thanks for sharing!

  9. It’s interesting that certain breeds are prone to certain conditions. We have a yorkie and have learned about things that would potentially affect him.
    April Mims recently posted..11 Items You Need to Throw Out of Your Kitchen Now!My Profile

  10. What a cute dog. This information is going to help a lot of Cavalier dog owners take care of their furry loved one.
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  11. So cute! I just got a German Shepherd puppy and a few of these tips seem helpful for her too. Thank you for sharing!

  12. Clo Nevaeh says

    Oh super cute! I’ve always wanted a Cavalier. We have a Shih Tzu she is the cutest. These tips would be great for her too!

  13. What a beautiful dog! We have a 2 year old male Shih Tzu named “Bite,” but we always call him “Bitey Bear.” We love him to bits and we always make sure he has the best of care. Thanks for these tips!

  14. These are great tips. It’s very important to keep on top of our dog’s health.

  15. Wonderful tips and they can apply to many breeds of dogs. These little pups are family members and they should be treated with the best care!

  16. Melissa Bernardo says

    Taking
    Care of our pups is just as important as taking care of ourselves. Great post!

  17. aww such a thorough article! i cant wait till i have my own pup and i can read articiles such as this and knob to them cause they apply

  18. Cavaliers are so pretty. This is really thorough and helpful for Cavalier owners

  19. What are your thoughts on the orapup brush for dogs? We use the dental chews and brush teeth regularly, just wondering if the brush has some merritts.

  20. It’s very important to brush your dog’s teeth regularly. Far too many dog owners skip this very important step when taking care of their dog’s health. We also feed our dogs Greenies every single day. Not sure if that really helps, but my veterinarian seems to think it’s working.
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  21. Hey Butler,
    Thats a great article. Its really helpful for dog owners. I have a small breed and i found this tips very helpful for me. Thanks for your all valuable advices.

  22. Cavaliers are so precious and fragile… Thank you for these great tips!
    Chantal recently posted..Adorable! Cute Puppy Snuggles With Baby BrotherMy Profile

  23. Nice post and great tips
    good to know something new about the ‘Cavaliers, Mitral Valve Disease.’ I just know from this article, thanks for sharing …
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  24. Nice tips! I share a lot of things about dogs on my site too http://truefriendgearlab.com/ but I’ve never known such good tips like this.
    Thanks for sharing 🙂
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  25. Thank you for making a bred specific guide to caring for a Cavalier. My mother has one and she’s getting older. We would like her to stick around as long as possible. She has been very healthy so far, but the overfeeding is certainly an issue!! She always acts like she is on the verge of starvation( no matter how much food she eats) so it makes portion control so important.

  26. These are some good tips!

    Like you said, it is essential to check the heart of your dog from time to time – but the most important thing is proper feeding and exercise. Nothing can beat a healthy dog! 🙂

  27. Great blog post for cavaliers, as well as any other dog breeds. I own a Chihuahua, and this is going to help me so much. Thank you.

  28. Cavalier needs exercise in order to release their huge amounts of energy reserves. It is also needed in order to avoid any health issues related to the heart. That is a good post. There’s a lot of valuable knowledge that cavalier owners should know.
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