I Need Advice About A King Charles Spaniel

[Mental Midget]

I have a little Ruby King Charles Spaniel staying with me at the moment. It's a long story as to why he is now living with me, The Crazy Combat Corgis and the the slavettes. The long and short of it is - My friend is very ill at the moment and is unable to look after herself nevermind Archie.

I've never had to care for a King Charles Spaniel before and I really need some advice about how to make sure I'm doing it right. His ears are one of my concerns. I am grooming him daily (to avoid tangles and knots in his coat)but how do I look after his ears? I have him booked into a grooming parlour to be groomed professionaly but they are very busy and that appointment is 2 weeks away. The other concern I have is that he has Mitral Valve Disease grade 5-6. I know this is a very serious thing and any advice with this is very welcome.

General info about Archie

He's a year old in August, desexed at about 5months, was the "runt" of the litter, is very leggy and has a slight build.(to me anyway but I'm used to corgis), he seems very excitable, he may be small in stature but he has the heart of a lion. He is very sweet and very affecionate. One last bit of info - he hoards things in his little crate. It can be the lost shoe (he doesn't chew them), the missing school tie, the keys to the orange bubble, hair brushes - anything.

I don't know as yet if Archie is staying for a short time or if he may be staying permamantly at the moment, as I said his mummy is very ill and it depends on her recovery.

[Cavandra]

Firstly is he a King Charles or a Cavalier King Charles, as they are completely different breeds altogether, and have very few similarities. Sweet , affectionate, excitable to me means you have a Cavalier, if he was a Charlie he would most likely have found a hiding place & wouldnt come out :rolleyes:

I am presuming it is a Cavalier you have as they are most common. He can not possibly have Grade 6 Mitral Valve Disease at 12 months of age, a Grade 6 murmur means he wont be around for much longer. If he truly had a Grade 6 murmur as a baby it could well be PDA which is a Patent Ductus, and needs to be surgically fixed & he will lead a normal life, but most PDA affected dogs dont live past 12 months otherwise, it is not a common thing in either breed, but it is a general congenital issue with dogs in general, being a runt I would say this is what his problem is, and if he isnt having surgery I guess it is just a matter of making him comfortable & happy, there is most likely plenty of info on the net about patent Ductus Arteriosis (sp?)

Do you know who diagnosed him with MVD??? if it was MVD he would be on expensive ongoing medication...........If it is just a GP Vet who has diagnosed him & graded it, then it is wrong and just PRESUMED it to be MVD....and he may well have some other murmur that he grows out of, but not if it is really graded correctly at a 6!

If he does have any type of grade 6 murmur he needs to be kept calm & not taken to groomers or walked or anything that excites him too much, he needs to be kept slim on a Natural diet & on the correct medication for the correct condition that he has.

I know it is the last thing your friend needs right now, but the Breeder must be notified & a refund given, the refund may be enough to cover the cost of the operation, I know someone in NSW quoted $1000 by a GP Vet, and $2000 by a Specialist Vet to do a PDA surgery.

[Over It]

Their ears are quite easy to look after. Give them a good brush to prevent knots (they often build up at the back and little ones become big ones very quickly). If he gets food in them, just use a damp wash cloth to get it out, though its not a big issue, the other dogs will probably finish it up for him!

If you notice he is getting a lot of waxy build up, or there is a bad smell coming from them (this could just be from the wax, water or he could have mites), they will need a clean inside. You can do this again with a warm, damp wash cloth and just wipe over the inside (don't go down too far) or you can buy some ear drops from the vet (very inexpensive).

Ask your vet what they recommend (there are plenty of brands to choose from) - you can buy drops to stop wax build up, ones that get rid of any water in his ear canal (very bad for cavs - if he goes swimming then you should go get some of these) and ones that will dry up the wax and water and kill of any mites that may be in there.

They have increased wax build up due to a lack of air flow to their ears. As he is not a show dog, you can clip (or ask the groomer) to trim the feather from the underside of his ear around the ear canal opening and towards the back - this will help increase airflow and reduce waxy build up. Or if Archie is willing to let you dress him up - buy some scrunchies from the 2-Dollar shop and put them on his ears and let him run around for the afternoon or day. My cavs all run around the house every saturday with scrunchies on their ears to let them air out (its a good thing they don't know how silly they look :rolleyes: )

As Archie is a Ruby Cav his tear stains may not be as noticeable - but just use a damp wash cloth and give them a wipe over. If he has staining then you can use a little doggie shampoo and scrub it, or your vet will sell a tear stain remover (like "Clear Eyes" or similiar) this is great for getting the stains off, and to prevent them from coming back, put a little vaseline under his eyes.

In regards to his MVD - he should have medication already. Depending on his condition and how his system is functioning - his vet may have prescribed diuretics (to reduce fluids), ACE inhibitors (to aid Blood Vessels) and either positive or negative Inotropes (to help the heart function).

You said Archie has a grade 5 or 6 (6 is the highest) then you should monitor his activity levels - even though he is young and all he wants to do is run and play (and horde goodies) this can wear him out quite quickly. Though a grade six at such a young age - I can't image he will be very active for long!

Speak to your vet, or phone his previous vet (hopefully it was a Cardiologist who diagnosed him) to discuss what medications he is on and how they work for him as it is hard to say without knowing what medication he is on, and without being a vet who has examined him. There are lots of treatments available and I would recommend calling his previous vet, telling him that you are now his carer and get any care instructions required from him.

I hope it all works out for you and little Archie.

;)

ETA: I have just assumed he has been to a Cardiologist and diagnosed correctly - as per Cavandra's suggestion here is a website with some info on PDA. There are heaps of sites on MVD if you google it.

I think first and foremost - find out who diagnosed his MVD.

Edited July 19, 2007 by Ane

[Mental Midget]

Cavandra I feel so ignorant and I know that is no excuse. I honestly didn't know that there were two different breeds. He does like to hide away in boxes or under chairs when the Combat Corgi's get a bit OTT- I have to say that both of them are very gentle with him. Do dogs sense other wee dogs are a bit "special" or more fragile? I don't want to upset his Mummy by asking. I'm being a coward I know. Is there anyway I can tell?

As for his Heart - well his mummy knew when she "adopted" him all about it. She had to sign a thing the breeder presented her with. She got him home at 8 weeks . This was way too young in my opinion but to be honest my opinion of the breeder was PUPPY FARM.

She was dead set on Archie - the breeder had gave her pix and web cam of the mummy and pups. I hate to say it but she's been sold a pig in a poke.

I just want to care for Archie best I can

Ane - the ear stuff . I was scared to give his ears a good comb/groom, slavette #2 is scisors in hand cliping off any knots. Now I don't know if this was/is a good thing. we are learning on the paw so to speak. We had read that knots and tangles in a coat could lead to sores on the skin and it COULD be better to clip the knots out. We need the advice.

We just want Archie to have a nice life. The wee soul doesn't know if he is coming or going at the moment. He is missing his Mummy.

[Over It]

Ane - the ear stuff . I was scared to give his ears a good comb/groom, slavette #2 is scisors in hand cliping off any knots. Now I don't know if this was/is a good thing. we are learning on the paw so to speak. We had read that knots and tangles in a coat could lead to sores on the skin and it COULD be better to clip the knots out. We need the advice.

Don't be too concerned - he will love having a good brush! All my cavs think is wonderful! Especially if you have to get in deep to clean any water or wax out, their back legs start twitching and they look on their face is priceless!

You don't need to use clippers at all, just little scissors - all you are trying to do is cut out any little knots that form (and can't be brushed out) before they become matted against the skin and by cutting away the "feathering" from the underside is to make it a little more airy. You don't in any way have to clip it all off. I find if you give it a little brush each day, and depending on your situation if he is able to not wear a collar, knots behind the ears will be very minimal. Our dogs used to wear collars all the time with their ID and Rego tags etc, They would all get the occassional knots and now that they don't wear collars at all we hardly even get little knots.

If you have a second pair of hands, it should be really quite easy... little snips at a time

Another thing that might make you feel better - he's obviously not a show dog, so if you do manage to cut a little too much, the worse that will happy is he'll look funny for a week or two :rolleyes: (His Mummy will never know )

PM Me if you need a bit of a better description...

[Dogsfevr]

You can cut the knots our but long term you end up with alot of uneven lengths & that tends to make it knot more.

You wont hurt the dog brushing & a good comb through will keep the knots well under control.

aslong as there brush with a comb & the dead hair removed weekly the matting should be near to none.

personnally if it was me i would be taking the dog to the vets to just see where you stand with the heart.

If the pup had a murmour when it left it can grow out of them.

We have had a pup in this situation where the new owners signed paper work ,dog grew outof it & all is well,

but given that you dont now if its permanent or not i would be making sure what its has.

[Ashka]

Ears: Cavaliers or Charlie's for that matter:

A Snood is a necessity to keep long ears out of the food dish. Cut the top off an old adult sock and pull over ears, you can always make a pretty one from a small amount of material made into a tube with elastic both ends. :rolleyes:

I find a smooth metal comb best to use to keep knots at bay. A brush can smooth the top coat but leave mats at skin level. I would trim up his feet, at least underneath and keep the nails trimmed. Many toy dogs are just not heavy enough to keep their nails worn down. Most Good breeders remove the pup's dew claws at three days old but best to check as they can get hidden in the feathering, they will need to be trimmed too

The heart grading is a worry, for your own peace of mind I'd get a vet check done as soon as possible. A heart specialist check would be best if possible.

All the best ~ they are lovely little dogs.

Edited July 20, 2007 by Ashka

[Mental Midget]

Archie - bless him !

Thanks to everyone for the advice. I honestly didn't know best practice about grooming and his ears . His Mummy is still very ill but the prognosis is good for her. I hope we are counting down the weeks now to Archie going home to his mummy. He is such an adorable little character and the Slavettes and I want him to have a happy time living with us.

The heart thing - well apparently when he was still with the breeder he was diagnosed as being grade 5 and since then his own vet has arranged for various things/tests/consultations and the grade five went to grade 6.

I had him along at my vet today and he more or less confirmed I have a very frail and possibly ill little boy. I've to try keep him calm - Lordy!- and not get him over excited.

He's had his ears "combed" and loved every moment of it and he seems quite delighted wearing a scrunchie. I had thought about that but didn't know if it was "Allowed".

I didn't know what diet Archie was used to before he came on his "holidays" so I fed him the same as I do the Crazy Combat Corgis . I now know not to feed him the same amounts. Please understand this wasn't any fault on his Mummy's part for not informing me. He came to live with me because his mummy became very very ill over a very very short period of time. My vet has gave me some good tips and pointers to go on. He did say that the Crazy Combat Corgis were the only Corgis he'd came across as a vet who weren't fat.

Any advice you can give me about caring for Archie - I NEED- The slavettes and I just want him to be a happy wee boy.

[Ashka]

Bless you for looking after a sick little man.

Archie isn't going to be using up much energy running around so I'd increase the protein & fat in his diet but cut the carbs / starch down. eg. cut down the biscuits and add a scrambled egg or some sardines (Both a hit with my Cavalier boy) Feeding him small amounts three times a day if possible would be easier for him.

You may need to comb his ears everyday and a full comb every other day or so depending on his coat. If he gets a bit dirty or greasy a small amount of baking soda (bicarb) rubbed though his coat and combed or brushed out will help. There is a school of thought that talc is bad for babies (can get into their lungs) so I don't use it as a dry shampoo.

If Northumberland is the UK one Many Cav owners there feed tinned tripe.

Best.

Edited July 21, 2007 by Ashka

[Mental Midget]

Yup it's Northumberland in the UK. I've never noticed tinned tripe before but then again I've never looked for it! I presume I might find it in the feed store. I'll need to keep my eye out next time I'm in.