Health conditions which might affect your King Charles spaniel
King Charles spaniels are a healthy breed of dog but they
unfortunately do suffer from a number of genetic defects and two
possible genetic conditions like mitral valve disease and syringomyelia
which can be sever and somewhat common as well. Breeders who do it
because of their love for dogs will screen their breeding dogs for such
conditions in order to reduce the incidence of these defects in the
offspring. Mitral valve disease is a common occurrence in King Charles
spaniels, a disease which can lead to heart failure. In fact this is the
leading cause of death in this breed and the main reason why the breed’s
expected life span doesn’t usually exceed ten years. Even though heart
disease is something common in dogs generally, with one in ten of all
dogs regardless of their breed eventually developing heart problems, and
mitral valve disease usually being a disease related with old age, the
King Charles spaniel is susceptible to early-onset heart disease, at as
young as one or two years of age. Veterinary geneticists and
cardiologists have designed breeding guidelines to eliminate the early
onset of mitral valve disease in the breed; but it is unknown if a large
enough number of breeders follow these guidelines.
Syringomyelia is a serious condition caused by a malformation in the
lower back of the skull which in turn reduces the space available to the
brain, thus compressing it and oftentimes forcing it out through the
opening into the spinal cord. The symptoms of this condition range from
mild pain of the head and the neck to severe pain and partial paralysis.
Normally this is a rare condition in most other breeds. However, it has
been shown to be widespread in the King Charles spaniel with over ninety
percent of spaniels having the malformation. Hip dysplasia is another
genetic disease which affects up to a third of King Charles spaniels and
it cannot be discovered at birth because it develops with age. It only
appears in X-rays once the dogs mature. King Charles spaniels are also
subject to a genetic defect called luxating patella, this condition can
be observed when the dog is as young as four to six months old. This is
a defect of the femur and knee and it affects between twenty to thirty
percent of King Charles spaniels, in the most severe cases surgery is
the only option, while in the less severe physical rehabilitation
therapy and exercise can avoid it. |
