Health Articles

Low Platelet Count

Low Platelet Count in the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel—not a problem:

Cavaliers sometimes have a lower platelet count in their blood count which worries some veterinarians who do not know that this is normal in some cavaliers.Cavaliers may have a lower platelet count, but they also have larger platelets. The platelets must be hand counted to get an accurate reading. Our good friend, Dr. Kim Hamer from Atlanta, Georgia, is doing a study on the platelet count in Cavaliers which is outlined below. Dr. Hamer has included Rattlebridge dogs in her study. We are only including mention of the low platelet count of some Cavaliers so Cavalier owners reading this will be informed just in case they have a Cavalier with a low platelet count being misdiagnosed by a veterinarian who is not familiar with our breed.

 

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Heart - Understanding Various Murmurs

A brief discussion of the structure and function of the heart and a classification of cardiac murmurs facilitates understanding the difference between normal and abnormal cardiac conditions in CKCS.

Each side of the heart has three chambers separated by two valves. On the right side of the heart, the right atrium receives deoxygenated blood from the body and transmits it to the right ventricle. The right ventricle pumps the blood into the pulmonary artery and then the lungs. The tricupsid valve separates the right atrium from the right ventricle and the pulmonary valve separates the right ventricle from the pulmonary artery. After blood is oxygenated in the lungs, returns to the left atrium and is pumped to the body by the left ventricle by way of the aorta. The mitral valve separates the left atrium from the left ventricle and the aortic valve separates the left ventricle from the aorta.

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Luxating Patellas

Many toy breeds are very prone to lateral luxating patellas including the CKCS.

Diagnosis is relatively simple for a veterinarian familiar with orthopedics. It involves palpation of the joint and manual luxation of the patella. Care must be exercised with the examination to avoid injuring the joint, or making an incorrect diagnosis. Patellar luxation may be classified in four grades, with grade I being the mildest. This grading system is subjective so it is important in the present of luxation to have the same veterinarian perform the follow-up screening. Mild patellar luxation (grade 1-2) may be discovered as an incidental finding especially in a growing dog or a female in season. In addition, patellar luxation may occur in any breed because of trauma.

Patella luxation (also called slipped stifles) results from abnormalities in the bones of the rear legs.

Pain is usually not associated with this condition unless it is the result of trauma or until degenerative arthritis has occurred.

The treatment and long-term outcome (prognosis) depend on the severity of disease.

Syringomyelia and Chiari Malformation

Syringomyelia (sear-IN-go-my-EEL-ya) is a disorder in which a cyst or herniation called Syrinx  forms within the spinal cord. SM causes a wide variety of neuropathic symptoms due to damage and degeneration of the spinal cord. PAIN is the most important clinical sign of the disorder. It appears in many species including dogs and especially in majority of toy breeds. SM in Cavaliers has been identified by researchers and small population samples have been explored. Syringomyelia has been reported as one of the most common spinal cord disorders of toy breed dogs and has been documented in the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, King Charles Spaniel, Griffon Bruxellois, Yorkshire Terrier, Maltese Terrier, Chihuahua, Miniature Dachshund, Miniature and Toy Poodle, Bichon Frise, Pug, Shih Tzu, Pomeranian, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Boston Terrier, Pekingese, Miniature Pinscher, and French Bulldog. Prevalence in other breeds including random bred (mixed breeds/mutts) has not been measured at this time. Radiologists have anecdotely reported that these cysts can be found in all breeds including purebred and mixed breeds/mutts.

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