Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Indiana

Healthy teeth are essential for your Cavalier’s health. Healthy teeth help prevent a variety of other issues down the line from infected gums to heart, liver, and kidney issues. A healthy mouth means a healthier furry friend.

Why Healthy Teeth are so Important

Healthy teeth are important because a healthy mouth is directly tied to overall body health. Studies have proven that an inflamed, infected mouth can lead to plaque and bacteria making their way into your Cavalier’s bloodstream. From there, they can affect organs in your dog’s body. There has been a strong connection with gum disease and heart disease as well as heart valve inflammation.

How to Keep Your Cavalier’s Teeth Healthy

Healthy teeth are important to your Cavalier’s overall health, so doing what you can to keep them clean is a major step in keeping them healthy.

Professional Dental Cleanings

Professional cleanings are key to healthy teeth. I don’t know any dog that will let its owner brush its teeth for two full minutes. We can only do so much with our little guys. After that, it’s up to our vets.

A professional dental cleaning includes:

• Mouth X-rays when equipment is available
• A full cleaning including scaling and polishing
• Extractions when needed
• Antibiotic wash for extractions
• Fluoride treatment

Brushing

After your Cavalier has had its cleaning, follow up with regular brushing. Most vets recommend brushing the teeth, especially the molars and carnassials, at least three times a week. If your dog is extremely tolerant, brushing daily never hurts. Generally speaking, you’ll only be able to hit the gum side of the teeth, but it’s better than nothing.

Dental Chews

There are a wide variety of dental chews to help keep your Cavalier’s teeth healthy. You can get chews like Dentastix and Greenies over the counter. Your vet may also have C.E.T chews. These rawhide chew are embedded with chlohexidine to help kill bacteria while your little guy or girl has their chewy fun.

Water Additives

You can find over the counter water additives to help kill bacteria every time your dog drinks its water. Some vets also carry C.E.T. Aquadent water additive, a veterinary grade additive designed to kill bacteria effectively. With any of these additives, frequent water changing is recommended.

Healthy Teeth are Easier Than You Think

Even if your Cavalier is a stinker, he or she won’t let you get the toothbrush on those teethers, you can still give them chews and water additives. Most important of all, you can have routine dental checkups and get your pooch dental cleanings when needed. Never wait. Healthy teeth are important, and it’s up to us to make sure our dogs have them, whether they like it or not!