The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel has pretty delicate skin so when you are grooming make sure that you are using a brush that will not tear the skin. From time to time, no matter how careful you are, you may find that your Cavalier King Charles has fleas. It is rare for a dog to contract fleas from other dogs - the usual culprits are hedgehogs and cats. If you have a cat in the house then you will know that because they wander all over the place they are likely to get fleas on a regular basis.Try to deal with your cat's fleas as soon as possible - if your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel catches fleas then it will not be such an easy problem to deal with.
You should check your dog regularly for fleas, this is best done by using a specially made nit or flea comb. If you find gray or black dirt in your dog's coat then this is likely to be flea dirt and you can be pretty sure you're your dog has fleas. Check your dog regularly, with long haired dogs especially Spaniels you also need to be very careful when checking the ears. Fleas and mites will attach themselves to the hair inside the ears and they are very difficult to dislodge. If you find your dog scratching in this area then it may be there is a lodger there that you have missed. Whatever you do don't use flea powder or other over the counter flea products as these can make matters worse by clogging your dog's skin. You should always visit your vet and let them prescribe a product for your dog - there are some great products around now which will not only rid your dog of fleas but clean the areas in your house where the dog has access to. Another place that you should check for fleas is at the root of the tail - if you find your dog scratching or chewing in that area then it needs checking out.
You may find that your dog is scratching a lot and think that he or she has skin problems. Certainly it is a reasonable assumption and even one that a vet will sometimes make. However, if your dog is scratching constantly, particularly behind the ears or around the tail area then this could indicate a much more serious problem than simple skin problems. It could be signs of something called syringomelia which is a much more complicated inherited disease - it is also beyond the confines of this article.
As a general rule most skin problems can be avoided providing your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is groomed on a regular basis. Long coats are prone to collecting a lot more debris than short haired breeds and so need more care.
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