Raising dogs, especially taking care of the king charles spaniel, is nothing new for people across the globe. Some zoologists speculate that dogs were domesticated between 12,000 and twenty five thousand years ago—and that all dogs evolved from the wolf. Since those days, we have selectively bred more than four hundred breeds, ranging in size from 4-pound teacup poodles all the way up to Irish wolfhounds, whose 3-ft stature earns them the distinction of the tallest pooch. But the most popular pooches are non-pedigree dogs—the one-of-a-kind dogs known as mutts. The king charles spaniel is also a popular choice with dog owners. Some owners are unaware, however, of some common king charles spaniel care tips.
Health care cost of your king charles spaniel
The yearly cost of taking care of the king charles spaniel—to include everything from food and snacks, to doctor bills, toys and license—can vary between $420 and $780. This does not even consider capital costs for spay/neuter procedures, a collar and a leash, dog carrier and a crate. Note: Be positive you have all the required items before getting your king charles spaniel home for the 1st time.
Basic king charles spaniel Care
king charles spaniel Feeding Schedule
- king charles spaniel pups between 8 and 12 weeks need 4 bowls of food in a day.
- Feed king charles spaniel pups 3 to 6 months old three meals every 24 hour period.
- Feed puppies 6 months to 1 year 2 meals in a 24 hour period.
- By the time your king charles spaniel makes his or her 1st birthday, one feeding every 24 hours is sufficient.
- Sometimes adult king charles spaniels, however, eat 2 smaller helpings. It’s your job to adapt to your king charles spaniel’s eating tendencies.
Top-quality dry dog food provides balanced nutrition for grown king charles spaniels and can mix with canned food, broth, or water. Your king charles spaniel may also enjoy cottage cheese, fruits and vegetables, and cooked eggs, but these additions should be less than 10 percent of his or her daily food intake. king charles spaniel puppies must be fed a high-quality, name brand puppy food. Try to limit “table food”, however, because it can cause vitamin and mineral imbalances, bone and teeth problems, and might cause some extremely picky eating habits and obesity. Give fresh, potable water exclusively, and make sure to wash food and water bowls very often.
king charles spaniel Care Tips: Make sure your king charles spaniel gets plenty of daily physical activity
king charles spaniels need some physical activity so they can burn calories, recharge their minds, and keep healthy. Exercise also really helps king charles spaniels fight boredom, which often has the potential to lead to to naughty behavior. Getting out can appease many of your king charles spaniel’s instinctual urges to retrieve, dig, chew, chase and herd. Exercise needs can depend on your king charles spaniel’s level of health and his age—but ten minutes outside and merely a walk down the street every day probably won’t be sufficient. If your king charles spaniel is a six to 18 month adolescent, her requirements will be much greater.
Grooming tips for king charles spaniels
Regular brushing will help keep your king charles spaniel clean and reduce shedding. Check for fleas and ticks daily during the summer or other warm weather. Sometimes king charles spaniels don’t need to be bathed more than a few times during the year. Before the bath, comb or cut out any mats from the king charles spaniel’s coat. Rinse all soap from the coat, or the dirt will stick to the soap residue.
king charles spaniel Handling
Pups, as opposed to adults, are obviously the easiest to handle. To carry the king charles spaniel pup, put one of your hands beneath the dog’s chest, with either the forearm or your other hand supporting his or her hind legs and rump. Don’t attempt to grab or lift your pup by his or her forelegs, nape or tail. When you need to pick up a bigger, full-grown king charles spaniel, pick it up from the underside, holding his chest with one arm and rump with your other.
king charles spaniel housing
king charles spaniels need a warm peaceful location to relax away from all the breezes and off the ground or floor. You might wish to think about buying a doggie bed, or make one out of a wood box. Place a clean sheet, comforter, blanket, or pillow in the bed. Wash your king charles spaniel’s bedding often. If your king charles spaniel will be spending a lot of time outdoors, make certain he has covering and plenty of cool water in the summer, and a dry, covered, warm shelter when it’s cold.
Licensing and Identification for king charles spaniels
Make certain to follow your city’s licensing rules. You should affix the license to the king charles spaniel’s collar. This, together with an ID tattoo, may help you recover your king charles spaniel should he become lost.
king charles spaniel Temperament Information
Thoughts on king charles spaniel Training
A well-mannered, companion king charles spaniel is truly a joy to own. However, when untrained, your king charles spaniel can possibly be a pain. Teaching your king charles spaniel the basics—”Heel”, “Off”, “Sit”, “Stay”, “Come”, “Down”, and “Leave it”—will bolster the relationship with both your dog as well as the neighbors. If you own a pup, start training her on manners asap! A treat can be used as incentive and recognition. Puppies can join obedience class when they have been adequately immunized. Call your local SPCA or humane society for obedience classes. Invariably you should keep your king charles spaniel on a leash while in public, even while a pup. Be certain your king charles spaniel will come back to you when you tell him to. An aggressive or disobedient king charles spaniel shouldn’t play with kids.
About your king charles spaniel’s Health
king charles spaniels should see the veterinarian for a full screening, vaccinations and a heartworm blood exam every single year, and immediately if she is injured or ill.
About your king charles spaniel’s Oral Health
Although we may simply dislike our king charles spaniel’s foul breath, we must be aware of what it might represent. Halitosis is a sign that your king charles spaniel should get a dental examination. Plaque due to germs causes a foul stench that can only be eliminated by professional treatment. Once you have given your king charles spaniel a professional cleaning, the mouth can be maintained by eliminating table food, feeding a special diet focused on maintaining dental health, and brushing regularly. The vet can provide you more data on minimizing dental disease and stinky breath. You can use a baking soda and water paste or a dog toothpaste once or twice per week to brush your king charles spaniel’s teeth. You can clean them with a sterile gauze pad, nylon pantyhose stretched across your finger, or a soft, child’s toothbrush. Periodontal disease,which is an infection between the tooth and the gum, sometimes affects king charles spaniels. This painful affliction can sometimes lead to your king charles spaniel’s loss of teeth and also propagate diseases throughout the body. The vet will most likely clean her teeth as a regular part of your king charles spaniel’s health examination.
king charles spaniel Halitosis
Although oral disease in isolation is not that big of a deal when found early enough, halitosis may indicate serious, persistent issues. A fruity, sweet smell may be a sign of diabetes, while liver or intestinal diseases may cause foul breath. Kidney disease may be the reason if your king charles spaniel’s breath smells of ammonia or urine. Set an appointment with a veterinarian whenever your king charles spaniel has halitosis along with other signs of disease like excessive urinating or drinking, depression or lethargy, weight loss, nausea, or decreased appetite.
Dealing with Ticks and Fleas in king charles spaniels
When it’s warm, it’s important for you to perform regular, daily checks of your king charles spaniel for fleas and ticks. Use a flea comb to remove fleas. There are several new procedures of flea control. Speak with your king charles spaniel’s doctor about his recommendations.
Heartworm problems in king charles spaniels
Your king charles spaniel is at risk of heartworms if he is exposed to mosquitoes often. The insect transports heartworms from dog to dog. Heartworm infestations are deadly. It is extremely important you ensure your king charles spaniel has a blood test for this parasite each year during the spring. A monthly pill taken in the warm, wet time of the year can protect your king charles spaniel. If you ever travel in a warmer-than-usual climate with your king charles spaniel during the winter, she needs to be on the preventive medicine during the trip. There are some places, usually the regions with warmer temperatures, where doctors advise parasite pills be consumed year round.
Medicines and Poisons
If you’re thinking about giving your king charles spaniel pills that was not prescribed for him by his doctor, don’t even think about it. Just one ibuprofen tablet is known to create stomach ulcers in king charles spaniels. Make sure your king charles spaniel is never exposed to rat poison and other rodenticides. When you suspect your pooch has eaten a poison, immediately call the veterinarian or the ASPCA Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 for 24-hr. animal poison information.
king charles spaniel Sterilization Operations
It is recommended that female king charles spaniels be spayed—which is the removal of the uterus and ovaries—and males neutered—extraction of the testes—by 6 months of age. You will significantly diminish your female’s chance of breast cancer by spaying prior to maturity. Spaying also eliminates the possibility of an infected uterus, a very serious problem in more mature females that requires surgery and intensive medical care. Testicular cancer, prostate diseases, some hernias and certain aggressive behavior are all preventable by neutering male king charles spaniels.
Shots for your king charles spaniel
- The combination vaccine (also known as the “five-in-one shot”) needs to be given to your king charles spaniel at two, 3, and 4 months of age and again once yearly. This shot immunizes your puppy from parainfluenza, parvovirus, leptospirosis, hepatitis, and distemper. Your king charles spaniel must be vaccinated for at least the first 4 months of his life.
- If you have the rare king charles spaniel who has not been immunized and is older than 4 or 5 months, she will need a series of 2 innoculations 2 or three weeks apart, followed by a yearly innoculation.
- Your king charles spaniel puppy’s vaccinations should coincide with her socialization program. You can take your king charles spaniel pup to socialization classes as early as 8 or nine weeks old, according to most doctors. They should have already received their first immunizations by then.
Laws vary so much around the country, the best thing is to contact your local doctor to get rabies innoculation info. For example, in New York City, the statute states that all pets older than 3 months of age to be vaccinated for rabies. The first rabies immunization must be followed up by a subsequent innoculation a year later, and then every 3 years after that. There are a variety of vaccines, many of which are right for your king charles spaniel. There are others that are not, however. Your veterinarian can tell you about them. Also, if your king charles spaniel gets ill because he is not properly vaccinated, do not administer the vaccination until the dog has made a full recovery.
Intestinal Parasites in king charles spaniels
king charles spaniels are often exposed to worms and possible infestation—in all areas, both rural and urban. Eggs that carry hookworms are transmitted through a king charles spaniel’s stool. Even the healthiest of king charles spaniel puppies carry roundworms or hookworms. An accurate, early detection is the secret to treatment. Early, accurate diagnosis maximizes the possibility that prescribed treatment will be effective against your king charles spaniel’s worms. A dewormer that eradicates roundworms, for example, will not kill tapeworms. Your king charles spaniel’s doctor can best figure out the culprit—and assign the best medication.
Additional king charles spaniel Care Tips
Checklist of king charles spaniel Supplies
- Premium-quality dog food and treats specifically designed for king charles spaniels and similarly-sized dogs
- Food dish
- Water bowl
- Toys, toys and more toys, including safe chew toys
- Brush and comb for grooming, including a flea comb
- Collar with ID tag and license
- Leash
- Dog carrier (for pups)
- Crate for training
- Dog bed or box with comforter or towel
- Dog toothbrush
Warnings to be Heeded
The following items should never be fed to king charles spaniels:
- Alcoholic beverages
- Chocolate
- Raisins or grapes
- Moldy or spoiled food of any kind
- Onions, garlic & chives
- Poultry bones
- Salt & salty foods
- Tomato leaves, unripe fruit & stems
- Yeast dough
The scoop on poop
Unless you are at home, or in a secured, fenced-in location, keep your king charles spaniel on a leash at all times. Whenever your king charles spaniel goes #2 on a neighbor’s grass, on the sidewalk or any other public place, please remove and dispose of it! Don’t forget to check out these other articles about king charles spaniels
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