Cavaliers and their Serious Problem with Periodontal Diseases.

[Bet]

I could'nt find the Thread where there was a Discussion about Cavaliers and their Teeth Problems ,so have started this New Thread.

Professor Larry Glickman North Carolina School of Medicine, America,who has recently written a Paper about Gum Problems in Dogs, so I contacted him wondering whether there could be a Link with our Cavaliers' Serious Heart Problem and Periodontal Diseases I have just had this reply back.

He said that ,Yes ,CKCS have a serious Problem with Periodontal Diseases with about 50% of Cavaliers being affected by Mid Age

That this could Potentially explain a High Proportion of all MVD Valve Murmurs .

He further mentioned that a Study is needed to determine the Relationship between Periodontal Disease and MVD .

He suggested that when a Cavalier is being Heart Tested ,check their ORAL HEALTH at the same Time, this way it could be discovered if there might be a Link.

Bet

[Tania]

It has been known for ages there is a link between periodontol disease and heart disease in humans. I have always been surprised there are not more campaigns from the government or dentists regarding this.

http://www.perio.org/consumer/mbc.heart.htm

[RodRussell]

... He said that ,Yes ,CKCS have a serious Problem with Periodontal Diseases with about 50% of Cavaliers being affected by Mid Age

That this could Potentially explain a High Proportion of all MVD Valve Murmurs .

He further mentioned that a Study is needed to determine the Relationship between Periodontal Disease and MVD .

He suggested that when a Cavalier is being Heart Tested ,check their ORAL HEALTH at the same Time, this way it could be discovered if there might be a Link. ...

Having any dog's mouth periodically examined for plaque, etc. is always a good practice. Plaque is the hiding ground of bacteria which can zip through the blood stream from the mouth and cause endocarditis, which is an inflammation of the inner layer of the heart, including the valves.

It can be diagnosed, and its features are different from endocardiosis, which is what we refer to as mitral valve disease. They are not the same disease, and it is quite misleading to suggest that they are. Endocarditis does not "Potentially explain a High Proportion of all MVD Valve Murmurs" at all. We already know why Cavaliers have a higher proportion of MVD than other breeds, and it is not due to gum disease. It is a genetic defect.

If Dr. Glickman really said that "a Study is needed to determine the Relationship between Periodontal Disease and MVD", then my response would be: "Oh, really, Doctor? Another such study is needed? Surely he does not mean that; surely he knows better than to suggest that this connection has not been studied.

[Bet]

Having any dog's mouth periodically examined for plaque, etc. is always a good practice. Plaque is the hiding ground of bacteria which can zip through the blood stream from the mouth and cause endocarditis, which is an inflammation of the inner layer of the heart, including the valves.

It can be diagnosed, and its features are different from endocardiosis, which is what we refer to as mitral valve disease. They are not the same disease, and it is quite misleading to suggest that they are. Endocarditis does not "Potentially explain a High Proportion of all MVD Valve Murmurs" at all. We already know why Cavaliers have a higher proportion of MVD than other breeds, and it is not due to gum disease. It is a genetic defect.

If Dr. Glickman really said that "a Study is needed to determine the Relationship between Periodontal Disease and MVD", then my response would be: "Oh, really, Doctor? Another such study is needed? Surely he does not mean that; surely he knows better than to suggest that this connection has not been studied.

Cavaliers and Their Serious Problem with Periodontal Diseases.

I have passed on Professor Larry Glickman's E-Mail to a Cardiologist who is Researching MVD in our Cavalier Breed.

Professor Glickman mentioned in his recent Paper ,that around 59.000 Dogs had been involved with his Research.

Bet













I have passed on Professor Larry Glickman's E-Mail to a Cardiologist Researching MVD in Cavaliers.

[Tania]

Do you remember a while back Mark Oyama had a conference about this and he linked MVD to Serotonin. I have the hard copy of this conference if anyone would like it:- This is a little snippet.

. And interestingly in the Cavaliers as compared to all other non-Cavalier breeds, they have a higher circulating blood serotonin levels.
One question that a lot of people always ask me is, well, what are the other effects of really high circulating serotonin levels. So we like to joke we have to ask a neurologist, but I like to joke it’s very rare that you meet a Cavalier who is not extremely happy. They are like the happiest dogs in the entire world I think. And so it’s interesting to me that within this preliminary phase they have lots of serotonin running around. I mean remember, high serotonin at least in the central nervous system you feel good, that’s anti-depressants. So maybe all these Cavaliers are – maybe they are really depressed about their mitral valve disease but they are not showing it because they have a lot of serotonin. So that would make a good study.

So we know that serotonin activates those mitral valve cells, so mitral valve cells just kind of sitting back, they shouldn’t be doing a whole lot. If you put serotonin in with those mitral valve cells, they start to become more active and start to make a lot of that glycosaminoglycan or GAG. Okay, so I debated whether or not put a bunch of these slides in here but I think it’s instructive to look at.


So the question then is, is serotonin somehow linked to the development or progression of valve disease. The fact that there is serotonin generating pathways within the valves and maybe a higher circulating serotonin in predisposed dogs particularly the Cavalier, does that have something to do with the high incidence of mitral valve disease particularly in the Cavalier, then also the progression of disease once that valve starts to weaken and fail.

[Karlin]

Really interesting posts; thanks for those!

[RodRussell]

... Professor Glickman mentioned in his recent Paper ,that around 59.000 Dogs had been involved with his Research. ...

I know that he has been active in preparing surveys, in cooperation with breed clubs, which then are sent out to breeders and owners, who answer the questions about their dogs' health and treatment, and then send back the answers, which then are tabulated as statistics. This may explain the high number of dogs in his research.

He conducted one of these with the ACKCSC a few years ago, and I found the results to be rather puzzling because they seemed inconsistent with the reports from research vets published in veterinary journals. I'd like to refer you to the study, but the ACKCSC's charitable trust apparently has removed the report from its website -- http://ackcscharitabletrust.org/fund...th-survey.html

I suspect that either owner ignorance or possibly some breeder bias may play a role in the answers to some of these surveys.

[Bet]

I know that he has been active in preparing surveys, in cooperation with breed clubs, which then are sent out to breeders and owners, who answer the questions about their dogs' health and treatment, and then send back the answers, which then are tabulated as statistics. This may explain the high number of dogs in his research.

He conducted one of these with the ACKCSC a few years ago, and I found the results to be rather puzzling because they seemed inconsistent with the reports from research vets published in veterinary journals. I'd like to refer you to the study, but the ACKCSC's charitable trust apparently has removed the report from its website -- http://ackcscharitabletrust.org/fund...th-survey.html

I suspect that either owner ignorance or possibly some breeder bias may play a role in the answers to some of these surveys.

CAVALIERS and THEIR SERIOUS PROBLEMS WITH PERIODONTAL DISEASE

The Headlines from a Paper says Purdue Professor Larry Glickman Links Gum and Heart Disease in Dogs.

A Purdue University Study has recently demonstrated a Link between Gum Diseases and Heart Problems in Dogs.

Professor Glickman's Study was Published in the Februrary Edition of the Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association .

As with all Papers Published , this Paper would have been Peer Reviewed before it was accepted.

As I mentioned in my Previous Post, I have passed on Professor L. Glickman's, Personal E-Mails with his information to a Cardiologist in Britain Researching MVD in Cavaliers.

So as I have always said, I will leave it to the Experts to see what they make of it.

I am not an Expert ,just the Messenger.

Bet

[RodRussell]

... A Purdue University Study has recently demonstrated a Link between Gum Diseases and Heart Problems in Dogs. Professor Glickman's Study was Published in the Februrary Edition of the Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association . As with all Papers Published , this Paper would have been Peer Reviewed before it was accepted. ... So as I have always said, I will leave it to the Experts to see what they make of it. ...

Bet, the study, published in 2009, appears to have nothing to do with MVD in Cavaliers. Here is a summary of it:

Evaluation of the risk of endocarditis and other cardiovascular events on the basis of the severity of periodontal disease in dogs. Glickman LT, Glickman NW, Moore GE, Goldstein GS, Lewis HB. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2009 Feb 15;234(4):486-94.

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that increased severity of periodontal disease in dogs is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular-related events, such as endocarditis and cardiomyopathy, as well as markers of inflammation. DESIGN: Historical cohort observational study. SAMPLE POPULATION: 59,296 dogs with a history of periodontal disease (periodontal cohort), of which 23,043 had stage 1 disease, 20,732 had stage 2 disease, and 15,521 had stage 3 disease; and an age-matched comparison group of 59,296 dogs with no history of periodontal disease (nonperiodontal cohort). PROCEDURES: Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to estimate the risk of cardiovascular-related diagnoses and examination findings in dogs as a function of the stage of periodontal disease (1, 2, or 3 or no periodontal disease) over time while controlling for the effect of potential confounding factors. RESULTS: Significant associations were detected between the severity of periodontal disease and the subsequent risk of cardiovascular-related conditions, such as endocarditis and cardiomyopathy, but not between the severity of periodontal disease and the risk of a variety of other common noncardiovascular-related conditions. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The findings of this observational study, similar to epidemiologic studies in humans, suggested that periodontal disease was associated with cardiovascular-related conditions, such as endocarditis and cardiomyopathy. Chronic inflammation is probably an important mechanism connecting bacterial flora in the oral cavity of dogs with systemic disease. Canine health may be improved if veterinarians and pet owners place a higher priority on routine dental care.

As best I can tell, that article does not mention Cavaliers.

[EddyAnne]

Glickerman and associates suggested that periodontal disease was associated with cardiovascular-related conditions, such as endocarditis and cardiomyopathy. For some breeds the gene mutations have already been found for cardiomyopathy and where DNA testing is already available for the public to use, here is an example in Boxers.
http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/deptsVCGL/Boxer/test.aspx

Maybe more meaningful research might be obtained from breeds where all the research dogs have been DNA tested and their genetic cardiomyopathy status is known.

Besides cardiomyopathy there was mention of endocarditis. Endocarditis simply means inflammation of the heart's inner lining (endocardium). The endocardium is also the membrane that covers the heart's inner walls in all four chambers and includes the linings of the four heart valves. Bacteria from a mouth that has periodontal disease the bacteria might enter the blood system and travel to the heart and where an infection might start and where endocarditis may develop and this maybe even on the heart valves. Bacteria in the blood commonly called bacteremia or bacteraemia, the bacteria could also travel via the blood to organs throughout the body and even to the brain, and in a number of locations infections might also establish.

As for genetic MVD well I think that it may be best to avoid another problem in bacterial endocarditis by practicing good oral hygiene. Also certain bacteria normally live on parts of your body, such as the mouth and upper respiratory system, the intestinal and urinary tracts, and the skin, any yes some surgical and dental procedures cause a brief bacteraemia and in cases where more may occur antibiotics may be prescribed. In periodontal disease cases there too antibiotics may be prescribed along with good oral hygiene.
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