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Cavalier King Charles Spaniels / health issues

The Menagerie
#1

I work at a dog daycare and have fallen completely head over heels for Cavaliers. They are adorable as hell, so sweet and snuggly, and I totally love them (and this is after feeling like I am solidly a Big Dog person!).

I will not be able to have a dog for a while - I am only halfway through college and won’t be able to support a dog for a while. However, I am fairly certain that I would now like to get a Cav once I am in a position to get a dog, and am doing some preliminary research.

In this research I have found that they are apparently extremely prone to heart problems, specifically mitral valve disease, and syringomelia. That being said, I have had trouble finding a lot of info about these issues outside of the same generic info on websites like Animal Planet/PetMD/Canine Journal/etc. Are these issues more-so tied to certain lines, or is it a breed-wide problem? I’m assuming there is some sort of parental testing to help control for these potential issues in litters? I was initially thinking that I would try to rescue, since they are pretty common and I would just be looking for a pet, but if buying from a breeder would drastically help me in avoiding some potentially large health issues, I’m fine with going that route.

I suppose all this is to say, if Cavs are your breed, I would love any and all first hand experiences about their health issues. Thanks!

#2

Here’s some info from a cavalier forum, on how to find a good breeder for that breed:

http://www.cavaliertalk.com/forums/showthread.php?26676-CAVALIER-PUPPY-BUYING-GUIDE-(plus-beware-online-sellers!)

#3

I have two Cavs. Both have mitral valve disease and one has SM. One dog has severe mitral valve disease requiring medication. His prognosis is two years and he is 8-years old. The second was diagnosed with SM at age 6 and takes two drugs. One for neurological pain the other a diuretic. He is almost 13 and his mitral valve disease is not as advanced as the 8-year old. He’s almost at the bridge unfortunately. Beautiful little dogs, great companions.

#4

I have two. Lovely, lovable dogs.

Unfortunately my girl dog is very well known and popular with the staff at her neurologists office. She has degenerative disc disease and has had two back surgeries. I believe it is not as common as in dachshunds but not uncommon either. She also has an auto-immune condition (IMPA). She recently developed a murmur at age 8 which is pretty much expected for the breed, but so far it has not caused an issue. Fortunately she doesnt have SM, but my understanding is that SM and other health issues to not have a simple identifiable genetic path, so even the best breeders cant be sure they wont have an affected pup.

My boy dog also has a heart murmur. He also had a bad knee which required surgery in spite of his parents being tested and having good knees.

#5

I would check the CKC club of America website. It’s a well-known disorder in the breed; if there is a way to avoid the issue by selecting a good breeder you should be able to find it here:

https://www.ackcsc.org/index.php/health/heart

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#6

I think that when the breed was re-created in the 1950’s breeding stock used carried SM and mitral valve problems with it. These diseases express themselves years later after carriers had been bred. So appearance was the main criteria. There was a case in Britain where a certain multi-Best In Show winner was bred 20-30 times after being diagnosed with SM. Totally unacceptable. Most breeders recognize the inheritable issues and do their best to breed away from them testing their breeding stock and do the best they can for the breed. The breeder of my SM Cav was not interested when I asked for info on how to take care of his SM. The breeder of my Cav with Mitral Valve Disease couldn’t have been more concerned, offering advice about vet care and meds. So she is successful in avoiding SM and is working on the Mitral Valve Disease.

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#7

A coworker of my sisters just had their 1yo cav diagnosed with SM. They’re devastated. It came on quickly and seems to be a severe case so they’re considering euthanasia.

#8

Cavalier owner and lover! http://cavalierhealth.org The best website for information. I had 3 cavaliers, 2 rescues )mill dogs) and 1 from an excellent breeder!
Nosey, my first rescue, lived to be 15.2 yrs old…heart clear until 14, old age got her 2 years ago. I still miss her.
Peanut, second rescue, had a grade 3 murmur at 3 yrs old.Also has SM. She had severe pneumonia as a pup which left her with lung damage. I never thought she would live to old age. She went into heart failure last July at age 11, had in a few months progressed into a grade 5/6 and CHF. She is on 4 meds and turned 12 April 30th.
I love cavaliers so much I fostered for cavalier rescue usa for several years and these 2 were always accepting of my fosters. Through rescue I met a fabulous breeder. Her Dad used to help us when we needed him to pick up a surrender in his area and keep the dog until we found a foster.
This fabulous breeder had a bitch I saw pictures of with 1 pup. I joked with the breeder and said if she ever didn’t want her, I would take her. She only had 1 pup and second breeding she needed emergency c-section and her pup died. Breeder would not breed her again and I got her. She is now 6, heart and SM clear.

My educated understanding on SM is not matter testing, etc most cavaliers after age 5 if MRI’d will should malformation, even if asymptomatic, due to shape of their heads.
MVD is an absolute problem, so keep a good healthful diet and don’t let them get Fat!

No matter their problems there is no other dog for me. I adore this breed. Do your research, get educated and find the best breeder you can!
Although my rescues and fosters I adore!

Adriane

#9

Honestly, the CKCS is a tragedy. The breed is wholly affected by serious and untreatable heart and brain problems.

I’m a dog sport competitor who seriously contemplated a Cav. They’re such sweet, wonderful dogs.

I knew they had health problems, but so do lots of breeds. Since I knew that generally you can go to a good breeder and get a healthy dog, I took a deep dive into Cavs.

Half develop serious mitral valve heart disease by the time they’re five years old; an additional 10% of dogs are affected each year moving forward, with 100% affected by age ten (https://www.ufaw.org.uk/dogs/cavalier-king-charles-spaniel-mitral-valve-disease

The typical lifespan with MVD is two years past diagnosis - the death is slow as their heart function fades away. The breed club set up breeding guidelines to try and breed our heart disease, but no one followed the rules so they abandoned them - https://cavalierhealth.org/mvdprotocol.htm#United_States_cavalier_clubs

BUT THAT’S NOT EVEN ALL! They also literally all also have a skull deformity called a Chiari malformation. Here’s (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/28934242/) a longitudinal study that found 100% of 1,000+ Cavaliers examined with an MRI had a chiari malformation and some 40% ultimately developed syringomyelia. Syringomyelia is an incredibly painful and totally untreatable condition related to the Chiari malformation - here (https://themighty.com/2017/04/syringomyelia-symptoms-pain-treatment/), are some people with the condition describing what it’s like, and here (https://youtu.be/PgIZmhJE_RQ) is a video of an affected dog (warning: video has a dog in vocal distress).

Knowing there’s a virtual guarantee my dog will die slowly of heart failure as I try to stave it off is bad enough… but knowing it’s essentially a coin flip that they’ll also develop an unbelievably painful, non-treatable condition… that pushes it somewhere I decided I couldn’t go.

IMO - Maltese, Shih Tzus, mini poodles, Bichons, and Havenese are all some great (healthier) alternatives to consider.

#10

Hmm. I just tried to post a reply and it seems like it was rejected. I’m going to try again…

The CKCS is a tragedy. The breed is wholly affected by serious and untreatable heart and brain problems.

I’m a dog sport competitor who seriously contemplated a Cav. They’re such sweet, wonderful dogs.

I knew they had health problems, but so do lots of breeds. Since I knew that generally you can go to a good breeder and get a healthy dog, I took a deep dive into Cavs.

Half develop serious mitral valve heart disease by the time they’re five years old; an additional 10% of dogs are affected each year moving forward, with 100% affected by age ten (source: https://www.ufaw.org.uk/dogs/cavalier-king-charles-spaniel-mitral-valve-disease).

The typical lifespan for MVD is two years past diagnosis - the death is slow as their heart function fades away. The breed club set up breeding guidelines to try and breed our heart disease, but no one followed the rules due to the pervasiveness of heart disease in the breed, so the MVD breeding guidelines were abandoned (source: https://cavalierhealth.org/mvdprotocol.htm#United_States_cavalier_clubs).

BUT THAT’S NOT EVEN ALL! They also literally all also have a skull deformity called a Chiari malformation. There was a large-scale a longitudinal study that found 100% of 1,000+ Cavaliers examined with an MRI had a chiari malformation and some 40% ultimately developed syringomyelia (source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/28934242/). Syringomyelia is an incredibly painful and totally untreatable condition related to the Chiari malformation – here (](https://themighty.com/2017/04/syringomyelia-symptoms-pain-treatment/) are descriptions some people with the condition describing what it’s like, and here (https://youtu.be/PgIZmhJE_RQ) is a video of an affected dog (warning: video has a dog in vocal distress).

Knowing there’s a virtual guarantee my dog will die slowly of heart failure as I try to stave it off is bad enough… but knowing it’s essentially a coin flip that they’ll also develop an unbelievably painful, non-treatable condition… that pushes it somewhere I decided I couldn’t go.

IMO, Maltese, Shih Tzus, mini poodles, Bichons, and Havenese are all some great (healthier) alternatives to consider.

#11

Is anyone else having trouble replying to this thread? I have a reply with a bunch of links/supporting evidence, but it won’t let me post…

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#12

Certain links are flagged as spammy and the mods will have to approve it manually.

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#13

Ah, got it. Thanks. I’ll try this again. I pulled out the link references but left enough info to hopefully let folks easily google each thing I was originally referencing.

The CKCS is a tragedy. The breed is wholly affected by serious, incurable heart problems and an untreatable skull problem, and a large portion have an untreatable nerve disorder related to the skull issue.

I’m a dog sport competitor who seriously contemplated a Cav. They’re such sweet, wonderful dogs.

I knew they had health problems, but so do lots of breeds. Since I knew that generally you can go to a good breeder and get a healthy dog, I took a deep dive into Cavs.

Half develop serious mitral valve heart disease by the time they’re five years old; an additional 10% of dogs are affected each year moving forward, with 100% affected by age ten (source: the first link if you google “UFAW cavalier king charles heart disease”)

The typical lifespan for MVD is only a few years past diagnosis - the death is slow as their heart function fades away. The breed club set up breeding guidelines to try and breed our heart disease, but in the US they couldn’t get folks to follow the rules due to the pervasiveness of heart disease in the breed, so the breeding guidelines were abandoned (source: first link if you google “MVD breeding protocol cavalier king Charles spaniel”)

BUT THAT’S NOT EVEN ALL! They also literally all also have a skull deformity called a Chiari malformation. There was a large-scale a longitudinal study that found 100% of 1,000+ Cavaliers examined with an MRI had a chiari malformation and some 40% ultimately developed syringomyelia (source: can be found by googling the article title, “Twelve years of chiari-like malformation and syringomyelia scanning in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels in the Netherlands: Towards a more precise phenotype”).

Syringomyelia is an incredibly painful and totally untreatable condition related to the Chiari malformation. It affects humans as well - there’s an eye opening article titled “15 Things People With Syringomyelia Want You to Know” that’s worth reading in order to learn more about the subjective experience of SM. Here’s a video of an affected dog (warning: dog in this video is in vocal distress): https://youtu.be/PgIZmhJE_RQ

Knowing there’s a virtual guarantee my dog will die slowly of heart failure as I try to stave it off is bad enough… but knowing it’s essentially a coin flip that they’ll also develop an unbelievably painful, non-treatable condition… that pushes it somewhere I decided I couldn’t go.

IMO, Maltese, Shih Tzus, mini poodles, Bichons, and Havenese are all some great (healthier) alternatives to consider.

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#14

@Lazy Palomino Hunter thank you for all the info - that is truly devastating to read. I had read the statistic that 100% of them will end up with MVD by age 10, but for some reason I just chalked it up to a fear mongery type Animal Planet thing. They really are such sweet, sweet dogs. but Jesus, that video nearly brought me to tears and I didn’t even watch it with audio. Poor baby.

I feel a bit pretentious for all the talk that I’ve done in the past about how Frenchies have so many health problems that I can’t believe they’re still bred, but now I almost feel the same way about Cavs. I did a bit of reading on the Cav forum linked above and saw that you can do MRIs to see if they will develop syringomelia, but it didn’t really elaborate, and now I wonder if that MRI is just about calculating the likelihood of them developing it after judging how badly their skulls are deformed.

The other small dog breed I was considering is a Shiba. I know that, temperament wise, they are the polar opposite of Cavs lol. I have not really done any more heavy research into them so hopefully I do not find out they are equally plagued by horrendously debilitating health problems.

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#15

Lucie Too: Did you know Shibas scream?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCBSjaIQ5ds

#16

My neighbor has a CKCS and is totally clueless. She bought her not knowing they have medical issues. So far, her heart issues are only mild, but has had digestive issues most of her life. Owner feeds her chicken and rice exclusively, which in the long term can’t be very healthy. This diet has made her very overweight. She also has horrible seasonal allergies as well. I doubt very much if she’s even aware of the skull deformity. How awful for the poor dogs!

Such a shame as she is a really sweet dog. I can’t imagine anyone spending big bucks on a pedigree dog and not researching the breed for health issues (I know they’re not inexpensive dogs).

#17

I have three Cavaliers; all are healthy. My oldest is 10 and has a grade 1 murmur and no symptoms of heart disease. My girls are 4 and 8, both are heart clear. No signs of SM in any of them. Both girls hold multiple AKC MACH titles (Master Agility Champion) and are very fit and active. The younger girl will leave this week to be bred. Her great grandmother lived to be 17 and her grandfather passed at 15 (not from MVD). Her breeder just took 11 of her Cavaliers (ranging in age from 2 to 13) to the cardiologist and all were heart clear. It is possible to find good breeders for whom improving the health of the breed is a priority.

Personally, I only know one Cavalier with SM and she came from a puppy mill. I would not go the rescue route with this breed as most of the dogs listed have serious health issues. Do your research and find a breeder you can trust. Make sure they have hearts and eyes checked annually. Some breeders now have MRIs done to check for SM. Ask questions and try to talk to others who have puppies from them.

Cavaliers are awesome dogs. I can’t imagine having any other breed and am looking forward to adding a fourth Cav to my pack.

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#18

I was offered one in exchange for light training on someone’s horse. I declined once i read about all those health conditions.

I have a small cyst on my spine- the doctors won’t confirm it but i believe it is related to my gastroparesis. If a small defect causes huge problems, perhaps the breed should be done away with. It is cruel to breed an animal knowing the resulting puppies will have serious health issues. Even if both parents are completely healthy, you can’t guarantee the puppies will be.

Worth the risk? Not for me. Dogs are heartbreakers as it is. I do not want to watch my pets suffer from any disease that is avoidable. My best friend as a child was given a puppy with severe uncontrollable seizures. I remember going to her birthday party and the dog had multiple seizures. They had to put it down not long after that. Her father bought it for her from an unscrupulous breeder.

#19

I’ll again defer anyone to check with the national breed club. This is a breed that is spending a lot of money on health research, so I would not assume that anything you read on the internet is correct. And I would not assume that you cannot find a breeder that has dogs without serious health issues - but I do think you need to be extremely careful because in general, bad breeders do not conduct health screenings or track pedigrees - which are absolutely necessary in a breed with congenital health issues.

My best friend as a child was given a puppy with severe uncontrollable seizures. I remember going to her birthday party and the dog had multiple seizures. They had to put it down not long after that. Her father bought it for her from an unscrupulous breeder.

I know of an extraordinarily scrupulous breeder that researched pedigrees for years and then bred two highly screened, multi-titled, unaffected dogs and produced a litter with 5 of 7 puppies with idiopathic epilepsy. I agree about the heartbreak - there is no screening for idiopathic epilepsy at this point in time but health research is trying.

Do not assume that congenital health issues are the product of “unscrupulous breeding”, although obviously unscrupulous breeders (meaning those that don’t test or select for health) are much more likely to produce them. Defects are also very likely to also occur in mixed breeds. Certain health issues are definitely known to be connected to certain breeds - but that does not mean they are restricted only to those purebred dogs.

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#20

If you know - does the MRI check for SM? Or is it checking for how likely they are to develop it? If it is something that can develop at any time, I would be devastated for my hypothetical future puppy to have a clear MRI and then end up developing it anyways

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