Health Issues
Health Issues in the cavalier Breed range from health concerns
common to all dogs, vaccination, feeding, dental, to severe problems
that conscientious breeders are striving to eliminate from the
breed, such as: Mitral Valve Disease (MVD), Syringomyelia (SM), various
eye conditions, Epilepsy, Hip Displasia, Patella Luxation, Episodic Falling
Syndrom (EFS), Fly Catchers Syndrome and Thrombocytopenia and Giant
Platelets, to name few.
It is highly recommended that you as a potential Cavalier owner educate
yourself about the problems this breed faces and ask breeders what
they are doing about these health problems.
The Best Cavalier Health Web Sites:
The following article is from
www.cavalierhealth.info
The majority of problems seen in the Cavalier are common to toy dogs
in general. Among the most common problems are early-onset heart
murmurs, eye problems such as retinal dysplasia and cataracts, and
luxating patellas (slipping knees). A small percentage of cavaliers
will also develop orthopedic problems such as hip dysplasia, but
since they are a small dog, it is not the catastrophe that it would
be in a larger breed. About 2% of all dogs, all breeds, will develop
epilepsy. A newly-recognized problem in toy dogs is syringomyelia or
caudal occipital malformation syndrome, a crowding of the back
portion of the brain that can lead to spinal problems. Reputable
breeders attempt to breed from stock free of major health defects,
in hopes that their progeny will have a better chance at a healthy
life. Puppies purchased from pet shops seem to have more problems
than puppies purchased from reputable breeders. Cavaliers should
benefit from evaluations by veterinary specialists such as
cardiologists, ophthalmologists, neurologists and reproductive
specialists in an ongoing effort to improve the overall health of
the cavalier.
Mitral Valve Disease:
The Achilles heel of the cavalier is Mitral Valve Disease. The
mitral valve problem is caused by endocardiosis, polysaccharide
deposits in the valve leaflets. Although these deposits are common
in toy dogs, the problem seems to present earlier in the cavalier
than some of the other toy breeds. The deposits distort the valve,
allowing it to leak, and some cavaliers in their golden years
require heart medication to help them cope with the extra workload
on the heart. A rule of thumb is that 50% of cavaliers will develop
at least a very mild heart murmur by the age of five or six, and
over 90% will have a murmur by the age of ten. Cavaliers can still
lead perfectly normal lives for years after developing the murmur,
and many are never affected at all by the disease. If they are
affected, it is usually very late in life and can be treated to some
degree with medication. The main thing to keep in mind when looking
for a pet for yourself, is that this problem must be tested for by
breeders, and that any breeder that says they do not have this
problem in their bloodline is either not telling you the truth, or
is not educated in the disease. Mitral Valve Disease is in ALL
bloodlines of Cavaliers, but with proper testing and knowledge on
genetic inheritance, breeders can produce very healthy dogs that
live normal lives. Much progress has been made in the last two
decades to prolong the life span of the Cavalier. Cavalier breeders
should use the information from the evaluation of cardiologists to
help to make breeding decisions in hopes of delaying the onset of
endocardiosis in future generations. For those cavaliers that do
develop mitral valve disease, careful monitoring and medical
intervention often allows them to lead normal lives for many years.
Eye Problems:
While debilitating eye problems are not common, breeders usually
have their Cavaliers seen by board-certified veterinary
ophthalmologists on a regular basis to screen for the possibility of
hereditary eye disease such as retinal dysplasia, detachment, and
cataracts. Breeders occasionally come up with eye problems but are
usually careful not to use Cavaliers with debilitating eye defects
in breeding programs.
Orthopedic Problems:
Because their bones are small, many toy breeds are sometimes
troubled by luxating patellas. This simply means that the anatomy of
a toy breed dog occasionally allows the knee cap to slip out of its
groove in which it normally rides. While luxating patellas do not
often hinder the dog's movement, it is not uncommon for toy dogs to
receive surgical correction of the problem. The other orthopedic
problem that occurs in a small percentage of Cavaliers is hip
dysplasia. This is a condition where the hip sockets are too shallow
for the head of the leg bone. Although Cavaliers are usually not
troubled by this condition because of their small size, bone
deformity can cause pain in severe cases. Breeders usually evaluate
breeding stock for orthopedic problems and use that information to
make breeding decisions that will hopefully minimize orthopedic
problems.
Syringomyelia or SM:
A newly-recognized and perplexing problem for cavalier breeders
around the world is that of syringomyelia (SM), sometimes called
syringohydromyelia, or caudal occipital malformation syndrome
(COMS). This condition is similar to one found in humans called
Arnold-Chiari malformation. In layman's terms, the bottom half of
the skull develops in such a way as to crowd the cerebellum of the
brain, impeding the path of cerebrospinal fluid movement around the
brain and spinal cord. The increased pressure and pooling of
cerebrospinal fluid may cause irritation and damage to the spinal
cord, resulting in symptoms of neck scratching, headache, and in
rare cases, paralysis. One of our breeders, Rattlebridge, in
cooperation with The Ohio State University College of Veterinary
Medicine, has taken a leading role in the research of this
international breed crisis networking with neurologists all over the
world and participating in an ongoing cooperative effort with a
leading researcher of the condition, Dr. Clare Rusbridge (United
Kingdom). No line is safe from developing syringomyelia. Unless and
until the gene marker(s) for this disease are identified, toy dogs
will continue to be affected. It is hoped that cavalier breeders
will be honest in sharing their knowledge of affected dogs. As Dr.
George Padgett, authority on canine genetic disease, has said, "We
need to quit whispering about defects, and gossiping about defects,
and instead set up a sound program that allows the standard
selection procedures to go on so that we breed good dogs and avoid
major defects." While only a small percentage of cavaliers ever
develop symptoms of SM, it is our hope that someday we may be able
to completely eradicate the problem.
Flycatcher's Syndrome:
Occasionally a Cavalier will experience a disorder called
Flycatcher's Syndrome in which the Cavalier repetitively bites or
snaps at the air around his head trying to get a fly. Flycatchers is
thought to be a form of epilepsy and may also be a compulsive-
obsessive disorder. It may be seen more frequently in the Cavalier
than in other breeds. If the condition is severe, medical
intervention may be warranted.
Low Platelet Count in the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel-not a
problem:
Cavaliers sometimes have a lower platelet count in their blood count
which worries some veterinarians who do not know that this is normal
in a Cavalier. Cavaliers may have a lower platelet count, but they
also have larger platelets. The platelets must be hand counted to
get an accurate reading. Dr. Kim Hamer from Atlanta, Georgia, is
doing a study on the platelet count in Cavaliers which is outlined
below. We are only including mention of the low platelet count of
some Cavaliers so Cavalier owners reading this will be informed just
in case they have a Cavalier with a low platelet count being
misdiagnosed by a veterinarian who is not familiar with our breed.
Copyright 2004 by Meredith Johnson-Snyder Rattlebridge Cavalier King
Charles Spaniels
www.rattlebridge.com
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