Mitral Valve Disease
The major health issue with the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is mitral valve disease. Although a common problem with all toy breeds, it is an early onset problem with the Cavalier, It is not unusual for very young puppies to have developed a heart murmur in the first few weeks of life.
Basically, mitral valve disease is caused by a thickening of the mitral valve leaflets, causing the valve to leak. When the heart contracts, most of the blood goes into the aorta, which it is supposed to do. However, some blood, because of the leak, will regurgitate back into the left atrium. This turbulent blood flow creates a sound that can be heard with a stethoscope. These sounds, called a murmur, are graded from a one to a six, with six being the most severe. Mitral valve disease, as in humans, will progress to congestive heart failure.
There is every indication that mitral valve disease in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels is an inherited disease. A study commissioned by the Swedish Kennel Club in 1993 exposed the severity of this disease in the Cavalier. They selected a number of Cavaliers that were five years old, as well as their offspring, for screening. Five year olds were chosen for the study because of the probability that many of them would have developed mitral valve disease at this age. It was well known at the time that Cavaliers had a problem with MVD, but for the first time were able to quantify the problem. They found that it strikes males slightly more than females, 65% vs 50%, and the prevalence increases with increasing age. They also found that the parents that were most affected and most severely affected, the greater the number and severity of the disease in their offspring. Another study by the British CKCS Club in the late nineties found that bitches who are murmur free at five years of age are three and a half times less likely to produce offspring with murmurs that develop by five years than bitches who have murmurs by the age of five. The same statistics are true of sires who were murmur free at five years of age.
The question that begs to be answered when considering the purchase of a Cavalier puppy is; What can I do to ensure that my puppy will be healthy? Although it is not a guarantee, there are some things you can do to reduce the probability of not getting a sound and healthy Cavalier puppy. If at all possible, visit the kennel and see how the dogs are kept. The environment should be clean and odor free. Ask the breeder the age of the puppy's parents (the older, the better), keeping in mind that as the bitch advances in age, its reproductive life is coming to an end, usually at six to seven years of age. Saving the most important advise for the end; Ask the breeder for the latest DVM Cardiologist reports on the parents. The reports should be current, less than a year old. Every reputable breeder will be more than happy to provide the reports. It should be a red flag if the breeder can not or will not show you or give you a copy of the reports.
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