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Our dear friend, Kathy Younkers of Stuarthome Cavaliers has spent many hours compiling this Health Summary for Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. She has graciously allowed us to use her research. Please read carefully. There is a lot of information and if you have any questions about any of it, please feel free to contact us with questions or concerns. HEALTH WARNING FOR ALL DOG LOVERS...READ: Xylitol Toxicity in Dogs. This sweetener is present in many diet foods, chewing gum and toothpaste products. Please keep it away from your dogs! Now onto specific health issues in this beautiful breed... The Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are generally healthy, sturdy small dogs. However, as with many other breeds, there are health concerns. The number one health concern is a form of degenerative valve disease called Mitral Valve Disease (MVD). Please take time to review this health summary. Interesting to note at the start of this summary- The findings from surveys performed by the late George A. Padgett, DVM, of Michigan State University of Veterinary Medicine: Mixed-breed dogs have more genetic diseases than purebred dogs. There are 215 known diseases in mixed breed dogs, with 71 percent of them having defective genes. The idea that a mixed-breed dog is likely to have less genetic diseases than a purebred is a misconception. Cavalier Clubs throughout the world are active in fighting diseases and disorders in this beloved breed by providing health clinics, funding breed specific research and delivering breed education programs. Mitral Valve Disease: The number one health issue in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels is Mitral Valve Disease (MVD). MVD is an acquired disease of the heart. In this disease, the valve thickens and degenerates, thus leading to congestive heart failure. This form of degenerative valve disease could eventually induce terminal cardiac failure and resulting death. It is important to note that many Cavaliers live to an old age with MVD in various stages. Excerpt from Degenerative Valve Disease by: Dr. Robert Prošek Degenerative valve disease accounts for about 75% of cardiovascular disease in ALL dogs. Approximately 60% of affected dogs have degeneration of the mitral valve, 30% have lesions in both the tricuspid and mitral valve leaflets, and 10% have only tricuspid valve disease. In dogs, the disease is age and breed-related with older, small-breed dogs demonstrating a higher incidence. There is also a slight predisposition among male dogs. Although MVD is common in toy breeds, it is of particular concern in Cavaliers because they may exhibit early onset of the disease with a more rapid progression. In addition to the Cavaliers, Miniature Poodles, Cocker Spaniels, Miniature Schnauzers, Terriers and Dachshunds are the most commonly affected breeds. Larger breeds are affected by mitral valve disease although less frequently. Breeding guidelines: Sampling studies found MVD in Cavaliers throughout the world. Breeders must have board certified cardiologists screen for early onset of this disease before breeding their Cavaliers. If it is early onset type MVD (before age 4), they must remove these affected Cavaliers from their breeding program. As written before, MVD is an acquired disease. Breeders should wait until age two to breed their Cavaliers and they should know the cardiac history of the parents. The Sweden Kennel Club’s requirements are; Cavaliers must be two years of age with parents with a history of being within normal limits at age four. If the parents of a litter are at least two years old and cardiac examinations are within normal limits, and their parents are at least four years old and cardiac examinations are within normal limits, the geneticists estimate that 90% of the puppies will not develop early-onset heart disease (before age 4 years of age). Under the Sweden’s requirements, if the parents’ cardiac histories are unknown the breeder must wait until age four to breed that specific Cavalier. In addition, if one parent or both parents presented with murmurs before age four, the breeder must wait until age four to breed their resulting offspring. PSOM: A recent report in the veterinary literature has documented an otitis media (middle ear infection) that appears to affect the CKCS breed in particular. Due to the mucoid nature of the ear disease the condition has been referred to as primary secretory otitis media (PSOM) or “glue ear.” Clinical signs of PSOM may not be presented (referred to as sub-clinical). If clinical signs are present, they may include hearing loss, neurological signs (facial paralysis, head tilt, involuntary eye movement, and circling, unsteady and clumsy walking patterns), neck scratching and head shaking. The sample study indicated 40% of the study group had PSOM. A veterinary dermatologist treats this disorder by flushing the affected ear. Syringomyelia (sear-IN-go-my-EEL-ya), AKA: SM: is a disorder in which a cyst forms within the spinal cord. SM causes a wide variety of neuropathic symptoms due to damage of the spinal cord. PAIN is the most important clinical sign of the disorder. It appears in many species including dogs and especially in the majority of toy breeds. SM in Cavaliers has been identified by researchers and a small population of samples have been explored. Syringomyelia has been reported as one of the most common spinal cord disorders of toy breed dogs and has been documented in the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, King Charles Spaniel, Griffon Bruxellois, Yorkshire Terrier, Maltese Terrier, Chihuahua, Miniature Dachshund, Miniature and Toy Poodle, Bichon Frise, Pug, Shih Tzu, Pomeranian, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Boston Terrier, Pekingese, Miniature Pinscher and French Bulldog. Prevalence in other breeds including random bred (mixed breeds/mutts) has not been measured at this time. Radiologists have anecdotely reported that these cysts are atypical findings in all breeds including purebred and mixed breeds/mutts. There is a suggestion that SM in Cavaliers might have dominant, with incomplete penetrance inheritance and breeders should look for overt clinical cases in their pedigrees. SM causes a wide variety of neuropathic symptoms due to damage of the spinal cord. PAIN is the most important clinical sign of the disorder. Dogs producing SM in their offspring should be tracked even if the MRI is normal. MRI performed on breeding Cavaliers have not demonstrated predictive values in producing SM in their offspring. More genetic hypotheses and well-designed research is indicated to select health screening tools that have true predictive values in the area of inheritance of SM in Cavaliers. Incomplete penetrance should never be confused with variable expressivity. In diseases with variable expressivity the patient always expresses some of the symptoms of the disease and varies from very mildly affected to very severely affected. In autosomal dominant diseases with incomplete penetrance, the person either expresses the disease phenotype or he/she doesn't. Incomplete penetrance and variable expressivity are phenomena associated only with dominant inheritance, never with recessive inheritance. Overview of this inheritance model: "Incomplete penetrance refers to absence of disease despite presence of the dominant disease gene. For example, a dominant disease gene that causes disease 50% of the time is 50% penetrant. Thus absence of a disease in a dog's parents and grandparents does not indicate absence of an incompletely penetrant dominant disease gene; however, even an incompletely penetrant dominant disease gene should have caused the disease to surface somewhere in the animal's ancestry." Source: Canine Molecular Genetic Diseases Platelets: Cavaliers can have idiopathic asymptomatic thrombocytopenia, which is an atypically low number of blood platelets and/or macrothrombocytosis, which is atypical large platelets. Cavaliers with large platelets have psuedo-thrombocytopenia. This is not a disease. Because of the prevalence of large platelets in Cavaliers, it is recommended to have veterinarians manually count platelets (by hand instead of machine). Eyes: Cavaliers do not generally suffer from any serious eye problems. They can inherit juvenile cataracts, retinal dysplasia, and other eye diseases. Breeders must screen their Cavaliers with board certified veterinarian ophthalmologists and only breed Cavaliers that fall within normal limits or with CERF breeder options. To read more: http://www.io.com/~bcrider/cavalier/health_eye.html Patellas: Another area of concern is luxating patellas (slipping kneecaps). Toy breeds are very prone to lateral luxating patellas. Patellar luxation is most common in Poodles, Yorkshire Terriers, Pomeranians, Pekingese, Chihuahuas, Miniature Pinschers and Boston Terriers. Females have the highest risk for this condition. Diagnosis is relatively simple for a veterinarian familiar with orthopedics. It involves palpation of the joint and manual luxation of the patella. Care must be exercised with the examination to avoid injuring the joint, or making an incorrect diagnosis. Patellar luxation may be classified in four grades, with grade 1 being the mildest. This grading system is subjective so it is important in the presence of luxation to have the same veterinarian perform the follow-up screening. Mild patellar luxation (grade 1-2) may be discovered as an incidental finding especially in a growing dog or a female in season. In addition, patellar luxation may occur in any breed because of trauma. Pain is usually not associated with this condition unless it is the result of trauma or until degenerative arthritis has occurred due to chronicity of disease. The treatment and long-term outcome (prognosis) depends on the severity of disease. Severity is determined by how often the kneecap slips out of place, and how easily it slips back into the normal position. Treatment is based upon severity of signs and the affected Cavalier’s age, breed and weight. Conservative therapy (non-surgical) and veterinary observation is often the treatment of choice. However, if the patellar luxation has persistent lameness, or other knee injuries occur secondary to the luxation, then surgery intervention needs to be evaluated. Cavaliers used for breeding should have within normal limits patellas as determined by an OFA examination at age one. The patellas should be re-evaluated as the Cavalier’s ages. To read more: http://www.bichonfriseusa.com/ref/luxpat/laydickinson.htm Periodontal Disease: Most Cavaliers will develop some form of periodontal (gum) disease at a relatively early age. Theories abound about why this occurs and the answer probably lies in a combination of factors of their immune response and the presence of bacterial plaque. To read more: http://www.cavaliersonline.com/archives/k9perio.html Canine Hip Dysplasia: Dysplasia comes from the Greek words dys, meaning “disordered” or “abnormal”, and plassein meaning “to form”. The expression hip dysplasia can be interpreted as the abnormal or faulty development of the hip. Abnormal development of the hip causes excessive wear of the joint cartilage during weight bearing, eventually leading to the development of arthritis, often called degenerative joint disease (DJD) or osteoarthritis. The terms DJD, arthritis and osteoarthritis are used interchangeably. Today, the general veterinary consensus is that hip dysplasia is hip joint laxity resulting in osteoarthritis. CHD in its severest form can be diagnosed by clinical signs, but it usually requires radiographic evidence of hip joint laxity and/or the appearance of DJD to arrive at a definitive diagnosis. An affected dog may have one or any combination of the following clinical signs: Presentation: 5 months to 12 months for the severe form of hip dysplasia; later for the chronic form • Abnormal Gait • Bunny-hopping When Running • Thigh Muscle Atrophy (loss of muscle mass) • Pain • Low Exercise Tolerance • Reluctance to Climb Stairs • Audible “click” When Walking • Increased Intertrochanteric Width (”points of hips” are wider than normal) Clinical signs by themselves do not necessarily mean that a dog has hip dysplasia, other conditions of the hip can mimic CHD. A radiograph is essential for a more accurate assessment of the dog’s hip joint integrity. If performing the extended view procedure (OFA) alone, it is recommended to have an additional radiograph be taken at age 5 to confirm the dog truly does not have CHD. Fly Catcher’s Syndrome: is not really a syndrome. Fly-biting or fly-snapping are terms used to describe peculiar episodes where the dog appears to be snapping at imaginary flies. To read more: http://www.canine-epilepsy.net/flybite/flybite.html Episodic Falling (EF): is an exercise-induced hypertonicity disorder meaning that there is increased muscle tone and the muscles are unable to relax. To read more: http://www.episodicfalling.com/ |
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