Are Cavalier King Charles Spaniels really as unhealthy as people say?

20-40% of adult Cavalier King Charles Spaniels have heart murmurs, most commonly due to hereditary problems with the mitral valve. While many go on to develop congestive heart failure, other dogs may be asymptomatic for a long time, or may develop another disease before the heart is significantly affected. Not all Cavaliers die from heart disease.

Unfortunately the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel for some reason has been bred with shorter and shorter noses over the last few years, so now it is indeed a brachycephalic dog. You also do not want this breed as it can have serious congenital problems such as heart disease and syringomelia. If you like spaniels any of the other spaniels such as Cocker Spaniel and English Springer Spaniel =, Field Spaniel and Welsh Springer Spaniel are not brachycephalic and less prone to congenital breed specific problems.

Without a full clinical history and especially echo findings it is very difficult to advise further here - HCM is extremely rare in dogs, especially of this age and DCM or mitral valve disease and secondary changes are much more common. Many dogs will have a high blood pressure when being taken due to stress (even more so than people) and in small dogs readings can be very difficult and more than 2 readings would be recommended and after a period of acclimatization to the clinic. Referral for an echo wold be recommended

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! As a breed, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels tend to be very prone to heart problems. Sadie was most likely to have passed because of a heart condition known as mitral valve endocarditis. There are other possibilities, but this is the most likely. It leads to congestion of the lungs and basically causes them to drown in their own serum. Without an exam before and after Sadie's death, it is hard to know for sure. I hope this brings you some peace. May you find comfort in your time of grief.

Unfortunately, this Coq10 will not prevent her from getting heart disease. There's no harm in giving it to her, but as you've said, the cavalier King Charles spaniel is prone to heart disease genetically. Supplements do not change her genetics, but you can help her heart health by making sure she isn't obese and has plenty of exercise.

Unfortunately, many Cavalier King Charles Spaniels experience heart disease at some point in their lives. Since Tabitha was diagnosed with mitral valve disease (MVD), I assume that she had an echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) performed by a veterinary cardiologist, as this is the only way to confirm this diagnosis. Good for you for doing your research about this condition. You are correct - more recent studies have shown a benefit to starting dogs with *severe* MVD on pimobendan (Vetmedin) prior to the onset of congestive heart failure. Again, if Tabitha has not yet been evaluated by a veterinary cardiologist, it would be best to do so prior to starting any medication to determine the severity of her MVD, as well as any potential concurrent heart issues not overtly apparent. I hope this helps and that all goes well!

Cavaliers are prone to some heritable diseases such as syringomelia and heart disease. Syringomelia is a condition that causes pain and scratching in the neck area, which could be aggravated by turning her on her back. Of course, her problem could have other causes, but the signs are to general to be able to pin point a cause. If she does not improve by tomorrow , or if she deteriorates you need to take her to a veterinarian for an exam.