Will my Cavalier King Charles Spaniel definitely get heart disease?

Cavaliers are great dogs but they do have quite a few health issues but so do many other breeds. My experience with the breed is that a high percentage due succumb to heart disease (mitral valve disease, MVD). It can start as early as 3-4 years of age. Mitral valve disease is about twenty times more prevalent in the Cavalier King Charles spaniel than other breeds of dog. The number of Cavaliers with heart murmurs characteristic of mitral valve disease increases at a rate of about 10% each year so that by five years of age 50% have a murmur and by ten years nearly all do. That's a lot! So, they can be quite an expensive dog.......

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.

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

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!

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.

It will make little difference in the long run. Dogs rarely develop heart disease due to a high fat diet like humans do. The heart disease a Cavalier is predisposed to stems from a failure or weakening of the heart valves that control blood flow through the heart. As long as Chloe is active and not overweight, the diet change is fine. Switch food gradually to avoid GI upset.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Since he is a Cavalier I worry about heart disease. Unfortunately heart murmurs and heart failure are genetic in this breed and almost all Cavaliers develop murmurs. Since his breathing has changed even when he is awake I would have him examined by your Vet and have chest X-rays done. If a heart murmur is heard I would definitely take X-rays. If the X-rays show heart enlargement I would start him on medications and have an echocardiogram done by a Veterinary cardiologist. I wish you and Simon the very best!