Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

This page is educational reference material for preparing questions. A licensed veterinarian examines the animal, makes the diagnosis, and sets the treatment.

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The lap spaniel with a heart timer

Cavaliers are toy spaniels, usually 13 to 18 pounds, with a silky coat and a reputation for being easy. The easy part is the temperament. The hard part is that mitral valve disease is so common that a ten-year-old without a murmur is the exception. Episodic falling, a genetic muscle disorder, is a DNA test. Syringomyelia is an MRI.

They want to be near people and they tolerate other dogs and careful children. They are not a yard dog. They are also not a breed to buy from a pet store window, because the heart and the skull are exactly what a casual breeding ignores. Ask for heart clearances on the parents and accept that clearances reduce risk rather than erase it.

Murmur, scratch, and a fall

Have a vet listen to the heart at least yearly, and earlier if the dog coughs at night or tires on a short walk. A scratch aimed at the neck, especially while on a leash, is the syringomyelia sign owners film and mislabel as funny. It is not funny. Merck describes mitral valve disease. Coughing that comes with less stamina is a reason to read the symptom notes and book a cardiac visit.

Cavalier questions

Will my Cavalier get heart disease?

Most do. Mitral valve disease is widespread in the breed, and many have a murmur by middle age. A cardiologist, not only a yearly vaccine visit, should follow the heart.

What is the phantom scratch?

Syringomyelia, fluid pockets in the spinal cord near a crowded skull, makes a dog scratch at the neck and ears with nothing in the ear. It is painful. It needs imaging, not another ear cleaner.

Are they good apartment dogs?

Exercise is moderate and they are affectionate. They are a poor choice if you cannot budget heart medication and a neurologist later.