Cavalier King Charles Spaniel: health conditions to watch
Cavaliers are gentle, affectionate dogs with one health issue that matters above all others: heart disease. Understanding it early, and getting regular heart checks, is the best thing you can do for a Cavalier.
What to watch in a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
A predisposition is a “worth knowing”, not a diagnosis. Most Cavalier King Charles Spaniels never develop these — but knowing the early signs means you can act early.
Mitral Valve Disease
Learn about Mitral Valve Disease →Mitral valve disease is very common in the breed and often starts young; a yearly heart check to catch a murmur early is the key.
Join the Heart Health community →Congestive Heart Failure
Learn about Congestive Heart Failure →Advanced valve disease can progress to heart failure; knowing the signs (breathing rate at rest, cough, tiring) buys precious time.
Start here
Understanding the ACVIM Stages of Mitral Valve Disease (A to D)
"She's a stage B2." "He's in stage C now." A vet says it, hands you a leaflet, and the letter and number do most of the talking while you are left to work out what they actually mean. So let's translate. The staging is...
Mitral Valve Disease Explained: The Leaky Valve Behind Most Canine Heart Murmurs
If your vet has mentioned mitral valve disease, or told you the murmur they heard points to a "leaky valve", start here. By a wide margin it is the most common heart condition we see in dogs, and it gets misunderstood...
Mitral Valve Repair Surgery: Is It an Option for My Dog?
Tablets for mitral valve disease are genuinely good, and pimobendan in particular can buy a great deal of good time (Boswood et al., 2016). But they manage a leaking valve. They do not mend it. Sooner or later most...
Mitral Valve Disease: Prognosis, and What the Numbers Really Mean
Almost every owner asks the same question after a diagnosis, even when they cannot quite say it out loud: how long has my dog got? It is the most human question there is, and you deserve a straight answer rather than a...
Living With a Dog in the Pre-clinical Stage: Monitoring and Rechecks
A murmur has been heard, and the plan is to "keep an eye on things". No tablets, no procedure, just an appointment for some point down the line. After coming in worried about your dog's heart, that can feel oddly like...
When Mitral Valve Disease Becomes Heart Failure (Stage C)
A murmur you have lived alongside for months or years has a way of fading into the background. Your dog has one, you keep half an eye on things, and life carries on much as before. Then the rules change. Your vet says...
Looking after a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
- Annual heart auscultation from a young age — earlier if a murmur is heard
- Learn to count your dog’s resting breathing rate
- Buy from breeders who heart-test their lines
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