Cavalier king Charles health issues and working arrangement

[ElinElin]

We are thinking of getting a cavalier king Charles. I have heard that you have to be really careful where you get it from due to bad breeders etc. seem to be a lot of health issues with the cavalier. If we get it from a reusable breeder would the health risk be minimised ? Also I work 8am to 3pm , husband works from home. Even though he works from home he couldn't spend loads of time with the dog. Anyone with experience have advice? Thanks

I really wouldn't.
It's not worth the heartbreak in my opinion.

I remember a woman I used to work with had two cavaliers, I recall her telling me that something like 90% die before five of heart problems.

Then you have syringomelia and that infamous documentary that showed a top crufts winning, kc registed breeder breeding dogs with the condition because they win in the ring......

why do you want a dog when you haven't enough time for it[angr[an get a cat instead

if you're serious.. this is my advice.

Do your research, contact the breeders, see the parent dogs, where they live, their conditions, ask to see their pedigree, ask them about whether they follow the kennel club breeding protocol (not to breed bitches before 2yo, must be heart scored, no more than two litters, two years apart..etc)

If you look at the pedigrees, make sure there are NO REPEATS in at least the last 3 generations. Ask to see the sire and dam health/heart scores. Ask about the kennels average age/life span of their dogs and what they've died of.

Mitral Valve disease and Syringomyelia are the two 'big' issues with Cavs, MVD normally manifests about 5yr of age, but is manageable with drugs.

Make sure you have good healthcare and insurance. Cavs are a breed who benefit from having Titer tests done BEFORE yearly boosters are done.. check their immunity, there is NO need to give boosters for something they still have immunity to. (www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/titer-testing/)

I'm giving you all this on the fact that my family have always had Cavaliers, we're currently on our 4th.
We lost the first aged 10, to liver failure, but she also had MVD and a lung problem.
The second was 7 when MVD took her, but it was missed by the vet (who we did seek to prosecute.. he missed her heart was twice its normal size)
The third passed away aged nearly 11, he had NO heart murmur, but he did have some serious allergies he was on steroids for and we believe he also had syringomyelia. After losing no2 we did our research and found a kennel with good heart scores, but syringomyelia was a relative unknown and has only come to the forefront in the last few years.

The one we have now cost us A LOT of money, from a show breeder who gives two from every litter to families and only approved us because of our history and knowledge of the breed and its issues. Her dogs have no heart issues and no trace of Syringomyelia. He's only just 15mo but is healthy as a horse!

As to living with them, they can be left for 4-6hours, but i wouldn't do it every day, they crave company, they're the ultimate lap dog and will glue themselves to you. They dont require a lot of exercise, one good walk a day is usually enough. They're wonderful, funny dogs and i love them.

But.. do not even consider it if you cant put in the research to find the right breeder and be prepared to wait for the right dog and make sure you can afford the insurance!

ImBatDog- thank you. That is very useful advice . I am definitely trying to do a lot of research .

they're worth it if you find the right one. :)

ImBatDog your DDog is gorgeous.

What a little sweetie.

I think the rubies are the nicest myself, still wouldn't have one though for health reasons.

ImBatDog- your dog is adorable!

Good post from Imbatdog
Clare Rusbridge has a good website which has very useful information on Chiari malformation and syringomyelia. It's rather telling that the kennel club haven't recommended using only dogs with clear scores in breeding programmes....because so many Cavaliers have some degree of CM or SM that if they all all were removed from the breeding population, the remaining gene pool would be tiny, storing up problems for the future with regard to other types of inherited disease- the heart problems, for example.
Of course, the majority of CKCS don't develop clinical signs of the disease, but it's pretty horrible - look up "syringomyelia cavalier" on youtube for an idea. Clare Rusbridge also has some videos on her site.
We have a couple of cavaliers with syringomyelia on the books of the vet practice where I work. One has had surgery to take part of the back of her skull off to relieve the pressure when medications stopped working; her symptoms went away for a year or so but now, and getting beyond the control of medication again so she will likely need a second surgery to remove scar tissue.