MVD: leading
cause
of CKCS deaths
Heart mitral valve disease (MVD) is a terminal illness which may afflict over half of all cavalier King Charles spaniels by the age of 5 years and nearly all Cavaliers by age 10 years. It is CKCSs' leading cause of death.
- More: Cavalier King Charles spaniel MVD
- Mitral valve disease breeding protocol
- A few words about pimobendan (Vetmedin)
- Research news
- Find a cardiologist
breaking_news
The Latest in Cavalier Health Research
- May 2024 -- PLATELETS: Taiwan clinicians realize almost too late that a cavalier with low blood platelet counts does not need steroids.
- April 2024 -- NEW PAGE: Cannabis (CBD) and the cavalier King Charles spaniel.
- April 2024 -- NEW PAGE: The cavalier King Charles spaniel is brachycephalic.
- April 2024 -- PSOM: Middle ear bones of cavaliers are vastly larger than other breeds in a UK anatomy study.
- March 2024 -- MVD: French study of 128 cavaliers with MVD finds the 2019 ACVIM Consensus Statement's Stage B1 and B2 definitions are erroneous for CKCSs.
- March 2024 -- DENTAL: UK breeders surrendered retired breeding cavaliers to rescue group with worst cases of dental disease.
- March 2024 -- OVERVIEW: Cavaliers surrendered to Bliss Cavalier Rescue averaged 6 health issues each by age 6 years.
- March 2024 -- CM/SM: UK researchers develop an online tool that predicts the likelihood of painful Chiari-like malformation in dogs.
- March 2024 -- PNEUMOCYSTIS PNEUMONIA: Mutation of the CARMIL2 gene in cavaliers may cause the breed's high percentage of Pneumocystis pneumonia.
- March 2024 -- MVD: German veterinary school offers minimally invasive mitral valve TEER surgery for MVD-dogs.
- February 2024 -- CM/SM: Danish study of 55 cavaliers finds no association between mitral valve disease and syringomyelia in the breed.
- February 2024 -- MVD BREEDING PROTOCOL: Study reports that Denmark's MVD breeding restrictions have reduced early-onset MVD prevalance, excluding only 5% from breeding.
- February 2024 -- DENTAL: Cavalier's baby canine tooth root prevented development of its permanent canine tooth.
- February 2024 -- OUR BLOG: Nutrition needs of dogs with mitral valve disease.
- February 2024 -- MVD: 53.2% of cavaliers died from cardiovascular disease in 17 year Italian study.
- February 2024 -- MVD: An artificial intelligence computer program can accurately measure left ventricle dimensions from echocardiographic scans.
- February 2024 -- BRACHYCEPHALIC: Finnish study finds cavaliers rank high among breeds at risk for sleep-disorderd breathing.
- February 2024 -- LUNGWORM: Bleeding indicates a more severe case of Angiostrongylus vasorum infection in 180 dog study.
- February 2024 -- CM/SM: Certain symptoms displayed by cavaliers can indicate the severity of their syringomyelia and sizes of their syrinxes.
- February 2024 -- BACK: Cavalier with extruded disc in its neck is healed without surgery.
- February 2024 -- OVERVIEW: Cavaliers' median age at death is 11.8 years in UK study of 6,879 deceased dogs.
- January 2024 -- POLYARTHRITIS: Cavaliers ranked fourth among 84 cases of immune-mediated polyarthritis cases in one UK hospital study.
- January 2024 -- OUR BLOG: Is the cavalier breed about to run out of healthy genes?
- January 2024 -- EYES: Cavaliers may be at risk for ocular melanosis.
- January 2024 -- OUR BLOG: Eggs shells are a poor source of calcium in dogs' diets.
- January 2024 -- CM/SM: MRI testing and selection of cavalier breeding stock reduced syringomyelia (SM) in Dutch and Danish offspring.
- January 2024 -- CM/SM: Dr. Rusbridge publishes the 2024 version of the CM/SM Treatment Algorithm.
- January 2024 -- CANCER: Vertebral Angiomatosis is diagnosed in a cavalier.
- December 2023 -- ARTERY THROMBOSIS: Cavaliers ranked first among 50 dogs with combined renal proteinuria and blood clots in arteries.
- December 2023 -- PATELLAS: Cavaliers ranked second in most common breeds diagnosed with bidirectional patellar luxation in Japanese study.
- December 2023 -- MVD: MVD-affected cavaliers with mutations of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone gene may be less likely to reach congestive heart failure.
- December 2023 -- MVD: UK's Dick White Referrals Veterinary Centre halts MVD open heart surgeries.
- November 2023 -- OUR BLOG: Not all PEA (palmitoylethanolamide) is alike.
- November 2023 -- MVD: Danish researchers identify 56 genes which vary between MVD-affected cavaliers with and without congestive heart failure.
- November 2023 -- EPILEPSY: Fecal transplants and MCT diet fail to reduce seizures in cavalier with idiopathic epilepsy.
- November 2023 -- LIVER: Copper-associated chronic hepatitis is found in cavalier King Charles spaniels.
- October 2023 -- MVD: Colorado State Univ. study finds that vertebral left atrial size (VLAS) and murmur grade aid diagnosing heart failure in MVD-affected dogs.
- October 2023 -- OUR BLOG: MVD-affected cavaliers need sodium in their daily meals.
- October 2023 -- MVD: Dr. Corcoran's team finds diseased mitral valve leaflet cells can be reversed to normal cells by regulating SMAD2.
- October 2023 -- MVD: Study of 226 cavaliers finds x-rays and blood tests are best at predicting Stage B2 of mitral valve disease.
- October 2023 -- MVD: Artificial intelligence-based method of detecting MVD stages from x-rays cannot match up with the 2019 ACVIM Stage B2 definition.
- October 2023 -- MVD: Pimobendan study finds its absorption and elimination in MVD-affected dogs is highly variable and unrelated to stage of MVD and other factors.
- September 2023 -- MVD: Univ. of Florida launches open heart surgery for MVD-affected dogs.
- September 2023 -- MVD: PDE5A polymorphism in 52 MVD-affected cavaliers did not affect platelet aggregation or pimobendan's effect upon platelets.
- September 2023 -- GASTROINTESTINAL: Finnish questionnaire study finds feeding puppies raw foods and table scraps were protective against chronic enteropathy later in life.
- September 2023 -- DRY EYE: Topical ear infection medications cause dry eye in a cavalier and other breeds.
- September 2023 -- MCADD: Cavalier's epileptic seizures increased when fed Purina ProPlan NeuroCare for three months.
- September 2023 -- LUNGWORM: Cavalier contracts lungworm from eating raw deer meat.
- September 2023 -- EPI: Texas A&M's Gastro-intestinal Laboratory revises the range of canine trypsin-like immunoreactivity assay (cTLI) interpretations for dogs.
- August 2023 -- MCADD: August statistics of MCADD in cavaliers.
- August 2023 -- NEW PAGE: GENETIC TESTING: Genetic DNA tests for inherited disorders of cavalier King Charles spaniels.
- August 2023 -- OUR BLOG: ‘Prescription’ dog foods which are hazardous to cavaliers’ health.
- August 2023 -- NEW PAGE: MCADD: Medium-chain acyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase deficiency in CKCSs.
- July 2023 -- MVD: Turkish study of MVD-affected cavaliers finds 2.25 is the VLAS cut off for an enlarged left atrium.
- July 2023 -- MVD: University of Florida announces the start of open heart mitral valve surgeries.
- July 2023 -- GENETICS: UK study of 30,470 dogs finds mongrels and cross-breeds outlive purebreds.
- July 2023 -- PLE: Cavaliers are the most common breed for protein-losing enteropathy in UK study.
- July 2023 -- EPILEPSY: Epileptic cavalier resistant to treatment is diagnosed with malformation of cortical development.
- July 2023 -- MVD: Taurine supplementation serves no purpose in a study including MVD-affected cavaliers.
- July 2023 -- CM/SM: Study of 41 CM/SM-affected cavaliers finds reduced volume of cerebral gray matter in CKCSs with chronic pain.
- July 2023 -- MVD: Purina's Pro Plan CardioCare kibble dog food fails the cavalier test.
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How to Find a Cavalier Breeder
Chiari-like malformation & syringomyelia can cause severe pain in cavaliers
Chiari-like malformation (CM) and syringomyelia (SM) are reported to be "very widespread" in the cavalier King Charles spaniel breed. CM/SM is a combined disorder of the brain and spinal cord, which may cause severe head and neck pain and possible paralysis.
- More: CKCS syringomyelia
- SM breeding protocol
- Research news
- Reduced rate MRI clinic locations
- MRI screening protocol for SM
- Find a neurologist in the USA and Canada
- Use harnesses instead of leashes for CM/SM dogs
- Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs)
- "Pedigree Dogs Exposed"
- "Pedigree Dogs Exposed - Three Years On"
Hip dysplasia afflicts
up to 1 out of 4 CKCSs
Hip dysplasia reportedly afflicts up to one out of every four cavalier King Charles spaniels. It is a genetic disease which can cause the dogs pain and debilitation.
Low blood platelet counts are
not a problem for cavaliers
Low blood platelet counts in cavaliers usually are not a health problem. Many veterinarians are misled by low platelet counts to wrongly diagnose anemia or other serious disorders.
Brachycephalic Airway
Obstruction Syndrome (BAOS)
The size and shape of its head can cause serious breathing problems for the cavalier King Charles spaniel. Elongated soft palates, stenotic nares, everted laryngeal saccules, and laryngeal collapse are inherited developmental defects in the breed.
CKCSs are pre-disposed
to cerebellar strokes
Cavalier King Charles spaniels appear predisposed to develop cerebellar infarcts, or strokes.
Deafness is a double whammy for cavalier King Charles spaniels
Cavaliers are predisposed to a form of congenital deafness, which is present at birth, and also to a progressive hereditary hearing loss, which usually begins during puppyhood and worsens, or progresses, until the dog is completely deaf, usually between the ages of three and five years.
Breeding policy would
end early-onset MVD
Veterinary specialists have designed breeding guidelines to eliminate early-onset mitral valve disease in cavalier King Charles spaniels.
CHECK OUT THESE ITEMS
- How to Find a Cavalier Breeder in U.S.
- 11 Questions for Cavalier Breeders
- TOP TEN: Breeders Worst Excuses
- Genetic Eye Disorders in CKCS
- SM Healthful Breeding Protocol
- Progressive Deafness in Cavaliers
- Cerebellar Infarcts -- Brain Strokes
- Diabetes Requires Daily Treatment
- Masticatory Muscle Myositis (MMM)
- Fly Catchers: Biting Imaginary Flies
- Cavalier's Knees -- Patellar Luxation
- Cavaliers' Sudden Collapsing Explained
- Dry Eye Syndrome Means Constant Care
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