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Cavalier Health Issues
Cavaliers, like all purebred dogs,
have some hereditary conditions that
can affect their health. It is
important that you understand these
health issues, especially as your
pet ages. You are often your dog’s
best line of defense against
disease, because you’ll be the first
to notice any changes in your dog’s
behavior or sense of well being.
Health conditions to be aware of in
the Cavalier are:
Mitral Valve
Disease
Mitral valve
disease (MVD) is a degenerative
condition that affects the mitral
valve of the heart. Inevitably, it
results in a compromise of the
circulation and heart enlargement.
This can lead to heart failure and
death. It is important that your
Cavalier be checked annually by your
veterinarian for any heart murmur
that could mean the valve is being
compromised. If a murmur is
diagnosed, do not panic! MVD can
progress rapidly, but also very
slowly. There are medications to
help the condition and these are
often very effective and can afford
months or even years of a good
quality of life. As an owner, you
need to be aware of any symptoms
that might indicate a
problem—exercise intolerance,
coughing, weakness, or undue
fatigue.
Syringomyelia
Syringomyelia
(SM) is a progressive neurological
disease. Because of malformations in
the occipital bone at the back of
the skull, the normal flow of
cerebrospinal fluid is impeded,
resulting in damage to the spinal
cord. Typical symptoms include:
scratching at the neck or shoulder
area without making contact,
especially when excited or on a
lead, a head tilt, unexplained
yelping or pain, neck twisting, or
even weaknesses of the limbs.
Symptoms normally appear before the
age of three, but in some cases can
present later in life. Since other
conditions may mimic these same
symptoms, the only way to diagnose
with accuracy is via an MRI test.
There have been successful surgeries
to treat this condition.
Eye Diseases
Cavaliers can be
affected by several eye conditions.
It is wise to have them examined
periodically by a canine
ophthalmologist. Cavaliers that are
free of disease can be certified by
registering their test results with
the Canine Eye Registration
Foundation (CERF).
Juvenile
Cataracts
Juvenile
cataracts appear early in life and
can progress to blindness. They can
be diagnosed by an ophthalmologist
easily. Old age cataracts are
usually less serious and are typical
with elder Cavaliers. Cataract
surgery can be curative.
Dry Eye
Dry eye is seen
in animals whose normal tear
production is impaired. This can
lead to corneal ulceration and
blindness. Special eye ointments and
cyclosporine drops usually hold this
condition in check. Owners should be
alert to symptoms indicating
irritation or pain—excessive
blinking or rubbing of the eyes with
the paws.
Hip Dysplasia
Hip Dysplasia
(HD) is a degenerative destruction
of the hip joints, and can affect a
dog early in life. The condition of
your dog’s hips can be diagnosed by
a simple X-ray that can be sent to
the Orthopedic Foundation for
Animals (OFA) for review. PENN HIP
is another test that can diagnose
this condition and can be done as
early as 16 weeks. It is also done
via X-ray, measuring hip joint
laxity and predicting with
scientific accuracy those animals
that are likely to develop HD. Those
Cavaliers with HD may have it to a
greater or lesser degree, and many
are only mildly affected. Diagnosing
hip dysplasia most often requires
general anesthesia for the testing,
and so great care must be taken with
the procedure.
Epilepsy, Fly
Catcher’s Syndrome and Episodic
Falling
Seizures
resulting from brain wave
disturbances are frightening to
owners and patients alike. They can
be mild or very severe. So-called
Fly Catchers Syndrome is a variant
where hallucinations cause the dog
to leap and snap at imaginary
objects, as if flies were in front
of his nose. All these types of
seizures can usually be controlled
with anti-seizure drugs. Owners
should note the onset of such
seizures and be sure they can not be
traced to anything toxic in the
environment—poisons, toxic plants,
fertilizers, and even some of the
monthly heartworm preventatives.
What You Can Do
to Help
The
ACKCSC Charitable Trust was
established by our Club to
financially support health studies
that will benefit our breed. We
believe that this work is of vital
importance to the continued health
and longevity of the Cavalier. We
gladly accept contributions.
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CHIC - Canine Health Information
Center |
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CHIC
Health Registry for the
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
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| Program
Approved by ACKCSC Board of
Directors and ACKCSC Health
Committee |
For
the past several years the AKC
Canine Health Foundation (CHF), in a
joint venture with the Orthopedic
Foundation for Animals (OFA), has
piloted a registry program for
genetic problems using several
breeds in its initial phases.
Now this program has been made
available for all purebred dogs to
participate in under the name of
CHIC (Canine Health Information
Program). Upon the recommendation of
the ACKCSC Health Committee, the
ACKCSC Board of Directors has
approved participation in this new
program. Cavalier King Charles
Spaniels will be the 35th breed to
sign up for this registry, which is
patterned after some of the European
registries that have been successful
in reducing genetic disease.
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CHIC Fees - No
Charge |
| All
test results from the OFA and CERF
are entered in the CHIC registry
AUTOMATICALLY at NO ADDITIONAL
CHARGE. All data from both of these
registries will be available for
researchers working on canine health
problems. |
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CHIC Fact Sheet
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| The
Canine Health Information Center,
also known as CHIC, is a centralized
canine health database jointly
sponsored by the AKC/Canine Health
Foundation (AKC/CHF) and the
Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA).
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Mission Statement
& Goals |
| To
provide a source of health
information for owners, breeders,
and scientists, that will assist in
breeding healthy dogs by
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Working with parent clubs in the
identification of health issues for
which a central information system
should be established; |
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Establishing and maintaining a
central health information system in
a manner that will support research
into canine disease and provide
health information to owners and
breeders; |
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Requiring scientifically valid
diagnostic criteria for the
acceptance of information into the
database; |
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And by basing the availability of
information on individually
identified dogs at the consent of
the owner. |
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Cavalier King
Charles Spaniel Requirements
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qualify for CHIC, Cavaliers must be
screened for Hip Dysplasia (OFA,
Penn HIP or OVC), Cardiac (OFA -
exam performed by Board Certified
Cardiologist. Recommended
Annually.), Patellar Luxation (OFA),
and have a CERF eye examination.
Although it is not required, it is
recommended that an initial CERF
exam be performed at 8-12 weeks,
with a follow up exam once the dog
reaches 12 months of age, annual
exams thereafter until age 5, and
every other year until age 9.
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CHIC Basics
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CHIC combines the health screening
results from multiple sources into
one centralized database
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CHIC is administered by the OFA,
including responsibility for the
infrastructure, parent club
relations, and daily program
communications. |
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Parent Clubs establish the breed
specific testing protocol.
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Dogs complying with the breed
specific testing requirements are
issued CHIC numbers. |
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Once the recommended testing has
been completed and the results are
on record with CHIC, CHIC numbers
are issued REGARDLESS of the result
AS LONG AS the owner agrees to place
the results in the public domain. In
other words, a dog with abnormal
results is still eligible to receive
a CHIC number if the owner is
willing to share the results.
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To be eligible, dogs must be
permanently identified. |
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CHIC numbers should not be
misinterpreted as a stamp of
approval for breeding. A CHIC number
indicates compliance with the parent
club recommendation for health
screening at a given point in time.
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CHIC numbers do not expire, however
CHIC clearly indicates test dates so
that compliance with recommendations
for re-testing can be determined (ex
CERF recommendation for annual
re-examinations). |
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CHIC determination is automatic with
all OFA/normal, CERF results. For
Cavaliers, only PennHIP, OVC, or
abnormal CERF results need to be
manually sent in. To submit, the
owner should send a written request
along with the test results to CHIC
stating that the results are being
submitted for inclusion in the CHIC
database. |
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The CHIC website is located at
www.caninehealthinfo.org
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ACKCSC Health Committee,
Joanne Nash, Chair
jnash@telis.org
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ACKCSC,
Inc.
Carol Williams, President
wcarol1037@qwest.net
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