Matties story

This is about my first cavalier Mattie



Mattie came to us has a very young puppy from some where I thought was a puppy farm but found out later was a breeder and is now a show judge the reason I thought it was a puppy farm there was no mum around at that time

This was Mattie when we first had him so cute and about 7/8 weeks old I]I took him to my vet who exam him and said there was some very sad news in that Mattie had got MVD
The vet said to take him back but by this time I could not
Mattie loved the snow

so began how lives with Mattie good times and bad has well
Mattie the flying dog
Mattie had 2 years of fairly good health until he started to cry in a lot of pain in the middle of the night took him to the vets who manage to sort him out with tablets now to take ever day for a while
The next year at his vaccination the vet did say if he stay how he was he could live a long time the November he had what we thought was a fit of some kind took him straight to vet
Mattie got over the fit?
Now came Christmas with a happy little dog until about the 29 December when we took to the vets in a lot of pain again the vet keep him all that week and then we bought him home but just over a week later we had to take him back now the vets were trying to save his life for 3 weeks he was there until is liver and kidneys where failing on Friday 13 of February I rang the vets they wanted to see us to let us know what was happening so now we took the decision to put him to sleep
Mattie was just over four years old at this time of his death


Aileen and the gang (Barney---Jazzie----Jake)

That's really sad Aileen but you clearly loved him so much and took great care of him. Wasn't he beautiful. I love the picture of him in the wheel barrow.

Did the breeder you got him from not have her dogs tested for Mvd ?

Its so sad, such a beautiful dog bet you miss him loads, di

It is so sad to read of dogs dying so young with MVD.

The vet may have been right in theory when he said to take Mattie back, but once you have a puppy and have fallen in love with them they are yours, for good or bad. I couldn't have handed mine back after a day.

Mattie was at least lucky to have a loving home for his short life. :flwr:

Just to answer one quiestion at that time I knew nothing about MVD the worst part was when I was looking for another cavalier rang a breeder up and was made to feel like dirt if only I had know what I now do know I would gress that a lot of dogs have the this name in there pedigree
----Aileen and the gang (Barney---Jazzie---Jake)

Mattie looks a lovely boy, its so sad that you lost him at such a young age from MVD - I can understand that it would have been impossible for you to have given him back to the breeder.

Just to answer one quiestion at that time I knew nothing about MVD the worst part was when I was looking for another cavalier rang a breeder up and was made to feel like dirt if only I had know what I now do know I would gress that a lot of dogs have the this name in there pedigree

Click to expand...

I didn't know anything about MVD when I got Toby, although I knew the lady I got him from on the agility circuit and her older dogs appeared to be healthy. I only started to really learn about it when my Mum's rescue Cavalier was diagnosed a few years later - she was about 5 years old and lived a further three years, but was never healthy.

I was lucky with Toby as although he has MVD at 12 it is only a grade 3 and at present requires no medication and isn't troubling him.

I had the uncomfortable experience of being made to feel like nothing when trying to find a breeder for a puppy two years ago when I got Rufus. I nearly gave up after being given shirty replies to questions about heart certificates and MVD, but finally got somebody who was happy to discuss it.

Education is the key thing, being able to ask the right questions and not be intimidated. Trouble is, there are always going to be people out there who are going to buy a puppy (Cavalier or any other breed) without knowing what they should ask. As I was one of these I am hardly in a position to criticise, though I do know what find out now.

This is why I think it is good that MVD and SM are being discussed more freely. I love the Cavalier breed but one has to accept that there are problems and risks - if somebody is put off by this perhaps a Cavalier isn't the breed for them. I don't know - not an easy subject.

I am not put off cavaliers at all but must admit the more people that ask question the better off they will be find out about the test for heart/sm and everthing else learn by my mistake
---Aileen and the gang (Barney---Jazzie---Jake)

PS Forgot to say - love the "Mattie the flying Cavalier" picture! :snap:

Sorry, started a short reply, ended up on my soapbox

I totally agree, education of puppy buyers is so important. Thanks to the internet information is easier to come by, but we as buyers have to still take responsibility to ask the questions. When we were looking to get Maddie I spoke to several breeders, not all local to me. She was the first puppy I'd set out to buy from a breeder and I was fairly clueless. I did know about MVD, and found out about the protocol for breeders, but initially didn't know about SM. As I tried to find a breeder I was happy with (and some just didn't seem "right" on the initial phone call) I carried on reading and internet searching, and found out about SM. It took a year to find the lovely lady we eventually got Maddie from, but I wasn't in too much of a rush. She not only introduced the subject of health problems in the breed, MVD, SM, patellas etc. but was open and up front about the testing she'd done. What was also a very good sign, for me, was that she grilled me more than I grilled her. She so obviously cared about the home her puppies were going to.

Unfortunately I know some people who have gone to buy puppies who just want a puppy, now, and for it not to cost too much. These people wouldn't bother with a breeder that vetted them to the extent I was vetted, and choose not to ask health questions even though I try to inform them of the potential problems. One even plans to breed from his bitch because he wants one of her puppies - I think he thinks it will be cheaper than buying another puppy. :bang: I've tried to talk him out of it, but don't think I've succeeded. And that's another potential litter of puppies from parents who aren't tested (for anything!) and who could go on to have poorly lives.

I could go on and on, but I'm hijacking the thread. CLimbing down off my soapbox now.

Mattie is absolutely gorgeous, the photos are stunning. Thank-you for sharing his story with us.:lotsaluv:

Mattes life is not a wasted life if more people are made aware of some of what he lived though I am not a writer but this year the 13th was on a Friday
If this gets people talking good take care everone
---Aileen and the gang (Barney---Jazzie---Jake)

Oh, Aileen, what a sad story. I am sorry you had to go thru that with Mattie.

Hello Aileen

I feel for you.

My dog who is only 2.5 has been diagnosed with a heart murmur and early on set MVD.

I notice we are quite local. I live in Loughborough, I cant help wondering if our dogs share any parentage. My breeder was in southwest leics and was also quite unsympathetic when I told her about him.

Sometimes I am so scared about what is to come. But like you I would not have sent him back ever! You sound very sad but its a great attitude to see the positives of this,ie that others may learn to ask more questions when looking for a pup.

Keep strong
Sue

I am so sorry that you are going though this with your dog It would not surprizes me if there was not some link :hug:
--Aileen and the gang (barney---Jazzie---Jake)

Aileen, I am so sorry your Mattie had MVD and that you lost him at just 4 years old, my Jasper will be 4 in December and the thought of losing him so young is unthinkable I can only imagine how heartbreaking it was for you :hug:.

Matties photos are lovely, what an adorable puppy he was, that flying pic is brilliant . The wheelbarrow pic shows how handsome he was.

Matties story can help show how important it is for breeders to follow the MVD protocol and for people to buy puppies only from the health focused breeders. I have learned alot myself, unfortunately not before I owned my two and I agree you can never give them back if they are sick.

I'm so sorry Aileen. 4 years old is way too young to lose your baby. My Abbey had a seizure 2 weeks after we got her and the breeder told me that she'd take her back. I know how you feel. Doesn't take long at all to fall in love with these guys. You saved her though and gave her a good life and she was so lucky to have your love. Thats what my neurologist told me about Abbey when I told him of the seizure 2 weeks after.

Aileen said:

Mattes life is not a wasted life if more people are made aware of some of what he lived though I am not a writer but this year the 13th was on a Friday
If this gets people talking good take care everone
---Aileen and the gang (Barney---Jazzie---Jake)

Click to expand...

I'm so sorry you lost Mattie at such a young age.

Telling Mattie's story helps raise awareness about MVD and why it's so important for cavalier puppy buyers to choose only health focused breeders and to ask for all the sire & dam (and even the grandparents') health certificates, especially with regards to MVD and SM.

I have read about breeders laughing at/making fun of puppy buyers when they're trying to get it right working from a check list of questions to ask the breeder. If a breeder doesn't treat a puppy buyer with respect and show proof of health testing results, then it is best to walk away and find a better breeder.

Aileen, it's generous of you and hopefully healing to share Mattie's story and photos and to help others.:flwr:

Thankyou for sharing Matties story. So sorry you lost him when he was so young

I had some problems with one of my dogs(we practically lived in the vets the first few weeks) and my vet said to call the breeder,she had been recommended to me very highly by the kennnel club and had show dogs also.

Her comment to me was that none of her other dogs from the litter had this problem and at first she was supportive but then she turned nasty and acted like I was bothering her calling with updates as the problems progressed then said that she had no puppies left but would take him back and give me my money back!
Of course like you I could not part with him. I paid for treatment and an op to solve the problems.

Sadly I made the mistake of not asking to see his parents and was told all other puppies were gone...I stupidly trusted her because I had already got Gus from her kennels,but, Gus been bred by her son-in-law and I had seen his Mum and was informed of who his dad was and spoke to that owner also.
I thought because she had looked after Gus's mum and the litter of puppies I could trust her.I didn't know about any problems (mvd or sm) at the time.

Thankfully the problems I had could be sorted but I would never trust that breeder again. It was amazing how she went from a nice friendly lady who couldn't do enough to help to someone who was just not interested when my puppy was sick and just offered me my money back when he was six weeks old!


What worries me about this is that I thought I went about this the right way. I searched for a breeder,didn't just ask around or look up the small ads and was recommended this breeder by the kennel club,so if I ever wanted another puppy who would I trust?

those are lovely pictures..thanks for sharing your story.

This is not my story but Matties Story but because of Mattie I now take in rescue Cavalier
---Aileen and the gang (Barney---Jazzie---Jake)