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would love a cavvie but concerned about health issues

Katilea

New member
Hi

I fell in love with a pic I saw of a little tri-coloured Cavvie. It would be the perfect small breed for me size and temperament wise.

However I'm concerned that I've seen written somewhere a certain grade of heart murmur is acceptable in this breed? Is there a scale anywhere to show what the grades are and the implications for daily life (amount of exercise it was going to be able to manage, whether its likely to collapse or die suddenly etc).

Also the other condition I can't remember how to spell..something to do with gap in skull been too small for the brain? ..(syro something? ..causing the air scratching behind the head) Is this a manageable condition if it was mild and treated from young age?

My old girl (larger lab cross) has Tumeric in her food and has so far not only outlived the vets prognosis but is still able to walk herself (vet had said her back end would have gone by now,she drags her paws a little..I have some boots so she doesn't make them bleed all the time...but she is still walking under her own steam at 13 and half years old).

Now I use a mobility scooter so got a dog bike trailer adapted for her so she can ride to the field. So if a certain grade of heart murmur meant I had to limit too much intense exercise, the dog could ride on my footplate and still get a little ride out everyday to explore somewhere new..I don't mind that but would need to know in advance what level of exercise a dog would need if say it had a grade 1 or grade 3 heart murmur? Are any born completely clear? ..can pups/older rescues already with an heart murmur still have a relatively normal life without me living in fear of its heart giving up suddenly without warning?

Thanks very much

Kati
 
Welcome the forum Kati, and thank you for considering carefully if the Cavalier is the right breed for you. Sadly they are prone to many health issues, including MVD and the CM/SM (Chiari malformation/Syringomyelia) you mention. Anyone who takes on a Cavalier needs to be aware that it is extremely likely that at some point they will be dealing with one or more health issues. Insurance is pretty much essential.

If you obtain your Cavalier from a breeder who is carrying out the appropriate health tests, see http://cavalierpuppy.co.uk for more information, that can greatly reduce but not totally eliminate the chances of them developing health issues. 50% of Cavaliers will have a heart murmur by the age of 5, but for many this will not caused major problems until later years.

Something to be aware of would be the effect of introducing a puppy or even an adult to your older dog, it sounds like she is not that fit so you would need to keep them separated for much of the time and make sure to give each lots of individual attention. It would not be fair to subject your oldie to continual harassment by a puppy. Also if sh e is in pain she may be grumpy with another dog.

Have a look at http://cavaliermatters.org


We also highly recommend Ian Dunbar 's free download books, before and after you get your puppy http://www.dogstardaily.com/taxonomy/term/182



On this forum we try to help people to select responsible breeders, share the joys of new arrivals, support each other through the bad times and treasure the good!
 
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