I think anecdotal evidence from a cardiologist probably is skewed towards results from the breeders who actually bother to cardio test and are already working for better heart stats. I wish cardio testing was standard for all cavaliers, or that someone would do a clinical sample study... to procuce some accurate figures. It would be wonderful if there were real improvements.
But certainly taking my own anecdotal evidence from rescue, at least half of the dogs I get in that are age 5-up have murmurs strong enough for a vet to easily pick them up. I've had dogs as young as three with serious murmurs.
However, if the UK club is now claiming much better results at cardio clinics, consider on the other hand that some key people, including the club secretary, is noting elsewhere the neurologists doing the majority of the club MRI scanning are telling them that 50% of cavaliers on club-organised days have syrinxes...
so perhaps the club needs to be noting that syringomyelia is the breed's leading health problem, not MVD? Indeed those statistics are particularly alarming, because (unlike with hearts) breeders in the UK are by and large testing only relatively young dogs for this progressive disease, eg their breeding dogs and even younger. There's very few MRId that would be over 5 and thus a 50% affected rate for dogs under 5 is pretty shocking -- as bad as what they are now saying are outdated statistics for MVD...
So therefore: shouldn't they be changing their health concern emphasis to syringomyelia if there's truly such improvement in MVD...?

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