Owning a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel can be one of the most joy filled times of your life. It can also be devastating if your Cavalier becomes unhealthy and has a poor quality of life. As with most purebred dogs, due to the high genetic Co-efficient of Inbreeding (COI), purebred Cavaliers are susceptible to many breed-specific issues.
Ethical Cavalier breeders will ensure that their dogs are carefully screened for genetic issues and will do their best to reduce the risk of their dogs developing conditions that are inherent in the breed. It is advised to obtain health insurance for your Cavalier as a safety net.
Mitral Valve Disease
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 Cavalier’s leading cause of death. Following the MVD Breeding Protocol can help eliminate early-onset MVD disease. Paisley Field Cavalier’s follows the MVD Breeding Protocol.
MCAD Deficiency
Cavaliers should not be fed any foods containing coconut oil or palm kernel oil or any other medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), unless (1) they have been tested and found to be clear or only a carrier of the mutated gene causing MCADD, or (2) they have been fed such MCT-foods for several months or years without having developed any seizures or other symptoms. Any puppies produced by Paisley Field Cavalier’s will be clear or carriers, so not affected by MCADD.
Episodic Falling Syndrome (EFS)
Episodic falling syndrome (EFS) is a unique genetic disorder in the cavalier King Charles spaniel, due to a mutation of its brevican gene (BCAN). The disorder has been recognized in the breed since the 1960s. No other breed is known to suffer from it. It is easily avoided by genetic disorder testing and not breeding two affected dogs. Paisley Field Cavalier’s puppies will be clear for EFS.
CDDY / IVDD
Researchers at the University of California at Davis (UC Davis) veterinary genetics laboratory have identified a mutation in the DNA of a wide variety of breeds of dogs, including cavaliers, which causes chondrodystrophy (CDDY). The gene is called Fibroblast growth factor 4 (FGF4), a developmental signaling gene which normally is expressed at the embryo stage at specific locations which will develop into the dog’s spine and intervertebral discs. Two retrogenes (DNA genes which have been copied back from RNA by reverse transcription) of FGF4 have been located on chromosomes 12 (FGF4L2) and 18 (FGF4L1). Not all breeds have both retrogenes, and FGF4L2 has been associated with chondrodystrophy. (FGF4L2 also has caused increasing skull width in some breeds.)
As the affected young dog matures, chondrodystrophy causes the intervertebral discs to abnormally degenerate at the nucleus pulposus, which is the center of the intervertebral disc that normally provides cushion and flexibility to the back. The end of the degeneration process is to produce a mineralized or calcified disc, which leads to a likelihood of herniation and slippage into the spinal canal. The researchers at UC Davis have found that the FGF4L2 mutation is dominantly inherited so that dogs with an extra copy of the FGF4 gene, and therefore one copy of the chondrodystrophy mutation, will have degenerative intervertebral disc(s).
More than 99% of Cavaliers test with two copies of CDDY; the breed is ‘fixed’ for this gene. Although Cavaliers do not appear to suffer disc herniation and the potential resulting pain with any frequency anecdotally (I haven’t been able to locate research by breed type, and this gene occurs in virtually hundreds of breeds), it is important to be aware of this condition and be alert for any signs of pain. Some steps owners can take to reduce the possibility of a herniation is to keep your dog at a healthy weight, exercise the dog regularly to keep their supporting muscles strong and utilize a harness for walking rather than a collar.
Dry Eye / Curly Coat (DECC)
Curly coat syndrome is a severe congenital condition of the skin, coat, claws, and eyes in some cavalier King Charles spaniel puppies. It includes a very severe form of dry eye syndrome, but it is to be distinguished from the much more common form of dry eye in the CKSC breed. No cases of curly coat syndrome with severe dry eye have been reported in any other breed. It is easily avoided by genetic disorder testing and not breeding two affected dogs. Paisley Field Cavalier’s puppies will be clear for DECC.
Degenerative Myelopathy (DM)
DM does not occur frequently in Cavaliers. The dog equivalent of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, DM is a progressive degenerative disorder of the spinal cord. Because the nerves that control the hind limbs are the first to degenerate, the most common clinical signs are back muscle wasting and gait abnormalities. You may notice your dog scuffing the tops of his or her hind paws, or walking with a hesitant, exaggerated gait. In advanced cases, it can lead to weakness or near-paralysis of all four legs and widespread muscle wasting.
Affected dogs do not usually show signs of DM until they are at least 8 years old. Although occurring very infrequently in the breed, it is easily avoided by genetic disorder testing and not breeding two affected dogs. Paisley Field Cavalier’s puppies will be clear or carriers, so not affected by DM.
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