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 opthalmologist. 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
T he 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. Please visit our website at
for
details.
The ACKCSC established the
ACKCSC Charitable Trust to handle donations, grants and programs dealing
with Health & Research. The trust has been very busy working
on Cavalier Health studies and projects. For more information and to
make a donation please visit the Trusts'
website
at
www.ackcsccharitabletrust.org.
CURRENT RESEARCH - PRIMARY SECRETORY OTITIS MEDIA (PSOM)
The American Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club Charitable Trust is
very pleased that through the generous donations of our supporters,
we have been able to help fund and make possible this research to be
done by Dr. Lynette Cole, Ohio State University College of Veterinary
Medicine.
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HOW TO ENROLL YOUR
CKCS:
CLINICAL SIGNS MAY INCLUDE HEARING LOSS, NEUROLOGICAL SIGNS
(FACIAL PARALYSIS, HEAD TILT, NYSTAGMUS, CIRCLING, ATAXIA),
NECK SCRATCHING AND HEAD SHAKING.
IF YOU HAVE A CKCS WITH ANY OF THE ABOVE CLINICAL SIGNS, PLEASE
CONTACT DR. LYNETTE COLE AT 614-292-3551 OR
cole.143@osu.edu
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Click here to go to the Charitable Trust Website for more information
on this Research and an interim report (9/6/07).
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Suspended Ohio State
Syringomyelia (SM) Research Grant Report
By Carol Williams, ACKCSC, Inc. President
The ACKCSC Charitable Trust Board of Trustees is very
sorry to report that the Ohio State University SM research
has been suspended and will not be completed. The Charitable
Trust in conjunction with the AKC Canine Health Foundation
(AKC/CHF), helped to fund this research along with other
unknown contributors. This was the first research grant
that we were able to fund and we were all very excited about
the opportunity to do so.
When we heard that the principal research investigator,
Carley Abramson, DVM, was leaving Ohio State, we were very
concerned but then Dr. Phillip March who had been the co-investigator,
took over the research. It soon became known that Dr. March
was also leaving Ohio State. This was very distressing but
we were all hoping for a final report of the research from
Dr. March. This did not happen.
Confidentiality during research is vital. Any time a grant
is funded we must sign a confidentiality statement saying
that we will not release information from the interim progress
reports (2) that we receive. We can only release FINAL reports.
If we were to go contrary to the confidentiality statements
we sign I don’t think any researcher or research facility
in the world would want to work with us. Some independent
researchers who have released progress reports as they go
along have encountered some real problems with credibility
because when they released their reports their investigation
and research conclusions were not complete. Therefore, they
would report findings and then six months later, release
another report that would be substantially different because
when they are in the middle of researching the findings
and/or conclusions could change. The good news is that this
study was not a total loss. The information being held at
Ohio State may be shared at some time in the future – but
only with another qualified research facility. So we have
not lost the samples and the information that was gleaned
up to the point of the research being suspended.
The other good news is that we were able to get a substantial
refund that will go toward helping us fund other research
in the future.
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