Old Cypress Cavaliers

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Cavalier Health Concerns

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Mitral Valve Disease (MVD)  There are several diseases, which affect the mitral valve. The most common one in Cavaliers is degeneration of the mitral valve (the leaflets or cups, which make up the valve, may have contracted and curled back on themselves allowing the valve to leak).  When the valve does not close completely, it allows a back flow of blood back into the chamber, called mitral regurgitation.  With mitral regurgitation the blood leaks from the left ventricle into the left atrium of the heart causing it to enlarge.  With enlargement of the left atrium, it can lead to enlargement of the left ventricle.  When the heart becomes enlarged, the dogs may show some symptoms, such as coughing, exercise intolerance, retaining fluid, etc. With severe mitral regurgitation not only is there a significant increase in the left side of the heart, but it is frequently accompanied by varying degrees pf congestive heart failure. All breeding stock should be checked annually by a Board Certified Canine Cardiologist because mitral regurgitation occurs with such velocity that it produces turbulence, which is detected as a systolic murmur. This murmur is heard between the first and second heart beat.  Most regular vets are not trained to hear a systolic murmur. Almost all dog breeds have MVD in their later years of life, but with Cavaliers the onset of MVD is earlier than with other breeds.  The goal of reputable and ethical breeders is to push out the onset of MVD past 8 years. Presently, according to one cardiologist, the onset has been pushed out to past 7 years by very selective breeding and careful animal husbandry management. Extensive studies both in the Continental US and Europe have concluded that approximately 80% of Cavaliers will have a grade of MVD before they are 8 years old. Diagnosis is most typically made by auscultation. The murmur of MVD is typically heard best at the left fifth intercostal (between-the-rib) space. Murmurs are generally rated as grade one (I) through grade six (VI), depending on the loudness of the murmur. As the disease progresses, the murmur typically becomes louder. In a very young dog with a very soft murmur, further studies may be necessary to determine the source of the murmur. All murmurs are not indicative of MVD; innocent flow murmurs sometimes appear in young, healthy dogs. A Doppler study will document regurgitation into the left atrium, and may be recommended in a young-breeding animal with a murmur. Doppler studies are also being used in some areas, since regurgitation of blood will most likely be seen on Doppler before it is heard as a murmur. The veterinary and genetic communities agree that there is a genetic basis for MVD, and therefore the key to decreasing the incidence of MVD lies in selective breeding. To this end, a yearly heart examination is recommended.

Syringomyelia-Syringomyelia: Found to be an inherited condition in Cavaliers. The condition occurs when a Cavalier is born without enough room in the skull that contains the back of the brain. Damage is caused when fluid surrounding the brain is forced into the spinal cord. Signs of the disease are most commonly noticed in dogs between the ages of six months and three years but has also been diagnosed in dogs as old as ten years. The most common symptom is scratching on, or in the air, near the shoulder when the dog is excited or walkinig on a lead. Affected dogs may also be sensitive around the head, neck and front legs and often cry, yelp, or scream out in pain for no apparent reason. They may also develop a permanently twisted neck or have a wobbling gait in the hind legs and/or weakness in the front legs. At present, the condition can only be identified by MRI scan and there is no test available to identify carriers.

Syringohydromyelia is the presence of a fluid filled cavity within the spinal cord. It is an acquired condition classified into communicating and noncommunicating types. Causes include trauma, vascular disturbances, inflammation, infection, neoplasia, or extension of hydromyelia. Clinical signs of the above abnormalities depend on the location and extent of the lesion. Lower and/or upper motor neuron signs may be present. Pain can accompany syringomyelia. The clinical signs could also result from the inciting etiology. Scoliosis has been found in dogs with hydromyelia, syringomyelia, and Syringo-hydromyelia. It may be possible to differentiate Hydromyelia from Syringomyelia by antemortem MRI spinal cord scans and/or myelography, but histopathology is often required. Hydromyelia/syringomyelia is an uncommon condition in the dog.

Patellar Luxation is the slipping of the patella or knee cap.  The patella is a small bone that is held in place by ligaments that shield the front of the stifle joint and should be located in the center of the knee joint.   As the knee joint is moved, the patella slides in a grove in the femur.  A luxating patella is a knee cap which moves out of the groove in the femur. What causes this to occur is the muscles of the thigh attached directly or indirectly to the top of the knee cap.  There is a ligament, called the patellar ligament, which runs from the bottom of the knee cap to a point on the shin bone (tibia) just below the knee joint.  The patella luxates because the point of attachment of the patellar ligament is not on the midline of the tibia.  As the thigh muscles contract, the force is pulled against the groove (called the trochlear groove) on the inner side of the femur.  With this abnormal movement, the inner side of the groove wears down and the patella dislocates or moves out of its groove. This makes it difficult for the dog to put his weight on the leg. The patellar may dislocate toward the inside, called medial, or outside, called lateral, of the leg.  Medial patellar luxation is present at birth and can affect either or both legs.  Laterally luxating patellas are often the result of  trauma and can affect any pet.  Diagnosis is made on physical examination and may be confirmed with radiographs.  Luxating patella can be surgically stabilized. A puppy that does a lot of jumping can suffer from this and therefore we recommend that you discourage your puppy from jumping from high places like the bed or couch.

Snorting : This is a Cavalier characteristic especially when excited and not a cause for great alarm. It
is a sudden breath intake accompanied by a snorting noise. It can usually be stopped by placing the
hand over the nostrils momentarily to restrict the intake of air. Sometimes it is accompanied by a
flipped palate and here you can hold the dog in your arms and a quick flick of its head should flip the
palate back. This is a somewhat new condition found in Cavaliers.

I will update this section as more information becomes available. Your puppy care package includes additional information on these health concerns.