Cavalier Fanciers of Southern Ontario

When dealing with your dog's health, any book/article you read should be for information purposes only and should not be intended as a substitute for proper professional care. The best source for medical, diet, or nutritional requirements for your family pet, is a qualified Veterinarian.
As with all dogs, Cavaliers can have health problems with some being genetic. These problems may be, but are not limited to:-

Mitral Valve Disease (MVD): MVD is a condition where the leaflets of the valve in the heart grow thickened and nodular. This causes regurgitation and volume overload of the left side of the dog's heart. The first symptom of MVD is usually a heart murmur. Heart murmurs can be caused by a wide range of different health problems of which mitral valve problem is one.
Detection can be by way of stethoscope examinations (auscultations), x-rays, echocardiograms and colour Doppler. There are medications available that can be prescribed to help dogs affected with MVD.

Chiari Malformation (CM/CLM)
A Chiari Malformation (CM) occurs at the craniocervical junction. This is where the skull and the top of the spine meet. At the bottom of the skull, there is a large hole called the foramen magnum. The foramen magnum allows the brainstem to exit the skull and become the spinal cord. When the lower lobe of the brain, the cerebellum, is displaced to the level of the foramen magnum (mild CM) or through the foramen magnum (severe CM) there is overcrowding in the foramen magnum. This causes obstruction of the normal flow of CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) from the brain down to the spinal cord. Many dogs with CM develop syringomyelia (SM). An MRI is the only definitive diagnosis for CM. Many conditions overlap in symptoms to CM, and to rule them out, and properly treat symptoms from CM, an MRI is a must. With a proper diagnosis, appropriate drugs can be prescribed to help the affected dog.

Syringomyelia (SM): SM is a condition where fluid filled cavities develop within the spinal cord. It is an obstruction to cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow. SM can occur from any blockage in the space containing CSF around the brain and spinal cord. It can be both genetic in nature and resulting from injury. An MRI is the only definitive diagnosis for SM. Many conditions overlap in symptoms to SM, and to rule them out, and properly treat SM, an MRI is a must. With a proper diagnosis, appropriate drugs can be prescribed to help the affected dog.

Patellar Luxation: This is an orthopedic problem. It simply means a slipping kneecap.

Hip Dysplasia: The hip is a ball and socket joint. With hip dysplasia the ball does not fit tightly into the socket.

Retinal Dysplasia: The retina of the eye may have folds or wrinkles. It’s hard to say how the vision is affected. In most cases the dog lives a healthy, happy life.

Cataracts: While known they are uncommon. If present at birth they tend to remain static. Cataracts developed in later life do progress, and blindness results.

There is a great deal of information about Cavalier health on the internet. Some of the websites listed will deal primarily with Cavaliers and others are about dogs in general.