King Charles Cavalier Question(s)

Oh man I would LOVE one.  Sweet sweet personality usually.  Yes, they shed (they are spaniels -- some grooming but pretty fluffy)

The biggie health issue is the heart.  There is a genetic predisposition to heart problems in the BREED.  Not just 'bad breeding' -- it is literally a part of the breed itself.  Probably 3 out of 5 of them have heart murmurs.  Some of them really severe murmurs.  so ... you have to always watch the heart.  I'd have a vet take a listen if at all possible and if there IS a murmur grade it for you so you know what to expect.

They aren't terribly long-lived for a small dog.  Usually 13-15 is a very *old* Cavalier. 

But they are an awesome dog!!

Monica Segal has had cavaliers for years -- and on her website I know she's got tons of information if you are interested.  It was, I think, Zoey that Monica actually wound up cooking for and doing all the research that led her to being Doggie Dietician.  But Monica probably knows more about the breed than anyone else I know.  http://www.monicasegal.com -- nice lady.

 

I dont know much about them but will say I have a friend that has 2 granddoggies and 1 of her own.   They own their own business and all 3 (which are with grandma most of the time) go to work with them.  They are the sweetest things.  She doesnt have any human grandkids yet and said, "These are my grandbabies and they mind better than most grandchildren" lol,

They are at least 2-3 years apart in age and it doesnt seem to matter, the oldest does seem to be in charge but he is not agressive.

Not to mention how adoribly cute they are!

They can also have neurologic issues like fly snapping or seizure like activity. They also can have a severe issue with head & neck pain...this would be apparent in an older dog so you'd just really need to observe her for that sort of thing.

Wonderful breed. If they weren't such a nightmare to breed, health and financially, I'd have them instead of Beagles.

The people who have the first hold on her have until 6:00 pm today to finalize her adoption, I have a backup hold on her.  I am going to the shelter to volunteer either way. She just came out on the floor yesterday, so I don't know if anyone has experienced any visible signs of what's been mentioned here, although, I'm told that they monitor the dogs in "pod 3" before they are brought out to the main floor. Thank you for the info.....I've always found it a beautiful breed. I was told by a staff member that they believe she is a mix, although she looks purebred to me......I'm thinking that if she is a mix it might make a difference with the potential health issues?????? Any thoughts on that??

It's as lovely breed, take the old girl home! the fact that she made it to nine suggests she's doing pretty good for a cavalier. They are trying to breed the heart disease out of the breed but since pretty much all of them carry the genetics for it it's an uphill struggle. I believe about 50% show symptoms by age 5 and close to 100% by age 10.

I know we all have our favorite breeds but almost every King Charles owner I've met said once you get one you rarely get any other breed, LOL.

I'm very proud of my breed but for the KCS its almost a way of life. Everyone I've met is very well behaved and sweet as pie!

The first King Charles Cavalier I ever met was by best friend's dog, Dexter.  He was amazing!  Perfect in every way.  He did die early though of congental heart failure at age 10.  They knew at age 7 that he had problems.  He was so wonderful and I don't think I ever heard him bark, ever.  Charlie used to play with a King Charles back in WI.  She was so cute, Sophia.

Does anyone know what the course of treatment typically is for the heart problems mentioned above? If it turns out that I can adopt her, I'm going to ask what tests, if any, were done on her to rule out a possible current heart condition. Would it be easily detectable?  In fairness to Coco, I want to be prepared for what future costs might be involved with her care, as it sounds like they all, eventually have this problem. I have to admit it scares me a little, because I didn't know it was such an issue with this breed, but I want to do this and give her a comfortable, loving home with great little playmates and companions for the remainder of her life. I don't want her to be bounced any more.

Think an EKG? you'd need a cardio specialist to do it. Vet can listen for a murmur but really what goes on with the hearts in CKCS's is more complicated. U/S is also sometimes used.

Here you go...this will help you out I am thinking...

LINK

Thank you Gina. Wow.....so, basically all of these dogs typically die from MVD? I wonder if I should call the shelter and speak with someone about this to see if they have conveyed this info to the first potential adopter. I don't want to be a pain, but IMO any potential adopters of this breed should be made aware of this, especially considering her age. I realize now, after reading thru some of the info, that unless they did an EKG, they may not be fully aware if she has this condition or not and the severity, if so. What if these people show up and find out that she does have a problem and they are not prepared to deal with it, financially or otherwise???? In fairness to them and to Coco, I feel they should know. Again, if she is a mix, would that perhaps, preclude her in some way from the statistics of having this condition and/or the severity of it?  This is a big decision and I don't want to make it lightly. In fairness to my exisiting dogs, I need to have as much info as possible.

Thanks for all the input everyone..... I printed the info from the site that Gina gave me to take in to the shelter and called the shelter prior to going in to ask them to be sure to give the info to the first hold adopters if they showed up. The gal on the phone, who has worked at the shelter for years was surprised to hear that Cavaliers are prone to MVD. I asked her to share the info with the woman handling the adoption so that it could be passed on to the people if they showed up. She agreed. I think this is info that a PA (potential adopter) should be made aware of.....particularly with a 9 y.o. dog that normally doesn't live that long. The possibility of huge vet bills and heartbreak are something I would want to be made aware of prior to making that commitment. Wouldn't most responsible people? Well, I got to the shelter and apparently just missed them leaving. I handed the thick stack of information to Kerri, the adoption counselor and asked if the people were told about the potential health issues that may lie ahead......as I'm doing this, the woman who originally took the info from me over the phone was yelling in the background....."I tried to tell her, I tried to tell her." I just shook my head and said that it was something that I would want to know as I walked away. Sadly, it is an example of what a revolving door exists at shelters - get em in and get em out..... Oddly, they hold these informational classes about Pit Bulls and volunteers flock to them, but for what????? If they aren't going to give adopters the information anyway, what difference does it make??? I'm sorry that I wasn't able to bring Coco home, but I'm UPSET that the information wasn't given to the other people so that they could make an educated decision. I truly hope that if Coco does develop this condition, they are the type of people who will a) recognize symptoms if she displays them b) get her the help she needs and be able to afford it c) not dump her because they can't or won't...................... I was fully committed to doing whatever she needed. I hope Coco lives happily and healthily for a long time to come....... *sigh*

The problem with Cavaliers is literally a part of the breed -- as much as cocker spaniels have long ears and labs have a long tail.  Good breeders of cavaliers have a tough time -- because most of these problems don't surface until the dog is 4-6 years old so waiting until a dog is old "enough" to know if it MIGHT have a problem is waiting until it's almost too old to breed. 

You are absolutely right -- it's information that should be told to people -- but then again, people need to do some research (like you did). 

I've been so wrapped up in the Lulu thing (this pug we're trying to help) I missed your question. 

TCVM works incredibly well -- there are a number of Chinese herbals that are awesome to help regulate the heart.  Back when we had Ms. Socks (boxer/pit who had massive heartworm damage -- we took her at 10 and she lived 6 1/2 more years with us when they told me she had a month!) I used herbals extensively to help regulate the heart with minimal side effects. 

If I recall you're kinda near Ft. Meyers?  You have 2-3 really good TCVM vets down there that would help you.  (not telling you to leave your vet -- this would be secondary/extra help)  http://www.tcvm.com -- there is a locator on the left -- might want to check it out.  Foxy the Mostlie Sheltie got acupuncture the last 3 years of his life and I KNOW it gave me at least 2 more years with him (he lived to be 1 month shy of 19) than I would have had otherwise. 

Holler if I can help.  I know it sounds like you've decided against this gal, but it doesn't have to be a death sentence.  Not at awll.  But you're right - they need to tell people to FIND OUT about this.

Thanks for the info Callie, I will hang onto it. I didn't decide against her.....in fact, I wanted her even more because I knew I was committed to her health, if/when it became an issue and getting her all the help she needed and making her as comfortable as she could be. Shelter staff chose to let her go with the other people WITHOUT telling them about the potential (probable) health issues. In fact, the staff didn't even know this fact about the breed. How can shelter staff advocate responsible pet ownership when they aren't sharing, what I feel, is extremely important info about the animal they are sending out the door. (When they aren't even educated themselves about certain breeds). If and when these people find that Cocoa has this condition, if they are not financially or emotionally prepared to deal w/it, they may dump her or just have her euthed. I hope I'm wrong, but if I'm not - well then, that woman at the shelter failed Cocoa.