Most Cavaliers develop a murmur. Ask for an echo, not only a stethoscope. Stage the valve, then talk timing with a cardiologist. Do not wait for cough to become the first note.
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- Conditions
- Write Betzie
A letter from the desk
Your Cavalier is not a small Golden. The heart and the skull keep their own calendar.
I keep this site so owners and breeders can read the conditions this breed carries before a crisis names them. I am Betzie Smith. This is education, not a diagnosis.
Charts I wish I had sooner
Tap a heading. One condition at a time.
The skull can be too small for the brain. Scratching at the air, pain at the neck, or a yelp when lifted are clues. MRI is the honest test. Breeding without it is a guess.
Dry eye, cataracts, and retinal disease visit this breed. A yearly eye exam is cheaper than a late ulcer. Keep the inner corners clean; the face is a fold of hair and tears.
Long leather, little air. Otitis is not a personality. Dry the canals after a bath. Recurring infections need a vet, not another scented wipe from a basket.
For breeders
A starting list. Tap a line.
Ask for a recent echo, graded. A murmur on a parent is not a secret you get
to keep.
Notes on these pages
About Cavalier Health notes · 4.7 out of 5 from 3 reviews on this page.
★★★★★
The mitral valve page is the one I send to new Cavalier homes. Clear, not scary, and it names the scan.
Helen Orth★★★★★
Betzie’s syringomyelia note helped our breeder talk about MRI without pretending the breed has no risk.
David Pell★★★★☆
I wanted a clinic. I got a reading list. For a first Cavalier, that was the better start.
Ruth KeeneQuestions
Betzie Smith. The site is an education desk for Cavalier owners and breeders, not a
clinic and not a diagnosis.
Mitral valve disease, syringomyelia and Chiari-like malformation, dry eye and other eye
disease, and chronic ear trouble. Ask your veterinarian for screening.
No. These notes help you ask better questions. Treatment belongs with a vet who has seen
your dog.
Yes. The breeder list on this page is a starting checklist: heart scans, MRI where
available, eyes, and honest pedigrees.
Write Betzie
[email protected] · a question about a scan, a litter, or a page that needs a clearer sentence.