Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Health Overview

• How This Website Works
• Dr. Google
• Cavalier's Average Lifespan
• Meaning of "Genetic" & "Inherited"
• Origin of the Breed
• Coat Colors
• The Blenheim Cavalier
• Mitral Valve Disease
• Syringomyelia
• Health Testing
• Blood Platelets
• Surrender to Rescue
• Conclusion
• Dean Koontz Quote
• Research News
• Veterinary Resources

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CavalierHealth.org is dedicated to providing the Internet user with access to factual information about the major, severe health disorders afflicting the cavalier King Charles spaniel (CKCS) and that are presumed to be inherited, including mitral valve disease (MVD), syringomyelia (SM), hip dysplasia (HD), luxating patellas (knees), retinal dysplasia, and other debilitating and/or painful disorders to which the cavalier breed is predisposed. All of these diseases are listed in the left column of each page. The content of the website consists of compilations of information from many veterinary specialists and other sources knowledgeable about the CKCS.

Many of these disorders are present in other breeds of dogs, some to a greater extent than in the CKCS and some to the same or a lesser extent. We do not contend that all of these diseases are unique to cavaliers. But this website is only about the cavalier King Charles spaniel. Therefore, we focus on the extent to which these genetic disorders affect the cavalier, their symptoms, diagnoses, and treatments, and what breeders can and should do to try to lessen the existence of these diseases in future generations of cavaliers.*

 *Some critics of this website contend that the length of the list of disorders in the left column is intended to overwhelm viewers with the sense that the cavalier King Charles spaniel is a chronically sickly breed and should be avoided. That is not an intent of this website, at all. The purpose of the list of the breed's recognized disorders, alphabetically by their various alternative names, is to enable cavalier owners to speed their search and find what they might be looking for, based upon any symptoms their cavaliers may be displaying.

CavalierHealth.org focuses upon the most severe traits, those that are lethal, painful, blinding, causing deafness, requiring lifetime treatment, or requiring surgery. There are literally dozens of other genetic defects which are prevalent in the cavalier King Charles spaniel but which are not classified as severe or life-threatening. And, thus far, the website has excluded some rarer disorders which CKCSs are believed to be predisposed to, such as various eosinophilic syndromes (other than eosinophilic stomatitis), myotonia, and lymphangiectasia.

This website also excludes some very severe hereditary disorders which occur either at birth or during early puppy-hood and of which the puppy rarely survives or which are so noticeable that no breeder would attempt to pass off an afflicted cavalier as a healthy one. Such afflictions include  parrot mouth (brachygnathism) and wry mouth.

The cavalier King Charles spaniel has become increasingly popular in the United States over the last twenty years. While it had grown slowly but steadily in popularity between its arrival in the United States from England in 1952 until its introduction into the American Kennel Club in 1995, it was not until AKC's recognition that the numbers of litters of cavalier puppies per year began skyrocketing. Since the first year of AKC recognition, the number of AKC registrations of cavalier King Charles spaniels has increased by over 800%. The cavalier in 2023 was the 14th most popular breed in the AKC out of 200 breeds, up from the 70th most popular in 1997.

With its increased popularity has come extraordinary over-breeding, which, for the cavalier King Charles spaniel, may well prove to be its death knell.

While this website focuses upon the CKCS in the United States, the genetic diseases discussed here are worldwide, and no country's cavaliers are immune from the debilitating and/or life-shortening affects of these severe genetic disorders to which cavaliers' genes appear to be most susceptible.

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How this website works

The CavalierHealth.org website has separate pages for each major health issue affecting cavalier King Charles spaniels (CKCSs). The names of the disorders are listed alphabetically in the column at the left on each page. While this website has no separate word search window, if you use your computer's "Find In Page" or "Find On Page" or just "Find ..." box, just insert the word that best describes the information you are searching for on that webpage.

When looking on-line for information about a specific disorder or symptom in your dog, try word-searching on Google. In the search box, enter "CavalierHealth.org" and add two or more keywords that describe the disorder or symptom. In a July 2022 veterinary research article in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, the investigators report that when  veterinary clinicans (generalists) use Google to find information about particular symptoms or disorders they are unsure about, their search results "led to the generalist correcting earlier diagnoses suggesting that modeling how to search more like a specialist could be a useful strategy to consider." In short, "Dr. Google" works when used thoughtfully.

If you have any questions or comments about the website, go to our "Contact Us" webpage to see how to communicate with us.

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Dr. Google

When a cavalier's owner suggests to the veterinarian what the dog's disorder may be, a common sarcastic criticism made by some veterinarians is that the owner has gone to "Dr. Google". What these vets may not realize is that many cavalier owners know a lot about some breed-specific disorders, either from having read articles on this website or elsewhere on-line.

For example, far too many vets are unaware of the breed-specific cavalier disorder known as idiopathic asymptomatic thrombocytopenia. This disorder exists in more than 50% of CKCSs and is completely harmless, meaning it requires absolutely no medication or other treatment. Nevertheless, these vets assume that the dog is suffering from a very severe blood disorder requiring immediate infusions of heavy doses of immune-suppresing prednisolone. This totally unnecessary treatment has been known to kill cavaliers. See this clinical report, for example.

In our example, had the steroid-happy vet, who obviously was totally ignorant about this breed-specific benign disorder, done his own Google search using the search term "cavalier low platelets", he would have found the correct diagnosis in less than half a second. He should have taken the sound advice of board certified veterinary neurologist Dr. Clare Rusbridge, who stated in one of her YouTube videos:

“It is always worth doing a Google search for different breeds that you are not so familiar with just to see if there is any inherited diseases coming up.”

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Cavalier's average lifespan

The cavalier breed is susceptible to 25 inherited disorders. (See this December 2009 article.) Some severe hereditary disorders, such as mitral valve disease (MVD), are pervasive in CKCSs. By age five years, over half of all cavalier King Charles spaniels are expected to have mitral valve murmurs, and that percentage increases to the point that among those that survive to age ten years, nearly all of them are predicted to have MVD. The expected lifespan of a CKCS can be quite short -- as young as seven years to an average of 9.75 years (See this October 2018 article) -- the briefer lives due mainly to the terminal effect of early-onset mitral valve disease. Other disorders, such as hip dysplasia, should afflict one out of every four cavaliers. Still others, such as syringomyelia (SM), are progressing through the breed so rapidly that statistics have not been able to keep up with the pace. The current estimate of SM is over half of all cavaliers, and for its companion disorder, Chiari-like malformation, approaching 100% of all CKCSs.

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Origin of the breed

The cavalier King Charles spaniel was created in Great Britian in the 1920s as a longer-muzzled version of the King Charles spaniel (also known as the English toy spaniel). This off-shoot breed commenced in response to a £25 cash challenge offered to King Charles spaniel breeders at the 1926 through 1930 Cruft’s dog shows, by an American, Roswell Eldridge, to recreate the look of the toy spaniel “of the Old Type” seen in paintings of King Charles II (1630-1685).

And so, this new breed, originally called the “Old Type King Charles spaniel”, sprung to life in 1926 from the previously long-faced “throw-out” puppies from King Charles spaniel litters. In 1928, it was given the name “cavalier”, in honor of the 1845 painting, The Cavalier’s Pets, by Sir Edwin Henry Landseer (right). To quote the UK club on the history of the breed:

“The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel of today is the direct descendant of the small Toy Spaniels seen in so many of the pictures of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. Toy Spaniels were quite common as pets of the Court ladies in Tudor times but in this country it was under the Stuarts that they were given the Royal title of King Charles Spaniels.”

Thus the cavalier King Charles spaniel is a breed created solely for its physical appearance, even though the breed’s temperament subsequently became considered “of paramount importance”.

For more information about the formation of the breed, read this book: Cavalier King Charles Spaniels – the Origin & Founding of the Breed, by Tina and Dennis Homes.

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The cavaliers' various coat colors

There presently are four standard coat color combinations of the CKCS: Blenheim (chestnut red and white), tricolor (black and white, with tan markings), ruby (whole-colored chestnut red), and black-and-tan (black with tan markings). Historically, however, there have been more than just these four colors.  There have been at least three (the black-&-white, the brown-&-white, and the all-black) and maybe a couple more variations, and they have existed in cavaliers’ ancestors long before the CKCS was recognized as a distinct breed in the UK in 1945.

Among 18 cavaliers registered with the UK’s club in May 1945, two were brown-&-whites and one was a black-&-white, comprising 17% of the registrations. And, these off-color cavaliers even were registered and shown in UK conformation shows as late as the 1970s. In 1971, Mrs. Amice Pitt of the UK club wrote of her preference for the now-recognized four color combinations, and since then all CKCS breed standards have adhered to her choices.

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The Blenheim cavalier

The Blenheim color is named after Blenheim Palace, the ancestral home of the Dukes of Marlborough, who for over 200 years had kept and raised small spaniels which were called Marlborough spaniels and evolved in the 19th century into the appearance of the cavalier King Charles spaniels which Roswell Eldridge called the "Old Type".

In the 1920s, the 9th Duke's wife, Duchess of Marlborough, Gladys Deacon, raised several generations of King Charles spaniels with the kennel name Blenheim Palace. One such bitch, Blenheim Palace Poppet (right), a chestnut red and white female, became an important foundation bitch for the Plantation line of cavalier King Charles spaniels of the 1930s and 1940s.

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Mitral Valve Disease (MVD)

The terminal heart disorder MVD is a painful disease for a cavalier to experience, and it is a painful disease for a cavalier owner to witness. It usually results in a premature and agonizing death for the dog, and years of heartbreak for its owners.

In the 1990s, a dedicated group of veterinary cardiologists and geneticists began examining the extremely high incidence of mitral valve disease in cavaliers. They found that MVD was over twenty times more likely to occur in cavalier King Charles spaniels than in any other breed, and that by age 5 years, over half of all cavaliers may be expected to have MVD heart murmurs. By age 10 years, 100% of CKCSs in their studies had such heart murmurs.

These canine heart experts devised a set of breeding rules, called the MVD Breeding Protocol, in 1997 and 1998. The MVD Protocol was unveiled by a panel of these experts to American cavalier breeders at a symposium in May 1998 sponsored by the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club, USA. The MVD Protocol called for breeders to limit breeding to only those cavaliers which were at least 5 years old and with hearts clear of MVD murmurs (as diagnosed by board certified veterinary cardiologists). The only exception in the MVD Protocol was to allow the breeding of dogs as young as 2.5 years old if both of the cavalier's parents' hearts were clear of murmurs by age 5 years. Under the leadership of its then president, C. Anne Eckersley-Robins, the board of directors of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club, USA endorsed the MVD Protocol in 1998.

This MVD Protocol was expected to drastically reduce and possibly eliminate mitral valve disease in cavaliers under the age of 5 years (called early-onset MVD) over as few as two to three breeding generations. However, the MVD Protocol required that cavalier breeders drastically alter their breeding practices, since nearly all such breeders typically began breeding their cavaliers as young as 1 year of age.

Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of breeders of cavalier King Charles spaniels in the United States have ignored the MVD Protocol and, instead, have increased the breedings of their underaged cavaliers to meet the ever-increasing demand of the puppy marketplace. In addition, since the American Kennel Club officially recognized the breed in 1995, numerous breeders of other AKC breeds have added cavalier King Charles spaniels to their breeding kennels, without proper awareness or concern about MVD or any of the severe genetic disorders common to the CKCS. Also, in recent years the commercial puppy millers, who breed indiscriminately without any thought of health testing, and sell their puppies nationwide through pet shops and the Internet, have added the MVD-cursed cavalier to their inventory of breeds.

As a result, instead of eliminating early-onset MVD in cavaliers within two to three generations (a generation being 2.5 years) in the 18 years since 1998, the cavalier King Charles spaniel has made no progress in its battle against mitral valve disease, and instead, has regressed.

A panel of ten of the top board certified veterinary cardiologists reported in November 2009 that every cavalier King Charles spaniel is at high risk for developing MVD. They recommend that all CKCSs be screened for mitral valve murmurs every year.

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Syringomyelia (SM)

In recent years, syringomyelia has become a major crippler of cavalier King Charles spaniels. SM is an extremely serious genetic spinal disease which is widespread and believed to affect cavaliers of all bloodlines. The number of diagnosed cases has increased dramatically since 2000.

SM progresses from a cavalier feeling hypersensitivity in its neck area, with an uncontrollable urge to scratch at its neck and shoulders, to severe pain around its head, neck, and shoulders, causing it yelp or scream, followed by destruction of portions of the cavalier's spinal cord. SM is so painful that the affected dog may contort its neck and even sleep and eat only with its head held high. Some cavaliers lose full use of their limbs and bladder and bowel control; others deteriorate to the point of paralysis.

Syringomyelia is so widespread in CKCS bloodlines, that the number of potential carriers is huge, and breeding programs based upon avoiding SM carriers is impossible. Researchers now estimate up to 95% of all cavalier King Charles spaniels have Chiari-like malformation (CM), the skull malformation believed to be a part of the cause of syringomyelia, and that up to 50% of cavaliers have SM.

As with MVD, experts have devised an SM Breeding Protocol, which includes eliminating SM affected dogs -- based upon clinical signs and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) -- from breeding programs, and carefully breeding the others depending upon whether or not they are known carriers of the disease. Participation by cavalier breeders in following this breeding protocol has been minimal.

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Health Testing

The term, "health testing" is used quite a bit on this website.  The nature of a particular health test on a cavalier King Charles spaniel depends upon the nature of the genetic disorder:

• Mitral valve disease (MVD) requires an annual examination by a board certified veterinary cardiologist, using a stethoscope or Doppler or x-ray.  See Cardiologists for a list of the board certified veterinary cardiologists in the United States, and Clinics for a list of low cost heart testing clinics currently scheduled in the United States.

• Hip dysplasia (HD) requires an examination by a board certified veterinary radiologist, using x-rays.  See Clinics for a list of low cost x-ray clinics currently scheduled in the United States.

• Patellas require manipulation by a veterinarian.  See Clinics for a list of low cost patella testing clinics currently scheduled in the United States.

• Retinal dysplasia, cataracts, and the other eye-related disorders require an examination by a board certified veterinary ophthalmologist.  See Clinics for a list of low cost eye testing clinics currently scheduled in the United States.

• Syringomyelia (SM) suggests an MRI examination or a physical examination conducted by a veterinary neurologist.  See Neurologists for a list of the board certified veterinary neurologists in the United States.

• Many of the other genetic diseases require blood analysis by specialist veterinarians.  See Clinics for a list of low cost blood testing clinics currently scheduled in the United States.

Some tests need be conducted only once in a cavalier's life, such as hip dysplasia x-rays and SM exams.  Others must be performed annually or even more frequently, such as MVD exams, patella manipulations, blood tests, and eye examinations.  If a genetic disorder calls for annual examinations, then reports and certificates older than one year are stale and not pertinent to the cavalier's present state of genetic health.  The timing of examinations of other diseases, such as diabetes mellitus, epilepsy, and episodic falling syndrome, depend upon the symptoms displaying themselves.

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Blood Platelets

Over half of all cavalier King Charles spaniels may have both an abnormally low number of blood platelets and oversized platelets. Despite the low platelet counts, the typical cavalier's blood platelets function normally, and the dog does not appear to experience any health problems due to either the size or fewer numbers of its platelets. There are, however, exceptions to this typical situation.

Excessively low platelet counts normally is a sign which tends to alarm general practice veterinarians, and so it is vitally important that cavalier owners alert their vets about this benign condition in the breed when blood tests are ordered.

Download this pdf file and take it to your veterinarians, to be sure they know about this benign blood platelet condition and do not become alarmed.

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Surrender to Rescue

At the March 2024 BSAVA 2024 conference, UK researchers Rebecca Mosley, Tena Kras, Clare Buxton, Felipe Zabaneh Rodal, Peter Buxton, and Clare Rusbridge presented a poster (at right -- click to enlarge it) examining the reasons 177 cavailer King Charles spaniels were surrendered by their owners to a UK canine rescue group, Bliss Cavalier Rescue. The data was collected from a combination of questionnaires, health checklists, veterinary medical histories, and veterinary examinations following surrender. The owners' reasons for surrender included:

• Caregiver circumstances change: 31.1%, average age 6.9 years
• Behavioral problems: 28.2%, average age 5.3 years
• Financial reasons: 27.1%, average age 5.1 years
• Retired breeding dog: 21.5%, average age 5.5 years

Of the cavalier breeders who surrendered their breeding stock to the rescue group, 94.4% were registered with the UK Kennel Club. At the date of surrender, these cavaliers by age 6 years had an average of 6 physical health conditions (excluding anxiety, obesity, and underweight), referred to in the study as multi-morbidities. The most common health conditions were:

• Anxiety: 141 dogs (79.7%)
• Chiari-like malformation with pain: 127 dogs (71.8%)
• Dental disease requiring extractions: 121 dogs (68.45%)
• Mitral valve disease: 87 dogs (49.2%)
• Dry eye: 68 dogs (38.4%)
• Obesity: 64 dogs (36.2%)
• Chronic ear disease: 58 dogs (32.8%)
• Ear mites: 42 dogs (23.7%)
• Behavioraly problems: 49 dogs (27.7%)
• Osteoarthritis: 53 dogs (29.9%)
• Patella luxation: 40 dogs (22.6%)
• Hip dysplasia: 39 dogs (22.0%)

The researchers highlighted the details regarding dental disease. As noted, 68.45% of the surrendered cavaliers had periodontal disease which required dental treatment, including extractions. They found that retired breeding stock cavaliers surrendered by breeders had the worst cases of dental disease, of which 92% required tooth extractions, with 76.3% requiring 21 or more teeth removed.

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Conclusion

At a time when the cavalier King Charles spaniel breeder should be cautious and should choose to not breed underaged dogs and untested dogs, in order to reduce the incidence of MVD and SM and several other progressive and worsening hereditary diseases, we find that most cavalier breeders choose to breed their dogs younger, breed them more often, and either not fully test them for these genetic defects or ignore unfavorable test results and breed them anyway.

As recently as 2009, the chairman of the UK's Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club stated: "There are many members who are still not prepared to health check their breeding stock, and of those who do, it would appear that many would not hesitate to breed from affected animals." And so it goes ...

The cavalier puppy buyer needs to beware of these numerous irresponsible breeders.  There are very few responsible, ethical breeders of cavalier King Charles spaniels who actually do the right thing.  Many will tell you that they are responsible, that they test their breeding stock, that they follow the breeding protocols, that they are doing whatever can be done to reduce severe genetic disorders in their breeding programs.  But very, very few are truthful and actually do what they say they do.  It is a Buyer Beware World in the cavalier King Charles spaniel marketplace.

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Research News

March 2024: Cavaliers surrendered to Bliss Cavalier Rescue averaged 6 health issues each by age 6 years. At the March 2024 BSAVA 2024 conference, UK researchers Rebecca Mosley, Tena Kras, Clare Buxton, Felipe Zabaneh Rodal, Peter Buxton, and Clare Rusbridge presented a poster (at right -- click to enlarge it) examining the reasons 177 cavalier King Charles spaniels were surrendered by their owners to a UK canine rescue group, Bliss Cavalier Rescue. The data was collected from a combination of questionnaires, health checklists, veterinary medical histories, and veterinary examinations following surrender. The owners' reasons for surrender included:

• Caregiver circumstances change: 31.1%, average age 6.9 years
• Behavioral problems: 28.2%, average age 5.3 years
• Financial reasons: 27.1%, average age 5.1 years
• Retired breeding dog: 21.5%, average age 5.5 years

Of the cavalier breeders who surrendered their breeding stock to the rescue group, 94.4% were registered with the UK Kennel Club. Overall at the date of surrender, the cavaliers by age 6 years had an average of 6 physical health conditions (excluding anxiety, obesity, and underweight), referred to in the study as multi-morbidities. The most common health conditions were:

• Anxiety: 141 dogs (79.7%)
• Chiari-like malformation with pain: 127 dogs (71.8%)
• Dental disease requiring extractions: 121 dogs (68.45%)
• Mitral valve disease: 87 dogs (49.2%)
• Dry eye: 68 dogs (38.4%)
• Obesity: 64 dogs (36.2%)
• Chronic ear disease: 58 dogs (32.8%)
• Ear mites: 42 dogs (23.7%)
• Behavioraly problems: 49 dogs (27.7%)
• Osteoarthritis: 53 dogs (29.9%)
• Patella luxation: 40 dogs (22.6%)
• Hip dysplasia: 39 dogs (22.0%)

The researchers highlighted the details regarding dental disease. As noted, 68.45% of the surrendered cavaliers had periodontal disease which required dental treatment, including extractions. They found that retired breeding stock cavaliers surrendered by breeders had the worst cases of dental disease, of which 92% required tooth extractions, with 76.3% requiring 21 or more teeth removed.

February 2024: Cavaliers' median age at death is 11.8 years in UK study of 6,879 deceased dogs. In a Februaty 2024 article conducted by DogsTrust, a charitable trust for "dogs in need", researchers Kirsten M. McMillan (right), Jon Bielby, Carys L. Williams, Melissa M. Upjohn, Rachel A. Casey, and Robert M. Christley, examined a dataset of 584,734 UK dogs of 155 breeds, including 20,661 cavalier King Charles spaniels, to determine the median age of each breed at the age at death. They calculated the median age at death of all dogs to be 12.5 years. Of the 6,879 deceased cavaliers in the study, their median age at death was 11.8 years.

EDITOR'S NOTE: A median age of death of 11.8 years is quite surprising, since the most recent previous estimate of UK dogs, in 2018, was 9.75 years. This current estimate is more than 2 years longer than the 2018 study finding. To what can we attribute this good news about longer survival ages? We can ony guess, but here are a few guesses:

• Advances in medical care
• More awareness of the onset of cavalier-related diseases, such as MVD and CM/SM
• More UK breeders following breeding protocols
• Different data sources being used

July 2022: Dr. Google works when used with well-crafted veterinary search terms. In a July 2022 article in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, USA veterinary researchers (E. Carley Allen, Kristine M. Alpi, George W. Schaaf, Steven L. Marks) studied whether and how using Google could assist veterinarians in the diagnosis of complex cases. A veterinary generalist with 3 years of experience and a specialist with 26 years were tested by reviewing a set of 30 previously published clinical case studies (17 dogs and 13 cats) with the actual diagnoses hidden, and told to give diagnoses based only upon that information. They correctly diagnosed only 10 of the 30 cases, prior to reseaching on-line using Google. They agreed with each other on only 6 of the correctly diagnosed cases. They then searched Google using 3 to 5 search terms of keywords to find information to compare with their own diagnoses of the cases. Their assignment was:

“What terms (up to 5) would you search online to find the diagnosis or differentials for this case? Terms can be phrases or single words; please use 1 line for each term. If you would search a term as a phrase, please put the term in quotes for the purpose of this question (eg, ‘firm subcutaneous mass’).”

Using their Google research results, the generalist correctly diagnosed "4 challenging cases", and the specialist revised diagnoses of 5 others. The authors concluded:

“Veterinary information resources discoverable by searching Google can assist veterinarians to either reinforce initial diagnosis or consider other diagnoses for complicated or unusual cases. ... [w]e believe that searching on case features is widely done and should be further investigated as a strategy to support generalist practitioners confronted with complex cases. ... [T]he search results generated from terms searched by the specialist veterinarian led to the generalist correcting earlier diagnoses suggesting that modeling how to search more like a specialist could be a useful strategy to consider.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: In short, "Dr. Google" works when used thoughtfully. When looking on-line for information about a specific disorder or symptom in your cavalier, try word-searching this website on Google. In the search box, enter "CavalierHealth.org" and add two or more keywords that describe the disorder or symptom.

Interestingly, even though snobbish veterinarians are quick to demean dog owners who use the Internet to find answers to their questions about their dogs' conditions, the researchers here stated that "we believe that searching on case features is widely done [by veterinarians themselves] and should be further investigated as a strategy to support generalist practitioners confronted with complex cases."

October 2018: UK Kennel Club cavaliers' average lifespan drops to 9.75 years in 2014. In an October 2018 article, UK veterinary researchers (T. W. Lewis, B. M. Wiles, A. M. Llewellyn-Zaidi, K. M. Evans, D. G. O’Neill) examined the death reports of 5,663 UK Kennel Club registered dogs in 2014, including 222 cavalier King Charles spaniels. They report that the median age of death of CKCSs that year was 117 months (9.75 years). This is a downgrade from the median age of 9.9 years in a similar study of 124 deceased cavaliers published in December 2013. Cardiac events were the most prevalent of causes of death for cavaliers, at 30.63%, whereas cardiac deaths for all breeds of dogs that year were only 7.82%.

December 2013: VetCompass finds the average lifespan of cavaliers in the UK is 9.9 years. UK's Royal Veterinary College's Veterinary Companion Animal Surveillance System (VetCompass) project researchers ( D G O'Neill, D B Church, P D McGreevy, P C Thomson, D C Brodbelt) find in a December 2013 report that of 124 deceased cavalier King Charles spaniels in the United Kingdom, their average lifespan was 9.9 years. Tjhe overall median lifespan of all dogs in the study was 12.0 years.

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INSIDE TOPICS

• Breeders
• Breeders' Excuses
• Questions for Breeders
• Blog
• Books
• Diets
• Editorials
• Health Clinics
• Overview
• Rescue

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• Addison's Disease
• Anal Sac
• Anesthesia
• Angiostrongylus
• Aortic Thromboembolism
• Aortic Thrombosis
• Apnea
• Arthritis
• Atopic Dermatitis
• Atrioventricular Block
• Back Pain
• BARF Diets
• Bell's Palsy
• Blood Platelets
• Blood Pressure
• Brachycephalic
• Brachycephaly
• Breathing
• Cancer
• Canine Atopic Dermatitis
• Cannabidiol (CBD)
• Cannabis
• Cardiac Valve Disease (CVD)
• Cardiologists
• Cataracts
• Cavalier Club
• Cerebellar Infarct
• Cervical Spondylomyelopathy
• Cherry Eye
• CHF
• Chiari-like Malformation (CM)
• Chondrodystrophy (CDDY)
• Chronic Enteropathy
• Chronic Pancreatitis
• Chronic Ulcerative Paradental Stomatitis (CUPS)
• CM/SM
• Colitis
• Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)
• Conjunctivitis
• Corneal Dystrophy
• Corneal Melting
• Corneal Ulcer
• CUPS
• Curly Coat Syndrome
• Cushings Disease
• DCM
• Deafness
• Degenerative Myelopathy (CDM) (DM)
• Dental Disorders
• Dermatitis
• Dewclaws
• Diabetes Mellitus
• Diets
• Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM)
• Disc Disease
• Distichiasis
• DM
• DNA
• Dry Eye Syndrome
• Elbow Disorders
• Elongated Soft Palate
• Encephalitis
• Endocardiosis
• Enteropathy
• Entropion
• Eosinophilic Stomatitis
• EPI
• Epiglottic Retroversion
• Epilepsy
• Episodic Falling Syndrome
• Estimated Breeding Values
• Everted Laryngeal Saccules
• Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI)
• Eye Disorders
• Facial Nerve Paralysis
• Fear Avoidance
• Femoral Artery Occlusion
• Follicular Cystitis
• Fly Catchers Syndrome
• Food
• Gallbladder Disorders
• Gastroenteritis
• Gastroeosophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• Gastrointestinal
• Genetics
• Genetic Tests
• Gestation
• Gingivitis
• Glaucoma
• Glue Ear
• Growth Plate
• Gum Disorders
• HD
• Hearing
• Heart Disease
• Heartbeat Issues
• Heartworm
• Heatstroke
• Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis (HGE)
• Hepatic Disorders
• Hernia
• HGE
• Hip Dysplasia (HD)
• Hydrocephalus
• Hydromyelia
• Hydrosyringomyelia
• Hyperadrenocorticism
• Hypercortisolism
• Hypersialism
• Hypoadrenocorticism
• Hypothyroidism
• IBD
• Immune-Mediated Polyarthritis (IMPA)
• Infarcts
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
• Insecticide Poisoning
• Intervertebral Disc (IVDD)
• KCS
• Keratitis
• Keratitis Sicca
• Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca (KCS)
• Keratomalacia
• Kidney Disease
• Knee Dislocation
• Laryngeal Collapse
• Liver Disorders
• Liver Shunt
• Lock Jaw
• Lungworm
• Macrothrombocytosis
• Masticatory Muscle Myositis
• MCAD Deficiency
• MCT Oils
• Megaesophagus
• Meningoencephalitis
• Microphthalmia
• Middle Ear Effusion
• Miscellaneous Disorders
• Mitral Valve Disease
• MRI Screening of SM
• Muscle Hypertonicity
• Muscular Dystrophy (MD)
• MVD
• MVD Breeding Protocol
• Myoclonus
• Neurologists
• Neutering
• Obesity
• Orofacial Clefts
• Osteoarthritis
• Overview
• Pacemaker
• Palmitoylethanolamide
• Pancreas
• Pancreatitis
• Panting
• Parasites
• Patellar Luxation
• Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA)
• PDA
• PEA
• Periodontal Disease
• Periodontitis
• Piebaldism
• Plants -- toxic, poisonous
• Platelets
• Pneumocystis Pneumonia
• Polyarthritis (IMPA)
• Porencephaly
• Portosystemic Shunt
• Pregnancy
• Presyncope
• Primary Secretory Otitis Media
• Progressive Hereditary Deafness
• Progressive Retinal Degeneration (PRD)
• Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA)
• Protein-Losing Enteropathy
• PSOM
• Pulmonary Hypertension
• Pulmonary Thrombosis
• Pulmonic Stenosis
• Pyometra
• Pyrethrins
• Raw Food & Diets
• Renal Disease
• Rescue
• Retinal Atrophy
• Retinal Degeneration
• Retinal Dysplasia
• Reverse Sneeze
• Rough Coat Syndrome
• Salivary Glands
• Sedation
• Shadow Chasing
• Skin Conditions
• Sleep Disorders
• SM
• SM Breeding Protocol
• SM MRI Screening
• Snoring
• Stenotic Nares
• Stroke
• Syncope
• Syringomyelia
• Syringohydromyelia (SHM)
• Syrinx
• Teeth
• Temporomandibular Joint Morphology
• Thrombocytopenia
• Thyroid Disorders
• Thyroiditis
• Trachea
• Tracheal Collapse
• Ulcerative Stomatitis
• Urinary Tract
• Uroliths
• Vasculitis
• Ventriculomegaly
• Vestibular Syndrome
• Vision Disorders
• Wobbler Syndrome
• Xanthinuria
• Zinc Toxicity
• Zoonotic Diseases

CavalierHEALTH.org provides the information on this website for your education only. No information on this website should be used for veterinary medical purposes, diagnostically, therapeutically, or otherwise. Consult a veterinarian before attempting to medically treat your dog or changing your dog's medical treatment.

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