11 Questions For Cavalier Breeders
Here
is a list of the eleven most important questions to ask any breeder of cavalier
King Charles spaniels about their breeding practices. It is best to orally ask
these questions directly to the breeder, instead of e-mailing or faxing the
list. If the breeder reacts in an impatient or hostile manner to any of these
questions, then you know all you need to know about that breeder.
See our TOP 10: Cavalier Breeders' Worst Excuses webpage to be prepared for some of the outrageous reactions to expect from some breeders.
The name of each disorder below is hyper-linked to the page of our website which discusses the disorder in detail.
In General
1. What are the registered names of the puppy's parents, and may I have copies of the registration certificates for both parents?
The parents' (sire and dam) names and registration certificates (as registered with the American Kennel Club or the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club, U.S.A., the two breed registries for cavaliers in the United States), will enable you to research the parents on genetic disease registration websites, such as OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals) and Canine Health Information, and also provide pedigree information about the ancestors of the breeding parents.
2. What are the birth dates of the puppy's parents?
This information will tell you whether the parents were bred too early. No cavalier King Charles spaniel should be bred before age 5 years under the peer-reviewed MVD Breeding Protocol, unless each parent meets the 2.5 year exception under that Protocol, and no cavalier should be bred before age 2.5 years under the SM Breeding Protocol. You should seriously consider not purchasing any cavalier if either of its parents does not meet these minimum ages.
Mitral Valve Disease (MVD)
3. Has the breeder complied with the MVD Breeding Protocol?
If the answer to this question is "No", then you should seriously consider not purchasing a cavalier from that breeder. MVD is far too pervasive a genetic disease among cavalier King Charles spaniels to risk purchasing one whose parents and grandparents have not been cleared of mitral valve murmurs by board certified cardiologists. The verbal information you receive from the breeder should be backed up with copies of the examining documents, signed by the cardiologists. The dates of the examinations of the parents should be as recent as possible and certainly no older than six months before the date of the birth of the cavalier you are considering purchasing.
Now, be careful not to be fooled by breeders who may claim to be following a MVD breeding protocol which turns out not to be the peer-reviewed MVD Breeding Protocol. Some breeders have made up their own watered-down breeding protocol (something like: "try to breed" females over 2 years of age and MVD-clear, to males over 6 years and MVD-clear), which makes breeding decisions much easier for them, but which totally ignores the many years of statistical research and specialists' recommendations which has led to the peer-reviewed MVD Breeding Protocol. For more information about the MVD Breeding Protocol, click here.
Syringomyelia (SM)
4. Has the breeder complied with the SM Breeding Protocol?
If the answer to this question is "No", then you should seriously consider not purchasing a cavalier from that breeder. The peer-reviewed SM Breeding Protocol has been designed to reduce the likelihood that offspring will develop syringomyelia. For more information about the SM Breeding Protocol, click here.
Hip Dysplasia (HD)
5. Have both parents' hips been x-rayed after age 2 years, and have those x-rays been evaluated and cleared of HD by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA)?
If the answer to this question is "No", then you should seriously consider not purchasing a cavalier from that breeder. The verbal information you receive from the breeder should be backed up with copies of the OFA certificates. "My vet okayed the x-ray" is NOT a valid clearance. Final hip clearances cannot be obtained until dogs are two years of age. Some breeders will do a preliminary test when their breeding stock is under 2 years, but it will not be certified by OFA. OFA's website is www.ofa.org For more information about peer-reviewed hip dysplasia breeding protocols, click here.
Patellar Luxation
6. Have both parents' patellas (knees) been examined and cleared by qualified veterinarians within a year before the date of birth of the Cavalier you are considering purchasing?
If the answer to this question is "No", then you should seriously consider not purchasing a cavalier from that breeder. The verbal information you receive from the breeder should be backed up with copies of the examining documents, signed by the veterinarians. For more information about the peer-reviewed patellas breeding protocol, click here.
Eyes - Vision - Sight
7. Have both parents' eyes been examined and cleared of serious genetic eye disorders by board certified veterinary ophthalmologists within a year before the date of birth of the Cavalier you are considering purchasing?
If the answer to this question is "No", then you should seriously consider not purchasing a cavalier from that breeder. Those serious genetic eye disorders include hereditary cataracts, corneal dystrophy, dry eye syndrome, microphthalmia, progressive retinal degeneration, and all but the mildest form of retinal dysplasia. No breeding pair should both be affected with distichiasis or with entropion. The verbal information you receive from the breeder should be backed up with copies of the examining documents on forms supplied by OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals) and signed by the board certified veterinary ophthalmologists.
Episodic Falling Syndrome
8. Have the parents' DNA been tested for episodic falling syndrome (EFS) ?
You should seriously consider not purchasing a cavalier from a breeder, unless the breeder has obtained, and shown to you, a DNA test result showing that at least one parent is clear of the mutated gene causing EFS. For more information about the peer-reviewed EFS breeding protocol, click here.
Curly Coat Syndrome
9. Have the parents' DNA been tested for curly coat syndrome?
You should seriously consider not purchasing a cavalier from a breeder, unless the breeder has obtained, and shown to you, a DNA test result showing that at least one parent is clear of the mutated gene causing curly coat. For more information about the peer-reviewed curly coat breeding protocol, click here.
Degenerative Myelopathy (DM)
10. Have the parents' DNA been tested for degenerative myelopahty (DM)?
You should seriously consider not purchasing a cavalier from a breeder, unless the breeder has obtained, and shown to you, a DNA test result showing that at least one parent is clear of the mutated gene causing degenerative myelopathy. For more information about the peer-reviewed degenerative myelopathy breeding protocol, click here.
Medium-chain acyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase deficiency (MCADD)
11. Have the parents' DNA been tested for medium-chain acyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase deficiency (MCADD)?
You should seriously consider not purchasing a cavalier from a breeder, unless the breeder has obtained, and shown to you, a DNA test result showing that at least one of the parents does not have the mutation causing MCADD. For more information about the dangers to offspring of both parents having that MCADD mutation, click here.
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