Hi Craig,
I am a registered CKCS breeder with AKC. You are right on that the challenge with this breed is avoiding hereditary health issues. Responsible breeders have their CKCS parent dogs tested for mitral valve disease, eye and knee issues by experts in the field and get certification of health in those areas prior to breeding. Buyers should insist on seeing these documents as well as an AKC-certified bloodline prior to purchasing a pup. This is one reason why this breed is expensive to purchase.
We have indeed been fortunate in that none of our dogs nor their offspring have yet been diagnosed nor exhibited signs of the maladies you mention.
All Cavaliers will eventually develop mitral valve disease due to the lack of detection of this issue in the breeder stock used to re-establish the breed in 1926 due to efforts by Roscoe Eldridge and worsened later by inbreeding following WWII. The goal of good CKCS breeders is to delay the onset of this disease until very late in life so that the dog lives a happy, healthy life.
Syringomelia is a heartbreaking congenital defect (skull is too small for the brain) that is mostly limited to dogs in Europe and is a result of poor breeding practices. Almost nonexistent among well-bred dogs in the US.
Point being there here are issues to vet when selecting a CKCS pup but the breed is not a “Typhoid Mary” by any means. Proper due diligence in selecting a reputable breeder is the key to success.
Apologies to the OP for sidetracking his thread.
Dave
I am a registered CKCS breeder with AKC. You are right on that the challenge with this breed is avoiding hereditary health issues. Responsible breeders have their CKCS parent dogs tested for mitral valve disease, eye and knee issues by experts in the field and get certification of health in those areas prior to breeding. Buyers should insist on seeing these documents as well as an AKC-certified bloodline prior to purchasing a pup. This is one reason why this breed is expensive to purchase.
We have indeed been fortunate in that none of our dogs nor their offspring have yet been diagnosed nor exhibited signs of the maladies you mention.
All Cavaliers will eventually develop mitral valve disease due to the lack of detection of this issue in the breeder stock used to re-establish the breed in 1926 due to efforts by Roscoe Eldridge and worsened later by inbreeding following WWII. The goal of good CKCS breeders is to delay the onset of this disease until very late in life so that the dog lives a happy, healthy life.
Syringomelia is a heartbreaking congenital defect (skull is too small for the brain) that is mostly limited to dogs in Europe and is a result of poor breeding practices. Almost nonexistent among well-bred dogs in the US.
Point being there here are issues to vet when selecting a CKCS pup but the breed is not a “Typhoid Mary” by any means. Proper due diligence in selecting a reputable breeder is the key to success.
Apologies to the OP for sidetracking his thread.
Dave