It’s such a cruel irony that Cavaliers, the soppiest love sponges of the canine world, do all too often have huge hearts. Hearts enlarged by disease. The culprit is Mitral Valve Disease (MVD); a condition 20 times more prevalent in Cavaliers than any other breed.
Put very simply, a heart affected by the disease is unable to pump blood around the body properly because damaged valves allow too much blood back into the heart and not enough to flow around the body. Fluid can also start to accumulate on the lungs.
There is no cure for MVD. If left to run its natural course, it kills through massive cardiac arrest or dogs drowning in their own bodily fluid. No wonder looking panicked or being unable to breathe when lying down is a symptom displayed by some. It’s a horrible prospect and, thankfully, most dogs are gently put to sleep before this occurs.
Some dogs live happily for years with a low-grade heart murmur, and it’s important to note that there is a huge difference between heart disease and heart failure. An explanation of this, along with a comprehensive and easy-to-understand guide to MVD, can be found on the wonderfully informative website of the charity Cavalier Matters. We have also made a short film about MVD.
Poppy was bred by a hugely successful show breeder but was diagnosed with MVD aged four. Sadly, Poppy died suddenly of heart failure on 4th September – just hours after this was posted. She was just six years old
There’s nothing unusual about dogs dying from MVD. It is a common cause of death in older dogs of all breeds. What marks out Cavaliers is the young age of onset – by five years old over half will have a heart murmur – and the speed with which the disease progresses towards heart failure once diagnosed.
As a Cavalier’s heart fails, its human family can only look on helplessly as their much-loved friend increasingly struggles to breathe despite ever more medication. And once the maximum dosages have been reached, there’s the frequent measuring of the resting respiratory rate accompanied by silent prayers that it won’t have increased. But inevitably it does. MVD is like a runaway train once it takes hold. It’s heart breaking for all concerned.
What compounds the agony is the knowledge that so much more could be done. MVD is an inherited condition. Breeding from dogs free of heart murmurs that are at least 2.5 years old, and whose parents are at least five and also heart clear, can make a dramatic difference to a puppy’s prospects. Sadly, too many breeders – from puppy farmers to successful show exhibitors – breed their Cavaliers far too young and test too infrequently.
In countries with strict and mandatory heart testing schemes things are looking up for Cavaliers. The most recent data from Denmark revealed that rates of MVD have fallen by 73 per cent since its compulsory heart scheme was introduced.
Our petition asks the Kennel Club in the UK to make testing for MVD mandatory but, as yet, there isn’t even an official heart scheme in this country despite one being promised back in 2008. TV vet Emma Milne recently wrote of her despair that breed clubs and the Kennel Club were not doing more to tackle the health crisis affecting Cavaliers.
This year there have been more murmurings about the introduction of a heart scheme but without a time frame or concrete plans. Those who have been campaigning for many years on Cavalier health issues have been here before. But for the sake of all those as yet unborn Cavalier puppies, we have to hope with all our hearts that this time will be different and that this time something meaningful will be put in place to end the heartbreak.
Milo he lost his battle with MVD earlier this year