julesluvscavs

I just want to add one last thing. I'll never be not passionate about Cavaliers. I certainly do not want anyone to stick their heads in the sand with any of their known health issues, same with any breed with theirs. Be very aware and do lots of research. With all my dogs ive had some go really well with their health and some not (different type dogs over the years) I belong to many Cavalier fb groups, have been in Cavalier clubs and have known many owners and Breeders of them personally.... So ive known about lots! yes many have health issues to different degrees and many don't/haven't also. Re age.. yes its true many haven't lived long lives but i know many who have, We knew someone in our Cav club of SA (when it was going) that lived to 20 ! and just had arthritis .. We met someone on the beach yesterday hers had lived to 17 ! There have been others. Many in my fb groups have gotten to at least 15 .. so its not true in my observations most will die at a young age. Many of their conditions can be controlled to a certain extent depending on severity, with medications these days. Renae had a grade 1 heart murmur that never got worse or never needed medications. Many have though. I'd hate for anyone considering this breed to be totally put off. They are such a beautiful easy going breed, easy to love and be loved by. Still worth owning imo. I was put off after Miah with hers but don't regret our time together. Once we had her meds sorted it was manageable for the most part. Sadly its not what ended her short life Performing MRI's would be hard and very expensive on every Cavalier as sometimes they don't develop it until later.. The potential is always there though for it regardless (chari formation) but in Miah's case there hadn't been any known cases of it in her lines that her Breeder had been aware of. We have had other Cavs with her similar size head and they didn't get it (SM) Lets just hope Ethical Breeders are doing the best they can. Many will want do the right thing for their love of Cavaliers and also for their Reputation.

We now have 3 Cavaliers, one almost 14 or 15 (we adopted him years ago) He's been very healthy. Still is! The 2 girls we have (Mother and Daughter) both healthy atm.. We only ever had one diagnosed with SM which was Miah. She was PTS not because of her SM but because of a ruptured spleen tumour Its not just Cavs that can get it, some other breeds can too and Humans can get chari formation also with serious symptoms. Our Renae got to about 14, the only reason She was given her wings was because of an aggressive liver tumour

ASAL i understand that, I really do.. as a pet owner not a breeder though. I do feel your pain and frustrations. It is scary and nerve wreaking. Ive been blessed for the most part. And having one traumatic experience had initially put me off but i'm still owning them. Cant imagine having anything else now. I have a Cavalier fb group i have run for many years since my first Cav. And most have been healthy, well apart from heart issues (some) I am also in a fb group for people who own Cavs from our current breeder. So far so good. We also have regular meet ups and get tips etc from our Breeder on keeping them healthy in general So theres many who will never experience it either. Ive had other breeds of dogs in my younger years who all ended up getting Cancer and didn't get to very old ages With the Cav we had we did all we could to keep her comfortable. Its not all doom and gloom

Hi I had one of our diagnosed with SM/PSOM through a MRI a while back through a animal neuro in SA She's no longer with us.. passed away from something else Search SM on Dol, was a discussion not that long ago about it. i replied in it so wont go over it again in detail. Yes it exists here too and dogs can have it to different degrees/severities. I feel like im bit of an expert on the topic now. The Breeder (a registered one) did not have any previous issues with it certainly not with the parents. Sometimes it doesn't show up to they are few years old so not always viable scanning every dog! The Breeder did not breed again after learning about our Cavalier (She actually came to the place the MRI was done at) and was terribly upset after the diagnosis. Its not just the Cav breed that are predisposed to it. Humans can have it also, Chari formation. Ive owned many Cavs, only 1 has had it. It was controlled by medications (lots) once she was diagnosed. Many dogs with it are often mistaken with that they have behavioural issues. There is an op for it like with Humans who have it but its not successful long term with dogs. I currently have 3 Cavs of varying ages, so far so good. And i owned 2 before the one we had with SM. Only had one with a heart murmur but never got past a grade 1 and never needed any heart medication. Theres never any guarantee with any dog breed or us, with health. They don't generally have very long lives but i will always love the Cavalier Breed and take the risk for owning these beautiful gentle souls. Like with every breed keeping them healthy and at a good weight is crucial to their general health, joints and heart. Ours all except one have been from registered ethical breeders whom we have become friends with over the years (2 of who have since passed away).Our oldest one was rehomed to us years ago from a friend of a friend. I do know the Breeders we know prefer selling to mostly locals who they have met in person as part of their application process. I dont think any have sold to OS Hope you find one from a ethical breeder if you do go down that path. Sounds difficult though with what you have written. Goodluck!

Cavaliers are defiantly not sad dogs if being looked after and loved properly, quite the opposite! I have owned many over the years. Always been fun, love life and people, smart, happy go lucky! I've got thousands of Pics and Videos to prove it

Unfortunately our Miah had it, very severely.. Her breeder was beyond devastated and had not been aware of it, she had never had it in any of her lines previously. She was a very genuine and ethical registered breeder who did test for heart issues/eyes/patella issues etc .She was very supportive through it all and even came when we took her to have a MRI to diagnose it. Her breeder never bred again after finding out about Miah. It would be hard to test every dog with SM as it doesn't always show up until later. We kept her comfortable for a few years with heaps of tablets that she had to have every few hours and CBD oil to help calm her down. Especially when the atmospheric pressure was high. Its the worst thing to go through, its absolutely hell for them and us. I had never had it with our previous cavaliers. (One did have a spine condition that came on suddenly) Miah ended up dying suddenly and unexpentantly from a ruptured spleen tumour we had no idea about, So her life was never going last long We did have lots of good times as well with her so we don't regret that we had her in our lives even if was for a very short time. In hindsight, we thought there was a problem going on (before her diagnosis) and we tried various things to settle her behaviours. Nothing would work. I thought she was excited when we walked her but she was crying in pain we later learnt! When they have it severely they cant be over stimulated. I could go on about this in detail but its still painful for me. I was very reluctant to get another Cavalier (we do have an old one (Toby) without any issues) but we did get another one and so far so good.. she's showing no signs. We are very aware of what SM presents. Most dogs with SM also have an Ear condition also which can be operated on. Primary Secretory Otitis Media (PSOM) As for operating on dogs with SM our canine Neurologist said he stopped doing the operations for it as it comes back. Its from their head having the chari formation (Humans can have it too) but not all will develop into SM hence why not all Cavaliers and some other breeds will ever develop it.. There are also different degrees of severity with it from mild to very intense... its extremely painful for them like having a severe migraine.. Its a very expensive condition if you persist with it like we did. I still love Cavaliers. There's never any guarantees with any dog or humans' health. Sometimes you just get unlucky! One of our previous Cavs had a heart murmur but it was still only grade 1 when she passed away and she was never on medication for it. Many Good breeders will be vigilant about all their other health issues and try to keep on top of them but with SM it's harder.

Awwww thankyou Boronia I did a post in here when we first got our Stephie. You might recall we lost our young Miah suddenly April 2020

Years ago I knew a Boxer that its owners thought it had extreme behaviour problems. Turned out it had a brain tumour, despite all the other tests coming back clear when they first got him checked out by their Vet

He would need a MRI scan.. I have had some previous experience with CM and SM, there are different degrees of it. But it can be controlled to a certain extent (if thats what it is)with a combination of the right mediations and doses.. Canine Neurologist Specialists are better than Vets at diagnosing and treating it if thats the case imo Some Canine Specialists can do brain surgery for it but it doesn't last long... and the Specialist i knew stopped doing them as he found they weren't successful long term.

Cavaliers are known as Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (not King Charles Cavaliers). There are King Charles Spaniels but they aren't the same and they don't have the word cavalier in their title. Just for your information I've owned Cavaliers King Charles Spaniels for many years. Info on each breed in the DOL dog breeds 101

Thankyou Everyone. We feel very blessed She has come into our lives despite the circumstances She's very clever, alert and full of personality

Hi All, like many people we personally have had a terrible and sad year. We lost our beautiful 7 year old Cavalier (Miah) suddenly in April (ruptured spleen tumour) that we had no idea about until she was literally dying She was my dream girl dog, born on one of our wedding Anniversaries. Such a short but beautiful life she had with us. Then we had to give our old Karma cat her wings recently. She was 18 and had been our first pet together. She's seen all our previous pets come and go. Ive also had a very painful frozen shoulder all year with very limited movement.. We had been looking at adopting a small dog as Toby our older Cav was missing Miah a lot (he often just stands on her memorial burial area) However we had no luck finding a rescue dog being the covid period. Had almost decided it wasn't meant to be to have another dog then Stephie entered our lives out of the blue, another Cavalier. She's 3 and from a breeder we had known of in SA. Shes just so beautiful and gentle and just loves life. Gets on very well with Toby. Loves people and other animals. I am sure Miah sent her our way to try to heal our broken hearts. Shes the black and tan Cav in the pic. Shes very easy to train too. Merry Christmas to Everyone and I hope 2021 is a better year for us all

Awwww She's very cute ! Congratulations. Looks like you were meant to find each other

very tragic, sorry for your very heartbreaking loss

Its good you aired about it in here and got some wise advice, Maybe contact breeders in the DOL breeders listings. If you don't mind a dog thats not a puppy but not old some breeders rehome their retired dogs to the right person/family. I've had 2 Cavs that way Many breeders have brought their dogs up around young children also Many dogs can have dental issues, Cavs are predisposed to bad teeth. You just have to keep an eye on them and look after their teeth like we do with ours. Many smaller dogs dont chew on bones like bigger dogs do All the best, something suitable will come along. Just don't rush into anything Personally i look for Breeders that want to stay in touch and are happy to give advice etc when you need it, but thats just what i look for. If you get one through a rescue organisation some of them like to stay in touch too

Yes its very disappointing for the Breeder and You but i'm a great believer in when All the stars align at the right time, something good will eventuate. Don't lose hope

Im hearing of others getting caught up in similar situations atm, they seem desperate to get a Maltese or Maltese X's .. and because small dogs especially are very hard to get atm (even from rescue places) they are being sucked in with online scams and dodgy ads.. and they have all been from interstate.. Probably not the same as the one you are posting about (as its been puppies they are wanting) but please becareful! Hope yours is legit!

it does help with quite a few dog medical issues

Hi MoosGranny, i sorry to hear about the loss of your Staffy earlier this year, its so heartbreaking, especially with how this world is atm I too lost a dog (Miah) in April suddenly and unexpectedly. She was only 7. We do have one dog still with us, he's been missing her. I've been casually looking on the pet rescue site for a while now and also contacting a few rescue places.. within SA.. but there's only been bigger dogs (id only want another smaller dog) and i also don't want to take on another dog with any serious medical issues ( well at least not from the start) which quite a few seem to have (not that their fault of course) but when you have just been through a difficult time, its not ideal. We have 2 cats, one is about 18 so another dog would need to fit in with our family. Try also contacting breeders of what breeds you are interested in and seeing if they are rehoming any of their dogs, as often they do with retired dogs and not all are older. Not all are actively advertising them. There is defiantly a shortage of dogs (especially smaller breeds) this year i think due to Covid, i'm finding out. Good luck! Hope you find something suitable

Hi Westiemum Its been very hard to find small dogs this year in SA. Ive been casually looking for months now on pet rescue since losing Miah in April May i suggest that your neighbours also contact some breeders of toy/miniature poodles to see if they have any retired girls. There will be a list of some on DOL. Not all are actively advertising, so you never know, All the best to them Ps Sorry for their loss, its just so devastating

HI DuffyMum I'm in a similar situation with our Toby. Our previous Cav, Miah ( who Toby was very close to) left us suddenly and very sadly a few months ago. It is hard especially this year finding a suitable dog/puppy anywhere. Do approach the breeder of your Sheltie, sometimes they have contacts also. I wish you all the best in finding a new companion for your dog and for you and your family

Hi Sueton. Any updates

We were rehomed Renae. She was about 4 i think? and had 2 litters but due to the complications from her 2nd litter, the breeder decided to desex her and gift her to us. She lived the best life for years after with us but sadly got liver cancer If an offer came to us again we would probably do it again provided the dog is healthy at the time Ps We did know her Breeder as we had previously bought one of her young dogs ( Renae's Son from one of her litters) that wasn't taking to the show life. When our puppy Miah came along years later (from another Breeder) Renae took her under her wing and was fantastic with her but strict also in a loving Motherly way