Puppy First, Health First
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The big picture
Cavaliers typically live 12–15 years.
They are known to be prone to a number of conditions, led by a heart valve problem that tends to start younger than in most dogs. Most of them are easier to manage when they are caught early.
A few everyday habits do a lot of the work.
Worth knowing
Each entry starts with a condition the breed is known to be prone to, then what you might notice and what helps.
This list is not exhaustive or official. Keep asking your veterinarian as your puppy grows.
Mitral valve disease (MMVD) is a heart valve that wears out early, and Cavaliers tend to get it younger than most dogs.
A murmur your vet hears is usually the first sign. Later, faster breathing at rest, coughing or tiring early can mean it is getting worse.
Have the heart listened to every year, and have a new murmur checked with a heart scan (echocardiogram). Many Cavaliers with a murmur live to a good age.
In Chiari-like malformation (CM), the back of the skull is misshapen, and pockets of fluid called syringomyelia (SM) can form in the spinal cord.
Many dogs never show signs, but some scratch at the air near the neck or seem to have neck pain.
Tell your vet about these signs, and the vet will think about glue ear too. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan can show SM, and it is found more often as dogs get older.
Glue ear, called primary secretory otitis media (PSOM), is thick mucus that fills the middle ear.
Some dogs show no signs, while others scratch at the head, seem to have neck pain or hear less.
Your vet can look for it with an ear exam and a scan. Since its signs can look like SM, mention any head scratching early.
Cavaliers can get cataracts (a cloudy lens), folds in the retina, extra eyelashes (distichiasis) and a white-grey haze called corneal dystrophy.
Cloudiness in a young puppy's eye needs a prompt check, because early cataracts can get worse quickly.
An eye exam by a veterinary eye specialist in puppyhood, then every year to age 5, helps catch changes early. Extra lashes matter only if they rub the eye.
A kneecap that slips out of place (patellar luxation) and a hip joint that forms badly (hip dysplasia) both run in the breed.
Your vet feels the knees at puppy visits, which is how a slipping kneecap is usually first noticed.
Hip X-rays can check the hips once your Cavalier is grown. The breed club says hip dysplasia seems fairly low in Cavaliers.
Less common
Episodic falling syndrome causes bouts of stiff muscles or collapse, and a DNA test shows the risk.
Dry eye curly coat syndrome shows at birth as a curly coat and dry eyes, and a DNA test finds it.
Many Cavaliers have fewer but larger platelets (macrothrombocytopenia), which is usually harmless but can make a blood count look low.
A problem with how the body uses fat for energy (MCADD) is seen in only a few dogs and has a DNA test.
Xanthinuria, an uncommon cause of stones in the urinary tract, also has a DNA test.
DNA tests
A cheek-swab DNA test works at any age. The tests for episodic falling syndrome, dry eye curly coat syndrome and MCADD can be run on the puppy.
Each result is clear (no copies of the gene change), carrier (one copy) or at risk (two copies).
A carrier is healthy.
An at-risk result means a higher chance, not a diagnosis. An at-risk dog may never get the condition, or may get it late. Among Cavaliers with degenerative myelopathy results sent to the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA), about 1 in 4 were at risk. This test shows a risk factor only, and OFA counts test results, not dogs with the disease. Tests are also available for xanthinuria, muscular dystrophy and a risk factor for disc disease (CDDY). A marker test relates to how severe mitral valve disease becomes, but it does not diagnose it.
Checkups your dog will get
Care plan by life stage
Planning for Cavalier King Charles Spaniel vet costs
These are typical published costs for treating what a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel vet exam looks at and the conditions the breed is known to be prone to. Each range shows where it comes from and when, and your own vet's estimate will differ.
| Item | Typical cost | Per | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Specialist's first exam (consultation fee only) | $198–$350 | per visit | at US veterinary teaching hospitals (Michigan, Missouri, Tennessee) | 2023–2026 |
| Eye tests before cataract surgery (ERG and eye ultrasound) | $500–$1,300 | per workup | at US veterinary teaching hospitals (Missouri, Tennessee) | 2025–2026 |
| Cataract surgery, one eye | $3,800–$5,500 | per eye | at one US veterinary teaching hospital (Missouri) | 2023–2025 |
| Cataract surgery, both eyes under one anesthetic | $5,600–$6,700 | at one US veterinary teaching hospital (Missouri) | 2025 |
| Item | Typical cost | Per | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Specialist's first exam (consultation fee only) | $198–$350 | per visit | at US veterinary teaching hospitals (Michigan, Missouri, Tennessee) | 2023–2026 |
| Allergy skin test (intradermal) | $350–$550 | per test | at one US veterinary teaching hospital (Michigan) | 2024 |
| Allergy blood test (serology) | $340–$350 | per test | at one US veterinary teaching hospital (Michigan) | 2024 |
| Item | Typical cost | Per | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soft-tissue surgery workup with advanced imaging | $800–$1,200 | per workup | at one US veterinary teaching hospital (Illinois) | 2023 |
Planning for pet insurance
When you are ready to compare plans, here is one option for Pawrade buyers.
Only with Pawrade, you receive a pet insurance policy with no waiting period included for immediate accident or illness coverage, 1 month, with every puppy.† You activate it by calling MetLife; instructions arrive with your travel details. Continuing MetLife coverage after the first month is strongly recommended.
View the MetLife 30-day offer →†NH, NY, RI, SC and TN residents excluded. Activated by calling MetLife; coverage begins immediately following policy activation. See the offer for full terms.
Whichever plan you look at, read the policy before you buy. Check the waiting periods, how it defines a pre-existing condition, and its deductible, reimbursement percentage and annual limit.
A waiting period is how long after you buy a pet insurance policy before a claim counts.
| Policy | Accidents | Illness | Joints |
|---|---|---|---|
| MetLife policy included with your Pawrade puppy† | None | None | None |
| MetLife, bought directly | None | 14 days | Not listed |
| Industry standard | 0–14 days | 14–30 days | 6–12 months |
| Nationwide | 14 days | 14 days | Not listed |
| Trupanion | 5 days | 30 days | 30 days |
| Embrace | 2 days | 14 days | 6 months |
| Figo | 1 day | 14 days | Not listed |
What the Veterinary Health Report checks
The breeder's licensed vet checks your puppy before it goes home. The vet follows PetPay's exam standards, and the results go in your puppy's Veterinary Health Report.
Focus
Heart
Heart murmur, and how loud it is (grade)
02
Breathing
How open the nostrils are · Coughing or congestion
03
Temperature, pulse and breathing rate
Temperature · Pulse · Breathing rate
04 Focus
Eyes
Discharge · Vision problems · Eyelash problems · Cherry eye
05
Ears and hearing
Debris or discharge · Ear mites · Signs of infection · Hearing
06 Focus
Mouth and bite
Teeth and jaw alignment · Bite (overbite or underbite)
07 Focus
Skin and coat
Fleas and ticks · Hair loss · Signs of infection
08
Kneecaps
Kneecaps that slip, and how much (grade)
09
Hips
Hip pain
10 Focus
Hernias
Belly-button (umbilical) hernia · Groin (inguinal) hernia
11
Soft spot on the skull
An open soft spot, and its size
12
Body condition and weight
Body condition score · Weight
13
Reproductive organs
Both testicles in place (males) · Extra skin folds around the vulva (females)
14
History of vomiting or diarrhea
Any history of vomiting or diarrhea (reported, not examined)
15
Stool test for parasites
Fecal flotation test, with any treatment given
16
Past surgery and notes
Any past surgery · The vet's explanation of anything abnormal
The vet listens to the heart with a stethoscope for a murmur, which a puppy can be born with.
Murmurs from mitral valve disease usually appear later in life, so your own vet keeps listening at every yearly visit.
The vet checks the eyes for extra lashes.
Cavaliers can develop a cloudy lens (cataract) young, so any cloudiness in a puppy's eye is worth a prompt check. Eyelids that roll in, haze on the eye's surface and dry eyes are also worth watching for as your puppy grows.
The vet looks in the mouth to see that the teeth meet in a scissors bite.
The vet looks over the skin and coat.
A rough, curly coat with dry eyes points to dry eye curly coat syndrome.
The vet feels the belly button area for a hernia, a small bulge in the belly wall.
The vet listens to the heart with a stethoscope for a murmur, which a puppy can be born with.
Murmurs from mitral valve disease usually appear later in life, so your own vet keeps listening at every yearly visit.
The vet checks the eyes for extra lashes.
Cavaliers can develop a cloudy lens (cataract) young, so any cloudiness in a puppy's eye is worth a prompt check. Eyelids that roll in, haze on the eye's surface and dry eyes are also worth watching for as your puppy grows.
The vet looks in the mouth to see that the teeth meet in a scissors bite.
The vet looks over the skin and coat.
A rough, curly coat with dry eyes points to dry eye curly coat syndrome.
The vet feels the belly button area for a hernia, a small bulge in the belly wall.
Puppies grow and change quickly, and their immune systems are still developing, so no exam can find everything. The Veterinary Health Report is a strong early look at your puppy and a written starting point that your own vet builds on.
Health guarantee
Every Pawrade puppy comes with a health guarantee administered by PetPay, independent of the seller. The terms are on the health guarantee page.
Customers Love Us!
Leonidas · Cavalier King Charles Spaniel“Everything went very smooth. Communication with breeder and transport were first rate, and Leonidas is awesome. You can tell the breeder prepared him well. He showed up and acts like he’s been here forever. 👍👍”
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Puppies for Sale
Frequently asked questions
Cavaliers are known to be prone to mitral valve disease, Chiari-like malformation and syringomyelia, glue ear, hip dysplasia and patellar luxation. The eye conditions on the list are cataract, retinal dysplasia, distichiasis and corneal dystrophy. The list also includes episodic falling syndrome, dry eye curly coat syndrome, macrothrombocytopenia and a fat-processing problem (MCADD). Yearly heart checks, eye and knee checks at vet visits, and DNA tests for the inherited conditions help you stay ahead of them.
Mitral valve disease is the breed's leading health concern, and Cavaliers tend to get it younger than most dogs. Every Cavalier should have its heart listened to once a year. A new murmur calls for more tests, such as a heart ultrasound (echocardiogram) or X-rays, because the stage of the disease guides treatment.
Not necessarily, because many Cavaliers with a mitral valve murmur live to a good age. How fast the disease progresses varies from dog to dog, which is why regular checks matter.
Syringomyelia means fluid-filled pockets in the spinal cord, and in Cavaliers it goes with a misshapen skull, called Chiari-like malformation. Many affected dogs show no signs. It becomes more common with age, so screening uses a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan at 3 years or older, and a young puppy cannot be screened.
Scratching at the neck or head, or signs of neck pain, can point to syringomyelia or glue ear (primary secretory otitis media), so have your vet check.
Some do, because cataract, retinal dysplasia, distichiasis and corneal dystrophy all run in the breed. Regular exams by a veterinary eye specialist, starting in puppyhood, help catch changes early.
Both run in the breed, though the breed club says hip dysplasia seems fairly low in Cavaliers. Your vet feels the knees at puppy visits, and hip X-rays can check the hips once your Cavalier is grown.
Cheek-swab tests cover episodic falling syndrome, dry eye curly coat syndrome, MCADD, macrothrombocytopenia and degenerative myelopathy, and a marker test relates to how severe mitral valve disease becomes. A carrier has one copy of the gene change and stays healthy. An at-risk result means a higher chance of the condition, not a diagnosis.
A vet can listen for a murmur at 8 weeks, but murmurs from mitral valve disease usually appear later. Syringomyelia is checked with an MRI scan, and screening is advised at 3 years or older.
Cavaliers typically live 12–15 years.
Watch for faster breathing, coughing or tiring easily, which can mean mitral valve disease is progressing. If a murmur is present, ask about staging by a veterinary cardiologist, and keep up dental care and weight management.
Have the heart listened to every year, clean the teeth daily, check the ears and keep up eye exams with a veterinary eye specialist. Tell your vet about any neck scratching, head scratching or cloudiness in the eye.
Many Cavaliers have fewer but larger platelets, an inherited trait that usually causes no bleeding. Machine blood counts can under-count these large platelets, so tell your vet, who can confirm a low count by hand.
