When I first came to Cavaliers, I was really confused about all the tests everyone said you needed. After all, I had come from a breed that it was necessary to only run one test for. That was for PRA, and puppies could be swabbed as soon as a week.

So when I was presented with one person who said I needed these tests, and other who said I needed those tests, it was confusing, and I decided to do what I always do. Research. Not that I didn't listen to the old timers (you get some of your best information that way. After all, why reinvent the wheel, right? They've been there & done that, so use that experience they are giving.)

What I found was this... because breeders in this breed have been testing for SOOOO long for Mitral Valve Disease (Heart), it was occurring with much less severity than the internet has led you the public, to believe. It is MUCH less severe in Cavaliers than many other breeds. Now that doesn't mean don't test for it... I do. But instead of number one priority, it fell to number two or three. Number one priority I found was Episodic Falling Syndrome. For an explanation of this, see my post about EFS. Because a test didn't become available until recently, this is much more prevalent in our breed. EFS looks a lot like Epilepsy in humans, it is often misdiagnosed as such, but it is much different. EFS is not generally fatal, but it looks that way when they seize, and it's not a pleasant thing. The test can be done by swab,(DNA) and as such, it, unlike scans that they do for heart and eyes, tells you if the dog carries the genetic information for something that may manifest physically in the future. I myself prefer genetic tests, because the test we have currently for heart and eyes, that only gives a picture of the dog as he stands now, not what could be present in the future. That's why these scans/tests need to be done every few years for breeding dogs. So we as breeders do not knowingly pass these problems on, but we are only human, and can only go by the test run on the dog at the time. It is not in any way a test that predicts what will happen, that is why I prefer DNA if available. But, we test with what we have. Maybe someday DNA will become available for MV and breed specific eye issues for Cavaliers, who knows.

EFS generally is paired with tests for Dry Eye and Curly Coat. At first I thought, well that's strange, who cares if they have curly coats? And you could just put eye drops in, right? Wrong... LOL. It's not that simple. Dry Eye eventually results in an oily area around the eyes, where there is some hair loss and eventually an Alopecia. So we don't want that.

Small breeds are prone to problems with Patellas. This is just a fancy way of saying they get slipping kneecaps. Your vet can usually diagnose that just by a simple palpation and extension and tell you if there is a problem. If there is, it could either be time for the OFA x-rays, or you could simply remove that dog from your program then and there. Have you ever seen a dog hopping on three legs (I call it three wheelin'). That's a slipped patella. Or slipped stifle, whatever you want to call it. It's usually not severe, but it's something you want to avoid breeding.

So the tests I get on my dogs are:

Episodic Falling Syndrome~ Dry Eye/Curly Coat
Eyes by a Veterinary Ophthalmologist
Hearts by a Veterinary Cardiologist
Patellas

I am contemplating other tests, but for the most part breeding to clear studs and getting my breeding dogs from clear stock, seems sufficient at this time. After all, $500 - $2000 for an MRI for SM (cyst on the spinal cord resulting from a skull that is too small, and matter squeezing out) seems a little out of my comfort zone. And SM is very noticeable behavior wise.