Cannabidiol
(CBD)
and the
cavalier
King
Charles spaniel
Cannabidiol
(CBD) appears to be gaining popularity among dog owners in
treating a variety of symptoms, despite the lack of
objective empirical evidence justifying its use at all. What
is known for certain is that oral CBD has poor
bioavailability due to a high percentage of it being
extracted by the liver and then being eliminated from the
body. This is called "first-pass hepatic metabolism". As
long as CBD contains less than 0.3% Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol
(THC), it largely is unregulated and not subject to any
standardization. And so, there can be wide variations in the
concentration of the active ingredient(s).
More...
MVD: leading
cause
of CKCS deaths
Heart mitral valve disease (MVD) is a terminal illness which may afflict over half of all cavalier King Charles spaniels by the age of 5 years and nearly all Cavaliers by age 10 years. It is CKCSs' leading cause of death.
- More: Cavalier King Charles spaniel MVD
- Mitral valve disease breeding protocol
- A few words about pimobendan (Vetmedin)
- Research news
- Find a cardiologist
breaking_news
The Latest in Cavalier Health Research
- June 2026 -- DEAFNESS: All three cavaliers flunked two newly designed canine hearing tests.
- June 2026 -- MVD: UK study finds MVD-affected dogs treated with pimobendan before heart failure have shorter life spans once in heart failure than do dogs not treated in Stage B.
- June 2026 -- BRACHYCEPHALIC: Survey finds cavaliers with sleep disorders also suffer chronic pain.
- June 2026 -- GI DISORDERS: Cavalier develops pericardial effusion due to steroid treatment for eosinophilic enteritis, a bowel disease.
- May 2026 -- FLY CATCHING: Canadian study of absence seizures includes 2 cases of fly catching cavaliers.
- May 2026 -- RESPIRATORY: Cavaliers may be genetically predisposed to severe Bordetella bronchiseptica infections, US study finds.
- May 2026 -- MYOCLONUS: Study finds absence seizures in 8 cavaliers are consistent with absence seizures in humans.
- May 2026 -- CM/SM: US FDA conditionally approves pregabalin to manage nerve-related pain caused by CM/SM in dogs.
- May 2026 -- MVD: Dr. Justin Carlson reports that Entresto was well tolerated by MVD-affected dogs in heart failure, with excellent survival benefits.
- May 2026 -- MVD: MVD-affected dogs in Stage B2 but with severe left atrial enlargement are at greater risk than Stage C dogs with only mild-to-moderate enlargement, Korean study shows.
- May 2026 -- MVD: Replacing furosemide or torasemide with tolvaptan in treating Stages C and D MVD-affected dogs avoided kidney damage.
- May 2026 -- MVD: 3-D echocardiography may predict the age of onset of MVD in heart-healthy cavaliers.
- April 2026 -- MVD: Survival times ranged from 103 to 259 days for MVD-affected dogs in Stage D (end stage) in Italian study.
- April 2026 -- OUR BLOG: How to spot an ignorant veterinary cardiologist -- Part Six (Pimobendan in Stage B1).
- April 2026 -- MVD: New Boehringer-Ingelheim study redefines Stage B2 of mitral valve disease.
- April 2026 -- MVD: Point-of-care ultrasound can be used to distinguish normal and abnormal hearts of MVD-affected dogs.
- April 2026 -- OUR BLOG: How to spot an ignorant veterinary cardiologist -- Part Five (Kibble).
- April 2026 -- CM/SM: Three dimensional MRI modeling of cavaliers' brains and spinal cords reveals syringomyelia develops from limited cranial and spinal subarachnoid space.
- March 2026 -- OUR BLOG: How to spot an ignorant veterinary cardiologist -- Part Four (MINE).
- March 2026 -- OUR BLOG: How to spot an ignorant veterinary cardiologist -- Part Three (LVIDdN).
- March 2026 -- ANESTHESIA: Univ. of Florida researchers summarize anesthesia risk assessment and management practices for MVD-affected cavaliers.
- March 2026 -- MVD: Study of 17 Italian cavaliers shows an association between MVD progression and thoracic (chest) morphology.
- March 2026 -- GI DISORDERS: ACVIM issues new Consensus Statement on chronic inflammatory enteropathy (CIE) in dogs.
- March 2026 -- MVD: Study including 56 cavaliers shows mitral regurgitant percentage correlates with progression of mitral valve disease.
- March 2026 -- OUR BLOG: How to spot an ignorant veterinary cardiologist -- Part Two (LA/Ao).
- February 2026 -- MVD: Dr. Mark Rishniw shreds the "arbitrary" 2019 ACVIM Consensus Statement on MVD.
- February 2026 -- MVD: Cavaliers' altered microRNAs may vary depending upon the Stage (A, B1, B2) of mitral valve disease, in Italian pilot study.
- February 2026 -- OUR BLOG: How to spot an ignorant veterinary cardiologist – Part One (Taurine).
- February 2026 -- BAOS: UK's Kennel Club adds CKCSs and 13 other brachycephalic breeds to its Respiratory Function Grading Scheme list.
- February 2026 -- BAOS: Cavaliers do well in UK study of prevalence and conformational risk factors of BAOS among 14 breeds.
- February 2026 -- OUR BLOG: CKCSC,USA out snobs the UK Kennel Club.
- February 2026 -- CROSSBREEDING: UK's Royal Kennel Club adds 2 additional colors to the CKCS registry.
- February 2026 -- OUR BLOG: Why Social Media Veterinary Pill Merchants should be ignored.
- January 2026 -- MVD: USA study of 46 cavaliers showed no appreciable left atrial enlargement upon onset of mitral regurgitation.
- January 2026 -- CM/SM: CM/SM-affected cavaliers were studied to measure pain treatment response using the CHASE questionnaire.
- January 2026 -- RETINAL DYSPLASIA: MSU study finds inner retinal plaques in blood vessels of cavalier diagnosed with retinal dysplasia.
- January 2026 -- MVD: Royal Veterinary College reports reduced left atrial and left ventricle sizes in 65 of 66 dogs following open-heart mitral valve surgeries.
- January 2026 -- MVD: Three USA cardiologists summarize the current research status of medical treatments for mitral valve disease.
- January 2026 -- MVD: Polish researchers summarize the numerous candidate genes and pathways for MVD in cavaliers.
- December 2025 -- CCD: Guidelines for diagnosing and monitoring canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome are established.
- December 2025 -- MVD: FDA finally gives full approval to Vetmedin to delay onset of CHF in dogs in Stage B2 of MVD.
- December 2025 -- CM/SM: Chronic pain and sleep disorders may be common in cavaliers, study shows.
- December 2025 -- MVD: Deep learning software, MetronMind, aids veterinarians measure VHS and VLAS heart sizes of x-rays of cavaliers and other breeds.
- December 2025 -- OUR BLOG: Entresto (sacubitril/valsartan) for treating canine myxomatous mitral valve disease.
- December 2025 -- CM/SM: Koreans perform foramen magnum decompression surgery on 87 CM/SM dogs using titanium mesh with a gap over the cerebellum.
- November 2025 -- MVD: No homozygous wild-type NEBL gene variants were found in a MVD study of 371 cavaliers.
- November 2025 -- OUR BLOG: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is artificial, but it definitely IS NOT intelligent.
- November 2025 -- OUR BLOG: Coughing is NOT a sign of onset of heart failure in dogs with mitral valve disease.
- November 2025 -- MVD: Dr. Chris Orton reports results of 134 TEER surgeries from 2021 through 2025.
- November 2025 -- MISC: Cavalier survives polyethylene glycol poisoning from ingesting paintballs.
- October 2025 -- OUR BLOG: Toothless cavaliers are disabled dogs.
- October 2025 -- MVD: Severe left atrial enlargement, but not congestive heart failure, increases the probability of coughing in MVD-affected small-breed dogs.
- October 2025 -- CM/SM: Computational fluid dynamics shows velocities and pressures of CSF through the craniospinal flow field, affecting CM/SM pain.
- October 2025 -- MVD: Dechra introduces an on-line interactive heart model showing the stages of mitral valve disease.
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How to Find a Cavalier Breeder
Chiari-like malformation & syringomyelia can cause severe pain in cavaliers
Chiari-like malformation (CM) and syringomyelia (SM) are reported to be "very widespread" in the cavalier King Charles spaniel breed. CM/SM is a combined disorder of the brain and spinal cord, which may cause severe head and neck pain and possible paralysis.
- More: CKCS syringomyelia
- SM breeding protocol
- Research news
- Reduced rate MRI clinic locations
- MRI screening protocol for SM
- Find a neurologist in the USA and Canada
- Use harnesses instead of leashes for CM/SM dogs
- Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs)
- "Pedigree Dogs Exposed"
- "Pedigree Dogs Exposed - Three Years On"
Hip dysplasia afflicts
up to 1 out of 4 CKCSs
Hip dysplasia reportedly afflicts up to one out of every four cavalier King Charles spaniels. It is a genetic disease which can cause the dogs pain and debilitation.
Low blood platelet counts are
not a problem for cavaliers
Low blood platelet counts in cavaliers usually are not a health problem. Many veterinarians are misled by low platelet counts to wrongly diagnose anemia or other serious disorders.
Brachycephalic Airway
Obstruction Syndrome (BAOS)
The size and shape of its head can cause serious breathing problems for the cavalier King Charles spaniel. Elongated soft palates, stenotic nares, everted laryngeal saccules, and laryngeal collapse are inherited developmental defects in the breed.
CKCSs are pre-disposed
to cerebellar strokes
Cavalier King Charles spaniels appear predisposed to develop cerebellar infarcts, or strokes.
Deafness is a double whammy for cavalier King Charles spaniels
Cavaliers are predisposed to a form of congenital deafness, which is present at birth, and also to a progressive hereditary hearing loss, which usually begins during puppyhood and worsens, or progresses, until the dog is completely deaf, usually between the ages of three and five years.
Breeding policy would
end early-onset MVD
Veterinary specialists have designed breeding guidelines to eliminate early-onset mitral valve disease in cavalier King Charles spaniels.
CHECK OUT THESE ITEMS
- How to Find a Cavalier Breeder in U.S.
- 11 Questions for Cavalier Breeders
- TOP TEN: Breeders Worst Excuses
- Genetic Eye Disorders in CKCS
- SM Healthful Breeding Protocol
- Progressive Deafness in Cavaliers
- Cerebellar Infarcts -- Brain Strokes
- Diabetes Requires Daily Treatment
- Masticatory Muscle Myositis (MMM)
- Fly Catchers: Biting Imaginary Flies
- Cavalier's Knees -- Patellar Luxation
- Cavaliers' Sudden Collapsing Explained
- Dry Eye Syndrome Means Constant Care
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