My 13mth old Cavalier girl has had her eye test. All clear apart from MRD (multifocal retina dysplasia), so small that the vet admitted that he almost missed it and only in one eye. Naturally I am devastated. I didnt have plans to breed her but Im worried. Does this mean that she is likely to go blind eventually. The vet said it was so small that it was nothing to worry about! Can anyone help reassure me?

I agree with the testing vet, that this will probably have little or no effect on her life but is most certainly an inherited trait and would be passed to her children.The fact that the degree of folding is small is irrelevant to the risk of passing this on..she definately will.

I'm very sorry that your little dog is affected and I'm sure you are very upset by the result, especially as this condition has been greatly reduced in the breed. In fact it is rather rare these days, a testiment to breeders who have all but irradicated by testing and removal of affected cases from the gene pool.

Your little dog is still the same as before the test, you just know not to breed from her. Just treat her exactly the same with regular checks to see if there are any changes. Individual animals with mild forms of the disorder can live normal lives especially if she has just slight folds.

Best wishes.