Can anyone tell me if the King Charles Spaniels face the same health concerns as the Cavaliers, ie SM.  I know that they have a different head shape so I think not and cannot find anything to tell me that they do.  What health issues do they face, if any?

http://www.king-charles-spaniel-club.co.uk/club/officers.html

These are the contact details for the committee of the King Charles Spaniel club. They are probably best placed to provide you with information on KCS health. :-) Can't find any health pages on their site - but the syringomyelia is specifically meant to be caused by malformation of a bone at the back of the skull - and if this is not in the KC lines then they shouldn't suffer from the condition. If that's any help.

http://www.pet-locator.co.uk/built/dogs/pedigree/toy/king_charles_spaniel/index.shtml

http://www.dogzonline.com.au/breeds/information/king-charles-spaniel.asp

http://members.optusnet.com.au/kingcharlesspanielclub/genetic_and_health_problems.html

There isn't much to find out there - I wouldn't rely on the authenticity of any of these links - the last one looks the best.

I don't know if there are any posters on here with experience of the KCS - you could try looking in the breeders section - but I would say the Breed Club is the best bet. Good luck. :-)

yes kcs do suffer from SM , I had to have my girl 11 year old put down 4 weeks ago with it & I know many others with SM

they also suffer from mvd

slipping pattellas
& eye problems ( phpv & cataracts)

http://www.kingcharles.se/enindex.htm

http://makenna.se/heart/

http://www.fortheloveofollie.com/index.php?pag=bookOtherStoriesLancelot

Not surprising as Cavaliers and King Charles are closley related breeds. 

it is a "small breed" problem griffons & yorkies are also affected

Oh no!  I didn't realise that.  So sorry that you  lost your girl, thank you for the info. I didn't realise it affected other small breeds. Am I right in thinking that even if both parents are MRI scanned and are not affected that is no guarantee for the puppy?

it is a really horrific illness.
A relative of mine owns her cousin & I suspect he has it too

There are no garauntees a puppy wont have the problem if its parents are clear but its a lot better than risking buying a dog from two affected parents or that are not scanned at all . at least then you know you & the breeder tried

Don't know too much about this but don't they have testing for this over in the States?
I know that they have many breeds DNA tested over there which we don't over here and i have always wondered why we can't use the same DNA testing over here. I know we can send samples over there but it would make more sense just to have this available in the UK for all the breeds that its set up for in the States.

Unfortunately the company offering most DNA tests has patented them so the only way of getting the tests is to send the samples to the USA.

That is a shame. Could they not get a patent for UK etc and bring them over to Europe and then we could all have the use of them. That makes so much sense.
They could earn themselves a bundle more money. Would be worth them doing this.

There is no dna test for sm yet.
I was going to ask my vet about having my girl scanned so her DNA could be used for research ( they need information from other breeds than cavaliers )but she suddenly deteriated (sp ?) & was in so much pain I had to let her go

Thats what we all need to be doing then sending in the DNA from our dogs so it can be compiled.

There are some breeds which are DNA tested over here right?

> Don't know too much about this but don't they have testing for this over in the States?

There is no DNA test yet, however there is ongoing research on both sides of the pond into a test for SM(this will also help children with the Chiari malformation) & the whole Genome of Cavaliers is being mapped.

No more blood is required for testing as the collection was done quite awhile ago & all four of the dogs we had at the time were amoungst the donors as they were/are closely related & go back to a known carrier

There are labs licenced to do some of the DNA tests available over here in Europe

If you think that some Cavalier breeders are in denial about SM, well the Charlie breeders are almost all in total denial about SM in their dogs & they have a smaller gene pool than Cavaliers :-(

> well the Charlie breeders are almost all in total denial about SM in their dogs

Maybe that's why it's impossible to find anything about it on the Net then. :-(

I have to say from reading posts from Cav owners and breeders i am aware that they are trying to do something and this was well before 'that' programme came out. Just wish they had the decency to put this on tape as well.

So much from what i have read is going on behind the scenes and i think it would be a good things for this to be brought to the attention of the dog media that this something is being done about it and has been for a while now. It i would hope stop them in their tracks for saying the breed club doesn't care.

Though i have to say that anyone who breeds, not just in Cavs, but all breeds knowing that their dog has a health problem which could be passed on down the lines should never be used in any breeding programme, this is just irresponsible and not helping the breeds in any shape or form.

I spoke to penny knowler shortly before my girl died & they do still want dna & scans from other breeds with sm to compare to the cavalier samples. though I believe they have enough from cavaliers now.

I only have one charlie now & as much as I adore them I have given up on the idea of a pup.
most of the people I know who eye , heart & pattella test & are interested in sm are abroad & I dont know any that are scanning their breeding dogs yet.