Hello,

Should breeders check their sire and dam for SM before breeding? If so what date should the tests be expedited? 

My breeder told me that no responsible breeder would knowingly breed from visibly affected stock.

However the puppy I purchased has zero info about MRI tests for parents. When I questioned the breeder she became abrupt and impolite.

I read via the CKCS club that : ‘The mode of inheritance is complex and at this current stage there can still be no guarantees given that any progeny will or will not inherit CM/SM whether the parents are MRI scanned clear or not.’

The ‘no guarantee part’ made me think  that might be the reason the breeder did not test for the SM condition before breeding this litter.

Can anyone confirm how I can check the health BEHIND the parents? Also if SM is present within the parents that I brought my puppy from?

Thank you

You should be able to check which health tests have been done by looking up the parents of your dog on the KC website Health section. Any relevant health tests for the breed will be listed there.

Whilst there may be no guarantee from MRI testing parents, it would definitely reduce the risk of having an affected puppy.

But really if you absolutely definitely don't want a dog with this, then don't buy a Cavalier. There is too much of it in the breed.

Should breeders check their sire and dam for SM before breeding? If so what date should the tests be expedited? 

Dogs have to be at least one year old, but for a better result should also be scanned aged 5 so if bred from at 2 ½ will need to be done before that and again at 5.
https://www.bva.co.uk/media/2800/20190710-chs-cmsm-leaflet-0719-v1-web.pdf