Hypothetical question,
Really, this is not about any particular situation, just want some thoughts. A
cavalier tests heart clear via cardiologist auscultation at age 5. Obviously we all
agree it is OK to breed this cavalier per the guidelines. What would you do if when
you test the dog when it is 6 or 7and it has a Grade 3 or 4 murmur , per auscultation?
Would you stop breeding that cavalier? Would it make a difference if it were a male
or female?
Why?
I think we are all seeing different forms of the MVD, with the dogs that test
clear for years and boom - they are gone in 6 months - to the dogs that test with
murmurs from an early age that never progresses and they live a fairly normal
lifespan. Would it be OK for a dog with a murmur to breed, but not a bitch because of
the prolonged stress and load on her heart of a pregnancy? What have any of you ever
done in this situation? Obviously, I would get a second opinion and move up to
ultrasound/doppler - but what if that opinion concurred? Would you stop using that
dog even though the guidelines say heart clear after 2.5 years with 5 years being
ideal? Is anyone out there doing research to try to differentiate these different
outcomes with MVD?
Some of you who have been on this list with me from the beginning know our
experiences with cardiology testing and our opinion that it is somewhat subjective
and very frustrating to base breeding decisions on, when the cardiologists in the same
practice don't even agree. I think we all try to use common sense and experience, but
this question of breeding an older dog with a known murmur is curious to me because of
the increased reports of clear cavaliers who are diagnosed with a murmur and are dead
within a year or two. Do we need to factor this into our decisions? Everybody talks
about looking for lines with long-lived dogs. Are those long-lived dogs living long
with a mild murmur? If so, who cares? I wouldn't throw out testing, but I will never
throw out a great dog again because of it.
thoughts?.....
Would love to hear from the experienced, long term cavalier breeders.
Ellen Poti
Avia Cavaliers
Ohio,USA
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