Author: Cavalier Matters

Prof. Clare Rusbridge has released an interactive CM/SM treatment plan (algorithm). The Plan includes easy-to-use links to her YouTube videos, which explain the symptoms, treatment choices, and other things vets and owners can do to help their suffering Cavaliers.

Owners are reporting that the videos are incredibly helpful for them and their veterinarians. Managing pain and improving the quality of life for Cavaliers (or other breeds that suffer from CMSM) can be difficult when the condition is severe.

It is no secret that our beloved Cavaliers are often the “poster pups” for why health-first breeding is so vital. From those soulful, large eyes to their sweet, short muzzles, the very traits we love can sometimes come with health hurdles.

The Innate Health Assessment (IHA) is a powerful tool for our community to ensure that the future of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is as healthy as it is heart-warming. Here is how the IHA applies to us.

What Is the Innate Health Assessment (IHA)?

The IHA is a practical, 10-point checklist designed to assess a dog’s innate health. For Cavalier owners, this means looking past the “cute factor” to evaluate a dog’s natural physical well-being. It focuses on ensuring that selective breeding hasn’t pushed physical traits to a point where they compromise the dog’s quality of life.

Developed by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare (APGAW), this tool helps breeders and prospective owners prioritize a dog’s ability to breathe, see, and move comfortably.
Why Does the IHA Matter for Cavaliers?

While we adore the Cavalier silhouette, breeding for “extreme” versions of these traits can lead to health issues. The IHA helps our community by:

• Protecting Breathing & Eyes: Checking that muzzles aren’t too short and eyes aren’t too prominent, which helps avoid respiratory and ocular issues.
• Encouraging Moderate Traits: Empowering owners to choose puppies from parents who move freely and have “roomy” head shapes.
• Bridging the Gap: It doesn’t replace the vital heart (MVD) and neurological (SM/CM) scans we already use; instead, it adds a visual “common sense” check to the breeder’s toolkit.

How the IHA Works for You

The tool is intuitive and focuses on what you can see and feel. Whether you are a long-time breeder or looking for your first puppy, the IHA is easy to use:

• A Visual Check: It uses a 10-point checklist to see how well a dog aligns with healthy, functional traits.
• Complements Screening: It works alongside BVA/Kennel Club heart and eye schemes.
• Not a Diagnosis: It’s a health-screening aid, not a replacement for your vet’s expert opinion on breed-specific risks like Mitral Valve Disease.

Who Supports the IHA?

The IHA is backed by the UK’s leading veterinary and welfare voices, including:

• The RSPCA & Dogs Trust
• The Royal Veterinary College (RVC)
• The BVA (British Veterinary Association)
• PetProov (the digital home of the assessment)

The Vision: Health Over Appearance

• The Vision: No Cavalier should live a life of discomfort simply because of how they were bred to look.
• The Mission: To provide a blueprint for healthy breeding, ensuring future generations of Spaniels are as robust on the inside as they are beautiful on the outside.

Who Should Use It?

• Breeders: To ensure your stud dogs and brood bitches have the physical conformation to match their clean genetic health tests.
• Prospective Owners: To help you “see” a healthy puppy and recognize responsible breeding lines that avoid exaggerated, harmful features.
• Licensing Officers: To maintain high standards in Cavalier breeding across the country.

Final Thoughts for the Cavalier Community

The Innate Health Assessment is a vital step in protecting the breed we love. By focusing on innate, healthy features rather than just “show-ring” extremes, we can ensure that the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel remains a happy, active companion for years to come.

Ready to try it? You can take the assessment or learn more through the digital portal here: Innate Health Assessment.

In these two videos, Clare explains what happens to the ageing brain in dogs and cats and how veterinarians diagnose Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome (CDS) — the animal equivalent of dementia.

Part One:

Part Two:

Professor Clare Rusbridge has shared a positive and encouraging update from research made possible by the Cavalier Tissue Collection Scheme. For those whose Cavaliers were part of this project, it is heartening to know that their legacy is already helping to deepen understanding of syringomyelia and may lead to better outcomes for future dogs.

A recent study, carried out by researchers at the University of Copenhagen, explored why some Cavaliers with syringomyelia (SM) develop severe, difficult-to-control neuropathic pain. Using advanced techniques to study spinal cord tissue, the research identified changes in key support and immune cells that appear to drive inflammation and chronic pain.

These findings mark an important step forward in understanding the biological processes behind syringomyelia-related pain and could help guide improved treatments and pain management in the future.

This research would not have been possible without the quiet generosity of owners who chose to donate their beloved dogs to science, along with the dedication of vets, researchers and fundraisers. We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone involved in the Cavalier Tissue Collection Scheme, including Margaret Carter and Cavalier Matters whose work continues to make a lasting difference.

Above all, thank you to Clare Rusbridge for her tireless dedication to Cavalier health. Through research, collaboration and compassion, she and her colleagues are helping to shape a healthier future for this much-loved breed.

One thousand dog owners have now used Chiari Check to ascertain their dog’s risk of Canine Chiari and Syringomyelia. The simple-to-use triage tool was developed from the clinical data of hundreds of Professor Clare Rusbridge’s clinical cases and the algorithm developed by Kristina Ivanova (supervisor) and Mariam Cirovic of the University of Surrey.

Everything you need to know about Canine Chiari Malformation and/or Syringomyelia.

Dr. Clare Rusbridge’s Frequently Asked Questions web page is up and running! Please visit for more information about Canine Chiari Malformation and/or Syringomyelia (CM/SM) affecting the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel:

Recently there has been news about a search for a gene which is still in the early stages, may help protect Cavaliers against early onset Myxomatous Mitral Valve Disease (MMVD). This gene is called the NEBL3 gene.

Dougall is 17 years and 2 months. He was first diagnosed with a murmur at age 11; is regularly checked by the vet and cardiologist and remains B1 (earliest stage of the disease with no heart enlargement), NO medication for his heart.

As Dougall has remained stable we decided to carry out the DNA test.

The MMVD result was a surprise – his result was genetically affected for Myxomatous mitral valve disease [MMVD]. To date, 97% of Cavaliers have this result.

Even though we were surprised at the result we hope this will give re-assurance and comfort to people who have a similar result.

Further Reading

The 2022 Australian NEBL3 study (which is not even in the pilot study stage) found 6 NEBL3 cavaliers; 5 of which they had diagnosed as having Mitral Valve Disease before the study began. However all 5 had milder cases of MMVD than the average of the other dogs in the study.

It is hoped that future studies with more NEBL3 cavaliers will show that the NEBL3 mutation slows down the progression of Myxomatous Mitral Valve Disease (MMVD) in the breed.

Swedish Research News

A mandatory heart screening program was introduced in Sweden and the risk of dying before age 10 is now almost half of what it was prior to the program; early cases of heart murmurs and heart failure is almost gone from the Swedish population. However the Swedish breed club stated that Mitral Valve Disease and Syringomyelia are near to impossible to extinguish in a screening programme unless new genes are added to the breed. The Finnish and Swedish Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Clubs have started cross-breeding programs to improve the health of the breed.