Hi everyone I’ve started to introduce the Cavachon mix being a Bichon Frise x Cavalier King Charles as its looks are similar as the cavapoo but a better mix health wise. I know everyone who wants a cavapoo understands the health risks it comes with and the main one is the MVD – heart murmur as both parents can suffer with this but most common the cavalier more than the poodle. The cavalier will almost 90% of the time develop a heart murmur when young or older and breeders that have the annual 2yr heart score done by a cardiologist is almost a pointless exercise due to one year it could be murmur free and the next having a murmur but if the bitch has had 2 litters already murmur free those families with the puppies are now none the wiser as the mum has now got MVD. So what I’m saying is it may be clear when you buy a cavapoo but 2 years down the line mum develops MVD so testing is not a guarantee with it being clear at the time. So with this in mind I have decided to not to take my girls to a cardiologist and the last time I went to take Lily they said to me we are hardly do them annually anymore and maybe this is why. A lot are only done via a vet referral basis so things are changing.
A vet can detect a murmur so having a vet check yearly is definitely a must to see if anything is developing and then a vet will refer you to a cardiologist to confirm the vets findings and whether your dog needs medication which normally starts at grade 3/ 4 out of 6 and can live a very happy active life into senior years.
My aim eventually is to only do one litter of cavapoos a year as I know so many families still want a cavapoo but my passion health wise with less risk is a cavachon mix, as bichons don’t have a risk of MVD but poodles do hence why I’m taking the poodle out to lessen the risk of MVD. So cavapoo higher risk and cavachon lower risk.
Bichon frise does require an annual test with an eye specialist for cataracts as that’s the main condition for the breed so I will be doing this but cavaliers do require this test too on an annual basis but feel the eyes are a rarer condition than the heart murmur as you see more cavapoos with a heart murmur condition than you do with a cavachon if any. Cataracts in cavapoos are not that common but the heart murmur is. I wrote this website to support families and bring honest info to educate everyone so I hope this helps but any questions do feel free to contact me if the above is confusing or not clear.
To help you all i have attached a KC link on heart scoring for breeders and as you will see its now a traffic light system and they have scrapped yearly testing to every 2yrs. Testing starts when the dog is 2yrs old, 4yrs and then 6yrs but this is for pure cavalier mix breed.
They allow breeding to go ahead if a cavalier has a heart murmur as you can see on the charts but with caution if in amber and red zone. Remember this is for a pure bred cavalier not cavapoo mix.
As they say even breeding 2 greens together doesnt guarantee the off spring will be MVD free throughout their lifetime. The prolapse screening is done by a scan and around £500 but not done as a 2 yearly test by breeders just the heart murmur scoring which costs £60.
Heart Scheme: Cavalier King Charles Spaniels | Kennel Club (thekennelclub.org.uk)