Heart disease isn't a risk for Cavaliers so much as a near-certainty — about half develop a heart murmur from mitral valve disease by age 5, and veterinary sources note that essentially every Cavalier that lives long enough will eventually develop it, making it the breed's leading cause of death.
11.8years, median
0.7 years below the all-dog median of 12.5.
Measured, not estimated: the middle age at death across 584,734 UK dogs, 284,734 of them deceased. Based on 20,661 dogs of this breed. 95% confidence interval 11.7 to 11.9 years. Half lived longer than this, half did not. UK dogs, so treat it as the best available figure rather than a promise about yours.
In the same study, small breeds as a group had a median of 12.7 years and flat-faced breeds 11.2. This breed is small and flat-faced.
McMillan et al. 2024, Scientific Reports 14:531 — open access · CC BY 4.0What the records of 1,749 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels showed.
Read by the Royal Veterinary College’s VetCompass programme from UK veterinary records, 2007–2013.
Most often recorded, 2007–2013
| Disorder | Share of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|
| Heart murmur | 30.9% | 28.8–33.1 |
| Diarrhea | 11% | 9.7–12.6 |
| Dental disease | 9.5% | 8.2–11.0 |
| Ear infection (otitis externa) | 9.2% | 7.9–10.7 |
| Conjunctivitis | 7.5% | 6.3–8.8 |
| Anal sac infection | 7.4% | 6.2–8.7 |
| Heart disease, unspecified | 7.3% | 6.2–8.6 |
| Corneal disorder | 6.5% | 5.5–7.8 |
| Gum disease (periodontal disease) | 5.6% | 4.6–6.8 |
| Mitral valve disease | 5% | 4.1–6.2 |
Any heart problem, grouped: 31.7%.
These are period figures: any record between July 2007 and July 2013 counts, not a single year. That makes them higher than the one-year figures on other breed pages, so compare with care. England only.
“Cardiac disease (and MVD in particular) continues to be of particular concern in this breed.”— the authors, Summers et al. 2015, Canine Genetics and Epidemiology 2:4
Health tests to ask the breeder for
American Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club sets the tests a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel needs for a CHIC number in the OFA's open database. A CHIC number means the tests were done and the results are public. It does not mean the dog passed them: ask for the results for both parents, or look them up yourself on ofa.org.
- Hip Dysplasia (OFA Evaluation, PennHIP Evaluation or OVC Evaluation)
- Cardiac Evaluation (OFA, performed by a Board Certified Cardiologist; annual exams recommended)
- Patellar Luxation (OFA Evaluation)
- Eye Examination by a boarded ACVO Ophthalmologist (CERF/OFA; annually until 5, then every other year to 9)
When to spay or neuter a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel: the UC Davis study of 35 breeds has a suggested guideline for the breed. For males it is any age. For females, any age. The spay and neuter page has the numbers behind it and what the guidelines say for a dog this size.
Eye ulcers: in a study of more than 100,000 dogs in England, about 1 Cavalier in 40 had one in a single year. A squint or a half-closed eye is a same-day call to the vet. The eye ulcer page has the signs, and the eye drops that make an ulcer worse.
Test names as the club lists them; checked September 2026. OFA CHIC breed page. How to use this at the breeder: check a breeder.
Adopt a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel near you
Shelters and rescues list Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel mixes on Petfinder. Enter a ZIP code to see who is waiting within 100 miles.
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Living with a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Cavaliers are as friendly and easygoing as their reputation suggests, genuinely good with children and other pets, and content with moderate exercise — but this is a breed where pet insurance is closer to a requirement than a nice-to-have, given how likely heart disease is over its lifetime. Regular cardiac checkups from early adulthood on, and watching for neurological signs like neck scratching or apparent pain, are part of normal Cavalier ownership, not a worst-case scenario.
Health you should know about
- Mitral valve disease (MVD) — the breed's defining health problem; roughly half of Cavaliers have a heart murmur by age 5, rising with age, and it's widely accepted in veterinary literature that nearly all Cavaliers develop it if they live long enough.
- Syringomyelia (SM) and Chiari-like malformation — caused by a skull that's too small for the brain, this is common in the breed; MRI studies find fluid-filled cavities in the spinal cord (syrinxes) in a large share of Cavaliers — roughly a quarter of one-year-olds rising to a majority by age six in some studies — though not all affected dogs show obvious symptoms such as air-scratching at the neck.
- Patellar luxation — kneecap instability, common across small breeds and frequently seen in Cavaliers.
- Hip dysplasia and episodic falling syndrome — both documented in the breed at rates that warrant screening and, where available, genetic testing.
Read the full Dog Care Guide first — costs, daily time, and everything a dog needs before you choose a breed.
Naming a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel? British dog and cat names, 89 of them, with what they mean.
Sources — 5 references
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-50458-w
- https://www.ufaw.org.uk/dogs/cavalier-king-charles-spaniel-mitral-valve-diseas
- https://scienceforanimalwelfare.org/species/dog/cavalier-king-charles-spaniel-
- https://cavalierhealth.org/mitral_valve_disease.htm
- https://www.petmd.com/dog/breeds/cavalier-king-charles-spaniel
Last reviewed October 2026. 5 sources listed below. Written and maintained by Petdeals.io. General care information, not veterinary advice — for a sick animal, call a vet.