Dog/Canine Health Test Clinic Schedule

in the United States and Canada

Updated July 2, 2009 − 131 Clinics Listed!

How to Find Clinics on this Site

Table 1: Clinic Locations (Newest Listings in RED)

Table 2: Clinic Dates & Details

All Cavalier King Charles spaniels past puppyhood should be examined annually by a veterinary cardiologist and a veterinary ophthalmologist. The savvy Cavalier owner knows that a few CKCS breed clubs and other breed and kennel clubs periodically offer health-testing clinics, usually in connection with conformation shows. The Cavalier clubs' clinics most often consist of a veterinary cardiologist and/or a veterinary ophthalmologist, board certified, who will examine a dog and render a written opinion as to the condition of its heart and eyes, for a discounted fee.

The cardiologist will examine the dog's heart using a stethoscope (called auscultation), to determine whether or not the dog has a mitral valve murmur and what grade it is. (See Mitral Valve Disease for a discussion of the grades of MVD murmurs.) He will prepare a written report of his cardiac diagnosis, for the owner to take to a veterinarian for follow-up care. Ask the cardiologist to use this standardized report form. This is valuable information for owners who do not already know that their Cavaliers have mitral valve disease. However, once the Cavalier has been diagnosed with MVD, it is imperative that the owner take the dog to a board certified veterinary cardiologist regularly, at least yearly, for further examinations of the progression of the disease and prescriptions for treatments. An owner whose Cavalier is afflicted with MVD should not rely solely upon the periodic visits to cardiologists at health clinics for proper care of the affected dog.

The ophthalmologist will examine the dog's dilated eyes for a variety of disorders. (See Eyes for a list of them.) He also will prepare a written report, usually using a form provided by the Canine Eye Registration Foundation (C.E.R.F.). For more information about the other specialties listed in Table 2, see these pages of our website: Hip X-Rays, Patellas, BAER Clinic, Thyroid Panel, Neurologists.

If you know of any up-coming clinics we have missed, please contact us at Editor@CavalierHealth.org and let us know the particulars about them (date, location, sponsor, tests, fees, contact information).

RETURN TO TOP

IMPORTANT NOTES ABOUT THESE CLINICS

4Check convenient locations in Table 1, and then check the dates and details in Table 2.  Clinics sponsored by Cavalier King Charles Spaniel clubs/organizations are marked with a red asterisk * in Table 1 and highlighted in red in Table 2.

4The veterinarians examining eyes are board certified ophthalmologists by the ACVO, and those examining hearts are board certified cardiologists by the ACVIM, if named, unless otherwise noted.  The examining veterinarians' names are listed in (parentheticals).

4Appointments are limited at many of these clinics, and written applications and payments may be required by  fixed deadlines in advance of the clinic dates. Some clinics accept checks or credit cards; some require cash only. You may also be required to bring certain certifications with you, such as AKC registration records, previous CERF or OFA registration numbers, pedigrees, microchip or tattoo certificates, etc.  Most test prices do not include OFA or CERF registration fees, although some do.  Also, clinics sponsored by breed clubs may place restrictions on the testing of other breeds.  And, information posted is subject to change. Therefore, we recommend that you contact the clinic sponsors for appointments as early as possible, to assure that you will be able to have your dogs tested.

4You may save time by downloading some OFA forms from the Internet and fill them out before going to the clinic.  Many OFA forms (Congenital Cardiac, Congenital Deafness, Hip and Elbow Dysplasia, Patellar Luxation, etc.) are downloadable from the OFA website at www.offa.org/apps.html  Also, ask the cardiologist to use this standardized report form for Cavalier King Charles spaniels.

4For OptiGen blood draws, check OptiGen's website for proper codes, a list of tests available through OptiGen for your breed, and to pre-register to take advantage of OptiGen's reduced testing rates: www.optigen.com

ARCH refers to the "ACVIM Registry of Cardiac Health". The board certified cardiologists of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) have introduced ARCH to certify dogs' hearts are clear of mitral valve disease and other genetic heart disorders.

return to top

Table 1: State/Province, City, and Date (Latest Update in RED)

Symbols for tests:
Heart (Cardiac) Y; Eyes N; Hearing U; Blood/Swabs S; X-raysr; Other tests +; Microchip <

Return to Top

Table 2: Date, Location, and Details

Return to Top