Information and advice for Cavalier puppy buyers on hereditary health

Go to a breeder who registers her puppies with the Kennel Club and who can supply you with a five generation pedigree for both parents of the litter of puppies. Check how many times a dog's name appears in the pedigree. This will give you an idea of the level of inbreeding.
 Do not buy a puppy from a puppy farm where standards of welfare will be poor and almost certainly health screening will not have been carried out.
The pedigree information should if possible include an inbreeding score (coefficient of inbreeding, COI) based on a ten generation pedigree. Ideally this should not be higher than 6%. The ages at which ancestors died and their cause of death would be very useful. It will be a guide to your puppy's lifespan and chances of inheriting a genetic disease. The COI of any
  pedigree dog can now be checked on the KC's online Mate Select programme.
Ideally both parents should be seen and their temperaments observed and discussed with their owners.The age of both sire and dam should be at least two and a half years when mated and after testing for MVD and SM. Do not buy a puppy from parents who are younger than this. In fact the older the parents are when tested and mated and found clear or SM and MVD, the better.

Syringomyelia: MRI certificates required for both parents.

  The best grade for SM is 0a (normal) over 5 years of age

  An explanation of the grading system and breeding recommendations can be found here.