Category Archives: cavalier king charles

akc, cavalier king charles, ckcs, puppy, woodinville

Charlotte has her baby cavaliers

Charlotte’s due date was Friday the 26th. We had done the xrays on Wednesday the 24th and we knew there were 4 puppies on board. True to timing, she started panting and nesting Friday evening around 7pm.

I woke up every 1.5 hours through the night to check on her. I walked her, and pottied her but there wasn’t much action happening. This is normal. Stage 1 can be long (just like a human – they are opening the cervix to “10 cm”). Around 4am she cried a lot so I ended up sleeping beside her from that point, with my hand on her as she slept and panted and shifted.

Saturday was much the same – watching her, but not much happening. we went on lots of walks/potty breaks. That was, till about 4:30pm. During one of our potty breaks, her water sack came out and she proceeded to pop it. “Awesome”, I thought. “We will have a puppy soon.” But, as the afternoon wore on, Charlotte kept panting and then would do an occasional push, but nothing worth noting.

In the dog breeding world, you start to worry when your dog has been pushing consistently for an hour. She hadn’t been doing that, but after 3 hours of waiting, it just didn’t feel right. By this stage, Molly and Abbey arrived. Molly is Charlotte’s ‘other mom’ (Charlotte lives in a guardian home with one of my closest friends).

Around 8pm, we spotted a little bubble – YEAH – a puppy was on it’s way, but then we saw feet. UH OH – that’s not usually a good sign. Feet without a sack means a dry birth, which is harder for momma to push out, and a bubble usually means there is another baby competing for space. We did the “wheelbarrow” technique to try to reposition the babies and called our vet. He said since there was a puppy so close, we should grab a towel and try to gently pull the puppy out. We tried to do this, however, Charlotte kept sucking it back inside making it near impossible to grab. I made the call to Dr Anders to do a c-section – he agreed.

At this stage, I will say a HUGE thank you to Dr Anders Thoreson from Klahaya Animal Hospital for being on call – I know this is not normal and it is SO appreciated.

As irony would have is, just as we pulled in the the Klahaya carpark, Charlotte gave birth to that birth puppy on Molly’s arm. In the breeding world we call that “bumpy road protocol” 🙂 haha.

Inside we talked about it – between the lack of pushing and the long labor, we decided to go ahead with the c-section and get the babies out. Better to have healthy babies alive than wait too long and have them die.

I was in the surgical room (far back from the clean area) to “catch” puppies and then i ran them out to Brianna, Molly and Abbey so they could rub them down. All 4 are healthy and strong – at first a little tired from surgery but it didnt take long to get them nursing.

We got 3 girls and a boy. 2 tri girls and 1 blen girl and 1 blen boy. 🙂 Born just before 10pm on Saturday the 27th. Mama and babies were able to come home an hour later and so I got up all through the night to check on their progress.

We are so thankful for these precious little lives and look forward to them growing up.

Since Charlotte is named after Princess Charlotte, it seemed only fitting we did a “Royal” litter in her honor.

Blen girl was born at 6.17oz. We are nicknaming her “Fergie”

Blen boy was born 6.49oz. We are nicknaming him “Archie”

Tri girl 1 (with the larger blaze) was born at 6.53oz. We are nicknaming her “Victoria”

Tri girl 2 (with the smaller blaze) was born 6.67oz and we named “Kate” since she looks so much like her mom.

**please note that none of these puppies are available at this time**

akc, cavalier king charles, ckcs, puppy, woodinville

We are expecting cavalier puppies

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We are so happy to announce that the first Kazuri litter for 2021 will be (all going well) cavaliers. We expect them to be born late March/early April.

Miss Charlotte is in whelp to German import Est/Lat/Germ CH Angel’s Pride Zakkary.

This is a tri x blenheim breeding and we could get puppies in either color from this litter.

*please note that we have an existing waitlist and so these puppies will all be spoken for*

Charlotte
Zakk
beagle, cavalier king charles, ckcs, puppy

Why should you delay spaying and neutering?

Here at Kazuri, we recommend delaying spaying and neutering till 18 months (or till your dog’s growth plates are closed which can be determined through an x-ray).  

Allowing your dog to grow to full maturity, will allow him or her to be healthier socially, mentally and physically.    Studies have concluded that neutering before puberty increases a dog’s risk of:

  • Behavioral issues such as noise phobias, fearful behavior, and aggression
  • Cardiac tumors
  • Bone cancers
  • Prostate cancer
  • Abnormal bone growth and development
  • ACL ruptures
  • Hip dysplasia
  • Urinary incontinence
  • Hypothyroidism

There are many studies that show this.   You can visit Reproductive Specialist Dr Marty Greer’s website https://www.smallanimalclinic.com/ and she has a whole section dedicated to articles about spaying and neutering so you can research yourself.  There is evidence that talks about dogs living longer when spaying/neutering is delayed and things like that. 

Dr Judy Morgan talks about it in this video here:

If you feel like you cant keep your male from wandering or your girl from getting pregnant, then please know that we will support you in getting them spayed / neutered early – as I certainly an not an advocate for unwanted pregnancies and adding to the pet population without meaning to. 

You do have another option though if you need to spay or neuter earlier than desired.  Vets can do vasectomies on males or ovary sparing spays on females meaning they can still get the hormones they need, but there is no risk of unwanted puppies.  Please consider this if you cant wait till 18 months to get your dog spayed/neutered. 

cavalier king charles, ckcs

Cavalier of Puget Sound Specialty Shows

Because of COVID, we have all been starved of going to going to shows. The State-wide restrictions have made it almost impossible all year to get together.

The Cavalier of Puget Sound (COPS) show, which are usually held mid year, were postponed till this weekend in the hopes that the numbers would be smaller. They were able to join with the shows at Richfield WA and have back to back specialty shows the day before the All breed shows that were happening on the weekend.

So, Phoenix and Summer and I, met Susan and Alisha from Lockestar cavaliers, who brought along Sirius, James and Christopher, and we had a day full of fun with our fellow cavalier fanciers. There were rules of course – stay 6ft apart and wear a mask at all times, but we all complied – anything to be able to do what we love 🙂

Our brilliant judges were Mrs Patricia Hastings and Mr Gary Stiles.

The second COPS show was dedicated to the late Nancy Rice Waggoner who passed away earlier this year. She was incredibly dedicated to the sport of cavaliers – what I mean by that is what she didn’t just see them as “pretty” lap dogs, but saw them as capable working dogs also, and many of her dogs worked on other titles as well – they got therapy titles so she could give back to others and agility titles so they could show they could move and keep their brains active. She tried to breed to the standard winning many accolades over the years – Best of Breeds, Group Placements, Best in Shows – her hard work showed in her placements. And she was a really lovely person. I always remember her smile greeting everyone at every show I went to. I was glad this show was dedicated to her memory.

Here are some of the many wonderful memories from the show – obviously not everything is here – thank you to Becky Smith’s husband Steve for taking photos ringside.

  • Our show chairs Becky Smith and Kathi Ogle
  • The table dedicated to Nancy and her achievements
  • Alisha (breeder/owner/handler) and Christopher (Lockestar Hundred Acre Wood)
  • Christopher won Winner’s Dog and a major!
  • James (Kaszuri East Of Eden) and Susan (owner/handler) – he won his class this show
  • Kathi (owner handler) on the move with Donny (BISS GCH Covington Hopjack at Kendallkastle)
  • Summer (Kazuri’s Sweet Summertime Kisses) on the move with me (breeder/owner/handler)
  • Ember (Lokazuri Star’s Ember Waves Of Flame For Elleme) doing her down and back with owner / handler Megan.
  • Emma and Averley (Beckwith Believe You Me) who won winners Bitch and Best of Winners for a major!
  • Susan (owner handler) and Sirius (GCH CH Lockestar ‘Cause I’M Up To No Good RATM CGCA CGCU TKN) on the move
  • Carla (owner handler) and Denny (GCH Covington Designed By Time)
  • Donna and Hogan (who won BISS in the first specialty show) (GCH Brookhaven’s Here Comes Hogan)
  • Julia and Simon (CH Orchard Hill Say it’s True)
  • Becky (breeder/owner/handler) and Violette (CH Beckwith Violette)
  • Kathi and Donny won Best In Show (Specialty) from the Veteran class – sometimes Covid rules go out the window temporarily to celebrate such a wonderful victory!

beagle, cavalier king charles, ckcs, puppy

The dangers of Over-vaccinating your dogs.

Today I’m writing about a topic that makes me want to reach for a blood pressure pill: the annual (over) vaccination of dogs.

Annual vaccination is unnecessary and dangerous for your dog. Despite what we know about the risks, it seems to be what most vets recommend to all dogs.

Experts like leading veterinary immunology researcher Ronald D Schultz PhD proved decades ago that most dogs will be protected for many years – and probably for life by one round of core vaccines as puppies – as long as they are completed about 16 weeks old.

Only Rabies is actually legally required. Parvo is highly recommended as it can be lethal if not treated quickly and effectively.

Dr Schultz reports:

“The patient receives no benefit and may be placed at serious risk when an unnecessary vaccine is given. Few or no scientific studies have demonstrated a need for cats or dogs to be revaccinated.”

The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA), the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) have announced publicly that annual vaccination is unnecessary and can be harmful.

But unfortunately, often these studies do nothing to stop vets from vaccinating more often than necessary. Dog owners need to advocate for their dogs and be the ones to say “no” or ask for a TITRE TEST.

A titer test is a simple blood test where they look at the immunity level of your dog’s blood against the virus. If your dog has low immunity, the vaccine is recommended. If they have high immunity then it is not.

Over vaccination has be attributed to auto-immune disorders, allergies, epileptic seizures and neurological issues and cancer.

Please, please advocate for your dog.

beagle, cavalier king charles

Figuring out what CDDY/IVDD – CHONDRODYSTROPHY AND INTERVERTEBRAL DISC DISEASE, TYPE I IVDD Mean on your Embark Test

This is a genetic test that is (in my opinion) a little deceptive. Almost every beagle I have come across, that has been tested, has been positive for this. Some say as many as 99% of the breed will be positive – but I dont see 99% of beagles having back issues and ruptured disks.

There is even evidence that shows that it may be common across most breeds, even though most will be asymptomatic.

The reason it is highlighted is that it is an indicator of a gene that they found commonly in dogs with short legs and long bodies – bassets, corgis, dauschunds and the like. These dogs are said to have an “increased risk of a health condition affecting the discs that act as cushions between vertebrae. Affected dogs can have a disc event where it ruptures or herniates towards the spinal cord and it can cause neurological issues.”

The problem I find with the results of this test are two fold.

  1. The test does not take into account any environmental factors such as the weight of your dog, how active or fit your dog is, or how often they jump off higher surfaces like couches or beds. An overweight dog is going to be much more likely to have back issues than one that is kept at a healthy weight for his or her body.
  2. The test does not give any indication of how much increased risk. Is your dog at 0.001% increased risk of having a rupture? Or 4% increased risk? Or 33% increased risk? or 79% increased risk? There is no information about what the increased risk actually is. There is no actual guidelines or information here. Just scary words with nothing to quantify it.

Ruth Darlene Stewart from Aladar Beagles wrote an article about this also – she is a repected AKC judge and long time beagle breeder.

It seems that maybe this gene doesn’t activate or affect beagles in the same way that it does other breeds. Maybe it is because we are actually not a long bodied, short legged breed. I dont know. However, I want you to rest at ease and not panic about it if you see it on your genetic testing result.

Below is a copy of the amended letter from Embark to families about IVDD to try and better explain and put everyone’s minds at ease. Please feel free to read it.

cavalier king charles

Charlotte – (LoKazuri Fourth In Line)

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Charlotte doesn’t bear the “Kazuri” affix because she was the result of a combined breeding between myself and Alisha and Susan Lockleer from Lockestar cavaliers. We felt it was only fitting to combine our affixes to show it was a joint effort.

Miss Charlotte doesn’t live with me, she lives with a guardian home (a home where she is, for the most part, a beloved pet – but when the time comes, if she passes her health tests they will allow me to have a litter or two from her). So, when she was visiting this week, I took the opportunity to get some updated photos of her.

She is just shy of her 2nd birthday. <3

akc, beagle, cavalier king charles, ckcs, puppy

Guardianship Of Our Breeding Dogs

As a reputable and responsible preservation breeder, I care about the well being of my dogs first and foremost.

In order for me to give my dogs the best possible life, while also being a part of my breeding program, I feel it is important for me to limit how many dogs I keep physically at my home. I do not believe in running a breeding program where dogs are living in kennels. All of my dogs are beloved pets and members of our family. If I had to wait till they passed on to continue my breeding program, I would have a very very small breeding program, and would only breed every 10+ years. That doesn’t really help me create a good breeding program.

To be a good breeder of quality dogs, we must keep, evaluate, and continuously add quality bloodlines to our breeding program. We like to keep a few of our pick puppies to monitor their growth and development. Some will eventually fit into our breeding program, but as we only breed the best, some also will not make the cut. We prefer to place these pick puppies in guardian homes so we can watch them grow and health test them and make the decision whether or not to breed them when the time comes.

Both beagles and cavalier king charles spaniels need to be a part of the family to develop their full potential. That is why we have a guardian program.

The guardian home program is an excellent deal for the dog, it’s a good deal for the guardian parents, and it’s a good deal for producing an exceptional breeding program. It’s one of those “win – win” situations for everyone involved.

The family receives a quality, health tested and top pick puppy. These puppies are sold at a small discount. I am able to improve the breed by using only the best for bettering the breed faster than I could if I had to limit myself to only the few dogs I can keep under my own roof as per the county guidelines and as is reasonable to love and care for them properly.

As a guardian home puppy grows up, we closely monitor the temperament, structure and health. As a guardian family, you will agree to meeting me, or allowing me to take the dog to health clinics to check eyes, hearts, hips etc. as well as perform genetic testing. If the dog is a great ambassador of the breed in all aspects, he/she may be used in our breeding program. We do not take back possession of the dog if they enter our breeding program but instead work closely with our guardians as a team. The dog will continue to live with their guardians full time in partnership.

Before any dog is bred all genetic testing will be performed as well as going to a reproductive specialist vet to be cleared for future reproduction. All of these health tests and breeding costs are done at Kazuri’s expense. If the dog does not pass all genetic testing and is not deemed healthy enough to carry/sire litters by the repro vet, he/she will be fixed at the expense of the breeder and all ownership paperwork will be transferred to the guardian at that time. If a female passes all testing and is cleared for reproduction her breeding career will begin on or after her second or third heat. She will be evaluated after every litter by the repro vet and both timing of breedings and length of breeding career will be at the breeder’s discretion upon the professional opinion of repro vet.

Females are generally in guardianship until her 5th year of age or typically 2nd (at most 3rd) litter – whichever comes first. Kazuri may not need her for this many litters, but we would rather set up the maximum expectation. Why 5 years? Well, a girl is not ready to have babies till 2 – 2.5. Since I work with the families and dont force a timeline on them, if she doesnt have a first litter till 3 or 3.5, we may need till 4.5/5 in order to have the 2nd litter, depending on how often she goes into heat cycle. Alternativly, if it works to do the litters at 2.5ish, your puppy may be “retired” by 4.

With regards to pregnancy and whelping the litter, she would have her pregnancy with her guardian home and then whelp and raise the litter at Kazuri. Guardian families receive a monetary gift for every litter as a thank you. And, of course the guardian family will be welcome to visit. After the completion of her final litter Kazuri will pay to have dog spayed and all ownership papers will be signed over to guardian family forever.

Males are in guardianship until a maximum age of 7 years of age. During this time he may or may not be needed for stud service. Guardian families will get a portion of the stud fee if they are ever used by outside breeders, as a thank you. At retirement, Kazuri will have male neutered and all ownership papers will be signed over to guardian parents forever.

General life expectancy of well bred and cared for beagle is around 15 years but can live up to 17 years with lots of love and care and a healthy cavalier king charles spaniel will usually live 12 years but can live up to 15 with proper care.

As an added thank you to our wonderful guardians I do allow guardians to reserve one puppy out of their guardian dog’s last litter to keep as beloved pet at half cost if they would like to.

Please send me a message for our full guardianship overview that goes into greater detail on how exactly the program works!

Mandatory qualifications for guardians

  • MUST BE WITHIN 30 MINUTES OF WOODINVILLE, WA
  • MUST BE IN A STABLE LIFE SITUATION (NOT PLANNING TO MOVE OUT OF THE AREA FOR AT LEAST 6 YEARS AND MUST ALWAYS RENT/OWN A PLACE THAT HAS YARD ACCESS AND ACCEPTS ANIMALS
  • YARD MUST BE ESCAPE PROOF AND CLEARED OF POTENTIAL HAZARDS THAT A DOG COULD GET INJURED FROM
  • GUARDIAN MUST NOT OWN ANY INTACT MALES/FEMALES OF OPPOSITE SEX OF GUARDIAN DOG OR ANY AGRESSIVE DOGS
  • YOU MUST BE ABLE TO CARE FOR THE FINANCIAL DEMANDS OF A DOG. FOOD, VET CARE AND GROOMING IF NEEDED – ALL DAY TO DAY COSTS INCLUDING MEDICAL ARE THE RESPONSIBILTY OF THE GUARDIAN HOME
  • YOU MUST BE READY TO DEDICATE TIME AND ENERGY INTO THE TRAINING OF YOUR DOG. ALL GUARDIANS MUST TEACH THE BASIC COMMANDS OF: SIT, DOWN, STAY, COME, NO, DROP IT, LEAVE IT. KNOWING THESE COMMANDS HELPS KEEP YOUR DOG SAFE
  • MUST BE WILLING TO COMPLETE PUPPY CLASSES/CANINE GOOD CITIZEN CLASS AND POTENTIALLY SHOW CLASSES TO PREPARE DOG FOR FUTURE SHOWING
  • MUST BE ABLE TO GIVE YOUR DOG AMPLE ATTENTION, EXERCISE AND AFFECTION DAILY. BEAGLES AND CAVALIERS ARE DEDICATED FAMILY DOGS AND REQUIRE LOTS OF LOVE
  • MUST BE COMPLIANT WITH ALL TERMS OF THE CONTRACT INCLUDING NOT USING YOUR DOG FOR BREEDING YOURSELF

* Occasionally we do make exceptions to the mandatory requirements for unique situations. If you feel you are a great match overall aside from one of the requirements above, please contact me and explain. We mostly care our dogs are going to excellent families with lots of love to offer and do sometimes make exceptions on a case by case basis.

cavalier king charles, ckcs, puppy, woodinville

Syringomyelia and cavaliers – what you might want to know and consider before buying one

Our precious cavaliers may encounter this devastating disease. Reputable breeders are working hard to minimize the odds of this in their bloodlines, but it is not an exact science. SM is a complex disease. There is so much we don’t know about it. We can have dogs who don’t exhibit symptoms produce it,. There are some who are diagnosed by MRI with it, who are asymptomatic (no symptoms), and others who do have it and exhibit symptoms.

Unfortunately we can not genetically test for it, so we have no way to predict which puppies may or may not get it. We do know it is polygenic. This means that it must be inherited from both sides, and it does seem to look like it can be passed hidden through many generations before popping up in the “perfect storm” in one puppy who exhibits the symptoms.

The Cavalier King Charles Club (CKCS) put together some information about SM that I wanted to share with you.

SM is a progressive neurological disease that varies in severity. Cavaliers unfortunately are affected by SM in larger numbers to any other breed. It is found in all colors, in all lines, and affects both sexes. Signs are usually noticed in dogs between 6 months and 3 years but it has been diagnosed in Cavaliers up to 10 years old. At present the condition can only be identified by MRI scan or by clinical signs. SM occurs when a Cavalier is born with not enough room in the space in the skull that contains the back of the brain. Damage is caused when fluid (CSF) surrounding the brain is forced through a smaller than normal opening, into the spinal cord. The most common symptom is scratching on, or in the air near, the shoulder when the dog is excited or walking on a lead. However this is not the only symptom and it is not always present. Some refer to SM as “neck scratcher’s disease” because scratching the neck is often a sign of the disease. 

The primary symptoms (usually at least one of these is present) are described as:

  • Excessive Scratching especially while on the lead, and often ‘air scratching’ where the dog scratches in mid-air, leading to a ‘bunny hop’ gait as the dog tries to scratch the air with one leg and walk. Sometimes touching the dog’s ears brings on scratching.
  • General Pain is often first noticed because a dog begins yelping or whining or whimpering for no reason. Pain episodes can disappear then return even after a year or more. In some dogs weather changes such as storms or a cold front seem to bring on episodes.
  • Weakness in Limbs where some dogs may show a lack of coordination. They may limp slightly. Dogs can start to have difficulty getting on and off couches and beds. A paw or leg might go weak. Some dogs will lick at their paws or legs obsessively, often until raw.

The secondary symptoms are described as:

  • Seeking Cool Areas or Restlessness where an affected dog will shift constantly rather than sleep comfortably.
  • Head shaking, lip-licking. Dogs often will shake their heads and ears, yawn excessively (probably an attempt to clear pressure they feel in their heads), or lick at their lips excessively.
  • Head rubbing. Some dogs start to rub their head from side to side on the floor as if their heads hurt, doing this excessively (NB: normal dogs will do this with pleasure, often before rolling on the floor). They sometimes ‘mush’ their face against the floor.
  • Digging or pushing. Some dogs begin to dig obsessively at carpets or sofas. They may run along the length of a sofa pushing themselves against it. Again, this behavior is normal in many dogs; with SM dogs, the activity is frantic.
  • Nerve damage, stiffness, seizures. This can affect a dog in many ways, from loss of feeling, hearing, or muscular movement. Some dogs have neurological problems with their eyes. Nerve damage seems to be progressive with this condition though some dogs have little or no visible damage and others have severe damage. Some dogs develop a stiffness in the neck, back and/or limbs. In severe cases the neck may bend to the right or left (‘neck scoliosis’), or the whole body may bend into a ‘C’ shape when the dog runs. The head may tilt permanently to one side or the other. The dog may have head tremors. Some dogs begin to have seizures, in some cases, several a day.

Understandably, such descriptions can be confusing – how much scratching is ‘excessive’, for example? Some people might turn to their vet with such questions, but many have found their vets were unfamiliar with syringomyelia. 

Medical management can help but typically does not resolve the clinical signs. Signs in mild cases may be controlled by non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) e.g. Rimadyl. Although corticosteroids are effective in limiting the signs most dogs require continuous therapy and subsequently develop the concomitant side effects of immunosuppression, weight gait and skin changes but sometimes there is no alternative and the lowest possible dose should be used to control signs. Gabapentin can also be given in combination with NSAIDs. Side effects are minimal and for this reason Gabapentin is preferred over corticosteroids. Oral opioids are also an alternative for example pethidine tablets at 2-10mg/kg three to four times daily or methadone syrup at 0.1-0.5mg/kg three to four times daily. Acupuncture appears to help some dogs. If the dog has seizures, then these can be controlled with phenobarbitol and potassium bromide

“Introduction to Syringomyelia” by Dr Clare Rusbridge, BVMS DipECVN MRCVS
and “Syringomelia Symptoms” by Karlin Lillington

https://ckcsc.org/syringomyelia
cavalier king charles, ckcs, puppy, woodinville

Chairi-like Malformation (CM) in Cavaliers – what you need to know

Our precious cavaliers may encounter this devastating disease. Reputable breeders are working hard to minimize the odds of this in their bloodlines, but it is not an exact science. CM is a complex disease. There is so much we don’t know about it. We can have dogs who don’t exhibit symptoms produce it,. There are some who are diagnosed by MRI with it, who are asymptomatic (no symptoms), and others who do have it and exhibit symptoms.

Unfortunately we can not genetically test for it, so we have no way to predict which puppies may or may not get it. We do know it is polygenic. This means that it must be inherited from both sides, and it does seem to look like it can be passed hidden through many generations before popping up in the “perfect storm” in one puppy who exhibits the symptoms.

So, lets talk about what CM actually is. The best way I can describe it would be to liken it to try to put your foot into a shoe that is too small for your foot. It is when the brain is too large for when the skull to the point that the cerebellum and brain stem are herniated into or via the foramen magnum.

Some people believe it is because the cavalier head shape has changed, but I am not entirely convinced by this theory as I have seen CM in both “domed” shaped heads as well as “flat” shaped heads. Some vets have talked about diagnosing CM by the shape of a cavalier’s head (not through MRI) and I believe that there is plenty of evidence that proves that there is CM (and clears) in many different head shapes and so i think we need to be careful of that.

Really, as a breeder, just do your research – ask questions about if your breeder does scanning and which dogs in your puppy’s bloodline have been scanned. Scanning will not guarantee your puppy will not get it. However, it may decrease your chances of getting a puppy who might have it.