Once a year, twice from seven — with the heart first
A healthy adult Cavalier should have one full wellness visit a year. Puppies need the early sequence of vaccinations, parasite prevention, and developmental checks, and from about seven years old twice-yearly visits are the right rhythm for this breed. But frequency is only half the Cavalier story: what must happen at every single visit, without exception, is careful, unhurried listening to the heart, because the breed's dominant health issue announces itself there long before the dog feels unwell.
The murmur that starts the conversation
Mitral valve disease is exceptionally common in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels — many develop a heart murmur in middle age as the valve begins to leak, and the murmur typically precedes any symptom by a long stretch. At each visit the vet grades what is heard and compares it with last time; a new murmur, or one that has grown louder, usually prompts a conversation about heart imaging and monitoring rather than alarm, because the value of this breed's screening is precisely that it finds the change at the whisper stage. Your part between visits is noticing stamina, coughing — especially a soft cough at night or after excitement — and any increase in his sleeping breathing rate, all of which you should report with dates rather than impressions.
Ears, eyes, and the breed's other threads
Those long, feathered ears hide canals where infection builds, so ears are examined at every visit and a head-shaking Cavalier should not wait for the annual slot. Cavaliers can also have a skull and neck condition that may show as sensitivity around the head, phantom scratching at the shoulder or neck without contact, or yelping when picked up; describe any such episodes in detail, because the history you give is the main diagnostic tool at the early stage. Eyes are checked for the dryness and surface problems seen in the breed, and kneecaps are felt, since slipping patellas occur in these small spaniels too.
Weight and teeth in a food-loving spaniel
Cavaliers are enthusiastic eaters in small frames, and extra weight quietly increases the workload on a heart that may already be compensating, so the annual weigh-in is a cardiac issue as much as a cosmetic one. Teeth in the small Cavalier mouth crowd and tartar over readily, and dental disease is both common and under-noticed in a dog who keeps eating happily — the mouth gets a proper inspection each visit, and home dental care is worth discussing before disease forces the conversation.
Come in sooner for breathing changes
Book promptly for a new or persistent cough, faster breathing at rest, reduced enthusiasm for walks he usually loves, fainting, or restlessness at night. Those are the signs that move a Cavalier from routine monitoring to active cardiac assessment. Puppies who scratch persistently at the neck, cry when handled around the head, or fail to thrive also warrant an earlier visit. Record murmur grades, weights, and any coughing spells in the Pet Passport on KinsLe, so the slow, important story of his heart is written down year by year.