Cavaliers - the agony and the agony

Just to absolutely secure the Cavalier's pride of place in PDE2 (oh, OK, they'd be in it anyway) comes an announcement from the KC and the British Veterinary Association revealing that there's an impasse with breeders over the proposed official MRI screening scheme for syringomyelia (SM) in Cavaliers and other affected breeds such as the Griffon. The reason? Breeders have refused to accept full publication of the results. The scheme, then, is now officially "on hold".

Oozing thinly-disguised frustration, the statement says:

"The British Veterinary Association (BVA) and Kennel Club (KC) have been in discussions regarding a Canine Health Scheme to screen for chiari-like malformation and syringomyelia (CM/SM) for a couple of years. Both organisations agree there is a need for such a scheme and it has a significant amount of public support. Considerable work has already been undertaken to develop the scheme in consultation with expert neurologists and radiologists.

"There has been much discussion within both organisations regarding the publication of the results of the proposed scheme. The BVA firmly believes that the results of the CM/SM scheme must be available in the public domain to assist breeders in making breeding decisions and to assist puppy buyers in choosing a healthy dog. The existing Canine Health Schemes operate in this way.

"The KC has concerns regarding the attitude of breeders and owners towards publication of the results and does not yet have a mandate to support results being put in the public domain.

"As a result of this, the Scheme is currently on hold, but the KC is actively endeavouring to resolve the issues with breeders and breed clubs."

I hear that the Kennel Club intitially supported the breeders, but the BVA stuck to its guns and insisted that the results were published - resulting in a stalemate that threatened to de-rail the entire scheme. Perhaps recognising the PR-suicide of having to announce that the scheme had been shelved before it even launched because of intransigent breeders, the KC has now invited breeders to a KC meeting at the end of August in an effort to broker a deal. 

So if this fails, who is going to take the lead here for the sake of this breed? Or is everyone going to pass the buck saying, ah well, we tried...?  Because, let's face it, at the moment it looks for all the world as if breeders are truly determined to fuck-up a Kennel Club breed, there's absolutely nothing anyone can do about it. 

For what it's worth, I do not think that the Cavalier Coven (the small but sadly-influential core of mainly show-breeders blocking health reforms) is representative of many other breeds. And I'm amazed that right-thinking breeders haven't lynched them for bringing so much bad PR on dog-breeding. 

Among the Coven's recent classics was the throwing out of a motion at the Club's AGM, put forward by Cavalier health campaigner Margaret Carter, that those on the Club Committee should set an example by actually adhering to the breeding guidelines (for both SM and mitral-valve disease) endorsed by the Club. 

Meanwhile, the latest research indicates that 70 per cent of the breed (however-bred) shows evidence of syringomyelia on MRI and that almost every Cavalier has an abnormal skull (chiari malformation - CM). Both these conditions are known to sometimes cause excruciating pain in humans.

Dogs are very stoical and pain-symptoms can be very easy to miss, hard to read unless you know what you're looking for. 

Have a look at this picture. It is of Molly, who has syringomyelia.

On the left: before pain meds; on the right: after.

Molly is owned by the indefatigable Tania Ledger, who as a result of her experience, set up the charity Cavalier Matters to provide simple, straightforward information and advice to pet owners coping with a Cavalier with SM.

This is Molly's story:

"The first sign of trouble was when Molly was three months old - for no apparent reason she would yelp, and on several occasions she screamed very loudly.   We took her to the vets on numerous occasions, checking all sorts of things without result.

"We were careful when walking as she never seemed to be able to walk very far without becoming obviously exhausted.  Sometimes she would stop and refuse to walk.  More often than not she would have to be carried home. 

"Eventually the vet decided she should have her hind legs x-rayed as he suspected she might have a problem with her hips. The results showed she had dysplasia in both hips and luxating patella. We made sure her weight was down to take the pressure of any joints.  She seemed fine for a while.

"Molly then started to limp on her front left leg, the vet guessed she may have ligament problems in her shoulder.  We took her to hydrotherapy, hoping to strengthen the muscles around the joints. 

"Gradually Molly became more lethargic and listless and we got to a point where she would not walk at all.

"I finally decided to take her to leading orthopaedic surgeon, Noel Fitzpatrick. He guessed immediately Molly had SM - confirmed by an MRI. He  told us she would probably die within the next few months. You can imagine how upset and shocked we were.

"Then I remembered Pedigree Dogs Exposed, managed to find a copy and contacted neurovet Clare Rusbridge. Clare immediately put Molly on Cimetidine and changed her pain medication. The change in Molly was amazing. All of a sudden we had a waggy-tailed little dog that appeared to smile.  She started to bring us presents on our return home, she would goad and play with Dougall, our other Cavalier, and overall became a really cheeky little monkey. At 18 months old, Molly was given the gift of a life with quality.

"Occasionally Molly’s medication has to be altered. I can tell if Molly is not well, her eyes become dull, she become listless and very remote. The expression of her face changes.  When I look back at all her photographs, you can see a dog suffering pain, simply by the expression on her face.

"When Molly was diagnosed after her MRI, I decided to MRI Dougall.  Dougall was a very quiet dog, we assumed lazy - until his MRI showed he had Chiari.  Dougall is now on the same medication as Molly and is a completely different dog - although he still suffers dreadful sensitivity in his back.  

"We rescued another CKCS 15 months ago.  Dotty appears to be healthy - her general behaviour is completely different to Molly and Dougall. She constantly wants to play and bounces around like a little toddler. The difference between them is remarkable!"