This should be read!!!!

The Latest Blog on the Pedigree Dogs Exposed has just appeared and is well worth a Read.

It gives 10 Pointers on how Pedigree Dogs can be Saved.

I am sure by those who read it , will feel that it Applies so much to the Saving of our Cavaliers at the Moment.

I still believe though, that the Cavalier Buying Public should be told at every chance possible, what a Very Sick Breed the Cavaliers are ,and what it costs the Cavalier Owners for Medications to help to Relieve the Suffering of their Cavaliers from SM and MVD

Bet

I still believe though, that the Cavalier Buying Public should be told at every chance possible, what a Very Sick Breed the Cavaliers are ,and what it costs the Cavalier Owners for Medications to help to Relieve the Suffering of their Cavaliers from SM and MVD

Click to expand...

Bet,
I have to disagree strongly with that statement.
While I know from my own experience the challenges that come with having a symptomatic SM cavalier,I feel that there is a big difference between creating awareness of health issues and effectively damning a breed.
I'm all in favour of creating a factual, carefully thought out public awareness of breed issues, but cannot understand how such erratic blanket statements will help anyone.
What the public needs to be informed about, is how to separate the chaff from the wheat...to choose the breeders who care deeply about the welfare of the puppies they breed and select health as their priority.
Since Pedigree dogs exposed there's been a significant amount of progress in dealing with health issues.Without going into detail and risk boring the socks off people,lets just gloss over a few.

Genetic test available for EF/Dry eye Curly Coat
High profile heart and eye testing days.
Seminars held by various clubs.
Increased numbers of cavaliers being scanned with new venues being added for bulk scanning days in Scotland and the West of England.This month alone you've had the West of england yesterday,the Midland Club and a day at Stone lion at month end.
All these scans will generate data for the EBV scheme.
Rupertsfund..supporting genome research
Progress made in locating potential genes for SM.
Hopefully a BVA/KC SM scheme up and running in the not too distant future.
foetal tissue research project
Cavalier Collection Scheme
New section on puppy register form to include health tests to accommodate pet buying public.
Mate select has some decent potential in the medium term.

All this provides a firm foundation for the future of the breed.
Unfortunately breeding dogs takes time and it may be a few more generations before we can see the changes in effect with generations of health verified cavaliers.But the seeds have been sown by an increasing number of breeders who have chosen to work with the current set of tools available to them.
Instead of pulling the rug from under their feet and demoralising them,let's give them a chance to do their job and breed dogs!
The public still want to own cavaliers..
Sins

Bet, that is one perspective but is actually NOT the perspective of Jemima Harrison's blog post. Her thrust is and always has been about what to do FOR the health of various breeds, not to simply get rid of breeds (unless there are serious and compromising health issues that cause the dogs to suffer, that breeders will not address. While the (in)actions of many cavalier breeders are a worry in this regard, there are many also working FOR breed health that all of here hope will help keep the cavalier breed viable).

As for costly medications -- it is not true that all cavaliers and owners face this future. I have five cavaliers, three with SM and two with MVD, and while medication costs are a concern for two of them -- one elderly, who would be expected t have at least some impairments of some sort -- friends of mine just pts a shepherd at 5 with several serious medical issues and have a lab cross with numerous costly problems. Another set of friends had to pts an older crossbreed that was on extremely costly medications for the past two years. By contrast two of mine with SM are only on a low cost CSF reducer and have very mild symptoms as older dogs. Two are fully clear for SM.

The push in cavaliers as in any breed must be for openness about breed health issues, health registries and IMHO mandatory testing with breeders open to prosecution IF a dog of their breeding comes down with any of a (limited) set of health issues they failed to test for or IF they chose a match highly likely to cause health problems (because by testing they have at least used the best available information and made their choices, and now as Sins points out, there are a range of tests available for the serious health issues in a breed like cavaliers).

If your perspective is that cavaliers are best abandoned as a breed and that everyone buying one must be informed that they will have huge medication costs because their dogs will all suffer terribly, I cannot agree with you. I would also wonder whether this forum is really an appropriate place to continue as its intent has always been to *promote health within the breed* and encourage *best breeding practice* and to encourage support of health focused, testing breeders working to improve the breed. There would be NO point for the forum if it is accepted that all dogs suffer, all owners face huge costs, and all breeders breed without concern for improving health.

Perhaps have a think about this and whether you feel you can continue to contribute to a board that is about supporting the breed and its future -- because I don't think a post such as the one you have made is in the spirit of the board, and will falsely worry many people, and is not talking about steps forward.

You are of course entitled to such a gloomy stance but you have made such points many times in the past, and if this is the general direction in which you wish to continue to discuss cavaliers, then this board is probably no longer an appropriate place to participate.