Margaret C

That title is a heck of a mouthful, but this blog is mainly for the breeders that visit this Pet Owners' Forum to read the information that their regional breed club health representatives do not pass on.

As I said in my last blog, there was a presentation about this new scheme last Thursday.
I have been waiting to see if any of the leading posters from the Breeders' Forum were going to comment on the presentations, but that has not happened.

The talks started with an excellent and clear explanation by Radiologist Ruth Dennis who gave the reasons why three different type of scans were needed for the scheme.

I missed a little of Professor Mike Herrtage's talk, a sudden stomach upset meant I had to hurry out for a while, but he explained the procedures, and why they were necessary, and dealt politely but firmly with those that were complaining that their old scans would not fit the criteria for the new scheme.

The way I understood the scheme it works like the existing Hip Dysplasia Scheme........

Owners would pay to have their dogs scanned at the low cost centre of their choice and then pay a fee, probably about £80, to submit the scan for grading.

Like the HD Scheme it will give those that know the results are bad the opportunity to opt out of submitting their scans, although all MRI results will go automatically to the EBV researchers.

It appears that the scan would be graded for CM by alphabet grades and numbers would be used for SM grades.

The scans would be sent electronically to two panellists for grading. If they do not agree then Mike Herrtage, as Chief Scrutineer will look at the scans and make the final decision.
The results should be back within two weeks of submitting the scans.

There will be an appeal procedure but there will be a fee for that.

Results will be published in the Breed Record Supplement and put on the KC web site.

There was concern, and I did feel it was justified, that the parents' grades would be shown on the puppies' registration papers.

The grade for a SM clear cavalier that is scanned under 6 years, and is clear of syrinx ,would be Grade 2...... & I do agree that it has a second best sound about it.
Pet buyers are not likely to understand that a Grade 2 is as good as it gets for a dog of that age.

The Kennel Club's Jeff Sampson said they would go back & talk about the concerns expressed & then consult the breed clubs..........so that is another 18 months foot dragging we can look forward to.

As expected there were the usual protestations that the Scheme would be too expensive for all the Pensioners that were sitting in the audience.

Others were angry that their really cheap cut price scans, would not fit the criteria for this new scheme and so breeders in the KC Accredited Breeders Scheme would have to pay for fresh scans when the scans become compulsory.

As there are so few ABS Cavalier breeders, and considering the time it will take to get the ABS to add this official scheme as a requirement, I think those dogs will be well past breeding age before there is any need to worry on that score.

Clare Rusbridge's update on SM research had some good news and some bad.......

There has been a well regulated study that shows that the breeding guidelines do work, and we can breed away from early onset SM........

A x A matings produce 75.9% of offspring that have no SM.

A x D,E or F ( affected Cavaliers ) only 41.9% of the offspring have no SM

A x unscanned dogs 50.0%

D x D, E or F...There were no offspring that are free of SM.

The bad news......55% of asymptomatic breeding cavaliers being scanned through the low cost centres have SM.

The number of scanned SM free males over five years of age can be counted on one hand.

Once again there was an appeal for owners to come forward and volunteer their over five year old stud dogs.

I'm sure there is a lot I have forgotten. Hopefully some of the other breeders that went to the talk will post any important information I have missed on their own forum.