Lancelot
Member
Have you already read this text ?
http://terriermandotcom.blogspot.com/2009/02/cavalier-king-charles-spaniels-are-mess.html
http://terriermandotcom.blogspot.com/2009/02/cavalier-king-charles-spaniels-are-mess.html
Why am I picking on Cavalier King Charles Spaniel owners in this post rather than, say, Bulldog owners or Dachshund owners, or Boston Terrier owners, or Bernese Mountain Dog owners?
Simple.
Added to the jaw-dropping numbers for heart mitral valve disease, we also have the latest bit of staggering data about syringomyelia, a disorder of the brain and spinal cord which may cause severe head and neck pain and possible paralysis.
The American College of Veterinary Radiology is set to publish a new paper on The Morphology of the Caudal Fossa in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.
Not exactly a page-turner of a title, is it?
That said, here's what the study shows: Out of 64 dogs examined, 59 had morphologic abnormalities of the craniocervical junction, 27 dogs had syringohydromyelia, and 15 presented with clinical signs of syringomyelia.
The study mentioned here was done by folks at Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine and North Carolina State University's College of Veterinary Medicine with assistance from the IAMS Pet Imaging Center in Raleigh, N.C. The dogs examined were mostly from Kennel Club show breeders, and they were not selected because they were thought to be defective animals.
And, to be clear, these are American dogs. This is an American problem, not just a British one or a Swedish one.
Leaving out the sarcastic comments makes it much easier to read IMO. He's got the facts and a very strong argument for demanding mandatory health testing.And if you are a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel owner, and you are not banging on your keyboard demanding mandatory health testing and an open registry in order to get rid of disease in your breed then you are part of this American problem.
I would like to see the study regarding the percentage of dogs that show the problem. I am not saying it doesn't happen but it's making it sound like the vast majority of these dogs are severely problematic, which I refuse to believe. I know there are quite a few, but 92% seems a bit far to me.
SUPPORT HEALTH-FOCUSED BREEDERS!!