UK BVA/KC CM/SM MRI scanning Scheme details now up on BVA website

[Nicki]

I'm going to say a little solitary hooray for the BVA/KC scheme It's taken a lot of hard work by a lot of people over several years. It nearly got scuppered when some breeders dug their heels in about publication of results, but the KC and the BVA stood firm. It's already improved the grading system for MRIs, and it's a huge step in the right direction - after a lot of foot-dragging and trying to go off in wrong directions.

So thank you to everyone involved

Kate, Oliver and Aled

joining you in this sentiment Kate, it's been a long time coming and a HUGE amount of work, especially in the face of adversity, but at last it is here and hopefully it will be supported, as this is the only way forward.

[Nicki]

I'm going to say a little solitary hooray for the BVA/KC scheme It's taken a lot of hard work by a lot of people over several years. It nearly got scuppered when some breeders dug their heels in about publication of results, but the KC and the BVA stood firm. It's already improved the grading system for MRIs, and it's a huge step in the right direction - after a lot of foot-dragging and trying to go off in wrong directions.

So thank you to everyone involved

Kate, Oliver and Aled

joining you in this sentiment Kate, it's been a long time coming and a HUGE amount of work, especially in the face of adversity, but at last it is here and hopefully it will be supported, as this is the only way forward.

[Pat]

Maybe, even, they will devise their own protocols which call for no MRIs at all, but just feeling the back of the neck with the breeders' finger tips.

I know you are being sarcastic, but don't forget Dr. Dewey's "Beezer Squeezer" technique! I think that many (most?) neurologists use a similar test during the extensive physical exam. It's not "exact" and obviously can't replicate the info learned from an MRI but it does give a clue. This is one reason that we always encourage owners to have a consult with a neurologist (hopefully one familiar with CM/SM) if they suspect a problem EVEN IF they can't afford an MRI. A consult with a physical exam done by a neurologist familiar with CM/SM can give very valuable information, and the cost in my area is around $150.

Pat

[anniemac]

I know you are being sarcastic, but don't forget Dr. Dewey's "Beezer Squeezer" technique! I think that many (most?) neurologists use a similar test during the extensive physical exam. It's not "exact" and obviously can't replicate the info learned from an MRI but it does give a clue. This is one reason that we always encourage owners to have a consult with a neurologist (hopefully one familiar with CM/SM) if they suspect a problem EVEN IF they can't afford an MRI. A consult with a physical exam done by a neurologist familiar with CM/SM can give very valuable information, and the cost in my area is around $150.

Pat

Well said. Elton and ella got the "beezer squeeze"

[Pat]

Well said. Elton and ella got the "beezer squeeze"

I should explain that this is not an accepted neurological medical term! Dr. Dewey said that he had a teacher named Mr. Beezer (Beazer?) who would pinch the unruly boys on the back of the neck very hard when they were misbehaving - so he made up that name for when he pinches the back of a dog's neck during a physical examination. He told this story at his seminar at the 2010 AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) convention.

Pat

[RodRussell]

I know you are being sarcastic, but don't forget Dr. Dewey's "Beezer Squeezer" technique! I think that many (most?) neurologists use a similar test during the extensive physical exam. It's not "exact" and obviously can't replicate the info learned from an MRI but it does give a clue. ...

Yes, I am aware of the neck squeeze, which may be helpful in the fingertips of a knowledgable neurologist. But, if and when the CKCSC,USA hears about it, this squeeze will become the basis for its new SM breeding protocol.

I can see it now: "If the dog does not flinch when its neck is squeezed, then it's okay to breed."

[Davecav]

And they charge $150 to squeeze a dog's neck?? WOW I'm definitely in the wrong profession.

[Karlin]

We wouldn't want to forget the 'beezer squeezer'...

And they charge $150 to squeeze a dog's neck?? WOW I'm definitely in the wrong profession.

What's your profession? Bet we could come up with a similar 'you get paid that much just to do that!' too...

Of course neurologists do a lot more in an exam than squeezing a dogs neck anyway -- having been to a couple with my SM dogs for clinical exams. And they know how to actually determine something from where and what they squeeze -- coupled with many other professional exam techniques and observations -- unlike pet owners or breeders. Or the majority of vets, who consistently miss neurological signs on clinical exams, going by the evidence of so many.

Cardios are a great example too of how someone with the proper professional training can provide a wealth of information through simple exams that the layperson or vets cannot.

[tuppenlil]

They've put up the procedure notes from the HD scheme!

Sins

The procedure notes are now the correct version.

http://www.bva.co.uk/canine_health_schemes/2737.aspx

Maggie