A Nottinghamshire dog owner joins a petition to change breeding rules after her dog was born with Syringomyelia, a condition where its skull is too small for its brain.
King Charles Spaniels are commonly known for having serious inherited health conditions that cause severe pain to the dog.
One condition known as Syringomyelia means that the dogs skull is too small to accommodate the brain causing pressure to build up on the spinal cord.
Donna Farrand from Trowel, owns Freddie the 3 and a half year old Cavalier who suffers from the condition.
Video: Donna Farrand talks about how the condition has affected Freddie’s life.
Mrs Farrand has backed a national campaign ‘Cavaliers are Special’ to stop registering Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppies unless their parents are MRI scanned and heart tested.
“Mandatory testing would be the way forward – if you breed with stock that’s less likely to have the disease we are more likely to eradicate it.”
-Chris Jamieson, Head vet at Jamiesons Veterinary service
Charlotte Mackaness, a cavalier owner and one of the generators of the petition believes that mandatory testing is the only way to save future generations of Cavaliers from a life of ‘increased pain and suffering’.
The petition has reached over 12,000 signatures and has received a written response from the Kennel Club.
Symptoms of SM:
– Can rarely be detected in young puppies as symptoms are not usually evident before 6 months.
– Pain is the most important sign. The earliest symptom being hypersensitivity in the neck area.
– The dog may yelp when being touched around the head, neck or shoulders.
– Constant uncontrollable scratching around the neck and shoulders.
In an open letter the KC has said it is against compulsory screening for mandatory health testing and fear it would drive away responsible breeders.
Instead it would like to introduce voluntary screening in order to understand the disease and determine the heritability of the condition.
Read more on the campaign here.
