Syringomyelia Scheme Launched At Crufts 2012

A new scheme to screen dogs for syringomyelia is being officially launched at Crufts, which starts today at the NEC in Birmingham (8-11 March 2012). Over the next four days the British Veterinary Association/Kennel Club Canine Health Schemes team will be educating Crufts visitors (breeders, owners, potential puppy buyers and dog lovers) about the new scheme and encouraging breeders of the most affected breeds to get their dogs scanned and screened. The scheme was given the go-ahead in September, and veterinary experts have now drawn up the procedure notes and final details. These are available at www.bva.co.uk/chs The scheme will screen dogs, particularly potential breeding stock, for chiari-like malformation and syringomyelia (CM/SM). Chiari-like malformation (CM) is characterised by a mismatch in size between the brain (too big) and the skull (too small). This constricts the opening from the skull into the vertebral canal and alters the flow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). As a result a fluid-filled cavity develops within the spinal cord called a syrinx, with the condition being called syringomyelia (SM). Both conditions can cause a significant amount of pain and the aim of the scheme is to reduce, and hopefully eliminate, the incidence of inherited CM and SM in dogs. These debilitating inherited conditions affect certain breeds, most prominently the cavalier King Charles spaniel, but also the griffon Bruxellois. CM/SM is also suspected to be inherited in a number of other small (toy) breeds including King Charles spaniels, chihuahuas, pomeranians, affenpinschers and Maltese terriers. The BVA/KC Canine Health Schemes also announced that MRI scans previously taken can be submitted to the scheme but will not be charged for unless they are suitable for grading under the scheme.

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