My Campaign
First steps
The Cavalier Club
Involvement of my MP, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown
Kennel Club
The Companion Animal Welfare Council (CAWC)
'Pedigree Dogs Exposed'
The future
Updates and positive outcomes
After the loss of Bonnie, I found two websites from other Cavalier owners whose dogs had been diagnosed with Syringomyelia.
One of these was a lady called Angela Baker whose own Cavalier, Chad, was put to sleep a month after Bonnie. Angela decided to set up an internet support group for owners of affected dogs. This happened in the summer of 2003. Membership grew rapidly much to Angela's surprise and dismay.
There were literally hundreds of other cases all over the world. These were mostly Cavaliers but a few cases in other small dog breeds also occurred.
My question at this time was, how could this have happened? How could Syringomyelia be so widespread in the Cavalier breed and yet breeders, breed clubs and the Kennel Club were doing nothing about it? I knew I had to do something.
The Cavalier Club
The first step I took was to join the UK Cavalier Club as I thought it would be better to try to do something from the inside of the system. I wanted to get to know some breeders and members of the Club Committee. I wanted to learn about the role of breed clubs, how health problems were being tackled, and also to learn about the role of the Kennel Club and its relationship to breed clubs.
Besides the national club I discovered there were nine other regional and autonomous Cavalier clubs in the UK. Surely the health and welfare of the dogs would be the priority in these organisations?
However, what I found was that although there were some concerned and compassionate breeders and individuals on the Cavalier Club committee, the system as a whole did not put the health and welfare of the dogs first at all. The Kennel Club referred the issue of health back to breed clubs and breed clubs were seemingly powerless to enforce its Code of Ethics on members.
The item 'No dog which has a known physical defect that could be detrimental to the health and wellbeing of the offspring or the breed in general should be used for breeding,' was and still is being routinely ignored by many Cavalier breeders. I wrote on many occasions to the Cavalier Club with suggestions about raising the profile of Syringomyelia, encouraging breeders to MRI scan, working closely with the regional clubs, but progress was very, very slow.
Many of my suggestions were simply rejected out of hand, such as including Syringomyelia as a breed health problem on the Kennel Club's Accredited Breeder Scheme; limiting the use of 'popular sires'; and awarding a prize for Health. So many times I was told, 'You don't want to put people's backs up,' or, 'We can't make people do what they don't want to do,' or, 'We have to win hearts and minds.'
Whilst I agree with those statements in many situations, what do you do if so many of those hearts are hard, and so many Cavalier puppies are being born to a life of pain? There was no sense of urgency about this, even though the incidence of Syringomyelia is increasing in number and severity with each generation.
I was shocked to discover that the Cavalier Club was first alerted to the problem of Syringomyelia by veterinary neurologist Dr Clare Rusbridge in 1997! Geoff Skerritt, neurologist at Chestergates Referral Centre, had also been treating Cavaliers with this problem since around 1997. Several scientific papers had already been published on Syringomyelia in Cavaliers by 2003.
The Cavalier Club has now taken some steps to deal with the problem of SM. Seminars have taken place since 2004, the Royal Veterinary College Conference was organized by the national club in 2006 and research information is placed on the Club's website. The national club took part in the collection of DNA for Dr Rusbridge's research and encourages its members to participate in the low cost MRI screening scheme offered by veterinary neurologists.
A list of MRI scanned dogs is published on the club website and some breeders are doing their utmost to breed dogs which are free from Syringomyelia and Mitral Valve Disease. However, the vast majority even of club members are not doing this, not to mention the non-club breeders who register their puppies with the Kennel Club.
There is official support from all of the Cavalier breed clubs for the Optimisation Research now being conducted by Dr Sarah Blott at the Animal Health Trust. The success of this depends on MRI and other health data being provided by breeders. As with the MVD breeding protocol there will be a minority of breeders who health screen and follow breeding guidelines but the vast majority do not and the suffering will go on. Crucially some of the major commercial breeders and successful show breeders refuse to have their dogs MRI scanned or assist research in any way.
I am fearful that as with MVD after 15 years of a breeding protocol being in place, there has been no improvement in the level of incidence of heart disease in the Cavalier breed. Cardiologist Simon Swift's recommendations to the national breed club in 2006 were rejected. Lip service is paid and gestures made, but on the ground there is little change. Cavaliers and their owners continue to suffer but the show scene goes on unabated and pretty dogs are rewarded and bred from. The issue of health and welfare of the dogs always seems to be secondary to this.
Involvement of my MP, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown
It came as a major surprise to me that in our nation of animal lovers, there were no laws to protect dogs from the welfare impact of hereditary health problems.
As the Companion Animal Welfare Council pointed out in its 'Report on Breeding and Welfare' (2006), this was a much neglected area of animal welfare.
The Animal Welfare Bill went before parliament in 2005 and a 'duty of care' was placed on all those who own animals. I also became aware of the European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals which the UK government has not yet signed up to. Pedigree dog breeding was listed to be dealt with as part of the secondary legislation of the Animal Welfare Bill.
I decided to go and see my MP, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown in November 2005 and to my surprise and pleasure he agreed to support me. He arranged a meeting with DEFRA officials involved with the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) and the meeting took place in April 2006. At that meeting we were assured that the problem of hereditary health in pedigree dog breeding would be dealt with in the AWA secondary legislation, and that DEFRA would be working with the Kennel Club to ensure better protection for the dogs. DEFRA officials pointed out that the Kennel Club's Accredited Breeders Scheme was a start and there would be a public consultation period about the issue in due course.
Since 2006 there have been decidedly watered down responses from DEFRA. And various Ministers' responses to Parliamentary Questions put by Geoffrey Clifton-Brown have been non-committal. DEFRA have removed 'Pedigree Dog Breeding' from its list of items in AWA secondary legislation, replacing it with 'Dog Code'. Meetings have taken place between DEFRA officials and the Kennel Club, but in my view no real progress has been made and the Kennel Club remain firmly in control. To date we (and others) have been told by DEFRA that pedigree dog breeding 'is not a priority for the government'.
Kennel Club
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown and I also visited the Kennel Club in 2006 and met with Dr Jeff Sampson and Caroline Kisko. Dr Sampson also later visited me at home. On both occasions it was very clear to me that my concern about Cavaliers and Syringomyelia was not taken seriously. Ms Kisko described Syringomyelia as a ‘newly emerging problem’ and did not believe it to be widespread. The Kennel Club representatives at that time did not support the MRI screening of breeding dogs.
It was implied that I did not understand science and similarly the Companion Animal Welfare Council’s Report on Breeding and Welfare (2006) was dismissed as ‘unscientific’. Dr Clare Rusbridge’s Syringomyelia DNA Research was also not fully acknowledged or supported. The Kennel Club’s Breed Health Survey conducted in 2004 was presented to me as ‘real’ science, although its findings were based on 306 returns mainly from breeders (not pet owners) and on its front cover was a warning that the survey ‘should be treated with caution’. Furthermore in 2004 there was widespread denial of the seriousness of Syringomyelia amongst Cavalier breeders.
However, since the Royal Veterinary College CKCS SM conference in 2006, and the Rugby International Symposium on Syringomyelia in 2007, the Kennel Club has supported further research into Syringomyelia and is funding Dr Sarah Blott's Optimisation Research at the Animal Health Trust. This brings together Clare Rusbridge and Guy Rouleau's DNA research and the work of Sarah Blott.
Eventually, it is hoped that accurate estimated breeding values (EBVs) will be available for all Cavaliers. When the genes/gene markers for SM have been identified the EBVs can be converted to genetic breeding values (geBVs), but this depends of course on the full co-operation and disclosure of MRI and phenotypic data from breeders.
The Companion Animal Welfare Council (CAWC)
The Companion Animal Welfare Council's Report on 'Breeding and Welfare in Companion Animals' was published in 2006. I contributed to this Report during the public consultation period and Syringomyelia in Cavaliers was highlighted as an inherited problem which was having a huge impact on the welfare of these dogs.
The Report was followed up in April 2008 by a Workshop meeting at the House of Lords to look at how the problem of Syringomyelia was being tackled and what more could be done. Representatives from the Cavalier breeder community, the Kennel Club, RSPCA, veterinary experts, scientists and canine geneticists were there. I was present as a pet owner accompanied by Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, MP. It was an amazing day: a day when scientists and welfare representatives at the highest level came together to help Cavaliers; a day when all the hard work of the previous five years seemed more than worthwhile.
The Workshop was followed in July by a meeting of the Syringomyelia research team, Cavalier breeder representatives, Animal Health Trust experts and Dr Sampson from the Kennel Club, to discuss how to best facilitate the ongoing research. This was real progress and a sign of hope for Cavaliers.
Another outcome of the CAWC Workshop Meeting is that an official BVA/KC scheme for MRI screening has been agreed and will come into operation, hopefully some time in 2009. An official BVA/KC heart testing scheme has also been agreed in principle and will be introduced in due course. This is a remarkable outcome and demonstrates how effective the involvement of CAWC has been in attempting to tackle these two major health issues in the Cavalier breed.
Will Cavaliers breeders in sufficient numbers now co-operate fully with supplying the pedigree, MRI, DNA and MVD data that is so urgently needed for research? Time will tell.'Pedigree Dogs Exposed'
Whilst researching for her film, Jemima Harrison, from Passionate Productions tracked me down and asked if I would be willing to take part. Despite being unsure at first, as I got to know Jemima and her partner and cameraman, Jon, I could see their genuine love of dogs and determination to make a serious documentary film about inherited health problems in our canine companions.
I am so proud now that I did take part in the Pedigree Dogs Exposed film and helped to enlighten the general public about the consequences of irresponsible and unethical breeding. Maybe the vast majority of puppy buyers will no longer be quite so naïve. Hopefully they will properly research their chosen breed; know what questions to ask; insist that breeders perform health screening; only buy a puppy from a compassionate and ethical breeder who truly loves her dogs; and only buy from a breeder who accepts responsibility for the health and welfare of the breed as a whole.
The future
Will all these things bring about a change in the world of dog breeding and the world of Cavalier breeding in particular?
The Kennel Club and breed clubs need to reorganise their priorities, not just by tinkering with changes to breed standards but by fully and genuinely placing the health and welfare of dogs above the subjective beauty of the show ring.
Change may come from public pressure and legislation to protect dogs from the suffering resulting from irresponsible breeding. However, the signs are not good that change will come from within the existing system.
All of us who have dared to speak out have been patronized, insulted, marginalized and bullied by some breeders and breed clubs. The Kennel Club have treated us badly too by not listening to our very legitimate concerns about the welfare of dogs.
In the aftermath of 'Pedigree Dogs Exposed' a huge amount of time, money and energy from the dog breeding world has been spent on defending the existing system and organisations instead of urging members to change. Both the Kennel Club and Cavalier Club have lodged complaints to Ofcom claiming that the documentary was unfair and that credit was not given for the measures they have taken to improve the health of dogs.
Margaret Carter, the Cavalier Club's Health Representative with responsibility for Syringomyelia, was ousted from the Club Committee at a Special General Meeting. This was for breach of confidentiality in disclosing that a champion dog had been MRI scanned and found to have Syringomyelia and had been bred many times. There is cause for concern when a powerful group of Cavalier Club members regard the issue of confidentiality as more important than the health and welfare of dogs.
Updates and positive outcomes
More MRI scans carried outThe UK Cavalier Club has announced that more breeders have taken their dogs to be MRI screened in 2009 than in any other year. Some MRI centres have been able to reduce the cost of screening as a result of this. The list of MRI scanned Cavaliers is growing and many breeders who are Cavalier club members have realised that it is something they must now do.
The EBV research needs the MRI information and puppy buyers are beginning to demand that both parents of a litter of puppies have been MRI screened and that breeders are following all of the breeding guidelines.
Code of Ethics and Code of Best PracticeAt the Cavalier Club AGM in March 2009, the proposal by the Club committee to include the Syringomyelia breeding guidelines as a recommendation in the Code of Ethics was agreed. Then a very noisy group of late-coming members, consisting of prominent breeders, succeeded in their demands for a second vote and the proposal was rejected.
At the Liaison Meeting of all the Cavalier Clubs in May 2009, the regional clubs agreed to include the SM breeding guidelines, MVD breeding protocol, and screening for Eye Disease, to be added to their codes of ethics. The national club will incorporate the SM breeding guidelines into their Code of Best Practice at the next AGM in 2010.
Note that the Kennel Club/breed clubs' Code of Ethics (brought in at the end of 2009) which applies to all breeds, states: (Breeders) will agree not to breed from a dog or bitch which could in any way be harmful to the dog or breed. The Cavalier Club's Code of Best Practice states: No dog (or bitch) which has a known physical defect that could be detrimental to the health and well being of the offspring or the breed in general should be used for breeding.
Unfortunately there is no proposal by the Kennel Club or breed clubs to enforce these codes. They are not requirements, merely recommendations. In the past the MVD breeding protocol has been largely ignored by breeders and it remains to be seen whether the majority of breed club members will follow the new codes with a greater commitment.
Estimated Breeding Values (EBV) research and data collectionDrs Sarah Blott and Tom Lewis from the Animal Health Trust have given seminars to most of the Cavalier clubs in the UK to outline the EBV research and explain how the mate selection program will work.
Sarah and Tom have appealed for more health data from breeders and owners, explaining that the more data that is supplied, the more accurate the breeding values will be. Data collection and research is on-going and whilst EBVs are now available for all Cavaliers in the UK, it is felt by the researchers that the values are not sufficiently robust as yet.
There are a number of practical issues still to be resolved such as the regular updating of data in order to refin and adjust EBVs. However the end product will be an on-line mate selection program for use by breeders and owners.
Cavalier Club Puppy RegisterThe Club has recently introduced a more formal system for placing a dog on its Puppy Register. A form now needs to be completed giving details of heart testing and eye testing of the parents (under 5 years of age parents should have a clear heart certificate). This is a welcome development, although in order to comply fully with the heart testing protocol, the grandparents' heart status also needs to be known. All four grandparents should have a clear heart certificate aged over five years. It is regrettable that this is not currently a requirement for the puppy register. MRI certification for Syringomyelia is currently an optional component of the puppy register form under 'Additional Health Information'. Again, this is welcome but does not go far enough.
Associate Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare (APGAW)Report: A healthier future for pedigree dogs.
This long awaited report was released in November 2009. It found 'a serious problem with the health and welfare of many pedigree dogs', and makes far reaching recommendations for reform.
For more details see Welfare Reports
Independent Inquiry into Dog Breeding
Funded by Dogs Trust and Kennel Club, chaired by Professor Sir Patrick Bateson, FRS
Report: Independent Inquiry into Dog Breeding
A historic day for dogs. This peer reviewed scientific report, launched on January 14, 2010 concluded that urgent action should be taken to tackle the genetic welfare problems of dogs, and the trade of Dog Farming.
For more details see Welfare Reports