Why is Britain so out of step with much of Europe? We’re not talking Brexit or even driving on the left but animal welfare; in particular dealing with hereditary disease in Cavaliers.
These most loving of little dogs suffer in far higher numbers than any other breed from two serious inherited conditions: a heart disease called Mitral Valve Disease (MVD) and Syringomyelia, (SM) a neurological complaint caused by dogs being bred with skulls too small to accommodate their brains properly. So why do those with the power to make meaningful changes to improve matters put more energy into paying lip service to health and denying the problems than taking action?
Many European countries, including Denmark, Sweden, Belgium and the Netherlands, have mandatory health testing for Cavaliers. Some countries don’t have compulsory schemes simply because their Cavalier breed clubs insist members test, removing the need for Kennel Club intervention.
Earlier this year 1,600 Norwegian vets signed a petition making a stand against the unethical breeding of a number of breeds where dogs’ looks are being put above health. Their statement cites Cavaliers as an example of how breeding for a certain “cute” face has resulted in the mismatch of brain and skull size. This happens despite very clear welfare animal law, and the vets are calling for this to be enforced.
Norway’s chief vet Torill Moseng said last month that anyone thinking of buying a Cavalier puppy should think very carefully as the majority will go on to develop a serious condition. She didn’t mince her words in reminding breeders of their “high level of ethical and legal responsibility”. Ms Moseng spoke out because the Norwegian Kennel Club and cavalier club continue to trivialise health problems in Cavaliers and so, in effect, condone breaking of the country’s animal welfare laws.
While the situation in Norway is far from ideal, it does have stringent animal welfare laws and its cavalier club does at least demand basic heart testing. This is a far cry from the UK. Our legal apparatus is far less robust when it comes to animals and nearly a decade after the BBC documentary Pedigree Dogs Exposed revealed the shocking extent of Cavalier health issues to the public, there is still no official, let alone compulsory, Kennel Club heart testing scheme and the majority of UK breeders continue to mate their Cavaliers without MRI scanning.
In anyone’s book, half of Cavaliers potentially having MVD and SM by six years old is a welfare catastrophe
Close to 32,000 have signed an online petition asking for mandatory testing. It is supported by the RSPCA and other welfare charities, and has been signed by Cavalier owners, some celebrities, vets, vet nurses and dog lovers but nobody in a position to insist on or instigate change seems prepared to put their head above the parapet for these little dogs. By six years old 70 per cent will have Syringomyelia and half will have a heart murmur. Surely in anyone’s book, half of Cavaliers potentially having MVD and SM by six years old is a welfare catastrophe. No wonder life expectancy for the breed is just under 10 years old.
Rather than being the vanguard tackling this, the UK Kennel Club and Cavalier Clubs seem more concerned about playing down the plague of inherited disease, ignoring the mountain of research that suggests otherwise, and justifying the actions of those breeders who play Russian Roulette with their Cavalier puppies’ future health by not testing. Indeed, when it comes to MVD, our own study of how top winning Cavaliers were bred showed that Cavalier Club office holders and puppy coordinators were among the worst offenders in breaking guidelines aimed at reducing the condition’s prevalence.
Figures published last month revealed that over 97 per cent of Cavaliers have Chiari-like malformation (CM) and 48 per cent suffer from SM. But perhaps what is most shocking is the fact this is not news. The results of this latest study of German Cavaliers only echoes what research has found elsewhere.
Research published by the Royal Veterinary College in 2016 put the frequency of SM among Cavaliers at one in 60 (compared to one in 2,000 in the general UK dog population). The VetCompass survey also found that 72 per cent of affected dogs was recorded as showing pain.
Replace the word “Cavalier King Charles Spaniel” with “children” and imagine the outcry. People – young and old – also suffer from CM/SM. Thankfully, it is rare in humans and, crucially, they are able to express what it feels like: hell on Earth for much of the time. They can also say when they need more pain relief. A dog can only hope its owner recognises his pain
MRI scanning is not perfect and doesn’t guarantee healthy puppies but it is proven to improve the odds when done properly and at the appropriate ages. The crux of the issue is that to mate without scanning is a stab in the dark: it is morally unforgivable when dealing with such a devastating condition, especially from those who claim to love the breed. Yet so few bother.
To mate without scanning is a stab in the dark: it is morally unforgivable when dealing with such a devastating condition, especially from those who claim to love the breed
The Kennel Club did launch a voluntary MRI screening scheme in 2012 that has been boycotted by breed clubs and the majority of breeders. In five years over 25,000 Cavalier puppies have been registered but fewer than 300 KC-registered Cavalier scans have gone through the scheme.
Yet, both the Cavalier Club and Kennel Club seem more concerned with justifying breeders not testing than the fate of the thousands of Cavaliers born to either suffer pain, die prematurely or both. Cost seems to be an issue. “CM/SM screening is very expensive, around £500 per MRI scan,” the KC website declares. In fact, numerous centres do subsidised breeding scans for considerably less.
“Although screening is expense, and despite reducing the chances of producing affected offspring, it gives no guarantee,” the KC website goes on. “In addition, undergoing an anaesthetic, which, while normally very safe, does carry some risk.”
This really is scraping the barrel of weak excuses. Pregnancy and whelping also carries risk. Any Cavalier whose health makes an anaesthetic dangerous isn’t fit for a breeding programme. But all that aside, Syringomyelia is such a painful and devastating condition that every effort should be going in to preventing it.
In the Netherlands, it is widely accepted that mandatory testing was introduced to neutralise the threat of a legal challenge from an animal rights’ group that said breeding Cavaliers should be banned on the grounds of cruelty given the high chance of offspring developing a hereditary condition.
Given a total absence in the UK of a national veterinary body, the Kennel Club or Cavalier Club prepared to stand up, take a stand and take real action to improve the lot of Cavaliers, those who genuinely want to see their health improve might feel the law is the only option left when facing this enormous welfare issue. What a sorry state of affairs for a nation of so-called animal lovers.
Read more about our campaign and the need for mandatory health testing for Cavaliers on our other blog posts