The Cavalier Clubs Health Liaison Committee has written to the Kennel Club requesting that it refuses to register Cavaliers that could develop either of two distressing conditions: Episodic Falling and Dry Eye Curly Coat Syndrome.
The first is a neurological condition induced by exercise, excitement or frustration, causing the dog to become rigid and fall over. It looks like this:
Dry Eye Curly Coat syndrome, thought to be unique to the Cavalier, affects a dog's eyes and skin. Affected dogs produce no tears, making their eyes incredibly sore.
Additionally, their skin becomes flaky and dry, particularly around their feet, making standing and walking difficult. Most dogs born with the condition are euthanised.
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| © Susan Jacobi |
Additionally, their skin becomes flaky and dry, particularly around their feet, making standing and walking difficult. Most dogs born with the condition are euthanised.
The good folk at the Animal Health Trust developed a reliable DNA test for both conditions two years ago - both caused by simple recessives. A combined test is currently on offer from the AHT for £48 and many Cavalier breeders are now using it to test their stock. But not all. And with the carrier rate for EF estimated at one in five Cavaliers and DECC at one in 10 dogs, there's a clear need.
So this initiative from the Clubs is extremely welcome. Moreover, in the Club's request to the KC, it recognises the wisdom of continuing to use carriers so as not to further deplete the Cavalier gene pool.
Episodic Falling and Curly Coat/Dry Eye
At the recent Cavalier Health Liaison Committee meeting, Clubs voted to ask
the Kennel Club to include all results from the EF CC/DE DNA tests in the
KC's registration system and in their Health Test Results Finder and
published by the Kennel Club in the Breed Record supplement. Furthermore the Club's requested that all CKCS that are not already heritably clear should
be tested for both EF and DE/CC prior to breeding and that at least one
parent of each litter is free of each mutation, to ensure no affected
puppies can be produced or registered.
The Club recognised the AHT's findings that it is perfectly safe to breed
with carriers, provided they are only ever mated to clear dogs and that we
should actively encourage breeders to include their carriers in their
breeding programmes so that the genetic diversity of the breed is not
compromised. The two mutations are inherited independently, so it is
perfectly safe for one parent to be a carrier of one mutation and for the
other parent to be a carrier of the other mutation, or for one parent to be
a carrier for both mutations.
The Cavalier Clubs would like to thank the AHT for carrying out this work
which represents the culmination of several years research that has been
funded by several Breed Clubs, individuals and organisations including the
Kennel Club Charitable Trust.
David Moger, Chairman Cavalier Health Liaison Committee
So now the big question is: will the Kennel Club agree to the request?
The Kennel Club currently registers around 8,000 Cavaliers a year. That's well down from the 12,000 it used to register before Pedigree Dogs Exposed highlighted the breed's other even bigger health problems (syringomyelia and heart disease), but still a considerable revenue stream. And this is a breed popular with puppy farms and pet-breeders who often don't health-test.
Sure, the KC's Assured Breeder Scheme makes some demands of breeders (although not, astonishingly, that Cavalier breeders DNA-test for Episodic Falling or Dry Eye Curly Coat Syndrome despite the test having been available for two years. Actually, testing for heart disease and syringomyelia is STILL only a recommendation not a requirement under the ABS)
And it is true that the Kennel Club has put such restrictions in place for conditions of lesser frequency in one or two smaller breeds, such as the Irish Setter.
But to my knowledge the KC has refused requests from breed clubs representing numerically-large breeds for all registrations to be conditional on the proven health of the dog.
So this is a big leap.
Will we see the same tired old bleat of "but the breeders will go elsewhere... much better to not be too tough with them and keep them under the KC umbrella"? Or will they stand up for the dogs and in so doing send out a clear message that that KC pedigree certificate means something?
(Although of course in Cavaliers it's a bit of a moot point given that the breed is completely buggered and you'd have to be an idiot to buy one.)
Watch this space...